Straightline

Yes, that's right, the BMW M3 GTS isn't going to be available to U.S. customers. BMW gave no explanation in its announcement of the stripped-down weekend racer, but it probably has to do with making the thing legal for U.S. roads.

So yes, the M3 GTS can be set up for road use, but its primary purpose is serious track work. With that in mind, BMW's Motorsport division stripped the car of its rear seats, interior trim and pansy stuff like the air conditioner and stereo. They then added a roll cage, mounts for six-point seatbelts and a titanium exhaust system. Total weight is less than 3,300 pounds according to BMW.

Less weight wasn't enough though, so the Motorsport engineers also punched the V8 out to 4.4-liters. They say it makes around 450 horsepower now. Sadly, a double-clutch automatic will be the only transmission available although BMW says it was recalibrated for race use.

The chassis also received a round of race-oriented upgrades like adjustable dampers, fixed subframes and upgraded brakes. The front air dam and rear spoiler are also adjustable for tailoring the car's aero to different tracks.

Categories: BMW,Coupes,Motorsports

Spy photographers caught the first full-fledged prototype for the next-generation BMW 3 Series being trailered between development labs in Munich, Germany. Based on the 7-year gap between the E46 BMW 3 Series (1999) and E90 3 Series (2006) sedans, we're likely looking at either the 2012 or 2013 BMW 3 Series sedan here.

Although 3 Series mules have been on the scene for a while, this prototype is believed to have all of the final styling hiding beneath the camouflage. As on the next-gen BMW 5 Series, the redesign appears to a be a conservative one. The front end appears broader, though, and the car seems to have a slightly wider track and a longer wheelbase and body.

Second photo is after the jump.

Continue reading Spy Photos: Next-Generation BMW 3 Series.

Categories: BMW,Luxury Cars,Sedans,Spy Photos

BMW is now officially out of Formula One. On the eve of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the company posted this video timeline of everything positive that happened during the BMW-Williams partnership (2000-2005) and the BMW Sauber years (2006-2009).

Categories: BMW,Motorsports

We've been told on various occasions that there will be no M version of the latest Z4. Something about poor economic conditions or something like that. But that hasn't completely stopped development on a hotter Z4.

This prototype was spotted lurking around the Nurburgring recently and it shows signs of a few mild tweaks that indicate BMW is working on some kind of enhanced sport package for the hard top convertible.

A deeper front air dam, reshaped rear fascia and a more aggressive set of wheels and tires are the most visible modifications. Whether there will be any upgrades under the hood is debatable. Seems like it would be easy to turn up the boost on the twin turbo six, but that would also make for a far more complicated project, exactly the kind of capital intensive project BMW was trying to avoid.
 

Categories: BMW,Convertibles,Future Vehicles,Spy Photos

Let's be clear about something here: The CTS-V Challenge was not, strictly a fair race. It was a publicity stunt. Cadillac acknowledges this. Still, as a publicity stunt, it was a hell of a lot more fun than basically every other car-maker publicity stunt we've attended.

And it's a stunt that a young guy, who claimed to be a Skip Barber school graduate but not a racer, won in his BMW M3. His fast lap of 2:50:424 was the fastest single lap of any driver that wasn't a ringer (Heinricy, Link and Redman). No other CTS-V could touch him.

Here, for the record, are the final lap times of the day:

Mystery Driver (Johnny O'Connell), CTS-V, ringer, 2:45:537

John Heinricy, CTS-V, ringer, 2:46:560

Aaron Link, CTS-V, ringer, 2:48:902

Brian Redman, CTS-V, ringer, 2:49:596

Michael Cooper, BMW M3, private owner, 2:50:424

Jack Baruth, CTS-V, journalist, 2:51:153

Lawrence Ulrich, CTS-V, journalist, 2:53:157

Bob Lutz, CTS-V, The Bob, 2:56:321

Michael Mainwald, BMW M5, private owner, 3:05:398

Wes Siler, Mitsubishi Evo, journalist, 3:08:126

Chris Fairman, CTS-V, private owner, 3:14:292

Archan Basu, Jaguar XF, private owner, 3:15:670

Tom Loder, Audi RS4, private owner, 3:15:702

Categories: Audi,BMW,Cadillac,Jaguar,Mitsubishi

No surprise here: Professional racer and retired GM engineer, John Heinricy posted the day's fastest lap at 2:46:560.

This knowledge is useful mostly for getting an idea of how fast a CTS-V is capable of running here at Monticello. Do not, however, compare that lap time (nor that of the other GM ringer), to the laps posted by the privately owned BMWs, Jag and Audi. Those were more-or-less average guys that happen to own fast cars, not professional drivers.

Categories: Audi,BMW,Cadillac,General Motors,Jaguar

Well, the put-up or shut-up moment has now passed for 77-year-old Lutz and, well, he didn't win. He posted a quite respectable 2:56:321. That was enough to blow away the privately owned BMW M5 (3:05:395) but the range of track-driving experience here today is huge. So we hesitate to read too much into those relative times.

Lutz was about 7 seconds behind GM development engineer and Nurburgring veteran, Aaron Link. He was about 5 seconds slower than the one earlier CTS-V driven by journalist Jack Baruth. Lutz also trailed the BMW M3 by about 5.5 seconds.

Lutz was driving a CTS-V with an automatic. Link drove a CTS-V with a manual transmission.

