Originally published at Autosnewspaper.com. Please leave any comments there.
Initially, BMW revealed that for the 2011 X5 would be removing dual new turbocharged engines, as good as alittle really teenager visible tweaks to both the front and rear fascias. Rightaway, however,
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Cars in popular culture? We all know about Prince’s Little Red Corvette and Wilson Pickett’s Mustang Sally, but what about cars that are contained within the lyrics?
Here’s Petrolblog’s rundown of the top tunes with cars within the lyrics. In true chart show style, we start with number 10.
10. Can I ride with you in your BMW?: Oasis – Supersonic
9. I’ve been driving in my car, it’s not quite a Jaguar: Madness – Driving in my car
8. Drove my Chevy to the levee: Don McLean – American Pie
7. Her mind is tiffany twisted, she’s got the Mercedes bends: The Eagles – Hotel California
6. There’s a girl my lord in a flatbed Ford: The Eagles – Take it easy
5. So why don’t we make a little room in your BMW – George Michael – Fast Love
4. Cos Tony’s got a new motor, SR Nova driving like a joyrider: The Streets – Has it come to this?
And the all important top three…
3. I drive a Rolls Royce, cos it’s good for my voice: T-Rex – Children of the Revolution
2. Out on the road today, I saw a deadhead sticker on a Cadillac: Don Henley – Boys of Summer
1. He’s got a brand new car, looks like a Jaguar: Feeder – Buck Rogers
Still waiting for the first song to feature the Kia Pride or Hyundai Accent.
And finally, by way of a tribute to the awesome Feeder, here’s the song itself. Looks like a Jag-uuu-aaarr!
The video lets you appreciate the loading your valve springs go through. The motor has a redline of 14,200. “BMW’s most powerful production motorcycle engine cranks out 193 horsepower at 13,000 RPM and 82.5 pound-feet of torque at 9,750 RPM. Reliably. Perhaps the most impressive piece of engineering in such a high-strung engine is the valvetrain.” Taken from Autoblog, sent to me courtesy of Dang from Hellfish Racing.
… Sort of…
I have spent the last 5 years of my life hating BMW drivers and, in turn, hating the BMW brand.
I hate how people who drive them always refer to them as “my Beamer,” rather than, “my car.” (I have similar opinions about these arrogant d-bags who walk around in Northface jackets. It’s never, “hand me my jacket.” It’s, “hand me my Northface.” It is a mother eff’ing jacket. Get over yourself).
I hate how they look (looks the same as an Accord to me).
I hate how they are rarely taken care of (almost always dirty and the wheels are ALWAYS covered in break dust… take some pride in your car for God’s sake).
And most of all, and I mean most of all, I hate how they are driven by so many people who can’t afford them.
I am of the belief that a car is a reflection of the driver. It reflects a combination of your needs, income and personality.
So why do I constantly see college kids driving BMWs? Are college campuses a safe place to keep a car? Can college kids afford to buy a BMW? Is there a need for a BMW in college? Last time I checked most college kids eat Raumen Noodles, drink Keystone Light, and pile as many of their drunk friends as possible into one car to get from place to place. Definitely a place for a “Beamer.”
Obviously these wannabe’s can’t afford their car, mommy and daddy bought it for them, which is impossible to comprehend. Let’s review:
Suzie is going to college. Suzie wants a car. Suzie has a high school reputation to up hold so she can’t drive just any ol’ car, she needs a BMW. Mommy and Daddy decide, “Suzie has to have this BMW, she is way too good for a Kia.” Now Suzie rolls around campus in her 3 Series BMW, acting like she is too good for everyone else. Oh, and mommy and daddy pay for her gas and don’t make her get a job because she needs to “focus on her grades.”
If you are in college, drive a BMW and are reading this right now thinking, “This guys is a total a-hole. That’s not how I got my car, I earned my car. Blah blah blah blah.” Stop for a second and really think about how you got your car. Did you pay your down payment? Do you pay your insurance? Do you make monthly payments? Do you need a BMW? You’re the person I am talking about.
