Nothing much other than optical and aural masturbation, here’s a video of an E46 BMW M3 with a bolt on supercharger. In stock form, the BMW M3 is powered by a 3.2 litre normally aspirated inline-6 engine with the code S54B32. The S54B32 is a high performance derivative of the M54 straight-six engine with 6 individual throttle bodies, making 342 horsepower at 7,900rpm and 355Nm of torque at 4,900rpm. Just after peak horsepower, the engine reaches it’s redline at 8,000rpm. While the new E90 BMW M3 will feature a V8 based on the current M5′s V10, the E46 M3′s straight six is still used in the current BMW Z4 M Roadster and Z4 M Coupe.
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Supercharged E46 BMW M3
BMW Dynamic Driving Simulator
July 22, 2006 at 4:47 pm Filed Under BMW, Cars, Technology, Videos
BMW has developed the Dynamic Driving Simulator, an enhanced driving simulation system to allow them to test their cars at it’s development center in Munich without actually bringing the prototype out on the road or track. The fact that it is a virtual simulation allows tests to be conducted under the exact the same conditions repeatedly, eliminating major variables in the testing and design process and giving the engineers better results. After the jump you will find two videos, one with a BMW 5-series going through a driving simulation, and the other an interview with Dr. Alexander Huesmann, BMW’s Project Manager for Driving Simulation. You can have a look at how the driving simulator looks like from the outside.
BMW 335i Driving Experience
July 19, 2006 at 1:02 pm Filed Under BMW, Cars, Test Drive Reviews
BMW’s latest 3-series coupe, the E92 was chosen as a platform for BMW to introduce to us their latest engine, the award-winning twin-turbocharged N54 3.0 litre straight-six. Although I have not test driven the car yet, Jeremy Mahadevan shares with us his experience driving the new BMW 335i Coupe in Austria. I will be writing this post based on his experiences.
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BMW 3-series CKD in showrooms soon
July 18, 2006 at 1:11 am Filed Under BMW, Cars, Local News
Walk into BMW showrooms on July 22nd this month and you will find new locally assembled (CKD) versions of the BMW 3-series sedan for sale. There are 3 CKD Models, the BMW 320i priced at RM232,800, the BMW 320i SE at RM249,800 as well as the BMW 325i at RM288,800. Previously the 3-series was available in CBU form, with the 320i going for RM249,800 and the 325i for RM298,800. These are post-NAP prices. The BMW 330i remains in CBU form at RM408,000. As a comparison, the entry level CKD Mercedes Benz C180K goes for RM233,888.
BMW demos a self-parking BMW 730i
July 12, 2006 at 12:40 am Filed Under BMW, Cars, Technology, Videos
BMW has developed a parking-assist technology that can park your car for you while you stand outside the car and watch as the internal robotics and gizmos park it. A prototype of the system has been completed and a demo video was recorded using a BMW 730i, which is available after the jump. BMW group research and technology managing director Raymond Freymann says the system will be available in 3 years, and will be very easy to use – just press a button and watch the car park itself.
Of course, this parking system isn’t for the car to park itself anywhere. It involves components both on the car and components to be installed in the parking spot designated, for example your garage. You have to install a reflective lense against the wall of the parking space. A video camera on the car’s front windshield measures the distance and angel of the car in relation to the lense, while other sensors ensure there is at least 8 inches of space on the left and right of the car. Through information gathered from these input devices, the gas pedal and steering wheel is controlled.
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BMW 1-Series Kermit the Frog Advertisement
BMW is using Kermit the Frog from The Muppet Show to promote it’s BMW 1-Series hatchback. It showcases Kermit driving the 1-Series around the desert having a whole load of fun showcasing the car’s agility and performance. Have a look at the video after the jump!
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BMW’s CLS fighter
German car magazine AutoBild reports that BMW is developing a four-door sedan model to go against the Mercedes Benz CLS Coupe and the upcoming Audi A7. The artist’s impression doesn’t seem to indicate a B pillar, so it might have suicide doors. While some sites have predicted that this new car will be the BMW 8-series, others have said it is actually the BMW X6, a crossover coupe with 4WD capabilities. I think the latter is more likely. The car will be based on the BMW X5 platform.
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2007 BMW 1-series Cabriolet Spy Video
BMW has been testing their new BMW 1-Series soft top cabriolet over at the Nurburgring track in Germany. The small cabriolet is based on the BMW CS1 Concept (picture above) shown back in 2002 at the Geneva Motor Show. The CS1 featured a 1.8 litre Valvetronic engine mated to an SMG gearbox. What differentiates this from it’s older brother the BMW 3-series convertible is the latter has a powered hard top while the 1-series cabriolet will be smaller and will have a normal canvas top. Technically, according to BMW’s naming scheme this should be called a 2-series, but it appears that BMW is leaning more towards calling it a 1-series cabriolet.
Hartge H1 5.0 tuned BMW 1-series
Hartge has always been known to do crazy things with the BMW cars that they tune up. Many of you will remember the ugly but crazily fast BMW 3-series they did up. Not patient enough to wait for the real E90 BMW M3 to come out, they took the award-winning 5.0 litre V10 from the BMW M5 and stuffed it into the engine bay of an E90 model BMW 3-series. Slap on some funky bodykits and you have the Hartge H50 V10.
They’ve applied the same philosophy to the BMW 1-series hatchback here. The most powerful BMW 1-series you can get from the BMW stables is currently the BMW 130i M Sport which features an inline-6 3.0 litre delivering 265 horses. What Hartge has done is put a 5.0 litre monster under the hood. This is not the same 5.0 litre V10 they’ve used before though. Instead, they used BMW’s 5.0 litre V8 engine.
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BMW M6 Cabriolet Photos
At first, if you wanted to experience the thrills that BMW’s Formula 1 inspired V10 engine provided, you had to buy a boring sedan. The M5 is not boring and will never be boring to me, but some people just want the car to look like a sports car if it goes like a sports car. Like the nice people they are, BMW provided. The BMW M6 was a M version of it’s 6-series two-door coupe which featured the same award winning 5.0 litre V10 engine. Now, wouldn’t it be orgasmic if you could experience the V10 in an open top? To be able to hear the screaming intake in full clarity? Now you have the BMW M6 Cabriolet. More photos after the jump.
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