Car Throttle

As well as demonstrating future direction with the i3 and i8 Concepts, BMW finally released the 2012 BMW M5 in all its glory. And they had the car zooming around on their purpose-built indoor track complete with live sounds of their powerplant. Whilst the V10 has been binned due to poor fuel consumption and ever tightening emissions regulations, the 2012 M5 does have an increase in power since the last variant. Namely 560bhp from 6-7,000 rpm thanks to a twin-turbo V8. But it's not just the power that has been improved; BMW's engineers claim that this is the best handling M5 ever created. It's not hard to see why in the flesh. The 2012 M5 has a more aggressive stance than the previous generation which

Music - who doesn't love it? Cars are decked out with the latest and greatest sound systems from manufacturers like Bang & Olufsen, Bose, Pioneer, Infinity, THX and a whole host of others. We know, we know...we're sure we missed a whole lot of audio companies in that list, but they were the first that came up off the top of our head. To some, music to their ears is the sound of an exhaust note. To BMW, it is using their new 1-Series to create sounds and stringing them together to form a beat and well....music. Now there isn't any singing involved (they still haven't figured out how to do that yet) but the end result is pretty cool if you ask us. There

The North American International Auto Show is in full swing, and BMW is debuting the new 1-Series M Coupe and new 650i convertible at the show for the first time. While the Detroit show is the first actual appearance for the two cars in the metal, images and details on the two cars have dropped a while ago. BMW gave full details on the 1-Series M a month ago, and has been teasing it for months prior. One thing that hasn't been known though is pricing information. There has been a lot of speculation as to where BMW would price the 1-Series M. That ends today though, as the 1-Series M has gotten an official price tag of $47,010 in all of it's six-cylinder performance

In the performance car world, times on the Nurburgring are all-important as bragging rights and a measure of a car's chops on one of the toughest tracks in the world. Who can forget the public back and forth between Nissan and Porsche over who held the record at the track? As such, the Nurburgring time for BMW's latest, the 1-Series M, is an important metric. After a whole lot of teasing the car debuted last week. The car represents a return to roots of sorts for BMW and the M division, with a strong resemblance to early M3s. With a V-6 making 335 horsepower, the car was designed to slot in below the M3 in the current lineup. Understandably, BMW has a clearly defined hierachy and wouldn't

Remember the BMW M3 GTS? We sure do. The car was produced by BMW as a special, extreme M3. Unfortunately, it was available only in European markets, where it sold out quickly. The 1-Series is about to get an M performance variant of its own pretty soon, but up until now more performance has had to come from customization. Parkview BMW, a BMW dealer in Ontario, liked the M3 GTS so much that they decided to create their own mini-model based on the 1-Series. The most noticeable similarity would have to be the same stunning Fire Orange paint that really set the M3 GTS apart. It is also paired with similar black alloy rims. Of course, it wouldn't be complete without other modifications as well and Parkview BMW is

A lot has been going on at BMW's M division lately. Surrounding the 25th anniversary of the M3, the Frozen Gray was released, and the M3 GTS recently clocked its lap time around the Nurburgring. The next big (or actually little) thing to come from the division is the 1-Series M. The car has been rumored for quite some time, and we are glad its coming for the first generation 1-Series rather than waiting until the next 1-Series. BMW has been teasing the car, and this new video shows the most of anything yet. One thing we can determine is that the color orange seems to be BMW's thing lately - something this writer is pretty happy about. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBYF82qb13I&feature=player_embedded

Its no secret in the automotive industry that most vehicle lineups get bigger with each passing generation. When that happens, new models are often introduced to slot in. The 1- Series is such a model - the 3-Series is and has continued to be BMW's bread and butter, but the 1-Series was introduced in a quest for volume. Ironically, it actually closer to the size of the original 3-Series. Today, it reached an important milestone - one million 1-Series produced. That's right, after being introduced in 2004 and still on its first generation, one million have been sold.  This is largely without the help of the United States market as well. The car was introduced in the U.S for the 2008 model year, and given our aversion to

Over the past few months we have been hearing about the possibility of a high-performance 1-Series model. Both from rumors and from comments from BMW themselves. Kay Segler, the head of BMW’s M division, said that the priority at the company was for new M models to slot below the M3. X1 M? No, they're talking about the 1-Series. Originally, it seemed as if the new model would be coming after the next-generation 1-Series launches. However, that is not the case as work is being done the car as we speak, for a quick launch. Autoblog has captured these photos, so head over there to check out all the images. The main debate is over what the new model will be called. M1 has been ruled out

Back in November, news came out about BMW planning other M variants. Kay Segler, head of BMW's M division, said that the priority at the company was on new models to slot below the M3. That leaves the 1-Series. However, the plan then seemingly was to produce the 1-Series M in the car's next generation - as in, don't expect it anytime soon. That could be changing, with the new 1-Series M coming as soon as 2011. Notice we're calling it the 1-Series M, not M1. BMW supposedly is considering what to name it, and I wouldn't bet on M1. Says a BMW insider to Leftlanenews: “The M1 name to us is a sacred thing for a car that marked an important turning point. It won’t be called

There has been some interesting cars used for duty by police fleets the world over, like a Lexus IS-F in the United Kingdom and a special Gallardo donated to Italian police by Lamborghini. Here in the United States, the Crown Victoria is the most prevalent model, with a smattering of Dodge Chargers thrown in for good measure. Chevrolet has taken aim at the market with a police-only Chevrolet Caprice model. In Germany, high-performance models have to be used, especially when patrolling high-speed corridors like the Autobahn. The Essen Motor Show in Germany displays a specially-outfitted police car model each year, as part of the "TUNE IT! SAFE!" initiative. This years model used is a BMW 123d donated by BMW and modified by AC Schnitzer. This car has