Aug 11th, 2011
EndrasBMW has gotten the inside story on a long abandoned BMW dealership in small town Canada. And long with it an erie set of photos. After much research by EndrasBMW and some dedicated people at Maxbimmer the mystery has been reportedly solved:
The story goes as follows. In 1988 the dealer, located on Royal Windsor Drive and operating under the name “Citation Motors”, had his license revoked for unknown reasons. They then moved to Toronto under the name “Downtown BMW” which in 2002 closed up shop.
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Nov 22nd, 2010
The naturally aspirated gasoline engine is dead. As dead as 15″ wheels and roll-up windows. A generation from now no one under 25 years old will even know the experience of winding up a BMW inline six without a turbo sucking exhaust gasses out of it.
The need for efficiency and ever increasing performance have dictated a sea-change that will alter what we’ve known BMW’s to be forever. Consider the following the fact: the E9X M3 will be the last naturally aspirated M product. Or (even more shocking) that the current 128i, 328i and X3 28i are the last naturally aspirated BMW products to be sold in the US. Once those three models are gone it’s all turbos for as far as the eye can see.
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Sep 17th, 2010
GQ columnist (and one of this authors favorite authors) Jamie Kitman recently wrote a piece on what he has termed the ‘slow-car movement’. It’s an idea that takes some of the principles of the slow food movement and translates them into what many of us have been doing for years; driving our asses off in well worn (barely) vintage cars. It’s a simple concept and one I can articulate very well within my own garage.
Compare my ’88 535is to the new 535i for instance. Even with a manual and sports package the modern 5er doesn’t stand a chance in getting my attention if I want to actually drive. But if I simply want to be transported in effortless style with technology catering to my every whim I’d choose the 2011 5 Series. The difference comes down to involvement in the car and in the process of driving. There is little question that the new 5 Series is faster in every way imaginable. It’s safer, it stops better (way better) and will carry four in a level of comfort not even imagined in 1988. It is a better car in all the modern ways of measuring success.
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