BMW to be the biggie amongst the 3 German rival

BMW M6 Coupe

German car maker BMW will be displaying the X1 in the upcoming Auto Expo in New Delhi. The car luxury car maker will also be displaying the Z4, BMW 3-Series and the BMW 5-Series.

BMW is currently India’s number one luxury car maker. It has launched the X4 in the Indian car market in October 2009. It has rolled out the 3-Series and the 5-Series sedans in the India.

The X1 is the most compact SUV from BMW. It will be pitted against the Land Rover Freelander 2. The BMW X1 will be available with a choice of three 2-litre turbo-diesel engines. The 1.8d can derive 143 bhp, the 2.0d 177 bhp and the 23d 240 bhp. A 6-speed manual transmission comes standard on the 18d and the 20d, while a 6-speed automatic gearbox comes standard in the 23d and as an option in the 20d. The BMW X1 is expected to hit showrooms in mid-2010.

The Z4 is yet to make a mark in India. But this convertible promises to make an impact among the speed lovers in the coming year. The Z4 is powered by a twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre engine with 306 bhp and a 7-speed semi-automatic gearbox.

The 3-Series is available in 4 variants, 320i petrol, 325i petrol, 320d diesel, and 320d Highline diesel in India. The 320i and 325i are powered by 2.0L inline 4-cyl and 2.5L inline 6-cyl petrol engines respectively. A 2.0L turbocharged diesel engine powers 320d and 320d Highline variants.

On the other hand, the BMW 5-Seriesis a midsize luxury sedan that incorporates attractive appearance and state-of-the-art technology along with luxurious interiors. It comes in five variants, 525i, 530i (petrol) and 520d, 530d and 530d Highline diesel. The 5-Series has 2.5L, and 3.0L 6-cylinder petrol engines that power the 525i, and the 530i respectively. The 520d is powered by a 2.0L Inline 4 diesel engine, whereas 530d and 530d Highline are mated with a 3.0L 6-cylinder diesel engine.

[Via http://gratiscarconnect.wordpress.com]

Our favorite cars of 2009..

..that is to say, modified cars that we’ve had on here, on this very blog. Not necessarily the most expensive, the rarest, or even the best- just our personal favorites, examples of which we can reasonably aspire to one day own (some sooner than others). Here, then, in no particular order, are those cars.

Porsche 911 Targa:

Porsche 993 911 Carrera 4S:

BMW 2002:

BMW Z3 M Coupe:

BMW E30 M3:

Audi RS4 Avant (yes, we realize it’s unavailable here in the States):

Volkswagen MkII Golf GTI:

Volvo 850 T-5R wagon:

BMW E9 3.0 CSI:

Porsche 964 911:

[Via http://bulgogibrothers.wordpress.com]

[Update] My 2009 Recap

Aside from the world of iPhone (wait, there is a world outside of the iPhone?), there are a million things have happened and are happening with me.  Let’s recap…

• Birth of my son Roman Pierce Zamostny on December 8th 2009
• Rome Apart began writing new material, this time as a band!
• Shot my first music video (watch it here: youtube.com/user/romeapart – lol to ensue for sure!)
• New video shoots planned for Rome Apart to support “Self”
• Both Rome Apart CD’s became available on iTunes
• Rome Apart debuted on stage for the first time at the ripe age of 3 years old!
• I’ve grown to hate my cars
• My daughter learned to count in English and Spanish, speak in full sentences, say “no” and more before she was 2 years old
• Found many more grey hairs on my head
• Found more grey hairs in my beard
• Launched my Tumblr account : mochasync.tumblr.com
• Met a ton of really cool people on Twitter [follow me!]
• Made my second trip down to SXSW in Austin, Texas.  Loved every minute of it.
• Got a MacBook Air.  Love that too.
• Lost 15 pounds.
• Gained it back.
• Went from an iPhone to an iPhone 3G to an iPhone 3GS
• Hated AT&T every step of the way

Im sure there is so much more I am forgetting… Anyway, I just want to say thank you to everyone who has supported me.  I am glad to have met so many cool friends here and on Twitter.  I can’t wait to see what 2010 has in store for us all.  On a side note, I will likely be incorporating another blog for Rome Apart or maybe posting more general music related content here, not sure yet.  It’s time for me to go home and enjoy the holidays, so please do so yourself!  Thanks for rockin!

[Via http://mochasyncsoftware.wordpress.com]

MINI recalling the Cooper and Cooper S

MINI, or if you want to be pedantic, their parent company BMW, is recalling 205 2010 MINI Coopers and MINI Cooper S’, due to incorrect tire information.

Affected vehicles were fitted with new 17-inch wheels, but the tire labels state the wheels are 16-inch. For the Cooper S, the tire pressure on the label is incorrect too. This could lead to improper tire fitment and inflation, decreasing the durability of the tire and stability of the vehicle, and therefore the safety of it as well.

BMW is unaware of any accidents or injuries occurring from this problem, but it could eventually happen.

BMW says “With the release of the 17-inch wheels for the 2010 Mini Cooper and Cooper S, a simultaneous release of the corresponding 17-inch tire pressure labels did not occur.”

Dealers will send the proper labels to consumers via mail, or owners may choose to have the label installed by their local dealer. The recall begins sometime this December.

If you own a MINI Cooper or MINI Cooper S, have it checked out with your dealer. Don’t do anything with the tire pressure until then.

Source: Inside Line

[Via http://theblogofcars.wordpress.com]

News: 2011 BMW 7-Series Engines

BMW has just released details on the engines available in the 2011 7-Series sedan.  While it’s had a V8 for many years, a 6-cylinder engine has been unavailable for some time.  With recent engine designs giving far more power and power adders like the turbochargers BMW employs on its 335 and 535, an 8-cylinder engine is no longer needed to move the big 7-Series with gusto.  A side benefit, of which every car manufacturer is worried about these days, is efficiency.  Gas mileage is a bigger and bigger deciding factor when buyers narrow down their car-shopping lists, but the people shopping in the rarified air that the 7-Series occupies are less likely to care than the average commuter.  The gas mileage matters more to the manufacturer, with Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) requirements slated to rise in the coming years.  The CAFE standard, put simply, is the average fuel economy of all passenger cars a manufacturer sells, so by offering a smaller engine on its 7-Series, BMW is hoping to raise their CAFE number ever so slightly.  Look for a 1-2 MPG difference between the available 6 and 8-cylinder engines on the 2011 7-Series cars, which will be labeled the 740 and 750, respectively.

by John Suit

Source: BMW

[Via http://roadreality.wordpress.com]

The Dog Ate My Motorcycle Keys?

Little bitch. Since I’ve exhausted all rational possibilities, blame falls on the newcomer, our dog Sofie. My motorcycle keys have disappeared. I wasted much of the day tearing the house apart looking for them. Had them just a day or so ago. Used them to pull the GPS off the bike so we could find our way to a Christmas party. Got that secret tool on the key ring to remove it from the bike. That was the last known contact.

My wife thinks she saw them the day after, put them on the key rack. They’re not there now. I had plans to explore some roads today to confirm I’d not missed any for my motorcycle maps. I was ready to leave before the sun came up, but no keys. I searched everywhere, then growing impatient, I attempted to convince my wife I might use her bike to “make sure everything was running OK“.

“My bike’s fine“, she retorted.

“But you know the battery needs a good charge in it with the cold weather” I alluded.

I don’t know if that was the trump card or not, but she was in a hurry to leave for work and I didn’t hear anything that countered my extremely plausible and rational argument before she left. I’m pretty sure it would hold up in a court of law if it came down to that. With permission essentially granted, once she left, I grabbed her keys and headed out on the road.

Jackie rides a Beemer. I could write pages about it. So different from my snarling Triumph Tiger, yet with a character all it’s own. It’s not just any BMW, it’s a rather unique, if not exotic model, an F 800 S. I’ve never seen another one on the road. I could be convinced she owns one of the few in the country, if not the world.

Tall gearing means it’s not likely to lift the front wheel with a roll of the throttle or an eager exit from a turn like the Tiger. In the saddle, it feels small compared to the roomy Tiger, almost toy-like until you glance down at the speedo. The riding position is comparatively cramped, though it’s probably ideal for my wife outside of being typically Beemer tall for her shorter legs. It is deceptively fast, so composed you don’t realize how quickly it accelerates. The twin cylinders are barely burbling at highway speeds, yet a roll of the throttle has it surging ahead with electric smoothness.

The mystery road was a good distance from home which meant the most practical approach was via the Interstate. While I hate the four lanes, this bike is so at home on it. It feels as if it were built for the Autobahn. Solid, planted, stable and in control, bumps and potholes disappear through the plush Germanic suspension as if they only existed visually. It didn’t seem fair to limit it to the posted speeds, it was a long way from it’s happy place where the speedometer would be recording triple digits and the engine would sing with Wagnerian enthusiasm. This bike can tour with a passive comfort that comes from the Teutonic drawing boards of it’s BMW heritage and meticulous design.

After an hour or so of resisting the urge to roll the throttle to nirvana level, I pulled off the Interstate and started clipping down the back roads to reach my goal. I was barely getting a feel for the wet roadway when it turned to gravel. As feared, I’d not missed a great ride in my previous mapping explorations. I’m used to this, another mountain road that starts out with so much promise then half way in the paving crews just packed up and went home. Why bother with the first half? Your hot date disappears mid-prom when she catches you checking your wallet for the prophylactics.

I paused to mark the spot with spent coffee like the big dog I pretend to be, pulled up my hoody under the helmet as I’d misjudged how the day would warm once the sun came up, and spun about for the ride home. I distracted myself from the urge to really ride this bike home by methodically supposing all the potential places my keys could be hiding, a mental logic puzzle that worked for the most part. There would be no challenges for this bike that wouldn’t risk a day in the pokey, at least on the highway.

The dogs were enthusiastically waiting at the end of the driveway when I pulled in and if those keys jingled as Sofie pranced about I couldn’t hear them through my helmet. I went back to searching all the places I now knew they must be to no avail.

I’m pretty sure that one ride was inadequate to fully charge the battery against the winter chill and riding some twisty roads might do the trick. There’s only one way to be sure…

Wayne@americaridesmaps.com

>> Go To America Rides Maps.com – http://americaridesmaps.com Cross-posted on The Cultivated Biker Blog

[Via http://americaridesmaps.wordpress.com]

2010 BMW M6 Images

 

2010 BMW M6 Images

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2010 BMW M6 review, specs, pictures and prices by U.S. News & World Report. … The 6 Series-based 2010 BMW M6 deserves to be more of an automotive icon than it …

[Via http://bmwcar.wordpress.com]

Romantic Valentine's Day Ideas for Her

The credit rating agency Standard & Poor's cut its outlook for the Kingdom of Spain  to “negative” on Wednesday,
marking the third time this week the credit agencies have raised concerns about the financial health of governments worldwide.

