Jun 18th, 2011
What you see above could almost be called revelation. M’s latest M5 is getting back to basics with an almost fully exposed engine under it’s hood. And while it’s not the entire engine, BMW is showing off a good percentage of the M5′s mill for the first time since the E34 M5. In fact it’s been 15 years since we’ve been able to actually see any details of the M5′s engine at all. But why is this?
BMW has a history of shrouding some of the best engines in the world with copious amounts of black meaningless plastic. Whether it’s in the name of design, marketing or simply sound-proofing we here at BF have long disapproved. And there’s no better example of this than the last two generations of the M5.
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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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Apr 13th, 2010
The 5 Series has sold 5.5 million units. Seems time to celebrate. So with that said BMW has rolled out some of our favorite 5er photos from the years and presented them with a thorough run through of the 5 Series history. (Full gallery after the jump)
Official Release: Sales of the BMW 5 Series already amount to more than 5.5 million units in five model generations – and now a new chapter is starting in the highly successful story of the BMW 5 Series Sedan.
While the sixth generation naturally follows the great heritage of its predecessors, its roots go back much further. As early as in the 1960s, BMW developed a strong and distinctive profile as a manufacturer of sporting but elegant, powerful and technically innovative midrange four-door sedans. Introducing a four-door notchback body, engines fitted lengthwise at the front, rear-wheel drive and an elaborate suspension, BMW established a classical principle at the time which remains highly attractive and fully endorsed to this very day.
It was at that time that the BMW 1500, the BMW 1800 and the BMW 2000 entered the market as the “New Range”, establishing the most successful model series BMW had ever seen up to that point. The competence in the development and production of saloons demonstrated by BMW with these models gave the Company a worldwide breakthrough as a manufacturer of modern and highly desirable automobiles with very individual characteristics.
Switching from the New Range to the BMW 5 Series in 1972, BMW introduced not only new nomenclature, but also a new era in design.
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Mar 5th, 2010
While this editorial has been in the works since late last year, I have refrained from publishing it until now- to better coincide with the official public unveiling of the the 2011 F10 BMW 5 Series.
BMW since the 1970′s has had separate classes of sedans based mainly on size and the level of luxury. This was even true through the late 80′s and 90′s when BMW was accused of producing “the same sausage at different lengths”. The 3 Series has always been the smaller sportier car with less luxury and available options while the flagship sedan was the posh 7 Series. The 7 exuded class and luxury. It was loaded with latest exclusive technologies and ultra premium materials while providing its clientele with copious quantities of space both in the passenger compartment and luggage area. The 5 Series has always been somewhere in the middle in terms of size, luxury and available technology.
Looking at the current 3 series (E90: 2005- current), the current 5 (E60: 2003- until this June), and the last generation 7 series (E65: 2002-2009) it is hard for most to discern the shared design language let alone shared components. Chris Bangle led the revolution to change the look of BMWs, “We were making sausages at different lengths and management at that time and especially Chairman Eberhard von Kuenheim and technical director Wolfgang Reitzle felt we needed to break away and chart a new course for the company and the brand,” Bangle said in David Kiley’s book Driven: Inside BMW, the Most Admired Car Company in the World. Under his leadership (he did not pen the designs) each model had its own style and enough exclusive bits and pieces to make each standout as an individual. Engines, transmissions and other mechanicals were shared throughout the lineup but for the most part things went their separate ways, especially once you openned the doors and gazed at the interior.
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Oct 27th, 2009
It’s 5 Series week on the BimmerCast. Along with the normal news of the week we spend some time walking through the range from the E12 to the upcoming F10. Does the E34 look better than the E39? Are the seat controls as ridiculous in the E28 as we remember? We cover it all in our longest show to date.
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