Then there is the young professional who gets their first paycheck and thinks they have to own a BMW to show everyone that they make $30k/yr. Enjoy your car… and your food stamps.
Over the years I have become bitter towards BMW. Not because I am jealous, trust me, I’m not a BMW person. I LOVE my Acura. It’s just that I know too many people who have no business driving these cars, but drive them anyway and act like they are somehow superior to everyone because their parents happened to be successful. I have built this persona of a BMW driver in my head and I hate it. Whenever I see one, I immediately despise the driver and the car, usually for no good reason.
Then I moved to South Beach.
You know what doesn’t exist down here? 3 series BMW’s, stuck-up college students and dirty cars. All you see is CLEAN, well kept 6 and 7 Series BMW’s, driven by grown adults who have careers and make their own car payments. I almost feel guilty for all the hating I have done on BMW over the years. Turns out BMW is a luxury car line, and are driven by more than just spoiled college students and over zealous young professionals.
So here is my official apology to you, BMW (as if you care). I’m sorry for all the nasty things I said about you and your drivers. More than anything, I think I am impressed that you were able to take what is basically a Honda Accord, slap a BMW logo on the front and sell it for twice as much as its worth, to people who can’t afford them so they can feel better about themselves. Well done, BMW.
By Dian Hasan | February 14, 2009
Every major brand on the global stage comes with a story as illustrious as the journey it took to where it is today. Brands evolve and go through different stages. Just like people, brands are born, learn to crawl, take baby steps, go through stages of growing pains, and mature. Along the way some brands perish, re-emerge, re-incarnate into something completely new… while some others simply continue to sail through… going from strength to strength.
Here’s an interesting fact behind the brand journey of BMW, the inventors of the now famous tagline “The Ultimate Driving Machine”.
Bayerische Motoren Werke (BMW) was founded in 1916 in Munich, the capital of Bavaria. BMW’s famous logo made its first appearance on a 1929 Dixi. A remarkably simple symbol; silver lettering on a circular black band with four equal segments of solid blue and white – an homage to the colors of Bavaria. The origins trace back to World War I, when the Bavarian Luftwaffe flew planes painted in Bavarian colors, affording the pilot a view through his propeller of blue and white segments.
This inspired the stylized design into one of the world’s most recognizable brand logos. The consistency is legendary, with only minor touches over the years. BMW is On-Code with the smart, clean-cut, upscale and sporty image that is portrayed through the precision-engineered cars and motorcycles.
bmw water pump meyle 325i 525i
Check out the build quality of the BMW water pump (left) vs. the Meyle water pump (right). The BMW pump on the left is a used part, the meyle is brand new! Beware of the cheap stuff!
10 Questions with the Brother and Sister Team from Bullrun’s 3rd Season
Michael Schlee
Excitement is building as the 3rd season of Speed TV’s hit reality show Bullrun is set to return February 18th. The automotive gauntlet is set to excite viewers once again as 12 teams race across America in hopes of claiming the $200 000 grand prize.
Over the past few weeks I have been conducting interviews with several of the competing teams from the 3rd season of Bullrun. This time around I had the pleasure of interviewing Team BMW, the only brother sister team on this year’s rally. Consisting of driver Jason Arias and co driver Kristina Arias, Team BMW entered Bullrun with their BMW 335i.
As one of the youngest teams to enter the rally, it is anyone’s guess how they will fare. We will all have to watch the show to see what happens. Read below to see their answers to the 10 questions.
1. How did you first hear about Bullrun?
-Kristina: I randomly saw it on tv one day and immediately was hooked!
-Jason: We watched season 2 every week! We weren’t lucky enough to know about the show during season 1. After the 2nd season ended we watched every episode of season 1 we could online.
2. What was it like when you received the final call indicating you would be on the Bullrun Reality show?
-Kristina: I was driving and pretty much had to pull the car over because I was so pumped. I swear I had a heart attack.