S&P affirmed its long-term “AA+” credit rating for Spain but cut the outlook from “stable” saying the country “will
experience a more pronounced and persistent deterioration in its public finances and a more prolonged period of economic weakness
versus its peers.”

The cut in the outlook indicates that Spain's credit rating might be at risk for a downgrade over the next two years, S&P
said, unless the government takes “more aggressive actions” to tackle the country's indebtedness. The agency projects Spain
to have a debt burden at approximately 67% of its GDP in 2010. 

“Spain's sizable fiscal
and economic imbalances requires strong policy actions, which have not yet materialized,” said S&P analyst Trevor Cullinan
in a statement.

The news about Spain, which is a member of the Eurozone, had an immediate impact on the markets. The euro lost its earlier
gains against the dollar and commodity markets sold off. The iShares MSCI Spain Index (EWP), which tracks 85% of Spanish-traded stocks, was down 1.2% in Tuesday trading. Banco Santander
(STD), the country's largest bank, was
down 3.5%.

Spain is the latest country to face market concerns that the multiyear recession and trillions of dollars in stimulus might
impair government balance sheets over the long term. Fitch cut its credit rating on Greece one step on Tuesday while Moody's
issued a report saying that the U.S. and U.K's “Aaa” ratings might be at risk over the long term.

“In general the Brits do overdo it,” said Al Griffiths, an English doctor who has been based in Val d'Isère for 12 years. “It's in the culture of the place: you go skiing, you have a vin chaud, you have an après- ski beer, you have wine with dinner in the hotel and before you know it you've gone over your weekly limit.”

The bawdy reputation of “les Anglais” is well-established. Taxi drivers despair of British students trying to walk home on their own; barmen chuckle at miniskirts worn at -15C. Even the tourists themselves recount vomiting in the snow and falling over. One former doorman said: “Stand outside Dicks [Tea Bar, a popular venue] when the season has taken off and you'll see a dozen or so guys dressed as Tarzan in leather pants.”

It is this culture of drinking with little regard for the Alpine conditions which the Foreign Office warns can lead tourists into risky territory, from minor mishaps such as lost passports to more serious, potentially fatal accidents.

Consuming alcohol when 1,850m above sea-level can make people feel drunk more quickly and when inebriated they are much less equipped to deal with the slippery ground and sub-zero temperatures, it points out.

While Griffiths says it is hard to tell which of the many ski-slope accidents during the season are directly caused by alcohol, he believes there is at least one alcohol-related death – and many more near misses – in Val d'Isère alone each year. Already this month, he said, a British girl working in a local chalet had been found walking home on her own in the early hours, with no coat on and no idea where she was going.

As ski resorts come under greater scrutiny, an atmosphere of blame and suspicion has set in. Bar owners are defensive and keen to stress they refuse to serve anyone who is obviously drunk.

Tour operators such as Wasteland and Off the Piste – the company formerly known as On the Piste with which Ward was travelling – insist they do all they can to ensure their on-site representatives are educated in the risks. Bryn Robinson, Off the Piste's managing director, said his company was “doing as much proactive work as possible'' to educate its reps.

But many locals feel personal responsibility must be the baseline for any tourist. “The information is all out there,” said one Englishman who has lived in Val d'Isère for years.

Dos and don'ts

• Do make sure you have adequate travel insurance. The EHIC card is not sufficient for skiing holidays as it does not cover rescue or repatriation missions.

• Don't assume your limits will be the same as they are at home. Altitude can alter how your body reacts to alcohol.

• Do keep drinking water. The more dehydrated you are, the quicker alcohol will go to your head.

• Do find out the phone number of the local medical services upon arrival.

• Don't let drunk friends go home alone. Always make sure they are accompanied in a taxi or shuttle bus.

• Don't go out without clothing that will protect you against the cold, and definitely don't try to wear anything on your feet other than sensible winter footwear when walking on icy roads.

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Every year, it just seems to creep up on you. Just like that. Valentine's Day. Most guys probably dread it. But you have to remember that your girlfriends and wives really hope that you'll take the time out and do something special for them. Don't disappoint her this year. The following is a list of romantic Valentine's Day ideas that will surely sweep her off her feet.

Chick Flick Marathon

I hate that phrase “chick flick.” But, there are those movies out there that lean towards the more feminine variety. Make a list of all the chick flicks that she loves and have them ready to watch. A movie night with all her favorite tear-jerkers, sob stories, and cheesy movies will surely tickle her heart. Cuddle up with her and a big bowl of popcorn and enjoy a beautiful night. Don't forget the box of tissues for all those chick flick moments in the movie.

Be the Chef Tonight

Cook for her-she'll appreciate the effort even if all you can cook is toast and scrambled eggs. If your woman is typically the cook in the house, let her relax on Valentine's Day. A romantic nice thought that will melt her heart is seeing you in a stained apron, sleeves rolled up, and sweat beading on your forehead. Remember, it's her night, so if you can muster it, try to make her favorite dish. Throw in some appetizers, dessert, and a bouquet of roses and she'll have a memorable Valentine's Day.

Have a Spa Day

It may take you out of your comfort zone, but you can spend a relaxing day at the spa together. What's a more romantic Valentine's Day gift then spoiling your girl with massages, aroma-therapy, and a facial wit her man right by her side enjoying it with her. Even if you're not comfortable, try to enjoy the day, because remember its about making her happy and you might be surprised at how much you'll enjoy the experience, too.

Roomful of Balloons

This romantic Valentine's Day idea might take a little time and thought, but you can survive one day of effort. Surprise your girl with a roomful of pink, red, and white balloons. Hide a secret gift in one of them and let her pop the balloons until she finds the “secret” balloon. You can hide a stuffed animal, concert tickets, or (dare I say!) a piece of jewelry like a ring inside the special balloon. She'll love the creativity and thought you put into the special event.

Rose Petals and Candlelight

It's a classic Valentine's Day idea that will always be one of the most popular romantic gestures. Lead a trail of fresh red rose petals to the bedroom. Greet her with a roomful of rose petals sprinkled everywhere accented by candlelight. It will set her heart on fire. As cheesy and overdone this whole concept is, if you haven't done it already, your woman deserves to have that classic moment she thinks only happens in the movies happen to her.

12 Days of Valentine's Day Gifts

If you really want to do something special for your lady on Valentine's Day, what's more romantic than giving her a gift everyday for the 12 Days Before Valentine's Day? Send her a singing telegram. Send her a cookie bouquet. Leave a long-stemmed rose and a box of chocolates in her car one day. Tie a bunch of red, white, and pink balloons on her doorknob. Buy her a giant teddy bear and leave it on her doorstep. And every girl loves a bouquet of beautiful roses to be delivered to her office. The possibilities are endless.

Remember that Valentine's Day is a time for both of you to express your love for eachother. With a little time, effort, and care, you can make this Valentine's Day one of the most romantic you two will ever share together.

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[Via http://happywomenjerseys121.wordpress.com]

Clemson Head Coach among those at golf tourney for SC charities

Dabo Swinney, the head football coach for Clemson University, are among the high-profile commitments of the 10th annual BMW golf pro-am for South Carolina Charities. Also involved are Kurt Russell, Oliver Hudson, Patrick Warburton among others:  http://news.sc/2009/12/09/bmw-announces-celebrities-for-pro-am-tournament-benefiting-sc-charities/

[Via http://legacydirect.wordpress.com]

N-am bemveu, n-am femeie

Discutam zilele trecute cu un prieten de-al meu. El sustinea, asa cum sustin mai toti baietii cu un portofel care incape in buzunar,  ca fetele sunt materialiste, ca daca n-ai un bemveu misto si niste haine de fitze atunci trebuie sa te multumesti cu fetele alea mai de mana a doua.

Partial l-am contrazis. Intr-adevar, pentru multe fete conteaza poate prea mult o masina misto sau un penthouse, insa, ideea e putin alta.   Eu sunt constient, asa cum orice baiat normal e constient, ca un ban in plus in portofel inseamna o sansa in plus, insa, cu toate astea nu sunt chiar convins de materialismul general al fetelor. Ideea mea e simpla. Esti un papa-lapte. Un om nesigur pe tine, te imbraci prost, esti tot timpul deprimat ca n-ai bani.  Toate fetele se indragostesc de atitudinea asta a ta. Sau nu.   La un moment dat castigi la loto. N-ai jucat ca n-ai avut bani de bilet. Dar ai gasit pe jos un bilet care era castigator. Te duci si iti ridici banii. Culmea coincidentei:  deodata atitudinea ta se schimba. Nu mai esti plangaciosul de saptamana trecuta, nu mai esti asa nesigur pe tine, ai bani sa investesti intr-un look ceva mai de fitze. Esti alt om.  Parerea mea e ca diferenta in fata unei fete n-o fac banii cat o fac schimbarea de atitudine pe care o aduce banul. 

Asa ca, mesaj pentru plangaciosii care n-au masina si se imbraca de la Dragonul Rosu: sunteti neinteresanti si nimeni, nici o fata n-are chef sa va asculte lista cu datorii.  Ai o atitudine de 2 lei, in mod clar vei putea visa la o fata de 2 lei. Ai o atitudine buna, atunci mai poti ridica putin standardele.. Daca te chinui putin poti sa-ti schimbi atitudinea si fara sa castigi la loto.

N-ai bani?  Ai un avantaj atunci. Ai ocazia sa fii mai original, sa impresionezi fata fara cadouri scumpe si fara iesiri in cele mai scumpe restaurante. Si daca asta e o provocare prea mare pentru tine, atunci e clar:  nu esti barbat adevarat si nu meriti o femeie adevarata.

[Via http://artistu05.wordpress.com]

Two things I hate about my car

I have a 2000 BMW 528i that I have had since 2001. I bought it used one year after being new. I love the car, it drives well and it has a lot of power for a 2.8 Liter engine. However, despite their attention to detail, there are two things I hate about my car. They are small things.

First is the cupholder. Why in the world did BMW decided that cupholder was an after thought and designed it so poorly? I had to have both front cupholder three times each because they break off easily. It would have been easy to just put a indentation molded plastic and functionally more acceptable.

