Autojunk.nl spotted the current generation BMW M5 with an unique….paint job. The M5 in question had its entire body wrapped up in black carbon fiber. In the past we have seen similar M5s sporting either matte paint jobs or vinyl wraps, but this is the first time we see a BMW with a carbon fiber “paint job”. The M5 was spotted in Rotterdam, Netherlands and beside the unusual color, the car also featured a loud Eisenmann exhaust, blacked out kidney grille and beautiful black BBS wheels. For special effects, the owner threw in an M stripe placed across the hood. The current generation BMW M5 is soon to be replaced by the upcoming F10 M5, a vehicle that is just weeks away from its official unveiling. The new M5 goes on sale in 2012 and it is rumored to be the most technologically advanced M vehicle built to date. In the mean time, the E60 M5 remains a looker and the V10 V8 natural aspirated engine will make us miss it even more. Read more from the original source: E60 BMW M5 wrapped up in black Carbon Fiber

After 24 hours – Chip Ganassi’s 01 and 02 Daytona Prototypes powered by Dinan-BMW 5.0L V8′s have won the 49th 24 Hours of Daytona. In the course of 23 hours and 58 minutes of hard racing, the finishing line up would be determined in the last two minutes and on the last lap with the 02 Chip Ganassi Racing feeling the pressure of the #9 Action Express Porsche Daytona Prototype. This win marks the first time a BMW earned an overall win in the 24 Hours of Daytona since 1976 when a similarly blue and red BMW 3.0 CSL took home a victory. This is also the first time BMW had earned a 1-2 finish in the historic race. While the win was well-earned, the race wasn’t always so certain. Joey Hand took an unfortunate penalty when he clipped a tire leaving the pits and had to absorb a 30-second penalty effectively leaving him 4th after an incredible drive and three back-to-back stints that left Joey complaining of a numb right foot. However, it was ultimately worth the discomfort as Joey’s driving decimated the penalty and putting the 01 car back into contention for Scott Pruett when he took over for the final stint. Pit strategy allowed Scott Pruett to get by his Ganassi team member Scott Dixon in the 02 car during the closing hours of the race. The 01 Chip Ganassi DP car powered by BMW Power Reportedly, there were no team orders between the 01 Target/TELMEX BMW and 02 TELMEX/Target BMW other than “Just don’t take each other out!” This victory marks Joey Hand and Graham Rahal’s first 24 Hours of Daytona victory and they’ll certainly enjoy putting on their brand new stainless steel Rolex Daytona wrist watches! In GT, BMW did not fair as well as their Daytona Prototype brethren. Turner Motorsport’s brand new E92 M3 entrant held strong throughout the race but was unfortunately sidelined for many laps when a gearbox repair sent the M3 int the pits during the night. However, the Turner M3 proved to be a very quick car with a great driver line-up when it held strong in second place in GT just behind the historic Brumos Porsche 911 GT3 before the gearbox issue reared its head. The mechanical failures that struck the Turner and Brumos teams opened up a gap in the GT3 category for the TRG Porsche to slip into...

BMW 1M coverage continues. This past weekend, the new M was the official pace car at the Daytona 24 Hours race. SPEED TV gets the unique and exciting opportunity to test drive the first 1M available in the US. The review is nothing short of spectacular and Chris Neville is more than impressed. The 1M is shaping up to the one M vehicle we have all been waiting for, a return to the first days of M automobiles when the focus was on the driving experience. In the short video, Speed TV takes the 1M around the race track and Neville gives the 1M thumbs-up when it comes to cornering, braking capabilities and handling. The 1M launches in the United States on May 16th, coinciding with the first test drives and we are excited to get behind the wheel of this new M. See original here: Video: BMW 1M reviewed by SPEED TV. More footage from Daytona

