BMW’s historic win at the Nürburgring a few weeks ago was not only captured on live German TV but also through the lens of the incredible Canon 5D MKII. Filmmakers Tim and Nick Hahne of Stereoscreen.de have crafted a one of the best 15 minutes of motorsports footage ever assembled. Of course the 24 Hours of Nürburgring is an incredible story in itself. But the implied narrative of the film is more complex than you could ever get simply watching the broadcast on TV.
Needless to say it’s well worth a viewing. This will be one of the best pieces of motorsport video you’ll see all year. Maybe even the best.
And now for no other reason than it’s Friday and we love to look at M cars, we present you BMW’s latest M3 competition package finished in the new Frozen Black Metallic. The color is available throughout the world (yes even the US) as a special order paint option.
BMWs have long enjoyed the reputation of being well built cars that have been exhaustively engineered and tested. And as BMW fans we’ve all seen the photos of a convoy of soon to be released machinery pounding tar in the dead of winter somewhere deep within Finland. However, the problem with all of this testing is that it adds substantially to the development time of a new car and that time is becoming increasingly critical to automakers.
It’s also a detriment to test vehicles out in the open if you’re desperately trying to keep sites like BimmerFile from running photos and descriptions of new models months in advance of their launch.
We’ve heard from several sources that BMW North American has ceased all sales of European parts within the US through dealers. Primarily that means things like euro rotors (for the E46), rear foglight switches and the like. The reason? Our sources are telling us that another automaker had an issue with some European parts failing on cars in the US and that BMW NA’s legal department made the move to quash all sales of non-US parts at US dealers.
BMW has released all the tasty specs on the fastest M3 of the all time. The GTS will with in at 3,366 lbs unladen. 0-100 kph comes up in 4.4 seconds. Top speed? That’s a cool 305 kph (190 mph).
The MINI Countryman has a lot on it’s broad shoulders. Not only is MINI expanding into a new market but it’s an entirely new model for the still very small brand. In fact this is truly the first new MINI that BMW has ever created. The hatch, the convertible, the Clubman, they’ve all been done before. The Countryman on the other hand is entirely new, and in turn risky.
The risk is all about the brand and performance. Does a four meter long MINI go against everything MINI stands for? Or is this a new age when the idea of size becomes more of an ideal to grow a brand by? Then there are the questions about performance. The MINI is successful not only because the way it looks but the way it drives and feels. Can a larger four door MINI possibly achieve levels of performance that the R56 or even the R55 enjoy?
We’re going to answer all those questions and more but first let’s take a step back and talk about the essence of any car, it’s engine. And in this case it’s not only the Countryman we’re talking about but the entire MINI range since the updated powerplant and transmissions found in the R60 will be part of the 2011 facelift for the R55, R56 and R57.
BimmerFile is dedicated to bringing you the most interesting news, links and reviews related to the BMW brand and it's vehicles.
We believe in the old school BMW ownership experience. We believe in garage nights with a six pack and some friends. We believe in 2002s, in E30 M3s and E34 540s with the 6 speed. We believe in progress in both design and engineering but we haven't lost sight of what made the brand and its products great all those years ago. And yes, we believe in the manual transmission.
We long for the days of the wave and for the days of roll-up windows. Yet we love the gadgets on the inside and the xenons on the outside.
In short, we can't get enough of BMWs. This is BimmerFile.
Sections: //M3\\, Motorsport, Nürburgring, Video May 31st, 2010 5 Comments 