The other thing is the windshield wiper. No matter what brand of windshield wiper I buy, it leaves streaks on the windshield. It gets annoying during the rainy season.

I don’t see how a great car experience can be ruined by two minor things but I hope the newer models are better. I need an upgrade in next year or so.

[Via http://straight2myworld.wordpress.com]

Audi Reveals Details on Upcoming A1

Audi has revealed some details on their upcoming A1, pictured in the spy shot above.

It will cost about 22,000 USD. There won’t be any downmarket models, such as the Mini First model, a budget version of the normal Cooper. It will be a premium car.

A fully equipped A1 could end up costing well over 33,000 USD.

A lot of the underpinnings will be taken from the Volkswagen Polo, which can be considered a good thing, as it was voted European Car of the Year recently. There won’t be a badge designating the engine, as Audi says that engine sizes will be getting smaller in the future, and that the buyers won’t want to show the world that they are downsizing.

The car will go on sale near the end of 2010.

Source: Evo Magazine

[Via http://theblogofcars.wordpress.com]

[SOCS] Google bans BMW Germany for black hat SEO marketing techniques

“Google’s strategy from the start has been to assume that what individuals are interested in is a reflection of what other individuals – who are interested in roughly the same area, but spend more time on it, that is, web page authors – think is worthwhile. The company built its business model around rendering transparent what people and organizations that make their information available freely consider relevant.” (279)

In early February of 2007, Google blacklisted BMW.de (German site) because they violated what Google calls “Webmaster quality guidelines” by means of black hat SEO/SEM (search engine optimization/search engine marketing). What does this mean? The site included “doorway pages” that would automatically redirect its visitors to a different URL. When viewers clicked a BMW.de page, blocks of text with repeated key search words such as “neuwagen” (new car in German). When the visitor clicked on the listed page, they would be automatically redirected to another page with almost no text and mostly pictures. These pages would be scored much lower in Google’s PageRank system. In short, BMW tried to artificially boost its search engine rating through non-approved marketing strategies.

In response, Google removed BMW.de from its Web index. The violation? “Don’t deceive your users or present different content to search engines than you display to users.” BMW Germany quickly removed their redirect pages and wrote a formal letter of apology to Google. They regained Google listing status shortly after.

Sources: Yochai Benkler, “The Wealth of Networks”. Chapter 8: 273-300

[Via http://chennyxia.wordpress.com]

Prestige Automotive - Websites

BMW http://www.bmw.com.au/ Audi http://www.audi.com.au/ Mercedes Benz http://www2.mercedes-benz.com.au/ Alfa Romeo http://www.alfaromeo.com.au/ Aston Martin http://www.astonmartin.com/ Ferrari http://www.ferrari.com.au/ Lamborghini http://www.lamborghini.com.au/ Porsche http://www.porsche.com/australia/ Jaguar http://www.jaguar.com.au/ Saab http://www.saab.com.au/ Peugeot http://www.peugeot.com.au/ Maserati http://www.maserati.com.au/ Rolls Royce http://www.rolls-roycemotorcars-dealer.com/ Bentley http://www.bentleymotors.com/ Chrysler http://www.chrysler.com.au/ Renault http://www.renault.com.au/

[Via http://onwhitespace.wordpress.com]

BMW Z4 UK 2010

[Via http://persiatazmin.wordpress.com]

Blue Skies, High Speed and Adobe in Santa Fe, New Mexico

October 4, 2009 – 288 Miles

I woke up this morning with a headache that was made infinitely worse by the fact that it was raining and I’m quite sick of yellow hotel rooms. I put on the weather channel, took some asprin and jumped in the shower. By the time I was packed and dressed my headache had gone away and my spirits were improving as the I-Phone radar app (I use Accuweather) showed clear skies into New Mexico. This was going to be a short ride today less than 300 miles. The La Quinta breakfast was a joke but they had hard boiled eggs which I was strangely attracted to and ate two with some low fat yogurt. All I need now is a confined space like an elevator or airplane!

I got gas for the bike and hit the road. Rolling into New Mexico the vistas opened up and the weather changed from rain in the morning, to cloudy mid-morning, to blue skies in the afternoon. You can see the distant mountains, the sky is a deep indigo blue and just about everyone driving there rolls along at a very high speed. I was blown off the road by a Ford F-250 pulling a car trailer who I estimate was doing at least 120. He was passing everyone in sight. I hung back and observed him for a while. While driving really fast he was making clean passes and had New Mexico plates so I assumed he knew the road (not that it made much of a difference as it was completely straight for most of the way) I decided to kick up the pace and use him as my New Mexico PD spotter. I don’t use a radar detector for a number of reasons. I don’t think you can hear the thing when you need to or necessarily see it either. I had an Escort mounted to my Ninja 1000-R in college and I can’t remember it being useful very often. In those adrenaline addled days I’m not sure if I paid any attention to it anyway. Mostly it looked cool – until it fell off at speed and disintegrated. Mostly I roll with the traffic letting people get out in front of me far enough so they would be the first to be spotted by LEO’s. If I’m alone on an empty highway my speed is between six and ten miles over the speed limit as I figure most cops can’t be bothered to pull me over as it’s not enough to generate a significant fine. Where I absolutely do watch my speed very closely is any little town. As I’m sure you well know they mean 35 MPH and are glad to pull over anyone going faster.

A ramdon rest area somewhere in New Mexico. The picture does not really capture how pretty this area was. The view was fantastic.

Futura loaded and ready to go. I’m not one of those guys with stuff hanging all over the place. I want everything stowed and packed neatly. I saw this HD boomer so loaded up with crap the tires were almost flat. Lighter is better (and faster).

I arrived in Santa Fe and checked into another Marriott Courtyard. This one was not as nice as the one in Wichita but acceptable. At this point I was still behind the planning ball as ditching my routes and plans for South Dakota I was flying by the seat of my pants. I really wanted to slow down the cash burn and start camping to save money. I unloaded the bike and headed to downtown Santa Fe. Surprisingly for having a great deal of slow moving heavy traffic I managed to immediately find a parking spot and shut down the Futura. The skies in Santa Fe are amazingly blue and the air is clean and crisp. My mood was considerably improved since morning. You can’t take a bad picture in this town. Everything is beautiful and seems to be sharply focused. I guess it’s the sky contrasting against the adobe.

It’s no surprise that Santa Fe is an artist’s paradise. Everywhere you turn in Santa Fe you are surrounded by paintings, sculpture, jewelry, fashion, and art of every imaginable sort. The Indian Market is interesting as there are a large number of Native Americans displaying their crafts; all laid out on everything from velvet jewelry blankets to worn Indian blankets. No Ducati T-Shirts, no carbon fiber tank protectors, no…………ahh, you get the idea. Turquoise jewelry, silver earrings and the like don’t interest me much. There are however, tons of shops downtown; it’s easy to kill a few hours browsing or window shopping. One thing I like about this type of traveling is that it is virtually impossible to make an impulse buy. Every inch of space is accounted for on the bike. If I want to buy something to take with me usually something else has to go. One of the better attractions in downtown Santa Fe is the St. Francis Cathedral. According to Lonely Planet it has the oldest Madonna statue in North America, er……… wow. However it is worth taking a look, the front doors are cool and the interior is very interesting.

Terrace bar at La Fonda

Now that I’ve had my fix of art and religion for the day, it’s time for a drink. One place that I really enjoyed was the La Fonda Hotel. It’s in the plaza in the center of Santa Fe and looks like it’s been there for a million years. The lobby is very cool with places to relax, have a cocktail or dinner. They also had a small shop that sold the New York Times. Surprisingly this is something that I guess being an Ex-New Yorker is absorbed through contact over the years. I absolutely crave an occasional daily read and demand the Sunday paper which is usually read outside with a Perdomo Habano Gordo cigar and a tall glass of ice tea. So paper in hand I went up the elevator to the 6th floor and the roof top bar. What a fantastic view. I ordered a Diet Coke, grabbed a seat to relax, read, and enjoy the view. Apparently this is the place for sunsets in Santa Fe. It’s also the place for bullshit too. Across from me was an older guy dressed in denim from head to toe, cowboy boots and a big cowboy hat. He had one of those booming, self-important voices and he was loudly pontificating to a pair of cringing German tourists. “I’m a movie stuntman – I just bought a 7 million dollar house here, gave the last one to my ex-wife, she was fucking Jack and Warren, driving my truck today because the Veyron is in the shop, too many goddammned people with money in this town….. On and on and on this guy went. I wish I had an extra pair of earplugs. I was tempted to roll up the newspaper and clout him upside the head with it just to get some peace and quiet. But it was a beautiful afternoon and I was in a fantastic place so I just moved my chair away to get a better view and relax.

I climbed back on the Aprilia and headed out of downtown back to the hotel. The prices at hotel restaurant were insane and my spending at this point was way out of control. So I walked down the street, past used car dealers, the Home Depot, Walgreens, and other anywhere in America type stuff to Arby’s. I grabbed dinner and headed back to the hotel. That night I took some time to consult the guide book, map and GPS to figure out a new route and get down to some camping. I found a KOA that was only a few miles out of Santa Fe and booked a two night stay online. One thing about KOA is that they charge you extra if you just show up – they want you to book online entirely. Having the next few day set I crashed out for the night.

Tomorrow – Santa Fe, Los Alamos, kickass BBQ, the Cowgirl Hall of Fame, and KOA

[Via http://dryohe.wordpress.com]

Project 808 x Unscene Media: Part 1

Posted this up on the main Unscene Media blog, but I figured I’d link it up on TCP for you all:

My friend Jesal from Project 808 and I had a chance to get together and get some filming done finally. Project 808 is THE definitive source for all your aftermarket exhaust needs. I’ll definitely be picking up some goods from these guys when spring rolls around…especially after chatting it up with Jesal during our shoot. Anyway, we’ve been trying to get together for some time some Unscene Media could put its spin on the ever-so typical car (exhaust) videos.

Thankfully, Jesal was open-minded enough to let me do my thing and do things differently from the norm. Check out part 1 below and let me know what you think!

[Via http://thecarpark.wordpress.com]

BMW Serie 5: con sexto sentido

El BMW Serie 5 se presenta con una imagen similar a algunos vehículos de la marca, más actual que la del modelo al que remplaza. Ha crecido en longitud, anchura y distancia entre ejes. Tiene una amplia oferta de motores diésel y gasolina que van de los 184 CV del 520d a los 408 CV del 550i. Las primeras unidades estarán disponibles a partir de marzo.

