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• Vorsteiner Rolls out its New BMW M6 Restyling Package

  In Tuning / By Tom Anderson / 17 June 2013

  

  The new BMW M6 is not a desirable car; it’s a desirable family of cars. The sharp-looking Coupe, the summertime-ready Convertible, and the practical (if bizarre) GranCoupe are all powered by a high-output 4.4L twin-turbo V8 and ride on much more performance-oriented chassis components than their standard 6 Series counterparts. Oh, and they have slightly more muscular exteriors than the regular 6ers.

  But while some people appreciate the M6’s somewhat under-the-radar appearance, others are more interested in advertising these 560 horsepower grand tourers’ sporting potential. It is this latter group that will be interested in a new styling package for all three body styles from Vorsteiner.

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• The One That Started It All: Gabor Mester’s BMW M3 E30 Love Affair [Video]

  In Fast Forward / By Tom Anderson / 12 June 2013

  

  Most of us car freaks seem to become car freaks at an early age. However, some people get bitten by the bug later in life. Such was the case with a then-high-school-aged Gabor Mester, when a striking shape – specifically, a first generation (E30) BMW M3 – parked in his friend’s parents’ garage caught his eye and would not let go.

  Today, Gabor is into his seventh lap of the sun as a caretaker of BMW’s classic touring car weapon. The very same weapon, in fact, that he fell in love with all those years ago, though he has personalized it with some custom touches and Euro-spec parts. How many of us can truthfully say we would up with our first crush?

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• One Owner Wonder: Flying under the Radar in a First-Gen BMW M5 [Video]

  In Fast Forward / By Tom Anderson / 7 June 2013

  

  When BMW unveiled the original E28-based M5 in 1984, it forced the world to rethink the concept of a super sedan. The subtle exterior modifications, the thoroughly reworked chassis, and the howling 3.5L straight-six borrowed from the M1 supercar all conspired to create a genuine four-door sports car. And aside from a few Uncle-Sam-mandated warts like fatter bumpers and emissions equipment that ate about 25 horsepower, the 1988 U.S. specification E28 M5 delivered most of the same outrageously entertaining driving experience.

  And it is this driving experience that San Diegan Randy Balingit-Hartmann has been enjoying since he (with some help from his dad) bought this example of BMW’s O.G. midsize missile brand new. That’s right, this man-machine marriage has been going strong for almost a quarter-century and about 400,000 miles. But when your four-wheeled partner still looks (and sounds!) this great after all these years, what’s the upside to being unfaithful? Trick question; there isn’t one.

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• Inside Performance BMW X6M Stealth is One Crazy Camo Crossover

  In Tuning / By Tom Anderson / 30 April 2013

  

  While we still don’t get the logic behind it (Perhaps there…isn’t…any?), we cannot deny that the BMW X6M is one mean…vehicle. The jacked-up four-door fastback body conceals a brawny twin-turbo V8 and all-wheel-drive. It’s not practical, or very pretty, but good golly is it a hot piece of steel.

  Of course, it can always be made hotter. And German tuning shop Inside Performance has made one of these controversial Bimmers considerably hotter. However, the changes it has made to the exterior are ice cold.

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• Pocket Rocket Pow Wow: Scion FR-S vs. VW GTI vs…First Gen BMW M3? [Video]

  In Fast Forward / By Tom Anderson / 25 April 2013

  

  We’re all (painfully) familiar with the phrase “opposites attract,” correct? If nothing else, it might help explain why a cozy, rear-drive and Japanese Scion FR-S and a roomy, front-drive and German Volkswagen GTI 5-door find themselves together on a race track. Though if we had to guess, it’s mostly due to the fact that MotorTrend’s Mike Febbo and European Car’s Greg Emmerson, respectively, brought them both to this gunfight at the Willow Springs Corral, er, Raceway.

  But instead of having these two slot-cars-for-big-boys slug it out between themselves, the guys invite an cagey old interloper to stir the pot: A first generation (E30) BMW M3. Not only does this roughly quarter-century-old icon boast about the same size, weight and power as the two modern combatants, but it can also be bought for thousands of dollars less. So who came out on top in this Mexican standoff? You’re gonna have to watch the video to find out, pilgrim…

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• Manhart Racing MH6 S Biturbo is an Industrial Strength BMW M6

  In Tuning / By Tom Anderson / 25 April 2013

  

  Few new cars are better at wolfing down the miles than the new BMW M6. With two-doors, two turbos, eight cylinders, 560 horsepower and a choice of a fixed roof or a folding one, the hottest F12 (coupe) and F13 (convertible) you can buy at a BMW dealer are the state of the art for four-seat grand tourers. Who could possibly ask for anything more?

