OEM Plus. It’s a philosophy I’ve used for a number of my recent cars and the 1M is no exception. The idea is simple – add only BMW designed, engineered or inspired accessories that enhance the look and feel of the car. And while it’s only been two weeks and 400 miles since taking delivery the big changes have already been made.
First up was the BMW Performance Carbon Fiber spoiler. A tricky install that requires a methodical approach, the spoiler slots onto the back of the 1M perfectly completing the lines of the deck-lid. It also harkens back to the classic E28 M5 and 535is spoilers from the 80′s (some of my personal favorites). But you can’t add one piece of CF without another.
The BMW ///M3 has been accused of being the poor man’s super car; while something that costs over $60k should never be considered cheap or for the poor it is relatively accurate when considering it is often compared to cars two times that price. It is tough to make something so special even better, and that was my initial concern when we heard BMW was coming out with a Performance line for the ///M3.
Anyone can lay up Carbon Fiber and offer it up as styling accessories, and there are countless companies you will never read about on this site that do just that. These aftermarket brands often design these spoilers, lips and other accouterments to look aggressive and to add a bling factor. Has BMW succumbed to the current market and created a line of parts that are really only eye candy? Of course not.
The new M Performance exhaust is a tribute to all things ///M and in some ways what it has gotten away from. What do I mean? This new exhaust improves the car in all the ways I imagine the original car should have been equipped from the factory if the engineers did not heed to the Marketing machine or a price point to hit. It is lighter in weight and improves upon the already ferocious sound track the S65 V8 is known for. Read on for the full review.
With all the critical acclaim BMW’s most recent turbo inline six the N55 has received it isn’t surprising to see that BMW’s tuning arm, BMW Performance, has already had the engineers tweak out more power.
The stock N55 features a significant number of BMW Efficient Dynamics technologies, such as direct injection, Valvetronic and a single dual scroll turbo. This is the first factory tune we are aware of for an engine featuring Valvetronic, which essentially replaces the conventional throttle butterfly with a electrical mechanism that controls the amount of lift of the individual intake valves on each cylinder. The complexity of the system had aftermarket tuners baffled for sometime. BMW Performance doesn’t need to hack the system, they tune the code from the ground up to be factory stable. So what are the results? Read on…
While we have known for sometime that BMW was going to have an additional option for Apps, the official announcement was just made. Essentially BMW has taken MINI Connected and stamped a BMW logo on it. The BMW Connected App first appeared in the Apple iOS app store at the end of December and is required to use the BMW Connected Drive system.
The BMW Connected app delivers web radio, video and Facebook/Twitter integration. Perhaps just as important the app also allows for the iPod-out functionality co-developed by Apple and BMW. iPod-out puts an automotive grade interface (designed by Apple) on the cars screen for easier navigation. It also supports future features simply by updating the iOS on your device.
BMW Connected App is only compatible with cars produced from March onward and is also known as the $250 6NR option (which is only available with Navigation and USB connection).
Our sources have indicated that BMW is considering Blackberry and Android versions for later in 2011.
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.
All of us we here at BimmerFile are enormous fans of the Nordschleife. Some of us dream of driving there while some of us already have and await the next trip to the Green Hell.
What better way to start your daydreams about speeding around the “Karrusell” than a piece of toast branded with the ‘Ring on it? Heck we can’t think of one better except for having a tall glass of Gerolsteiner and lemon to wash it down.
It seems we are not alone as the Nürburgring fan shop has an officially licensed toaster available for just shy of 30 euros. We know of at least one person out there that should own this piece of machinery… it would match the plate on their Z4- (MB; we’ll get you one if you do not already have it sitting on your counter!)
You asked for it, and now we have it- the official BMW Performance 1 Series accessories price reductions. Pricing has come down across the board for all items. This is thanks in no small part to the new Accessory Development Manager of BMW Performance and Motorsport, Eric Riehle.
Eric, a true enthusiast, was kind enough to take the passenger seat with us for an in-depth interview that will be published soon. Stay tuned for more BMW Performance news during the weeks ahead.
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: //1M\\, Accessories, BF Garage, Review Sep 4th, 2011 11 Comments 
