We’re great fans on the British Top Gear tv programme, and during the last show Clarkson put the BMW M3 against the Lexus IS-F. It’s quite a nice comparison, so we hope you’ll like it!  

[Source: YouTube]

- click picture for the 2008 BMW M3 Leather Edition gallery -

The German company Zwickenpflug decided to take a different approach from the other famous BMW tuners and instead of changing the already beautiful exterior of an M3, they put all their efforts in modifying the blend interior.

The M3 in discussion features a customer leather interior with plenty Alcantara inserts, a beautiful suede sporty steering wheel, an all-leather dashboard and sport seats. To compliment the sporty design, a new set of aluminum pedals are part of the deal.

And as any other respectable BMW tuner, Zwickenpflug belived that the engine needs a small boost. Some ECU tweaking bumped the standard 420 horsepower version to a whooping 445 ponies. The factory speed delimiter was removed and the M3 tops at 202 mph or around 325 km/h, not bad at all.

The vehicle comes also with a new set of 19 inch BBS alloy wheels and that’s pretty much the only upgrade to the exterior design.

Wallpaper Gallery: 2008 BMW M3 Leather Edition (high-res)

[Source: BMW Blog]

Here’s a video showing all the BMW M models from past and present. I hope you’ll enjoy this compilation.

[Source: YouTube]

BMW likes to be a leader in technology. BMW has developed a prototype of the multiuse/multifunctional key that will change the way we interact and use our car’s key. Beside its normal use, the super key can be used as a credit card, or store electronic ticket information for bus, train or airplane travel. Shopping, paying for gas, toll roads etc has just become easier. The card can also provide the driver with in-car access to a host of personalized services through BMW’s ConnectedDrive. - Read Press Release after the break -

[Source: BMW]

read more from "BMW develops new multifunctional smart key"

We don’t really know what to think of this incident. You’ll see the woman drive through the door, just after it has closed. You might justify her action, or perhaps make fun of female drivers. We leave that decision up to you, after you’ve watched the video

The BMW CS sport sedan would have been a worthy rival to the Mercedes-Benz CLS, Porsche Panamera and Maserati Quattroporte sports sedans. But as a result of the economic downturn, last year’s CS Concept will not be produced. In the official statement, BMW said: “The sharper focus on profitability will result, amongst other things, in product decisions being revisited. As a result, the BMW Group will no longer produce a series version of the Concept CS since this vehicle does not meet the internal requirements for rates of return.”

The launch of other models with not be affected. This means production of the BMW Concept X1 SUV, BMW Concept 7 Series Active Hybrid, BMW X6 Active Hybrid and the MINI Crossover Concept will go ahead as planned.

Just like the new 7-series, the next 6-series is a gently reheated evolution of the first-generation styling philosophy. There will be no rabbit hatch bootlid, no crying-eyes headlamps, no jaw-dropping bumpers. To fix the slightly odd proportions, BMW designers will shorten the overhangs and extend the wheelbase by 80mm.
The nose will be shortened by 40mm and the roofline will be lowered slightly. The overall effect will – on the finished production car – produce a sportier and more aggressive stance.

[Source: Car Magazine]