We've lost track of how many times we've seen crazy edits to the English subtitles of a scene from the 2004 German-language movie titled “Downfall" in the United States, in which Adolf Hitler explodes with anger. This four-minute-long video spoofs BMW and the company's decision to make use of the N54 twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter straight-six engine on the 1-Series M Coupe. Enjoy some laughs in the video after the jump.
For more than thirty years now, BMW has been producing a special range of security vehicles that offer armored protection against everything from pistol fire to small explosions. These vehicles are developed at a special test facility located in east Germany, in a former soviet base, said to have been the biggest military airport in Europe during the Cold War. Here, the Bavarian automaker tests its armored vehicles and hosts a special driver training program where instructors teach participants how to react in dangerous situations and push the cars to their limits. You can watch the video right after the jump.
If this video is to be believed, An Jiaxuan is an inventor par excellence and an electronics genius to boot. We see him playing around with various (and presumably) self-developed Smartphone apps, including ones that switch the lights and air conditioning on and off and can take a picture from a tripod-mounted camera.
That’s not all, though. Jiaxuan’s next big project is equipping and controlling a full-sized car via remote control. What’s the timeframe for this endeavour? Just twenty days.
With little more than some software development knowhow, a borrowed BMW 1-series hatchback, a Nokia C7 Smartphone and a whole lot of electronic and mechanical components, Jiaxuan makes the impossible a reality. Sure, it could all be a hoax or a viral ad for the C7, but that’s not really the point; this video has some funny moments.
Like when Jiaxuan’s friend asks, “How’s the control? Is it just as good?”
And Jiaxuan replies, “Of course man, it’s gotta be otherwise we’re not gonna be able to get the car to drift.”
It’s that sort of balls-to-the-wall car lover insanity that we at Carscoop adore. Or the final scene in the video, where Jiaxuan’s friend points at an overflying aircraft and says:
“Think you can control that plane up there?”
Looking up at the sky, Jiaxuan answers, “We could try, yah...I think it’ll work.”
Click through for the full video and let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
The BMW 750i xDrive that was stolen during the 2011 Detroit Auto Show has been found. The $95,000 car was discovered at a gated apartment complex near Telegraph and Glendale Street, in Detroit’s West Side. Detroit police said the wires to the tracking system had been cut, but the Bimmer was probably ditched due to the massive media attention surrounding the case. Authorities seized the vehicle for further processing.
The 7-Series was used by BMW officials and guests during the press days of the Detroit motor show. Although it was a crime of opportunity, as the handler left the keys in the car and stepped away for a second, the thieves weren’t amateurs and were able to annihilate the GPS tracking device fitted to the $95,000 luxo-barge. Video report available after the break.
While we're done covering the automotive action from the main show floor of the Cobo Center, the Detroit Motor Show continues to make headlines, albeit for the wrong reasons. A BMW 750i xDrive (or 750iL xDrive) worth either $94,000 or $140,000 (depending on the news site....) was stolen near the Westin Book Cadillac in downtown Detroit. And what has that got to do with the Detroit Show, we hear you ask?
Well, the 7-Series was part of a fleet of BMW sedans that were used by the Bavarian automaker's executives and guests during the press days of the show. According to Police reports, the gray bimmer was being loaded into a transporter bound for New Jersey when the handler stepped away momentarily leaving the keys in the vehicle. That's when the crafty thieves stepped in and drove away with the 7er. Video report after the jump.
As previously reported, BMW has officially green-lighted a production version of the Vision ED plug-in hybrid sports car. So, it was only a matter of time before new information on the eco-friendly model would surface online. First we saw some pictures hit the Teamspeed forum, followed by this here video, but we’re not entirely convinced that both are part of a lucky scoop.
The quality of the photos lead us to think that we’re dealing with a viral and the fact that no one on BMW’s police-escorted crew noticed that their photo shoot is being recorded in an empty race track in Abu Dhabi doesn’t seem likely. Nevertheless, this is more proof that the Bavarian maker is ramping for an official presentation, probably due at a major international auto show this year, with a production model following in 2013.
The Abu Dhabi video is available below, along with two more clips, one showing how the Vision ED’s – allegedly named i8 in some reports – hybrid powertrain works and a new commercial featuring the same car.
So here's how this 'fail' story goes: A female driver gets stuck on a patch of ice / snow in her automatic BMW 1-Series. After a few unsuccessful attempts of trying to free the Bavarian hatch from behind the steering wheel, she decides to leave it in gear and give it a push herself. While the BMW driver eventually managed to clear out of the slippery part of the road, she ended up in another mess [...]. See what happens next in the video after the break.