The online configurators for both the BMW X1 and X3 with the M Sport package just went live on the www.bmw.co.uk . While the X3 with M Sport package made its debut at last year’s Paris Motor Show, the new X1 with M inserts has yet to be revealed. First official photos hit the web just days ago, but the X1 M Sport package will be introduced on March 1st at the Geneva Motor Show. The package will be available this Spring for all engine versions of the X1 and comprises suspension, exterior and interior components specially developed for this model. They include sports suspension calibration and 17-inch double-spoke M alloy wheels for even sharper driving dynamics. Alternatively, the M Sports package can be supplied with 18-inch double-spoke M alloy wheels. The M Sports package for the BMW X1 also features an M Aerodynamics package, door sills with the “M” logo and BMW Individual High Gloss Shadow Line trim for the side window surrounds and roof rails. Also available in conjunction with the M Sports package are the metallic exterior paint colours Alpine White, Le Mans Blue, Sapphire Black, Space Grey, Vermillion Red and Mineral White. Sports seats upholstered in cloth/alcantara, an M leather-trimmed steering wheel with multifunction buttons and an M footrest for the driver add to the driving pleasure when the BMW X1 is equipped with the M Sports package. The high-end sporty theme is capped off by a BMW Individual roof liner in Anthracite, dark cross-brushed aluminium interior trim, the M gearshift lever for vehicles with six-speed manual transmission and a leather handbrake lever gaiter. For more details related to the UK market, see following link: www.bmw.co.uk [Source: Bimmertoday ] Read the original here:  BMW X3 M Sport and X1 M Sport Configurators Online at BMW.co.uk

Our own Andrew Murphy is present at the annual Daytona 24 Hours race and brings us some more photos of the BMW 1 Series M Coupe that served as a pace car. A report on the race and more photos will follow, but for now, we would like to share these exclusive 1M photos. For those of you that have asked before, now we can reveal that the 1M used as the pace car is a prototype vehicle that was sent to the U.S. for evaluation purposes and also to be used as the pace car in Daytona. The 1M seen here doesn’t feature the standard Xenon lights we will see on the production vehicles and inside some of the manual controls will be replaced by the usual 1 Series interior. A quick recap: the 1M makes its U.S. debut on May 16th and it will have a base price of $47,010. The new 1M builds atop the 135i Coupe and it said to have the perfect balance. It is 71 inches (1803mm) wide – 4.8 inches (122mm) wider than its 1988 M3 ancestor – yet only 1.3 inches (33mm) longer at 172.4 inches (4379mm) long. The new 1 Series M Coupe weighs in at 1,495kg DIN (3,296 lbs, preliminary), and features a 104.7-inch (2659mm) wheelbase, three inches longer than the 1988 M3. Front and rear track widths are exactly the same on the 1 Series M Coupe at 60.7 inches (1542mm) each. Compared to the 2011 BMW 135i Coupe, the 1 Series M Coupe is 0.2 inches (5mm) longer, 2.1 inches (53mm) wider, 0.5 inches (13mm) taller, and rides on the same 104.7 inch (2659mm) wheelbase. With 340 horsepower and 332 lb-ft of torque, the 1M at its current weight could be just as fast as the M3 Coupe, a statement confirmed by some that had a chance to drive it at Nurburgring. View post: Exclusive Photos: BMW 1M in action during the Daytona 24 Hours race