-Jason: When my sister called me, I didn’t know what the hell she was saying because she was talking so fast. All I heard was “freaking Bullrun!” (laughs)
3. Were you at all apprehensive about bringing such a new vehicle into an automotive challenge like this one?
-Jason: Helllll yeah! It’s our daily driver for god’s sake!! There were some advantages to having a newer car. It should definitely be more reliable than an older car would be. It also has its disadvantages if something were to happen its not necessarily as easy to fix when you have limited tools and technology available to you.
4. Team BMW is Bullrun’s first Brother and Sister Team. What made you two decide to do this together?
-Jason: Pretty much, we’re a badass team
-Kristina: And we knew we’d be amazing.
-Jason: I get sick of people very easy so I couldn’t imagine being in the car for that long with anybody but my sister.
5. Most siblings wouldn’t be able to handle the pressure of Bullrun together. I take it you and your sister are close?
-Jason: Bullrun is intense! I’m not gonna lie. I wanted to throw her out the window more than once!! (Laughs). But yeah we are very close.
-Kristina: Super close. I hate to admit it but I totally idolize him. Great, now his heads gonna get all big. We get along most of the time.
6. The last BMW team to appear on Bullrun was in Season 1. Many BMW enthusiasts wanted to see a better finish. Did you feel the pressure heading into the rally?
-Kristina: I felt the pressure to do well not just because of BMW enthusiasts but in general. I mean who wants to be the lame team.
-Jason: Of course we wanted to make BMW enthusiasts proud. But it’s hard to say what they will think of us and our performance because when you’re at home watching it’s easy to say “I could have done that better.” or “my BMW is more vicious.” All I know is we did our best and let it all hang out!
-Kristina: Its hard to compare us to the other teams from previous seasons because a lot has changed and we had the advantage of watching 2 seasons before. We kinda knew what to expect.
7. When you arrived at the start line for Bullrun Season 3, what went through your head as you saw who and what your competition would be?
-Jason: The first thought in my head was “Am I really on Bullrun!?” It was a lot to take in. We were so lucky!
-Kristina: I still can’t believe we were on Bullrun. We definitely were the least qualified to be there.
-Jason: There were a lot of crazy cars and for a second I thought we might have been in over our heads.
8. You are one of the youngest competitors to ever be on Bullrun; in any season. Heading into the competition, did you feel this could be an advantage or disadvantage?
-Kristina: We’re young and ready to do whatever it takes. Go big or go home! That mentality definitely is an advantage I think.
-Jason: If you think about it, we were at a big disadvantage because between the 2 of us we only have about 8 years of driving experience. The other teams were older and more experienced. And I’m not even talking about track or rally experience; I’m talking about driving period.
9. I have interviewed a few of the teams already that you competed against in Season 3. I keep hearing that this year is going to be colossal. Do you agree?
-Jason: Yeah, each season gets better. The challenges get harder and crazier.
-Kristina: It will rock your world!
10. If given the chance would you do it again?
-Kristina: Definitely. I had so much fun. Living out of a suitcase, going place to place, even if it’s a random town with a total of 3 people, it was totally exciting.
-Jason: Probably the most exciting thing I’ve done in my life. And I would love to do it again.
Catch the 3rd Season of Bullrun on Speed TV Starting February 18th.
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Team Mach 1
Team Corvette
Team Lexus
Team Challenger
Team HemiCuda
I’ve hated them in the past too.
Yea, these kinds of cars were ugly in the 70s and 80s too.
Ini adalah tahun kedua BMW akan berlaga di ajang World Superbike. Di bawah pengasuh baru, David Tardozzi, troy Corser dan Ruben Xaus siap berkompetisi dengan tim-tim lainnya.
Some notable pitches spotted in the last week…
Print: BMW’s glorification of new car smell and Kitchen Aid’s appeal to OCD foodies, courtesy of Ads of the World.