Yep, that’s not a typo: BMW did actually build an E23 735i Touring and it showed it at the 1980 Frankfurt Auto Show to gauge the public’s reaction. Unfortunately (or not), the car didn’t make it into production and was slowly forgotten, up until ten years ago. That’s when this example, one of only two custom built prototypes, first surfaced on eBay with 8,179 miles (13,163 km) on the odometer. Now, it has been posted on the auction site once again, for an opening bid of US $7,000.
The collector who originally imported it to the U.S. sold it three years later and the current owner bought it last November. At that point the car had clocked up 9,002 miles (14,487 km) but wasn’t running.
However, this ultra-rare 7-Series, boasting an interesting green paintjob, tan cloth interior, manual sunroof, roof rack, alloy wheels and automatic transmission, wasn’t in a disastrous condition. A quick service brought it back to life and onto the road and, according to the seller, it has a Massachusetts December 2011 inspection sticker and was driven for only 40 extra miles (64 km).
Being a 30-year-old car, the 735i Touring isn’t flawless. Luckily, it only seems to suffer from some minor surface rust, both on the body and underneath, which can be easily mended.
Other than that, the interior and engine bay appear to be neat and the owner’s detailed description of every fault, accompanied by revealing pictures, should be evidence enough that there’s no foul play involved.
Currently, the bid stands at US $7,600, which is pocket change for something as rare as this. And even if it sells for double the amount, the buyer can rest assured that this car will never depreciate. In fact, it’s a sound investment and, with some mild restoration, it can be turned into a great gem of automotive heritage.
Remember Murray Fowler and his BMW 2800 CS? Then you probably wondered who the next impromptu actor in BMW's "Unscripted" series would be. Well, your wait is over: it's autoofcars2011.blogspot other than female racer and television personality Sabine Schmitz, also known as the "Queen of the Nürburgring" or the "fastest taxi driver in the world".
She earned these nicknames for lapping the German race track more than 20,000 times (according to her own estimates), mostly behind the wheel of the famous BMW M5 Ring Taxi. Other highlights of her carrier include two wins (in 1996 and 1997) and a third place finish (2008) at the 24 Hours Nürburgring.
Sabine got involved in the world of racing as a young child, when many famous drivers and motorsport personalities stayed at the Schmitz family hotel in Nürburg. As a result, all three Schmitz sisters started racing, but only Sabine had real success.
Charismatic and very natural on camera, Sabine pursued a television career as well, co-hosting a number of German motoring shows. Perhaps her most memorable moments in television are linked to several appearances on BBC’s Top Gear.
E30s seem to be popping up everywhere lately. After the impressive electric 3-Series from VST Conversions, we now have word that one Bill Caswell and his late 1980's E30 will be at SEMA thanks to Miller Electric Mfg. Co.
The "rally racer and ultimate DIY enthusiast" made news in March when he took on $100,000+ competition in an old 318i during Rally Mexico. While at SEMA, Bill will be converting a 1989 BMW 3-Series coupe [E30] into an off-road Baja blaster in order to compete in the SCORE Baja 1000's Sportsman class (starting November 17th). Now that's hardcore.
Here's a breakdown of Bill's SEMA welding schedule prior to tackling the rally: roll cage on day 1, front cage/suspension on day 2, rear cage/suspension on day 3, and "accessories" on day 4. Day 4's work will include finishing the main cage and crafting other Baja racing necessities such as a front brush guard, fuel cell, light bar, and more.
Miller Electric Mfg. Co.'s marketing VP Tim Swanson says, "Bill's passion for racing combined with his desire to create fits nicely with our vision...Rally and Baja racing requires a diverse skill set, from detailed fabrication and welding to high-speed driving. We're looking forward to watching Bill build and race the Miller car."
If you're interested, definitely follow the live updates on Bill's build during SEMA (which can be found at the link below).
By Phil Alex
About Bill Caswell (from Miller Electric Mfg. Co.):
Formerly a finance banker from Chicago, Caswell left his job in 2009 to focus on rally racing, competing in several races in the U.S. in cars that he built, modified and fabricated himself. Caswell made a name for himself in March of this year by placing third in the Rally America class of Rally Mexico, an FIA-sanctioned event run concurrently with World Rally Championship in Corona, Mexico.