Después de más de seis años en el mercado, BMW ha renovado por completo su berlina encuadrada en el segmento E. Se trata de la sexta generación del Serie 5, que desde su aparición en 1972, ha vendido más de 5,5 millones de unidades.

El nuevo Serie 5 Berlina tiene una línea más fluida que la generación anterior. Tiene un aspecto parecido al Serie 7, donde se nota la mano de Bangle. Destaca por su alargado y abombado capó, donde encontramos nervios que le dan un aire dinámico, por su gran distancia entre ejes, por los pequeños voladizos y al trazado de la línea del techo, que se asemeja a la de un coupé. Incorpora la parrilla ovoide doble en posición vertical de los últimos modelos de la marca. Los grupos ópticos delanteros son parecidos a los del Z4, mientras que los traseros guardan similitud con el renovado Serie 3 Berlina.

El interior es semejante al del Serie 7 y Serie 5 GT. El tablero de instrumentos está orientado siete grados hacia el conductor. El panel de instrumentos está formado por una pantalla de color negro, denominada “Black Panel”, que únicamente muestra la información cuando está dado el contacto. Dependiendo de si la transmisión es automática o manual, la consola central está dividida en una o dos piezas. Como es normal en BMW, los materiales utilizados son de gran calidad.

La gama de motores es completa y variada. Está compuesta por siete motores, cuatro de gasolina y tres diésel. El primer grupo está formado por un motor de ocho cilindros en V y tres de seis en línea. El primero lo acopla el 550i, que desarrolla 408 CV, mientras que los otros son para el 535i con 306 CV, el 528i con 258 CV y el 523i con 204 CV. El grupo de los diésel, lo constituye el motor de cuatro cilindros del 520d con 184 CV y los dos de seis cilindros pertenecientes al 525d de 204 CV y al 530d de 245 CV. Todos los motores pueden ir acoplados a una caja manual de seis relaciones o a una automática de ocho, a excepción del 550i, que viene de serie con esta última modalidad.

El nuevo Serie 5 Berlina es más largo, más ancho y cuatro décimas más alto que el modelo al que sustituye. Tiene una longitud de 4,89 m (4,84 m), una anchura de 1,86 m (1,84 m) y una altura de 1,46 m (1,46). La distancia entre ejes también ha sido ampliada, pasando de 2,88 a 2,97 m.

El Serie 5 puede equipar los sistemas más novedosos del mercado: Adaptive Drive (sistema de control dinámico de la amortiguación, de supresión de inclinaciones Dynamic Drive y dirección integral activa), sistema de asistencia al aparcar, de visión panorámica Surround View, de advertencia de distancias con función de frenado, de advertencia de límites de velocidad, sistema de advertencia de cambio de carril y de aviso de abandono de carril, información sobre límites de velocidad y sistema de visión nocturna BMW Night Vision con detección de personas.

Además, BMW apuesta por un Serie 5 respetuoso con el medio ambiente y ahorrador en carburante gracias al paquete de medidas EfficientDynamics.

El BMW Serie 5 Berlina será construido en la planta de Dingolfing junto con el Serie 7. Llegará al los concesionarios europeos a principios de primavera.

[Via http://periodismodemotor.com]

1200 GS

Lack of chrome reveals the smarts,

engineering prowess with ergonomic art.

Second to none with handling to spare,

on or off road, some wheels in air.

Rain or shine this baby will go,

its rugged, ready, and not just for show.

Big tank and high tech deep in the core,

riding this bike is never a bore.

Power, design and cool for you,

little round emblem says B-M-W.

Responsive!

M-Tuned 1 Series in Development

Now, this news is two or three days old, and I’m terribly sorry about this, but I’ve been too busy to catch up with the car world. I reckon not everyone has heard about this yet though, so I’m posting it anyways. I have some time today, so maybe I’ll be able to catch up with the car world.

Reports are saying that BMW’s M division is developing their own version of the next-generation 1-series. The straight-six engine will be tuned to developed around 330hp, compared to 306hp for the current 135i. It should be priced at around €35,000 in Europe, and roughly 45,000 USD in the US. As I expected, the M1 name will not be used, as that belongs to a timeless classic, and while this may end up being a good car, by no means can it be an M1 successor. I wonder what they’ll name it. Perhaps it will be just an M-Package.

Interesting thing to note though is that a while back, I recall an interview with someone from BMW who stated that an M version of the 1-Series wouldn’t be made. So perhaps these reports are false, or maybe they’ve changed their minds. I’d be very interested to see what the M division could do with a car which some think is bringing BMW back to its driver’s car roots, and I agree with them.

Source: WorldCarFans

B is for Beefy

Beefy B7

Specifically, the 2007 Alpina B7; 500 hp / 516 lb ft torque- supercharged V8.  Yaaaaaaaaay supercharger! Be Aggressive, B. E. Aggressive!!

Only six options were offered on this model, and this particular machine has them all, including super cool night vision.

Buyers beware, you will learn what it would feel like to be grabbed around the heart by a Norse god and thrown down the road.

BMW desenvolve semáforo inteligente

Terra Carros

A corrida para diminuir as emissões de poluentes e o consumo de combustível dos automóveis enfrentada pelas montadoras pode estar encontrando novos rumos. Além dos investimentos para tornar os motores mais eficientes, a BMW divulgou nesta última sexta-feira (13), que trabalha no desenvolvimento de um novo tipo de semáforo inteligente auto-adaptativo, que resulta em maior fluidez no trânsito e, conseqüentemente, diminuição no consumo de combustível.

O sistema que está sendo desenvolvido pela empresa alemã está em testes nos Estados Unidos e possui atuação dinâmica, ou seja, ele altera o tempo das fases dos sinais em função de maior ou menor congestionamento, acidentes no trânsito e qualquer ocorrência não esperada.

Rodando em condições ideais com a simulação do sistema, a BMW anunciou que o consumo da BMW 530d (diesel) que estava sendo testada foi diminuido de 9,8 km/l para 18,6 km/l. Em uma situação dia-a-dia, entretanto, a empresa alemã acredita que a variação no consumo deverá cair entre 10% e 15%. A BMW já entrou em contato com o governo americano para apresentar o dispositivo e avaliar uma possível implementação.

Fonte: Terra Carros/Márcio Murta | www.carroonline.terra.com.br

Zenithmedia drives off with BMW media account

BMW Group Middle East has handed its media buying and planning business to ZenithMedia following a competitive pitch.

Zenith will take over media buying responsibilities as of 1 January and will work closely with BMW’s regional office and importers across 14 Middle East markets.

The German car manufacturer had previously worked with Interone Resonance, which re-pitched for the business, but decided to go with Zenithmedia after a review of its regional media requirements. The pitch also included Magna and Media Insight.

Mohamed Fawzi, marketing manager for BMW Group Middle East, said: “One of our corporate agency partner policies is to look into the market every three years to ensure that we are working with the best possible consultants to represent our BMW Group brands: BMW and MINI. We involved our marketing and financial partners at our head office in Germany who worked closely with us throughout the pitch to ensure that we followed our professional global processes.

“It was a three-month process that involved several stages and comprehensive criteria on which each agency was judged. All agencies put great effort into understanding our business requirements and presented us with some strong media solutions. It was a difficult decision, but a holistic one that incorporated every relevant element. It is imperative for us to select a partner who not only understands both our BMW and MINI brands, but also the different tonality and brand messages we communicate to our BMW and MINI customers, and the different communication platforms we employ.”

Letter to Dockie, November 1993 . . .

Sixteen years ago I was pulling night-duty at San Antonio’s International Airport, waiting for and working flights coming in from Mexico. Since I had long ago mastered any and all U. S. Customs rules and regulations as they related to my duties, I felt justified in passing the time and staying awake by writing letters to friends and relatives. I began this letter that evening, and added to it over a period of several days and sent it snail-mail on the above date.

November 13,1993

Hi, Dockie and Jackie,

Don’t faint, it’s just me. I realize you folks are not very accustomed to getting letters from me (especially since this is the only one I ever sent you), but the shock should wear off pretty soon. We found the picture of Philip in the flower bush. I mean we found the picture which shows Philip in the flower bush, not that we found it in the flower bush. I figured I would send some words of wisdom along with it. The picture has faded a lot over the years. It was made 18 years ago, so I guess it’s in pretty good shape considering the time that has passed.

I’m working a swing shift at the airport, from 3-11 p.m., and have a lot of free time on my hands. Well, actually I’m not working 3-11 today, I’m working 8-5, but usually I am 3-11. There’s not much to do and I really get bored, so I decided to use the time to write letters and bore the people I send them to.

I’ve written my sisters more since I started working nights than I have in my entire life. I’ve even written Aubrey and Evelyn and Winnie and Clyde and Bill several times. One thing about the letters I need to warn you of—they are long. Writing on a computer is a little like running downhill, eating peanuts or having sex—once you start, it’s hard to stop.

We really had a great time in Georgia, especially at the cookout. Seeing you and Jackie and Jean was a real treat, and seeing that gaggle of kids and grand-kids and in-laws and outlaws was great. Of course, the years weigh a bit heavier when you see that the kids now have kids, and their kids will soon be having kids, and you wonder where the years went. I can remember so clearly us playing jacks in Montgomery. I’m not sure but I think I remember winning, at least some of the games. Tell you what—you and Jackie come on out for a visit, and I’ll buy some jacks and challenge you to a game—I think I can still beat you!

Cindy spent 10 days with us recently, from October 23 until November 2. She left this past Tuesday, but has already bought tickets to return during Christmas. The house sure seemed empty for awhile after she left, and we’re already looking forward to her return in December. She is doing well in her work in Virginia—in fact she will make more than her ol’ pappy this year if she keeps on like she is going. The only problem is that she has learned how to make money, but has not yet learned how to hold on to any of it. When she masters that, she will have it made. Her sister Kelley is running her a close second on that—not in making the money, but in spending it.

I think the people in Mexico are still talking about the visit you and the others made to Laredo. In fact, in Mexican folklore they refer to you as “la senorita loca con la pela rubia y el sombrero gigante,” which means “the crazy lady with the blond hair and the giant hat.” When you folks come out, we’ll try to fit in a trip to the border so you can terrorize the natives some more.

