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Filed under: Classics, Performance, BMW, Design/Style
BMW M Projects - Click above for massive high-res image gallery
BMW's M division comes up with some pretty crazy ideas - things like
M3 pickups and
M5 cabrios. Even the
X6 M could be safely defined as 'radical.' And while some make it into production, there are plenty other awesome projects that never see the light of day.
While giving us
a preview of the new M5 Concept, the Bavarian skunkworks division also showcased a few of those stillborn projects. One of them was a
CSL version of the recently-departed
M6 coupe, unburdened of 220 pounds of excess weight, given a power boost and fitted with active aerodynamics and an electronically deployed rear spoiler. But while the prototype was reportedly fully developed, the beancounters in Munich ultimately passed on its production.
The same fate reportedly befell an
M8 prototype that would have slotted in above the 850 CSi. That particular coupe that was available packed with a 375-horsepower V12, but the never-was M8 was blessed with a lofty 550 hp from its 12-cylinder engine. After the M8 project was canceled, the engine was retasked for use in another supercar: the McLaren F1.
Another variant of that high-revving V12 - originally bound for Le Mans duty - was also placed in a
first-gen X5 prototype with a six-speed manual, 700 horsepower and a 186-mile-per-hour top end. Another rear-drive X5 prototype developed by the M division was in attendance and, naturally, never reached production, along with an
M-ified 318ti (hot),
E46 M3 wagon (hotter),
E39 M5 wagon (hottest) and
one horribly overwrought red roadster (above) with a clear connection to the Z1 and Z3 convertible. And as for the E92-based M3 pickup; it was built as a replacement for
beheaded and bedded E30 the M crew developed way-back-when to haul parts.
Finally, last year, BMW toyed with shoehorning the V12 engine into the outgoing
M5 to replace its V10 and celebrate the model's 25th anniversary (it was first introduced in 1985), but found the engine bay just a little too tight for the Le Mans-based engine. Sigh.
You can check out all the stillborn Ms in our galleries below.
Photos copyright (C)2011 Damon Lavrinc / AOL and BMWBMW M projects that didn't make it originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 19:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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April 4th, 2011
The gentleman above is Dumitru Cârstea, a businessman from the western Romanian city of Timişoara. After
receiving a wheel clamp on his black BMW X5 for parking it illegally, Cârstea protested by taping
blocări ilegale (“illegally clamped”) to the window of his car, then waving his exposed penis in the general direction of parking police who approached him with a video camera.
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March 23rd, 2011
Filed under: SUV
Motor Trend has been around since 1949, and during that time it has handed out a fair share of
awards to various automakers and vehicle models. More recently, the print publication has gone online by way of its web site, Youtube page and various social media networks. One network in particular has stuck a chord with the buff book and it's choosing to leverage the power of
Facebook to
announce the winner of its 2011 Sport/Utility Vehicle of the Year award.
M/T has been steadily rolling out its top 15 contenders, with the announcement of the winner to be made on October 19th, 2010 at 12:01 a.m EST. Why Facebook?
"We want to foster a two-way dialogue with our audience," said Angus MacKenzie, Editor In-Chief of Motor Trend, "and Facebook was the next logical step to engage our community even further."
The currently revealed contenders are:
Past winners of this title include the
Subaru Forester and the
Mazda CX-9.
Hop the jump to read M/T's press release.
[Source:
Motor Trend]
Continue reading Motor Trend getting ready to announce its 2011 Sport/Utility Vehicle of the Year Award...on Facebook
Motor Trend getting ready to announce its 2011 Sport/Utility Vehicle of the Year Award...on Facebook originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 14 Oct 2010 08:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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October 14th, 2010
Filed under: Spy Photos, Sedan, Performance, Europe, BMW, Luxury
BMW M5 prototype gets towed home - Click above for high-res image gallery
Occasionally, we find ourselves wondering why manufacturers continue to insist on testing their prototype vehicles at the infamous Nürburgring. Yes, the track is 13 miles of some of the most abusive variations in elevation and apex around, but it's also flooded with legions of hungry spy photographers just waiting to publicize the carmakers' latest efforts. You'd think they'd come up with a locale with a smidge more privacy.
But the truth is that the Nürburgring offers a unique combination of length, speed and legality that's difficult to come across elsewhere in the world. Those three factors combine to allow engineers to push vehicles well past what the common buyer will ever experience, and sometimes, that means pushing a vehicle all the way to mechanical failure. We aren't exactly sure what caused this particular
BMW M5 mule to go lame, but we're guessing that the testing was well worth what was bound to be the mountain of paperwork facing these guys when they get back to the office.
At least the
X5 seems to be up to the task of pulling its sportier brother around.
[Source: CarPix]
Spy Shots: BMW M5 prototype gets towed off the 'Ring originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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September 3rd, 2010
Tags:
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"Hey Deiter, hold mein bier und watch this" is what we imagine the moron behind the wheel of this
BMW X5 is saying before he attempts a very unsuccessful jump-to-barrel-roll stunt. That'll definitely leave a mark.
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August 30th, 2010
Filed under: SUV, Mercedes-Benz, Reviews, Diesel
2010 Mercedes-Benz GL350 BlueTEC - Click above for high-res image gallery
Drop the term "Big Benz" in conversation and most people assume you're talking about the
Mercedes-Benz S-Class. While the full-size flagship sedan has - deservedly - earned that moniker over the years, when it comes to sheer size and volume, the
GL-Class is truly Benz' behemoth. But don't take that as a negative. The GL350 Bluetec, the automaker's diesel-powered variant of its seven-passenger full-size sport utility vehicle, has plenty going for it. Under the hood is a torque-laden, fuel-efficient diesel, and after a week pulling family duty, we emerged impressed. Find out why after the jump.
Photos copyright (C)2010 Michael Harley / AOLContinue reading Review: 2010 Mercedes-Benz GL350 Bluetec lives large, treads lightly
Review: 2010 Mercedes-Benz GL350 Bluetec lives large, treads lightly originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 03 Aug 2010 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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August 3rd, 2010
Tags:
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