For Sale: BMW Z4 with 551HP M5 V10 Engine

Germans love power and speed. While most of us would have been more than content with a stock BMW Z4 M, the owner of this Z4 that's for sale on a German online vehicle marketplace found that an inline-six with 343 HP couldn't satisfy his lust for speed. So what more reasonable than to throw in a BMW M5 / M6 sourced 5.0-liter V10 engine. But even the M5 V10's 507 HP weren't enough for our German protagonist who decided to replace the Z4's inline-six with an even more powerful, Hartge-prepped version of the V10 delivering a hefty 551 HP. The engine is mated to a six-speed manual gearbox. Aside from a set of Hartge 20-inch alloy wheels, the Z4 V10 is all stock on the outside. The asking price for the V10-powered German roadster is a not-so-easy-to-swallow, 97,900 Euros which comes to about $137,700 US with the current exchange rates. Source: Mobile , Via: Autogespot

 

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BMW’s screaming S54B32 inline-6 laid to rest

The last application of the venerable S54B22 in a BMW car was the BMW Z4 M, which featured the motor in a slightly detuned form as compared to the one that made its debut in the E46 BMW M3. The M3's S54B32 made 343hp at a screeching 7,900rpm and 365Nm of torque at 4,900rpm while in the Z4 M, this was reduced to 315hp at 7,900rpm and 340Nm at 4,900rpm. When you look at the S54B32 engine code, it tells you that the engine is a Sport engine from the 54 engine family (S54), is fuelled by Benzine (B), and is 3.2 liters in displacement (32). It uses a cast iron block (to withstand the high pressures), graphite-coated cast aluminium pistons, high 11.5:1 compression, double VANOS, electric throttle operation and one throttle per cylinder. It won the International Engine of the Year award for the year 2001, together with the Best New Engine award. The engine also took the 3.0 liter to 4.0 liter engine honour from 2001 to 2006. The S54 will not be used in any BMW application anymore, and in its place is the new N54 twin-turbocharged engine, which makes 326hp in its latest application, the F01 BMW 740i. The two turbochargers are run in parallel, unlike BMW's twin-turbodiesel which has a sequential arrangement with two turbochargers of different size. The N54's peak horsepower output is lower than the S54's highest rated horsepower but the N54 offers so much more torque - between 400Nm to 450Nm depending on whether it's in a 1/3-Series or the new F01 7-Series. The torque is also accessible across a much wider range, making it a much more practical engine for daily driving. Thus the "successor" in terms of engine at least to the Z4 M is the new Z4 sDrive35i, but we all know there's going to be something more exciting when the new Z4 M comes out.

 

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Autocar says green light for BMW PAS

First, let me start by saying that I have no idea why this is such big news and many of the automotive blogs are reporting this. The Progressive Activity Sedan received the green light a long time ago and it's in the final stages of testing. The PAS Concept will be unveiled within the next few weeks, so we are definitely closer to a production car than to a pre-approval stage. I am also not so clear on the fact why they keep calling the PAS a 5 Series GT, which clearly is not what BMW will advertise the car as. But regardless, let's focus on BMW Progressive Activity Sedan and see what's new. Autocar says that a BMW senior told them that the PAS is "one of the bravest designs ever signed off by BMW".  What we learned from our sources is that BMW sees the Progressive Activity Sedan as a new automotive solution in the luxury segment. The Progressive Activity Sedan will not compromise on it's Inherited BMW DNA which means Dynamics,Performance , refinement and Efficiency will be what you expect from a car badged as a BMW clothed in a futuristic sleek body and an intuitive forward thinking interior. To continue with Autocar's coverage on the PAS, their sources suggested that BMW is aware of an "ageing population who now find conventional saloons' seat positions too low for comfort. " Pretty much in line with what we reported back in September when we said that "the Progressive Activity Sedan is an individual solution for the progressive individual who has become bored of a regular sedan and SUV but with no compromise on driver enjoyment. " According to them, people that have seen the concept, describe the PAS slightly longer than a 5-series saloon and just shorter than a 7-series. We also know that it will be longer than the X6, measuring around 192.91 inch. The interesting part in their article is where they report that PAS offers the same rear leg room as a new long-wheelbase 7-series. Quite interesting and something that I look forward to verify myself. The interior design is said to following the one in the new BMW Z4, with a wide center console and a "relaxing, semi-raised position" of the front seats. Other than that, nothing new so far, we already know the PAS will be powered by the twin-turbo 3.0 liter and the a twin-turbo V8 will be available, along with an EfficientDynamics engine, most likely the 3.0 liter diesel.  What's next? Pricing and official photos, and we should see the first shots very very soon. [Source: Autocar ]

 

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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]

 

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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]

 

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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!

 

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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

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