I just got back to my office. One of the ladies I work with is a garage sale freak like me, and we went hunting garage sales. They were supposed to have a giant sale at Trinity Baptist Church today, so we went there first. There were at least 100 cars there, so we figured it would be a great sale, but we couldn’t find where they were set up. We finally asked a motorcycle cop at the corner about it, and he said that the cars were there for a funeral, and that he didn’t know anything about a garage sale. I guess we have sunk to a new low, trying to get a really good bargain at a funeral.

We finally found several small yard sales before we had to return to work. I bought a 35-millimeter slide projector for $2.00. Does it work? I don’t know yet, haven’t tried it, but even if it doesn’t work I’m only out two bucks, and I’ll probably value it at $50 and donate it to Goodwill Industries and take a tax deduction, so how can I lose?

How are the goats doing? Boy, we really have some ritzy relatives—they keep a BMW parked in the yard just so their goats will have something to climb on! Alta and I liked your house, and you have it so nicely decorated. She is still talking about her visit with you. I guess you two sat up and talked all night.

Hope your Cocker Spaniel is alright now. She is a friendly little thing —well, not so little, I guess. And I know now not to blow the horn when I come to visit, or the white elephant will come out and chew off my bumpers. You call him a bulldog, but he’s more elephant-sized than dog-sized.

I told you that the letters are long. You’re probably getting an Excedrin headache from reading this. You know you can always stop and come back to it later if you want to. Of course the news will be that much older by the time you return.

Did we have our patio covered when you were out here? I don’t think we did. Anyhow, it is covered now, and we are going to extend the patio cover across the back of the house, probably about 50 feet all together. Hope to get it finished by the end of November, before the weather turns cold and wet. We had a cold spell last week. The temperature got down to about 27 degrees, but just for a few hours. We put all the plants in the garage and haven’t put them back out yet. Actually we have a 2-cat garage. They stay there at night, and are in and out of the house all day. They are having a ball climbing the ficus trees in the garage.

Took the tom cat (Dumas Walker) to the vet yesterday for his shots. It took three of us to give him the immunizations—two to hold him down and one to use the needle. That cat does not like to go to the vet. We gave him a tranquilizer before we took him in, but all it did was make him mad. I mean he was a real tiger, but normally he is a very gentle and loving cat—spends a lot of his time lying on my chest while I’m watching television. After seeing him in action at the vet’s office yesterday, I don’t feel quite as comfortable having him lying there.

I suppose I’ve rambled on long enough, so I’ll close. Tell everybody hello for us, and give Jean our love. We know that you have a tough row to hoe, and you are doing it alone. We’ve never been in that situation, but we understand your problems and frustrations, and support you in everything you do.

Lots of love,

Janie and Mike

Mitsubishi has made major gains and ranks ahead of Nissan, Mazda, Kia, Suzuki, Subaru and Hyundai, BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Lexus, and Porsche

Consumer Reports has just released results from its annual reliability survey and the findings are clear:

Mitsubishi has made major gains and ranks ahead of Nissan, Mazda, Kia, Suzuki, Subaru and Hyundai, BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Lexus, and Porsche

Please share this great news with everyone
Also don’t forget:

Mitsubishi is offering special rates to Sam’s Club members.  0.0% APR for 60 months on 2009 Eclipse, 2009 Spyder, 2010 Endeavor and 2010 Galant with approved credit.

Könnte ganz lustig werden - der neue BMW M3 GTS

Was man diese Tage im Netz so über BMW liest, hört sich nicht unbedingt gut an – zumindest für die Belegschaft, die Zulieferer und die Aktienbesitzer…

Umso mehr brauch dann ein Unternehmen in der Größenordnung und nicht nur dann von BMW ein paar Lichtblicke. Und einer dieser Lichtblicke ist auf jeden Fall der neue BMW M3 GTS.

Laut BMW hat der neue M3 GTS 450 Cavallos unter der Haube und bringt keine 1500 kg auf die Waage, was einem Leistungsgewicht von 3,3 kg / PS entspricht.

Wer sich ein kleines bisschen auskennt, weiß dass dieser Wert nicht von schlechten Eltern ist…

Schaut euch den Clip über den neuen Renner aus Bayern an.

Ach ja – die Musik im Hintergrund könnten die BMWler ruhig weglassen – für die Musik des M3 GTS brauch man sich doch nicht zu schämen…

True Lincoln Park Tales, #4: The Mini Coopergasm, Part I

Zena’s hand trembled just a bit as she put the key in the ignition.

In her suburban youth, she had ridden in cars. She had obtained and maintained driver’s license, and had been a committed driver out of necessity for several years. But she had never liked automobiles, and once she both lived and worked in an area of Chicago where public transportation is universal if not beloved, she sold her car with great relief.

She found herself at a car dealership now out of peer pressure. Zena had recently been promoted at her job, to a sales position with a cushy base salary, a solid bedrock of loyal customers, and tantalizing shoots of potential future growth. Blessed with an outgoing personality and an eminently trustworthy smile, Zena had clear potential, which was recognized by her boss Renee.

Zena got results in her first two weeks. Good results, even. But not, as Renee said, excellent results. “And excellence,” she declared, “is where you belong.”

“You need to manage your image,” Renee announced. Zena was perfectly good at making sales, she explained, but she needed to do more. She had to make not buying from her inconceivable. And to start, she had to make herself look amazing.

Renee boiled it down thusly: “Everyone wants to be successful. When you roll up at their office in a sweet ride, they know that they can be simply by buying whatever you sell. But they will never know that when you walk up to their office from the train, branded with the aura of bums and urine and failure.”

And with a flourish of girlish excitement, Renee invited herself on a car shopping trip that Zena didn’t realize she was planning.

They had already inspected a BMW and a Lexus, both of which Zena had pronounced “really an excellent car, but just not me.” Further analysis was beyond her. Zena really didn’t like any car, but Renee’s exuberance had the force of a general’s orders, so she resorted to weak indecision as her only glimpse of a way to wiggle out of buying one.

Renee knew just what to do. “I agree completely,” she declared. “Those were fine cars, but you are a woman who needs to stand out from the crowd. This next one, there’s no way you’re not gonna love it.”

“What is the next one?” Zena asked, looking for an opportunity to declare that she really wasn’t a car person after all, and that they might as well just head home. But with a wave of her finger and an exuberantly restrained hum, Renee refused to inform her until they pulled into the next dealership.

Mini Cooper.

“It takes a special kind of person to pull off driving in these cars,” Renee declared. “I sure wish I could. But you, I think, can.”

“I don’t know,” Zena muttered weakly, but Renee dragged her into the salesroom and in front of a heavily made-up and preternaturally perky blonde saleswoman.

“I’m Chelsea, how are you!” she erupted.

“This is Zena, and she’s going to buy one of your cars!” Renee popped. While the tone of her voice had a way to go to match Chelsea’s implausible squeak, it rose noticeably in just one sentence, and probably would overtake Chelsea before the test drive.

“Zena, I just love that name. You’re like an African goddess and a warrior princess all in one.”

“She is,” affirmed Renee. “My newest superstar.”

Zena scrunched up her shoulders and tried to make a sound that would make her seem excited. “Eep” is what emerged from her mouth.

Renee pointed at a red car with a white stripe down the middle. “That is the car that you are going to buy.”

“The Model 9822, it’s exceptional.”

“Very nice?” Zena whimpered.

Renee held up an informational brochure dangling from the driver-side window. “It’s turbocharged.”

“I don’t know what that means,” Zena admitted.

“It means more power and higher performance. You—

Renee’s sales instinct took over, and she cut Chelsea off. “You want higher performance. You deserve higher performance. We’re going to take it for a test drive.”

And so Renee steered the trio outside. Luckily she took the exit to the right; to the left was the lot for resales, but as this was her sale now, nothing Chelsea could have done could have turned her around. Chelsea did manage to nudge her away from the 9522s and to an exact replica of the showroom model. She even managed to warn Renee’s hand away from the driver’s door with a perfectly timed throat-clearing.

“Right,” Renee said. “It’s just lust.”

*****

This one, which will be completed tomorrow, was inspired quickly; a woman moaning quite loudly as she drove past the apartment building where I live. I mean, really loudly. (I live on the fourth floor.)

Just kidding—I was exiting the building when I heard her. Still, it was loud, and she was feeling something.

I combined it with some of my experiences with salespeople; I spent a lot of my life working for magazines that are 100% ad-supported, and as a result have had far too much more than my share of… let’s just call them, moments. It’s kind of fun putting three salespeople together, though.

I’m expecting this post to get a lot of hits*. After all, it will be tagged with “orgasm,” even though the true Mini Coopergasm doesn’t happen until part 2. So hey, tune in next time!

*Relative to other posts on this blog. I’m still famous only in the future, rather than the present.

brors bil

Som efternøler er man vel altid lidt bagud for sine ældre søskende. Og det kan også være fint nok, med man bliver til tider lidt misunderlig, især hvis man som mig har en storebror, der både har et stort fedt hus og så, selvfølgelig, derudover lige har fået en super lækker bil med sportssæder og frække forlygter. Forlygter har vores bil selvfølgelig også, men der er nu ikke helt det samme, nå de sidder på en gammel Skoda, som når de sidder på min brors splinternye BMW. Forlygter eller ej, jeg misunder nu mest de fede sportssæder. Og glæder mig til den dag jeg går i brors fodsport og selv ender med en  ny BMW med sportssæder!

The Bayern Life

Time always seems to fly by – I find myself writing to you, having already spent three weeks in Munich. For those of you who are unaware, I am in the final year of my Masters studies at Ludwig-Maximilians-University (established in 1472). The quality of the courses and professors have exceeded my expectations, in my studies of Organization, Strategy and Change Management. I will list my courses below with an example of some interesting aspects of each class (when applicable).

1. Management Communications
2. Corporate Social Responsibility (Ethical and moral theories, mostly stuff I already learned at Taylor University)
3. Entrepreneurial Growth Management (Group innovation project in cooperation with a local fitness club)
4. Marketing Asset Management / Convincing Stakeholders (Group project in cooperation with the travel agency Thomas Cook)
5. Strategic Change (Group project analyzing change factors associated with the merger of Porsche SE and Volkswagen AG)
6. Innovation and Strategy (Group presentation work analyzing case studies concerning mega-trends in the marketplace. Course is supervised by a chairman at McKinsey Consulting – providing real-world feedback)
7. Time Management

On a personal level, I am living in a house in downtown Munich somewhat close to the BMW factory and the famous BMW HQ tower. The house is shared amongst four of my friends in the programme, which makes for a lively household at all times. I’m somewhat concerning that I may be having too much fun, but I’m enjoying this as much as possible – it will be March before I know it and I’ll be on the job market. I’m fully aware that this is a very special period of time in my life.