Categories: BMW,Cadillac

You didn't actually think that General Motors was going to allow some kid from Long Island embarrass them at their own party did you? You were right to think that way.

The company's first real ringer, engineer Aaron Link, took the track in a CTS-V manual in group 3 and ran a 2:48:902, nipping the M3 by about 2 seconds. The privately owned M5 wasn't really in the hunt with a 3:05:395.

Categories: BMW,Cadillac

The timed laps have begun here at Monticello and the fastest lap of the first session of three cars goes to not the journalist-driven CTS-V or, predictably, the Jaguar XF, but to the BMW M3 driven by owner Michael Cooper of Long Island.

Cooper, who has had all of five years with a driver's license laid down an impressive 2:50:424. The CTS-V automatic driven by Jack Baruth of thetruthaboutcars.com recorded a best lap of 2:51:153. The Jag pulled up the rear at 3:15:670.

Nice work by the young Mr. Cooper. Three more heats to go, including the heavy-hitter fourth heat.

Categories: BMW,Cadillac,Jaguar

Cadillac has broken the drivers into four groups for this afternoon's timed laps. So let's have a look. Lutz? Right. The dude who owns the M3 (Michael Cooper of Long Island)? Right.

Link? Who's that? He's one of GM's resident hot-shoe engineers. Heinricy? That's right Cadillac's ultimate ringer is in -- no surprise -- the last group, just in case. And who is this Redman. Oh, that would be Brian Redman, legendary road racer and Grand Marshall of Monticello. He'll also be in a CTS-V.

Good to have the home-field advantage, eh? If you put away the competition portion of this challenge, something that's easy to do in this convivial atmosphere, it will be nice to see how quickly a pro driver gets around the course in the V.

Categories: BMW,Cadillac

There's been a change of plans for the Cadillac CTS-V challenge scheduled for Thursday. Jaguar originally said it would provide a XFR for journalists to drive, but has now backed out over safety concerns according to company spokesman Stuart Schorr. That leaves a field of just two challengers for now -- an Audi RS4 and a BMW M5.

In response to the sudden departure of the XFR, Bob Lutz told a GM fan site the following:

"I think it means that the European high-performance sedans are excellent, even superb cars, but quite possibly not ready for racing laps right out of the show-room. The CTS-V is not only quicker, but will, in totally untweaked, stock form, run hot laps at any race track until it runs out of fuel. Transmission oil and diff oil temps are stable, engine oil temp doesn't go up, brakes get a bit more pedal travel, but don't fade. The street tires get a tad greasy, but handling and control remain excellent. "May the best car win"! (It wins automatically if the competitors won't show up!)"

The GMSource

Categories: Audi,Auto Industry,BMW,Cadillac,Consumer Track Events,Jaguar,Luxury Cars,Sedans

Ford seems to be conducting consumer clinics to see how the European Mondeo registers with American consumers. Driving around Dearborn were a European Ford Mondeo, a Lexus ES, and a BMW 5-series all identically camouflaged to make them look visually the same.

Cover their rear-ends (as all three cars are equipped with velcro strips around the rear quarters to make the installation and removal of black covers easy), and only the most car-savvy would be able to tell one from the other. This lets Ford know how the consumers rate the Mondeo, free from the influences of the Lexus and BMW brand identities.

The recent arrival of the new Taurus would certainly seem to have muddied the waters on the prospect of a U.S.-spec Mondeo. But this photo suggests that Ford is actively gathering feedback on the Mondeo in the U.S. 

Categories: Auto Industry,BMW,Ford,Future Vehicles,Lexus,Luxury Cars,Sedans,Spy Photos

It used to be that BMW sedans all pretty much looked alike -- the so-called sausage-cut-to-different-lengths school of design. Then things got real weird around BMW.

These new spy shots of a nearly naked BMW 5-series sedan reveal that the middle-size BMW might again become Sausage Size M. Take a look at the front end of this prototype. It's very much like the new 7-series, no? That similarity shouldn't come as a surprise, we suppose, since under the swirly skin, the new 5 is built from a version of the new 7-series platform.

Bringing nice perspective to the pictures is the black 5-series GT hatchback/sedan thingy. Note the subtly different nose. It too is built on the 7-series underpinnings, of course. That the overhanging character line running along the flank of this prototype looks a lot more like a 3-series attribute, we will conveniently forget since it doesn't fit the conceit of this post.

Anyway, the last time we caught a 5 series in testing, it was the big-daddy BMW M5.

We expect the new BMW 5-series to make its debut at the 2010 Geneva Auto Show. 

Continue reading Spy Shots: 2011 BMW 5 Series Impersonating 7 Series.

Categories: BMW,Sedans,Spy Photos

These two billboards stand just a few miles from our Santa Monica, California office and just a stones throw from each other. Made us smile.

Categories: Audi,BMW,Luxury Cars,Sedans

This BMW M3 prototype recently showed up for some testing at the Nurburgring. It looks fairly standard for the most part, but there are a couple aerodynamic changes that suggest this M3 could be packing a little more power under the hood.

Are you digging that gigantic rear spoiler? Well, don't get too excited as its nothing more than a test piece to allow the engineers to easily adjust the available downforce at the rear. There's an extended air dam up front as well although it looks like it has a chance of showing up as a production piece.

Nothing else on the car suggests anything new, so this may be nothing more than a special aero package for those who like high speed cruising. We'll keep an eye on this prototype in the coming weeks to see if reveals any additional changes.

Categories: BMW,Coupes,Spy Photos