The BMW M3 turns 25

It’s birthday time and the BMW M3 is blowing out 25 candles. To celebrate BMW released a special edition 2011 M3 Coupe which sold out in just 12 minutes, so demand remains strong for the iconic model.

In the last 25 years the M3 has evolved from a lightweight scrapper capable of taking on heavy hitters of the sports car world to the quintessential sports sedan that the rest of the segment is measured against. In the process, it has dropped its bulging, swollen fenders for much smoother sheetmetal and lost its four-cylinder engine for a fully aluminum eight-cylinder that brings serious heat, but it remains a well-balanced sports coupe.

This transformation wasn’t always an easy one. BMW sent its various M3s through many trials on the tracks of the motorsports world, and the 3 Series quickly built a reputation as a dynamic machine not to be messed with.

BMW has commemorated the occasion by releasing some images of the M3 growing up over the years, check them out in the gallery below. Read the rest of this entry »

Wallpapers 41-50

McLaren F1 GTR art car could nab $4.3m NZ at auction

It’s over a decade now since the McLaren F1 tore up the Supercar rule book and it remains one of the fastest supercars ever built, and a highly coveted and expensive collectors’ item. The race-spec McLaren F1 GTR fetches even bigger dollars. But a McLaren F1 GTR art car? Now, that’s going to be worth crazy money.

Most of us have been exposed to BMW’s art car project at some point. It started in the 1970s, with the Bavarian automaker commissioning famous artists to use their cars as canvas and transform them into petrol-burning works of art. Most of them were raced in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, including the latest iteration the M3 GT2 painted by Jeff Koons which BMW campaigned at this year’s race.

At this point you may be saying “but hang on that’s not a BMW!” That’s true and while this may not have been part of BMW’s official art car program, the McLaren F1 is BMW-engined. This particular F1 is Chassis #5 and was acquired by French gentleman racer Jean-Luc Maury—Laribiere, who entered it at Le Mans in 1994. The next year, renowned French artist Cesar gave the car a very unique paint job.

Now the one-of-a-kind McLaren is heading to the auction block where it is expected to fetch between two and two-and-a-half million euros (about $4.3 million kiwi dollars) on July 9 during the Le Mans Classic.

Morgan teases EvaGT before Pebble Beach launch

Iconic British motoring brand Morgan has teased its upcoming EvaGT model before its official launch.

The EvaGT is a four-seater coupe model based on the Aero Supersports platform but will use a modified variant of the aluminum chassis – the same one used for the Morgan GT3 racer.

Away from the teaser image Morgan is keeping mum about design details but apparently the vehicle is being designed by computer software and is all about very fluid, aerodynamic styling. The body panels, designed and stamped by machine, will also be made of aluminum and be hand finished.

Under the bonnet Morgan is continuing with BMW-sourced engines and will make use of the 3.0 litre, twin-turbo straight-six unit with 225 kW and 400 Nm of torque featured in the BMW 335i. This high-tech engine will propel the EvaGT to 100 km/h in just 4.5 seconds given that the weight of the car is only 1,250 kg. Top speed is a law-breaking 273 km/h and fuel consumption is impressive too with a combined cycle rating of just 7 litres/100 km.

After the EVaGT debuts at Pebble Beach in California on August 15, it will have an exclusive production run of only 100 units. Morgan has begun taking orders on the car requiring a £5,000 pound deposit even though official pricing hasn’t been announced.

1973 Mini 1000 – The Mini and the Minor – 234

Following from our Young Person’s Guide to Classic Cars (NZCC, January 2010), we talk to teenager Josh Kelly about his Mini

Some 14 years after the very first Mini Se7en — designed originally by Alec Issigonis — rolled off the assembly line, our striking feature car was built in Petone, on January 17, 1973.

Last year marked the 50th anniversary of this motoring icon, which basically remained unchanged until 2000, while the BMW version has since become a popular choice for more modern Mini enthusiasts.

Over the years Minis have become a favourite among young and old, male and female, those affluent, those who scrimp and save every cent to buy their favourite little car and, no matter what part of the world you live, there’s a Mini story or enthusiast lurking somewhere.

Josh Kelly, like many people, was smitten by Minis from an early age and has been nuts about them ever since. But of course as a kid he couldn’t own a real one, so his family would often buy him Mini models until eventually, he could start buying them for himself.

Josh knew from a very young age that his first car would be a Mini, even though his father wasn’t so keen on the idea. This wasn’t enough to deter Josh’s obsession to own one. That obsession finally became reality in 2009, when he purchased his first Mini after a couple of months seriously looking around to see what was available.

It was a dream come true for Josh as he had loved Minis all his life, and finally at 17 years of age, he had his first one. Until then, all his Minis had been small toys!

This Mini was the third one he’d looked at in the space of three weeks, the first being a 1976 Mini 1000, then a 1980 Mini 1275GT (NZ version). However, the asking prices were beyond his budget.

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2011 BMW M5 spied at the Ring

The 2011 BMW M5 has been spied being put through its paces around the Nurburgring in Germany.

1989 Range Rover 3.5 SE & 2006 Range Rover Sport V8 – Rovers Return – 190

The original Range Rover was the catalyst for the fastest growth market in the world of transport this century — call it what you will, four-wheel-drive, Sports Utility Vehicle or Recreational Vehicle, it seems nearly everybody wants one

It would never have occurred to the designers of the Range Rover that their up-market Land Rover would become the definitive country-set luxury car, or indeed a sought-after cult car. However, that it became the reference point in terms of its off-road ability would not have surprised them — although they may have been surprised at how long the Range Rover has remained at the top of the heap.
Simply put, the Range Rover is an icon, one of the most significant vehicle designs from the second half of the 20th century. It is pleasing to report that, despite the roller-coaster fortunes of the company’s ownership, the Range Rover remains with us. It may be wildly different in terms of sophistication, but it is still the trail blazer that it was in the ’70s.

Grass Roots

Range Rover roots go back to WWII. The Rover factory in Solihull, near Birmingham — having been a medium to small producer of cars before the war — was pouring out armaments, and had expanded vastly to do so. The company was also one of the prime movers behind the allies’ development of the jet engine.

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BMW High Security Vehicles

BMW is well known for dynamic and premium driving pleasure. BMW cars also fulfill international safety standards. In Munich, BMW also develops very special vehicles, which may save lives in a complete different way