Speaking of fun, I’m going to Prague this evening and I will be returning on Monday morning. I will make sure to post many pictures next week. In fact, you will be hearing a lot about Prague in the coming weeks. An old friend from Taylor, Jon Brinks, will be passing through the Czech Republic on business and we planned to spend the weekend together – since this is only a 5 hour trip from Munich. Unfortunately, I made an error and booked my train tickets a week too early. In order to avoid missing a guaranteed good time with Jon, I’ve decided to go two weekends in a row. I should be an expert in two weeks time.

Tune in next week for pictures from Prague

Toyota Drops Out of Formula 1

Toyota announced today they are dropping out of Formula One for the 2010 season, according to speedTV.com. They signed the most recent concourde agreement for a 3 year extension. This means that they’ll most likely face a legal issue with the FIA. Read more at http://formula-one.speedtv.com/article/f1-its-official-toyota-pulls-plug-on-2010-season/

Okay, which direction is formula one headed? Out of business? Or Back to Basics? In the past year, Honda has dropped, BMW has dropped, and now Toyota has dropped. Some say it’s because of ‘economic conditions;’ some say it’s because of the strict rule changes. I would have to say that Formula One will always be that way–expensive and specific. That’s how they keep the races fair; that’s how they keep the sport interesting; that’s how they weed out the wanna-bees. Ecclestone wants the calendar to have 20 races (17 in 2009).

There will always be talk of the league splitting, however, lately we haven’t heard much about it… Maybe that’s where we’re headed? Maybe Honda, BMW, and Toyota are all talking to each other.

Keep in mind, Toyota and BMW celebrated BMW’s last season with each other at BMW’s party last week…Wow, what a coincidence!!! (sarcasm).

Time will tell. There is too much support of F1 from the publics for a new league to be supported.

Juice

www.jordancallaway.com

Oct24-25 - NJMP - Lightning - Audi

Headed to NJMP – Lightning to drive with the Audi Club. Mary stayed in Vienna, her friend Danielle was running the Marie Corps Marathon and Mary stayed in town to show her support.

This was my second time to Lightning (days 3 & 4). I wasn’t overly excited because the last time I was there I didn’t think the track was that exciting… however by the end of this weekend the track had really grown on me and I was having a ton of fun chasing Audi S4’s and RS4’s around the track.

I drove in Audi’s red group which is their Advanced group. They don’t have Open Passing (ie passing in corners) in their advanced group which I kinda wish they did, I’m ready to try that out!

The first day started rainy and cold but the weekend ended with lots of sun. End of day 1 I was running consistent 1:24-1:25’s. By the end of Day2, I concluded that this is definitely a 4th gear track and managed a 1:21.2 although I was shooting for a 1:20.

On my way home picked up Mary @ Danielle’s (she had driven Danielle’s car home after the marathon). I think Danielle was grateful for the ride and I was happy to have the company for the remainder of my ride home.

Saw a pimp Audi AllRoad, rockin Porsche brakes and racing suspension, I think it was running in the instructor group, but never actually saw it on the track.

Revised Track Walkthough
Entering Turn1 from the back straight, hard on the brakes at the faded white line between start/finish and the #3 braking marker, last part of the braking zone is uphill which means you can save yourself during those late braking moments by holding the brakes just a bit longer and digging into the incline before turning in late for Turn1. No need to hug the inside apex, ½ a car width away is fine, up over the crest then tracking out all the way to the left (caution not to begin unwinding until after cresting the hill, it feels weird to be turning and cresting but believe me, you’ll run out of track if you unwind before you crest).

Having downshifted into 3rd from 5th during braking you can wind out 3rd and shift into 4th before a quick but firm brake before entering turn 2, a sweeping right hander. This is another corner best not to tight apex, a car width from the curbing feels about right, heading about ¾’s down the track before turning in harder for turn 3. Once up to speed this will feel like a double apex v/s two turns both of which can be taken in 4th.

Import to get parallel with the right hand side of the track to set yourself up properly for a tight left hand turn 4, down to 3rd gear and once turned into 4 crossing the apex tight knowing you are in the clear to track out just as the right side of the track comes in you can put the pedal down and start winding out 3rd as you head for the turnin point (left side curbing) before turn 5. You want your turn in point to 5 to be closer to the first part of the turtles than the center or second half, this will allow you a proper apex into 5 and you are able to get on the throttle before the apex w/out fear of the offcamber portion of the track on the left. Use a medium 1second brake before turning into 5.

Previously I had tried to apex 6 on the inside, but Ralph (instructor) had me stay 2/3 left to mid track and I was able to carry much more speed, holding the wheel to bring you back to the right side of the track as you pass under the bridge. Passing under the bridge I had previously only been hitting 105mph, the traqmate says 112mph (close to 120mph on the speedo) by the end of this weekend.

On the brakes hard midway between the bridge and #3 braking marker, downshift to 3rd, late apex the sharp left hander and track out at the end of the right hand curbing, wind out 3 going uphill, shifting into 4th as you run out of gear and head back a gradual decline toward turn 7, the lightbulb…hitting about 110mph, medium braking for a second to pull speed down below 90mph (at least this weekend), entering the lightbulb about ¾ track left, looking around to the very late apex at the bottom end of the lightbulb, if you are looking there you will naturally and gradually turn in to meet the right hand apex at the curbing as you move from maintenance throttle to WOT at the lowest point on the track. Previously I wasn’t getting to WOT until the lowest point (apex), this weekend I was WOT a good 2 seconds before which significantly increase my speed onto the back straight.

Trackout all the way to the left (you’ll need to with the speed you are carrying if you are WOT as early as you should), then keep holding the same arch and you’ll crest the hill three quarters of the way to the left side of the track, pass over the blend line into the pits and down the main straight,
winding out 4th until the speedo says almost 140mph (traqmate says 131) before braking hard and returning to turn #1.

PR jest wspaniały!

W zeszłym tygodniu Internauci na pięćdziesięciu milionach portali dissowali na kierowcę BMW X5, który brutalnie zaatakował swoim SUVem dwa Bogu ducha winne sedany. Klip z YT wygląda tak:
Oczywiście pojawiły się komentarze, że to statystyczny owner BMW, że Ci ze śmigłem na masce to wszyscy tak jeżdżą, bo to przecież same karki, dresy i alfonsi.

Okazało się, że akcja miała miejsce w Kanadzie, a za kierownicą nieszczęsnego X5 siedziała 62-letnia kobieta, która odpowie teraz przed sądem za ucieczkę z miejsca zdarzenia. OK, kobita dostanie pewnie grzywnę, polecą jej zniżki z OC i koniec historii. Ale nie. Interes zwietrzył kanadyjski importer Hyndaia.

Jednym z pokrzywdzonych w całym zajściu był niejaki Todd Jamison, właściciel bezczelnie zdewastowanego Huyndaia Elantra. Agencja PR odpowiedzialna za wizerunek Hyundaia w Kanadzie zadbała o to, by biedny Pan Jamison dostał w prezencie funkiel nową Elantrę. Jak słodko…

Wzruszające, prawda??

Ja też mam BMW, więc jakby ktoś się chciał ze mną dogadać, to możemy zorganizować ustawkę na monitorowanym parkingu pod centrum handlowym. I proponuję skrashować jakąś Skodę. Ostatnio tak chętnie rozdają Yeti, a nóż da się zamienić favoritkę na nowego crossovera…

NaNoWriMo... COMMENCE!! Installation #1 of "European Desert"

“Hey man, don’t open that freezer door. There’s a 3-month old Mexican popsicle that’s been renting it out, and he’s got a baaaaad attitude, dude.”

- – -

Terry Padgett was having a hard time coping with her recent streak of bad luck. The boy she had met over the summer, so sweet and oh-so-”hip”, had failed her. After years of mediocre life on the bottom rung of the high school social ladder, Terry was determined not to repeat the same mistake in college. Not surprisingly though, she had developed a rather eccentric insecurity trigger over her four torturous years of high school. Her insecurity, when coupled with Terry’s PMS, made for a volatile amalgamation.

Terry had been leaning on her first date with Brett (the boy she met) as an inauguration into the world sororities, wild college parties, and the privilege of bearing a “popular” social status. Brett had picked her up in a stunning, gleaming BMW E46 M3 coupe, punctual and sharply dressed. Meanwhile, Terry had finally managed to wrestle her hair down, at the expense of a few cans’ worth of aerosol expelled into the atmosphere. Donning a dangerously short (for Terry, that is) skirt, she awkwardly entered Brett’s car, only to discover awkward silence within.

Things were not going so well – she was constantly compelled to nervously tug at her skirt, the M3’s exhaust was horrendously rancorous, the harsh ride quality agitated her spine, and for Terry… it was “that” time of month again. Tension welled up within her, and her bottom lip quivered slightly. Things soon became disastrous as Brett attempted to break through the reverberating tones of six pumping cylinders.

“So Terry, your last name’s Page, righ-”

At this, Terry broke out in sobs, uncomfortably gasping out “STOP” a few times. Brett, bewildered, pulled off the freeway into the fluorescent white light of a gas station. Inside the car, Terry turned away from Brett, trying to hide her face against the window as much as possible. Within the next few moments, all hell broke loose. Brett reached out for Terry’s arm in an attempt to comfort her, but only managing to incite shrieks mingled with “STOP!!”. Terry swung open the passenger-side door, and clambered hastily out of the cabin. Unused to wearing heels, she twisted her ankle and fell against the car, her belt buckle scraping down against the gleaming black bodywork. The sound of metal against metal switched off all chivalrous mannerisms within Brett’s mind, instantly pumping red hot blood through his veins. He scrambled out of his car, running over to the passenger side to examine the damage. Holding his head in his hands, Brett began cursing unintelligibly at Terry, eventually letting one last high pitched “RRRRRRRRRGH!” and tearing out of the gas station, tires squealing.

And there Terry was left, sitting down against a gas pump, her skin waxy yellow under bright, energy-efficient lighting, her dreams dashed to pieces.

- – -

“I said, DON’T open the freezer door!” the man called out anxiously. A short, slightly chubby, lightly bearded man in his early twenties hobbled over a couch over to the refrigerator door, casually blocking Terry and leaning against the fridge at the same time. “Don’t open it!” he reprimanded, wagging an index finger at Terry.

