Earlier today BMW of North America announced that Jack Pitney, vice president of marketing, was killed “in a tragic accident while on vacation at his farm.” It is believed that he was working on his tractor when the tragedy occurred.
Pitney, 47, lived in Ridgewood, NJ with his wife, Quincy, and their five children. According to The Star Ledger
Jack was a passionate man who was an enthusiast through and through. His passion was evident at this past years NY Autoshow when he rode a BMW S1000RR out in front of a packed hall; not many execs would dare do that.
One of his many accomplishments was helping launch MINI in the states back in 2001 as the brand’s general manager and vice president. As the vice president of marketing for BMWNA he has been responsible for the marketing and launch of countless vehicles including the 1er and X SAVs. He was a critical player in the expansion of the Joy campaign, and was a proponent of making Joy become real by including enthusiasts. He recently announced BMW becoming the official mobility partner of the USA Olympic Committee.
Cars have been on a growth pattern for many years so seeing the picture below isn’t surprising. But it’s interesting nonetheless. The image (courtesy of Auto Express) shows the new F20 being longer and taller. What it doesn’t show is it’s quite a bit wider – even more so than the width of the E46 3 Series.
The exterior design (as seen above courtesy of Autobilde) will take on the new BMW corporate face introduced on the CS concept two years ago. Gone are the flares and shapes that saw the E8X 1er look awkward at times and in their place a more grounded and simplified appearance.
Look for the three and five door hatch back to arrive late in 2011 (as 2012 models) and the coupe and convertible to hit showrooms a year later in late 2012.
Yes, they’ve managed the improbable, they’re on the truck and in route to Mosport. A complete rebuild of the No. 92 M3 from an old chassis into a top of class racer. Congratulations to the team for managing this impressive feat.
Part 3, with a spin around the parking lot, after the jump.
Let’s start with the fact that we love the S54B32. The engine started life in the late Z3 M Coupe then moved to the E46 M3 and finally ended life in the Z4 M Coupe. And those just happen to be three of our favorite M cars of all time. So why all the love? Let’s let our friends at Jalopnik (who both asks and answers the original question) take it from here:
What makes the S54B32 so wonderful is the noise. It’s the only engine this side of supercar lunacy that has such a—for lack of a better word—voluminous sound. You’ll know it when you’re around one when the air around you suddenly fills with this high-grade metallic substance, this gray-blue vapor of noise that fills an S54B32’s surroundings with such fearful urgency.
Yes it’s the noise. It’s also the feel and the hi-revving nature of the engine. Then the look. Oh and it’s an inline six. The hardest to package yet more inherently smooth configuration for an engine made today.
It may have only beat the seven year old CSL by two seconds around the ‘Ring but it’s still Inka Orange and fantastic looking. So because of that we present you the ultimate GTS gallery complete with a repeat of our favorite GTS videos after the break.
So much of the weekend was a surreal experience. Arriving at the track Saturday morning during ALMS practice, we had no idea what to expect. After a slightly disappointing qualifying session, cut short by a red-flag just as the car’s were coming into their own, the team certainly felt they had pace to come, but were concerned about their grid position for the start of the race. So far a frustrating winless season full of promise with podiums at every race, the pressure on the team to win was immense. They know they’re fast, they know they’re reliable, with BMW Motorsport Director Dr. Mario Theissen present, today is the day to strike.
We’re fresh off of an incredible weekend with BMW at Road America where we saw the RLR team take a decisive first place. But we’re also gearing up for BMWCCA’s Ofest this week and can’t help but think about the 1M and how it relates to it’s closest M rival – the E46 M3. Then our attention turns to the CSL vs the GTS ‘Ring times and which car is really better. As you can imagine Michael has an opinion and I try to talk him off the ledge. All this and more. Enjoy.
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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.
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Sections: In the Press, Official News Aug 26th, 2010 4 Comments 