Video: The new E class forcibly takes its place in the Mercedes Benz Museum in Stuttgart (designed by UN Studios). In case you missed the hallowed Super Bowl commercials, they’re all available for viewing here. Not brand new, but Google’s “Search On,” which appeared during the third quarter, was a fave.
I had wanted an E34 5-Series BMW since I saw my first one in high school. While looking for ideas on mods, I found one for sale, and I finally decided to pull the trigger. I contacted the owner, who parked it in his garage until I could get the funds together. After a few weeks, she was mine.
The car was already tastefully modded with Euro trim, Vogtland springs, Euro lights, and AC Schnitzer Type III replica wheels. When I got it, I added Koni sport shocks and Kmac adjustable trailing arm bushings, and replaced the Type III replicas with real ones. I then replaced all the Euro trim as it had been pitted from highway driving. In addition, I resprayed the front and rear bumpers due to chips and scratches. I removed the one piece crappy door panels and replaced them with 95 multipiece panels. I removed the wood trim and sanded, primed, based and cleared them with PPG black, followed by wetsanding and buffing. I did the same thing to the outside pillars as they were flat black from the factory. I then upgraded to aftermarket HIDs but hated them. So I bought a set of Acura TSX projectors and Philips D2S bulbs and went to town cutting the housing apart. I made adjustable brackets and was able to fit the TSX housings neatly behind the BMW glass. The headlight output is incredible now! One of the best mods ever.
Next, I decided the current powerplant had to go. I had previously had a 1995 Nissan S14 (that I did a Silvia conversion on) and then a Volvo 850R wagon, so I knew I wanted a turbo. After some research, I decided to lose the non-VANOS M50 engine and drop in an M52 with VANOS from an E39. I pulled it apart; cleaned and painted the block; honed the cylinder walls; dropped in some S52 cams, ARP head studs, and a thicker head gasket; and had aluminum bungs welded on the oil pan and filter housing for turbo feed and return.
I made an appointment with BMW tuners Turbo Charging Dynamics to do a forced induction install. I gave them a deposit and gave the freight company a deposit to have the car shipped from VA to MI.
And then it happened.
The night before the car was to be sent to TCD, I found one of my other dream cars: a clean 1972 Datsun 510 with a race motor which the then-owner knew nothing about. I used the turbo money to buy the 510, as I had wanted one since I was a kid (my dad had a number of 510s and 240Zs when I was growing up). Unfortunately, I lost quite a bit of money in the deposits to TCD and to the freight company, but after getting the 510, I realized it was well worth it.
I picked up the 510, which was near rust-free and straight, but had lots of minor cosmetic and wiring issues. It also ran like crap. I removed the BRE stripes, the M3 mirror, and the ugliest hood ever. I found a free parts car which I got all kinds of good bits from: hood, driver seat, dash, door panels, mirrors, etc. I even sold the parts car shell for $500 in addition to selling $600 of leftover parts.
I pulled the L20 engine from the car and measured the bore. Turned out the motor was a rare, Robello-built L20 bored and stroked to 2.3L. The car also had an Isky cam, Nissan comp headers, twin Mikuni 44 carburetors with short Mikuni manifold, ITG filter, Crane fireball XR700 ignition, Roadster 5-speed mid-close ratio transmission, Troy Ermish front and rear coilovers (cranked up too high), front and rear sway bars, a Sparco racing seat, and a roll cage. Good mods overall, but poorly executed and some no longer working. So I took it all apart, cleaned, and rebuilt everything. I also painted the engine bay, added full dynamat and a new carpet kit to the interior, and wetsanded and buffed the whole car. Lastly, I went through and cleaned up all the wiring, trying to hide as much of it as I could.
I recently dynoed the car at 128 HP at the rear wheels, but I need smaller pump nozzles in the carbs, and am hoping for 135 RWHP.
The Datsun is currently the top-rated 510 on Cardomain and the second or third-rated of all models and years of Datsuns registered on that site (approximately 3000).
It is a blast to drive and gets lots of looks.
More of the 5er:
Words and images: Brandon Miller
