BMW: Jan 1, 2009

Thursday, January 1, 2009

Ex-Cowboys' 1991 BMW 850Ci one-off for sale in Texas

custom convertible BMW 850i

Long before the retro-licious Z8 and the modern 6 Series, BMW's range-topping sport coupe was the 8-Series. Characterized by its distinctive shark nose and available with a choice of eight- or 12-cylinder engines, the 8-Series was sadly never offered as a convertible. But it would have made a smart-looking roadster, as one customer was evidently determined to discover.

Commissioned by Erik Williams, offensive tackle for the Dallas Cowboys back in their glory days, this one-of-a-kind 1991 BMW 850i convertible is now up for sale by a dealer in New Braunfels, Texas. Craftsmanship of the folding soft-top, as you can see from the images in the gallery below, may not be up to world-class standards, but for a unique V12-powered German cabrio, the $25,900 asking price is at least accessible.

Gallery: Custom 1991 BMW 850Ci

[Source: Automaniacs]

BMW finally green-lights 5-Series "Progressive Activity Sedan"

Call it V5, 5-Series GT, 5-Series Fastback, Progressive Activity Sedan... call it what you will. Whatever moniker you give it, BMW has evidently crossed the Rubicon and there's no turning back. As expected based upon BMW's previously leaked roster of 2009 reveals, the 5-Series -based hatchback has been approved. Called "one of the bravest designs ever signed off by BMW," it is BMW's take on everything-all-the-time: a flexible, luxury GT.

Although it is being referred to as a 5-Series family member, the car is actually expected to arrive on the same platform as the 7 Series. As such, the PAS is coming off as the ultimate tweener car: longer than a 5-Series sedan, yet shorter than a 7-Series; taller than a 5-Series, yet shorter than an X6. Cost is expected to straddle the gap, too: it should cost more than a 5 Series but less than a 7-Series. One description offered was "more of a 'tall 7-Series hatchback than a low-rise X6."

At the very front, the PAS is said to take cues from the CS Concept. That nose treatment flows into a sedan-like lower body topped by an X6 greenhouse, rear hatch, and rear end treatment. Interior design cues will come from the new Z4, and a roomy, semi-raised cabin is promised. Possible engines for the car in Europe include the 3.0-liter turbo diesel, while a 3.0-liter gas could would come to the States.

[Source: Autocar]

Highlighting The Top 10 Stories Of The Year

We are just a few hours away from entering a new year and as many of you know by now, we had a great year here at BMWBlog. Many of our articles constantly made the news on major blogs and website and we established ourselves as the "one-stop shop" for all the BMW news, rumors, photos and anything related to BMW.

With over 1,100 articles written this year, it was difficult to choose the best ones and most important, to be totally unbiased. So, I based my decision on the amount of clicks each articles has received, the internet buzz it has created and the amount of comments left on them. There were definitely more than ten amazing stories this year, but we'll stick to the popular and catchy Top Ten format.

1. A great comparison between some of the most popular models from BMW, Audi and Infiniti.

Photo Comparison: 2007 BMW 335i, 2008 Audi S5 and 2008 Infiniti G37

2. What went behind the scene of the all new 2009 BMW 7 Series article was one of our articles that created the biggest buzz on the internet and it was reprinted by many designing websites as well. Great marketing material from BMW.

Behind the design of the BMW 7 Series

3. The unveiling of the M1 Hommage, a concept that pays tribute to the original M1.

BMW M1 Hommage

4. Giom's renderings of the next generation 2012 BMW M6 were the highlight of our blog in May. An interesting approach that has equally drawn admiration and criticism.

2012 BMW M6 Renderings

5. But we were wrong also and not afraid to admit it. We announced in April that the new Z4 will come with both soft and hardtop, based on inside information. BMW was indeed testing both versions at that point to calculate aerodynamics parameters and performance between the two.

2009 BMW Z4 will have both a hard and a soft top

6. Josh drove one of the first new BMW M3 Coupe that was available in the U.S. He shared with us his findings and some great photos

Test Drive: BMW M3

7. BMW unveiled their urban vehicle, part of the X series, and named X1. A vehicle that was heavily bashed when the first spy shots surfaced, but received well after the official unveiling in Paris.

BMW X1

8. The BMW Gina Concept made the bimmer fans regret that it won't become a production car……at least anytime soon.

BMW Gina Visionary Concept

9. The highly-awaited redesigned, all new, etc…BMW 7 Series finally took off its covers. Beside the exterior redesign, the new 7er impressed by its high-tech technology and beautiful interior design.

Review: 2009 BMW 7 Series

10. Last but not least, one of the best designs that came out of the BMW's factory doors in the past few years: BMW Z4. Designed by a team of female designers, the new BMW Z4 impressed everyone from the get-go, a vehicle that is expected to boost the BMW sales and win the battle of supremacy in the roadsters class.

2009 BMW Z4

I hope the above top serves as a refresher of what happened in the BMW world in 2008 and I can assure you that 2009 looks even more promising. The roadmap laid ahead of us is quite impressive and it will give us a lot of subjects to talk about.

Once again, thank you for all the support you've given us and we wish you a Happy New Year!

Behind the scenes prototyping BMW's new Z4

Developing an all-new iteration of a beloved car is no easy feat. Improving on the existing strengths while introducing as few new weaknesses as possible and at the same time improving value and performance is as tough a balancing act as you're likely to find. But BMW thinks it's done the job with the new Z4 and has released this behind-the-scenes look at how it did it. The video depicts a prototype, completely unmasked, on a suspension simulator that's able to compress weeks of driving into hours of testing.

2010 BMW Z4 Roadster