“Oh, wow, you’re uhm – fast.” Terry gibbered out, bottom lip quivering dangerously. “I’m Terry, y-your new roommate.” She awkwardly held her left hand up for a handshake, breaking out in a forced, sheepish grin. Her roommate, nose held up in the air, held up his left hand and returned her handshake, before kindly showing Terry a path away from the freezer.

Good fortune? Blasphemy. For Terry Padgett, her college life has yet to see a hint of a smile upon Lady Luck’s lips.

Video: Sylvie van der Vaart isi flutura pletele in noul BMW Serie 3 Cabrio

BMW si-a inaugurat in stil mare noul tunel aerodinamic: modelul (care mai este si actrita si prezentatoare TV) Sylvie van der Vaart a fost invitata la o sedinta foto si video.

De fapt, producatorul bavarez a efectuat un mic experiment prin care a dorit sa demonstreze evolutia masinilor sale decapotabile. Astfel, Sylvie a fost asezata mai intai…

Vezi filmul cu faimosul model la volanul unui BMW Serie 3 Cabrio pe auto.ro.

THE BMW LOVO!!!

Lovos means Lifestyle of Voluntary Simplicity. Therefore, the concept BMW Lovos project is not like the usual process of designing, crafting, vehicle acquisition and management, rather, the project is a meaningful symbol of conscious self-restraint, that can encourage the viewer to discard their common ideas about the number of exterior elements that a car should required. The body of Lovos contains 260 interchangeable identical particles that can open and close like fish scales. These elements are mobile and help gathering sun energy through solar cells by changing their positions as soon as the car starts running. The interior is warm and soft, making a distinct contrast between technical and mechanical appearance.

VIA: WWW.TUVIE.COM

PSA quer aprofundar parceria com a BMW

De acordo com informações internacionais, a PSA Peugeot-Citroën quer ampliar sua parceria com a BMW. A empresa francesa, que já compartilha motores com a alemã, estaria traçando planos de utilizar outros componentes em conjunto com a marca bávara. Sabe-se que a BMW também é especulada para fazer parcerias com Toyota e Fiat.

Pelo que se conta lá fora, a PSA poderia utilziar a mesma plataforma do novo Mini para lançar o Peugeot 208. Neste caso, o esquema de suspensão dos dois modelos também seria semelhante. Neste momento, o 207 e o compacto inglês utilizam propulsores em comum, como o 1.6 de 120 cv.

Inicialmente, o grupo francês estaria interessado em compartilhar sistemas como de ventilação e componentes elétricos, para reduzir custos em novos projetos. Plataformas e chassis estariam descartados, ao menos em um primeiro momento.

Daria certo esta união?

The Anatomy Of A Gun - Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

‘HELL’

In a dank warehouse in downtown L.A. two men in dark grey suits sit on the bonnet of a black BMW, its windows tinted. A thin man in a torn pin-striped suit sits opposite the car with his hands bound to the back of a wooden chair. His face is covered in cuts and bruises and blood, some of it dried up and some of it sliding slowly down his pallid complexion before dripping onto his suit jacket or splashing onto the concrete floor; all of the blood will dry up in time. His once innocent blue eyes are now grey and lifeless. His head limply lolls downwards making his chin connect harshly with his breastplate. He is not breathing. He is dead. In a faraway corner of the warehouse a small incinerator sits patiently, orange flames crackling and spitting ferociously from within its metal grate like bulldogs being held at bay by their collars and chains.

The man on the left side of the bonnets face is pale. Dark bags tightly hug the bottom of his blue bloodshot eyes. He sits with a lit joint hanging from his lips. He stares solemnly at the body in the chair. He watches the blood drip-drip-drip down from the corpses face, the trails like new veins. He looks at the body and doesn’t see a person; the person in that body went somewhere else entirely.

The man on the right side of the bonnets face is tanned and distracted as he examines his fingernails and the blood that is trapped underneath them. He looks up at the body and says, “Well the incinerator looks hot enough. Might as well get to it, eh?”

“Yea… if you think so…” The pale faced man is not in the warehouse; He is somewhere else; He is with the person who used to be in that bloodied body opposite him.

The tanned man grabs the joint out of the pale man’s mouth and throws it to the ground. “For fuck’s sake Marcus, why d’you have to get stoned all the time? You’re spaced out man! We torture a guy for two days until he goes and dies on us, and the first thing you do is go and roll up and get high? Fuckin’ idiot man! The fire’s still burnin’ and we still got a body to put in it. Now snap the fuck out of it!”

“It’s… a coping mech-chanism,” whispers Marcus, his face barely registering the words that have just been spoken to him, “And don’t touch my joints when I’m smoking…Don’t fucking touch ‘em. It’s a coping mechanism man… It’s how I fucking cope…” Marcus whimpers and his whole body quivers, an intangible cold overcoming him.

“I’m… I’m sorry man.” The tanned man puts his arms around Marcus, embracing his shivering frame tightly. “I’m sorry man. I shouldn’t shout at you like that, I know. You cope man. You cope well.”

“I just… I keep seeing everyone else… everything else we’ve… they’re in my head Dean. All the time. Ghosts… they’re whispering to me Dean…”

“Shhh shhh shhh, I know man, I know. I hear them too.” Dean lightly kisses Marcus on the forehead, quelling his fears with a single action more comforting than words. “But we still got to do this man. He’s still got to go in the fire one piece at a time.”

Marcus pulls away from Dean’s hold, “Can’t we just put the whole body in this time? I don’t like seeing the cutting anymore…”

“You know we can’t man: smell’s too strong. Someone’ll come and rat us out. Anyway, incinerator’s too small here. Wouldn’t fit all of him in that thing. This is just how it’s got to be.”

Dean stands up from the bonnet and, adjusting his suit jacket on the journey, walks to the trunk of the car. Marcus pulls another joint out of his pocket and lights it up. He inhales and then lets the smoke drift out of his mouth with a long audible sigh. For a moment the smoke in front of his face obscures his full view of the body bound to the chair – Instead, a haze. Then the smoke disappears – fading into the light – and the body is still there, still not a hazy hallucination.

Dean comes back to the front of the car, walking with a steady stride towards the body, a hacksaw in his left hand, a bottle of peroxide and a cloth in his right. He reaches the body and places the peroxide and the cloth on the ground, the hacksaw still grasped firmly in his left.. He stares aimlessly for a moment, then turns to Marcus saying, “Y’know this suits pretty nice. We clean it up a bit and it’ll look brand fuckin’ new. You want it?”

“I’m not wearing a dead man’s suit. There are lines that I draw.”

“Fair enough… what about ebay then? We get a bit of extra cash and somebody else gets a new suit. Win win.”

“No! No fucking ebay! Just get rid of the body!”

“Ok, ok. I was kidding anyway. Just tryin’ to cheer y’up.”

“Don’t.”

“Alright. I’ll get started then, eh?”

Dean pulls up the dead body’s head by its greasy hair. The hacksaw is raised in the air. It comes down swiftly. Blood spurts out of the body’s neck, sprinkler systems making water arch and fall. “Fuckin’ veins man!”, exclaims Dean as blood splashes against his suit jacket, a final attack.

“That means his heart’s still beating. I guess he’s more alive than we thought.”

“Well he ain’t fuckin’ alive now!”

The blood flow dies down, then ceases. Marcus takes another drag from his joint. As more smoke slips from him he says, “One day… one day we’ll go to Hell for all that we’ve done.”

Dean hacks at the neck more, through bone, veins, vocal chords, muscle tissue, cartilage, his hands becoming more tainted with every movement.

Marcus leans back on the tinted car window, facing the tin roof of the warehouse, “Maybe we’re in Hell already. Af-ter we got back from guan… that place. We touch down on the landing pad and boom, we’re in Hell. Kicked out then Hell…”

Through the thyroid cartilage…

“That’s how we have to do what we have to do… The ghosts. Talking all the time. Their screams. It’s our punishment…”

Cricoid cartilage…

“Kicked out then Hell…Paradise lost for all our sins…”

Jugular veins…

“Torturers then tortured…with Earth…”

A severed head falls heavily to the floor like a stone. Dean sighs and says, “Done. One body part down. The fuck are you mutterin’ t’yourself?”

“…Nothing… just thinking.”

“Yea? Well you don’t gotta keep doing that just now. Come over here and throw that head in the incinerator. The fire’s still burnin’ brother and it’s gonna keep burnin’ ’til we’re done.”

“Yea… I know…”

Marcus walks up to the body and picks up the severed head by the hair. “We got everything we needed from him right?”

Dean nods, “Yep. Definitely. Jackson’ll get his moneys worth for info.”

Marcus looks the dead head in the eyes, “What did he say about some Simmon’s gang when we met him?”

“Fucked if I know. We probably should’ve asked him.”

“Yea… yea we probably should’ve.”

Marcus walk to the incinerator and carefully opens the grate. He looks deep into the flames but all he can see is burning. He throws the head into the fire and shuts the grate.

The smoke turns black.

How Augmented Reality can begin to shape the way people are trained

If this video is to be believed, then BMW are beginning to use Augmented Reality in training their mechanics to repair and maintain their cars. I think this undermines the skill of a good time served technician and effectively ‘deskills’ the entire role to be one putting of your magic glasses and doing what you’re told. You can see it being used in wage negotiations to have an excuse to take on younger, less experienced operatives. It can turn a reasonable fitter into a master mechanic at a stroke. It even tells them what size spanner to take out of the toolbox and where that tricky screw you can never find is located.

Until something goes wrong that is, at which point the experienced person would be called straight back in to sort out the computer.

There is no doubt that it is very clever though and you can imagine it starting to be introduced into more mainstream training over the next few years. If you need to show someone how to do something, why not show them exactly, whilst they are actually on the job itself.

Mau BMW 730Li Baru? Siapkan Rp 1,7 M

Jakarta, 21 Oktober 2009 - PT BMW Indonesia menambah jajaran produknya dengan memperkenalkan BMW 730Li Comfort di Grand Hyatt, Rabu (21/10). Model ini menjadi satu-satunya Seri 7 yang banderolnya berada di bawah Rp 2 miliar.

“Kami memberi pelanggan kami lebih banyak lagi pilihan dan fleksibilitas. BMW 730Li Comfort sudah bisa didapatkan di seluruh dealer resmi BMW dengan harga Rp 1,759 miliar off the road di Jakarta,” kata Ramesh Divyanathan, Presiden Direktur BMW Indonesia.