  Well, it would appear that quite a few people are asking for something more. Why else would the fine folks at Manhart Racing have developed a tuning kit for the newest Bavarian continent-swallower? Certainly not because they were bored; there are cheaper cures for that, after all.

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• Sturm und Dang: A Bodacious BMW 2002/E30 M3 Mashup [Video]

  In Fast Forward / By Tom Anderson / 19 April 2013

  

  Although fans of the likes of Alfa Romeo and Lancia will no doubt disagree, the BMW Neu Klasse is widely credited with inventing the modern sport sedan. And the ultimate evolution of the Neu Klasse, the 2002, has been immensely popular with folks who love driving for the sake of driving since it entered production in 1968. The same can be said for another compact BMW sport sedan, the first-generation (E30) M3.

  So what would happen if you were to combine these two iconic Bimmers into one handy four-wheeled package? Well, you’d get something like this later square-taillight 2002 built by BMW specialist Marc Norris and his crew at Bavarian Workshop in L.A.’s San Fernando Valley. From the stance and the Alpina wheels to the pristine interior to the immaculate S14 2.3L inline-four engine swap, this so-called M2 looks fantastic. And for a price that apparently exceeds that of a new M5, it damn well ought to look fantastic.

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• The Top 25 Homologation Specials of All Time

  In Featured / By Tom Anderson / 18 April 2013

  

  Purpose-built racing cars – be they single seat open wheelers, sports prototypes, dragsters or any other automobile whose sole reason for being is to compete – have always inspired awe and been capable of extraordinary performance. But when it comes to truly connecting with the fans in the stands, these thoroughbreds are no match for production-based (even if it’s just the shape of the body) machinery. The idea of watching a particular car win a race and then walking out to the parking lot and driving home in or driving to the local dealer to check out an identical (save for some safety and performance equipment and a whole heap-o-decals) car holds widespread (if not universal) appeal.

  Of course, to stand a better chance at winning on Sunday so they can sell on Monday, manufacturers load their showroom-bred competition models with go-fast bits. However, many sanctioning bodies used to require (though, sadly, very few still do) that those same upgrades to be fitted to a certain number of the street-legal models Joe Bloe can buy, meaning the factories have to sell what are known as homologation specials in order to race that model. The annals of automotive history are brimming with such four-wheeled entry forms, yet we’ve managed to pare that manifest down to the 25 fastest, coolest and most outrageous ones ever to wear a license plate.

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• Leib Engineering BMW M3 GT 500 Hits All the Right Notes

  In Tuning / By Tom Anderson / 17 April 2013

  

  As one of the undisputed darlings of the tuning world, the outgoing BMW M3 E92 has certainly been modified a thousand ways from Sunday. And in order to help their renditions stand out from the competition, many shops tend to go overboard with the cosmetic and mechanical alterations. Some people like this, but we think such extreme measures tend to ruin the bodacious Bimmer’s restrained styling and terrific balance of speed and agility.

  Thankfully, Leib Engineering, a company based in the central German town of Giessen, decided to keep it simple when it decided to rework the E92 M3 into a car it calls the GT 500. But just because Leib doesn’t bolt on a supercharger to add umpteen pounds of boost or stick a wing that’s as tall as the roof on the trunk doesn’t mean corners have been cut. In fact, the opposite is true.

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• Autocouture Motoring Big Purp BMW M3 is a Grape Achievement

  In Tuning / By Tom Anderson / 16 April 2013

  

  As car colors go, purple doesn’t exactly enjoy prom king levels of popularity. Granted, Plum Crazy is quite beloved by fans of Dodge and Plymouth muscle cars, and German brands like Porsche and BMW have cooked up some jaunty looking variations of the hue over the years. But as far as mainstream appeal? Not so much.

  That makes the chromatic choice for this tuned E92 BMW M3 that much more significant. In fact, the shop that put it together – Autocouture Motoring – isn’t shying away from that Techno Violet exterior; why else would they nickname it “Big Purp?” But that loud color isn’t the only alteration from factory specification.

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