Masuknya model 730Li ini termasuk mengejutkan karena sebelumnya sama sekali tidak pernah ada kabar atau berita mengenai varian bermesin 2.996 cc ini. Kalaupun ada adalah varian bermesin diesel yaitu 730d dan 730Ld. Masuknya BMW 730Li terbaru ini kian melengkapi BMW 750Li dan 740Li yang telah diluncurkan ke pasar sejak Februari 2009 lalu.

BMW 730Li terbaru dilengkapi dengan mesin enam silinder yang sanggup menghasilkan tenaga 258 hp pada rpm 6.600 dengan torsi maksimum 310 Newton-meter pada rpm 2.600. Limosin ini sanggup mencapai kecepatan 100 kilometer per jam hanya dalam waktu 7,8 detik, dan mencapai kecepatan tertinggi 245 kilometer per jam.

Tapi jangan salah, meski kehebatannya seperti itu, mobil ini hanya mengkonsumsi bahan bakar 9,8 liter untuk tiap 100 kilometer, sementara emisi gas CO2-nya hanya 229 gram untuk tiap kilometer.

Beberapa fitur baru disematkan pada BMW 730Li terbaru ini. Antara lain new iDrive contoller, USB Audio Interface, televisi dan sistem HiFi Professional dengan 16 loudspeakers kualitas terbaik, amplifier 600 watt, DIRAC signal processing, serta surround mode.

Ramesh mengatakan pihaknya tidak menargetkan angka penjualan karena sudah memasuki bulan Oktober. “Tahun depan baru kita genjot,” katanya.

Berdasarkan data Gaikindo, hingga September BMW sudah menjual 37 unit Seri 7 yang terdiri dari 730Li (3 unit), 740Li (24) dan 750Li (10). Total penjualan BMW sendiri hingga bulan kesembilan kemarin adalah 569 unit.

Daftar harga BMW Seri 7 (off-the-road):
- BMW 750Li >> Rp 2,658 miliar
- BMW 740Li >> Rp 2,127 miliar
- BMW 730Li Comfort >> Rp 1,759 miliar

The fight is on for third and sixth places

Renault will be fighting it out for sixth place in the constructors championship in Abu Dhabi along with Williams and BMW Sauber

So with Brawn having now secured the 2009 Constructors Championship, is there anything left for Abu Dhabi? Certainly there is. If we look at the current positions in the championship we can see that there are still a number of places left to play for. Nobody can now beat Brawn and Red Bull for first and second places, but everything else is pretty much still to be decided.

McLaren and Ferrari are almost dead level for third place on 71 and 70 points apiece. Given that Ferrari have announced that they are focusing all their development efforts on 2010, does this mean McLaren have everything to gain if they find a few tenths of a second between now and the 1st November? If McLaren have one team they will focus on beating it has to be Ferrari and so the interesting question is whether or not the boys from Maranello really have now moved on from 2009. Also Toyota can still mathematically achieve third place, but this seems unlikely. The other battle is for sixth place, it doesn’t sound much, but given the way in which the Formula One Group revenues are distributed – this could make a significant difference (ie millions of dollars) in team revenues for 2010. Currently this battle is between Williams, BMW Sauber and Renault and you can be assured that each one of these teams will be wholly focused on grabbing sixth place. So the headline titles may have been won, but the race is still very much on until the end of the season.

Constructors Championship Positions after Brazilian Grand Prix

1

Brawn/Mercedes

161

2

Red Bull/Renault

135.5

3

McLaren/Mercedes

71

4

Ferrari

70

5

Toyota

54.5

6

Williams/Toyota

34.5

7

BMW Sauber/BMW

32

8

Renault

26

9

Force India/Mercedes

13

10

Toro Rosso/Ferrari

7

The true cost of ownership

A column in the latest New Jersey Chapter Bulletin of the NJ BMW CCA contemplates the true cost of ownership of an older BMW, using the author’s E39 540i as a case study. A sobering reminder that the true cost goes well beyond the initial purchase price of a used German vehicle (although we are ultimately undeterred from pursuing the used BM of our dreams). Read on..

When I was at Summit Point this summer, someone in the paddock asked me if I was still driving Otto, an e39 540i, as my daily driver. My affirmative response led to another question: why are the used e39 540s available so inexpensively? That in turn stimulated my curiosity and I recently got around to doing a search through Edmunds on-line to check out some prices for Otto’s duplicate. Much to my surprise, a great many examples of this model with mileage in the low 100k zone can be found for asking prices between $7k – $9k. Granted, most if not all were automatics not the 6 speed manual preferred by me, but it’s my understanding that automatics generally have better, not worse, resale appeal than their three-pedal cousins. Otto was minted in 2001 and has about 119k miles on his clock, so I’d estimate that he’d fetch $8k or less if sold.

This strikes me as extraordinarily inexpensive for one of the most enjoyable and versatile cars I’ve ever owned. Otto’s seen track duty, has pulled a few long hauls, and makes a great daily ride. His 38501b mass doesn’t seem all that burdensome by today’s standards, with the new M3’s not much skinnier than that. His V8 engine is entertaining enough, providing plenty of thrust for ordinary road use. In my humble opinion, the gas mileage isn’t all that terrible, with reasonably conservative driving easily yielding just a bit more than 20 miles/gallon. The other day as I was rolling through Hopewell on my daily commute, I happened to catch a glimpse of Otto’s reflection in a plate glass window, and I must say, he’s a fine looking gentlemen who’s aging quite gracefully.

So why so cheap? The best I can figure, it comes down to some cold hard realities of the cost of ownership for these aging, trackable limos.

People who know the marque will also know that as these V8’s ripen, they hit a wall of high maintenance costs in the low to mid 100k mileage zone. As I previously wrote, last winter I refurbished Otto’s entire cooling system when the water pump seized. Just getting the parts set me back several hundred dollars, and I think a skilled mechanic (not me) would have probably spent at least 20 hours of labor on this project. The car also hits a service 2 interval at 120k miles. This spring I did a brake job. While replacing rotors and pads yourself is not cost prohibitive, having this work done at the dealer is not cheap. Another unscheduled repair hit me in the spring when Otto’s alternator quit on me. I wouldn’t have thought that replacing the alternator would be all that big of a deal in terms of parts and labor expense, but of course I was wrong. It turns out that the alternator on the M62TU engine is water cooled. A Bosch rebuild will cost you about $500, but prices can run up to $900. Because the alternator is water cooled, replacement involves first draining the radiator and engine block, then removing the cooling fan and belts and finally finding a way to pry the old unit out of its water jacket. It took me about 6 hours to do the job on my lift. It would probably take less than half that time for an experienced mechanic, but still, it wouldn’t be an inexpensive job at the dealership. The bottom line is that all totaled, if I were paying a dealership to maintain this vehicle I figure my minimum outlay for this year would have been at least $6k, probably closer to $8k. That doesn’t account for Otto’s current needs: new rear tires and some replacement front bumper trim. And I just know that there’s a whole list of maintenance and repair work waiting in the wings. For example, Otto is still running the original clutch, exhaust, and air conditioning components. I’m just going to take a SWAG at the cost for these repairs, and put them at another $5-$10k at dealership pricing.

All of this adds up to a cost-of-ownership problem that explains most of the current pricing for used e39 540s. Figure the three year cost of ownership, exclusive of gas, taxes and insurance, as: purchase ($7-$9k) plus maintenance and repairs ($12-$18k) to reach a 3 year total of $19-$25k. I didn’t even account for the additional cost variable posed by an automatic transmission, the failure of which could easily tip another $5k into the maintenance and repair budget, mushrooming the 3 year projected costs to a staggering $30k.

And for your $20-$30k, you get the privilege of driving a car that‘s close to a decade old, at least one body style out of date, and will undoubtedly inconvenience you with the occasional need to make unscheduled visits to the shop for repair, such visits being facilitated by a tow truck.

Now, let’s compare that to the cost of leasing a new BMW for the next 3 years. BMW recently ran a lease special on the 328i model. The deal was a 36 month lease for $399/month, with a $2,500 down payment and an annual limit of 12k miles. These days I don’t put more than 12k miles a year on Otto, so I view this as a fair comparison, though for those of you with long commutes 12k is a joke. Leasing the vehicle for 3 years gives the advantage of not having any maintenance or normal repair work that gets lobbed at the owner. Therefore, one can predict with a high level of certainty that the comparable cost of ownership would be just under $17k.

So here’s what it comes down to. You could spend $20-$30k to purchase and maintain a used e39 540 for the next 3 years, or you could spend $17k to lease and maintain a brand new 328. In the latter case you get a car with contemporary styling, safety features, and electronics for entertainment. This makes the leased car an easy decision, even if you account for the fact that at the end of 3 years you have to turn it in. We can’t expect that three years from now the 540 would be worth much more than its “cash for clunkers” price floor of $4500. At best, that makes it a break even versus a lease on the new car.

All of this makes me wonder if maybe the asking price on the used 540s is even a bit higher than it should be, which is just the opposite of what I was thinking when I started writing this column. This prompts the question: should I sell Otto and get a newer BMW?

That proposition has a different set of economics associated with it. First, since Otto was paid for long ago, I face no acquisition cost for the next three years by keeping him. Second, I’ve already taken on about half the maintenance and repair expenses I anticipate over the three year ownership period beginning in 2009. Third, my repair and maintenance costs are lower than dealer charges because: a) I have a sympathetic wife who let me build my own auto shop in the back yard and; b) I have a sympathetic mechanic who doesn’t mind coaching me through the repair process and bailing me out when I get in over my head. All things considered, I’d be surprised if Otto’s cost of ownership over the upcoming three years exceeds about $6k for maintenance and repair. That’s far less than I’d pay for a newer car.

In fact, when viewed through that prism, the economics of keeping Otto even gives me a little money to play with. I’d still come out way ahead of the game with a few upgrades like a new Ipod -friendly sound system, and some nick/scratch/dent repair. Dare I even think: supercharger?

Adding to the economic incentive to keep Otto in service are the emotional components to the decision. I still like the e39 styling better than the con­temporary 5 series. I don’t want to scale down to a 3 series, unless it is a new M3, the purchase price of which is comparable to Otto’s new-car price. And by keeping Otto as opposed to buying a 328 or even 335,1 get to drive a V8. For those of us born before the first moon landing, “more cylinders is always more better”, as carbon footprints are and probably always will be invisible to us.

Bottom line is, while Otto may not be a good deal for anybody else at what I would think of as an attractive selling price, our current relationship suits us both just fine and neither of us is looking to trade up or out anytime soon.

Thom Rossi

- Gyro