The new BMW 5 Series and the MINI brand celebrate two important victories in the 2011 readers’ polls initiated by the automotive German magazine Auto Motor Und Sport. Their “Best Cars of 2011″ poll consists of several categories, from small premium vehicles to brand image, clean cars and advanced technology. The new F10 BMW 5 Series secured the top spot in the Upper Middle class with 41.3 percent of the votes, ahead of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and Audi A6 / A7. Also encouraging is the excellent performance of BMW 1 Series, which has secured at the end of its model cycle, the second place in the compact class. Interestingly, the MINI Hatchback R56 was placed in a separate category from the Audi A1, therefore both cars took a win in the premium small car segments. In one of the most important segments for the premium automakers, the middle class, the E9x 3 Series falls behind the Audi A4 and Mercedes-Benz C-Class. At the top of the luxury segment, the BMW 7 Series falls short as well. Mercedes-Benz S-class took the win here. Even in the off-road, sports cars and convertibles sections, there were no awards BMW and MINI this year. But this year’s top winner in the AMS readers’ choice can be considered to be Audi. The Ingolstadt-based automaker has several class wins for their A1, A4 / A5, Q5 and R8 Spyder models, the most wins among all the European automakers. In addition there are four other top 3 placings. In the “build environmentally friendly cars,” BMW has been cited by 34 percent of the readers, and came to third place, behind Toyota (38%) and Volkswagen (35%). In one of the most important categories, “Advanced Technology”, BMW was voted by 62 percent of the readers, but came to second place slightly behind Audi. Design category goes to Audi again, 56%, followed by BMW with 49%. When asked which cars brands are currently in vogue, readers awarded Audi with 89% of their votes, followed by BMW, 85%. VW is next with 78%, Mercedes 76% and Porsche 71%. The full rankings and categories can be seen at Auto Motor Und Sport , unfortunately available in German only. Read more from the original source: 2011 Auto Motor Und Sport Reader’s Choice: BMW 5 Series and MINI celebrate victories, Audi wins overall

Pilobolus breaks a new world record by managing to fit twenty-six, that’s 26, people in a MINI Cooper. EMC’s past Guinness World Records was 25 people in the tiny MINI. For the record, the participants have to be minimum five feet tall and remain in the car for at least five seconds. Nothing can be modified within the vehicle and it has to be fully closed for the record to go down in history of Guinness. Human acrobatics plays an important factor here and some of the participants are either dancers and most likely, some gymnasts among them. The result is quite impressive, but it won’t be easily achieved if the twenty-six people wouldn’t be comfortable giving up their private personal space for at least five seconds. Read more: World Record: 26 People in a Mini Cooper

UK magazine Autocar publishes their own review of the 2012 BMW 650i Convertible. As with the previous reviews, this one sits on the positive side and outlines some of the best characteristics of BMW’s high-end cabriolet. What’s it like? Gone is the bullish and bloated look of the old model, replaced by a much more elegant and cohesive lineage. Not surprisingly, given it is based on the same underpinnings as the latest generation 5-series, the new 6-series cabriolet has grown in length and width, putting on 74mm and 39mm respectively, although height is down by a scant 8mm – all of which serves to give it a longer and more lithe profile together with a more confident and athletic stance. As with the exterior, the interior has also been thoroughly reworked, with a unique dashboard and centre console – the latter now angled slightly towards the driver for a more cosseting feel than that of the old 6-series cabriolet. The perception of quality has also received a welcome lift thanks to the inclusion of higher grade materials and added attention to detail. Driving experience Out on the open road, the new 6-series cabriolet feels terrifically solid with very little scuttle shake even over nasty ruts, and, crucially, is a good deal more entertaining than its predecessor. It changes direction with added eagerness and, despite its vast array of electronic driving aids, can be relied upon to adjust its line mid-corner. BMW says overall stiffness has been improved by a remarkable 50 per cent, both for dynamic and ride characteristics, along with a more direct action for the front steering and, in a first for the up-market open top ranks, the addition of the BMW’s Integral Active Steering. As far as driving characteristics are concerned, it is really a matter of what chassis setting you choose. As with high end versions of the new 5-series and the larger 7-series, BMW’s Dynamic Drive system allows you to select between three different modes: comfort, normal and sport. A further setting, sport plus, also delays the intervention of the stability and traction control systems to give you a further dimension. Normal is the mode of choice for everyday running, providing an excellent blend between ride quality, body control and overall response. It better suits the...

EPA has released official fuel economy rating for the new Fiat 500 , which hits dealerships in March. The 5 speed manual gearbox achieves 30mpg city, 38mpg highway, and 33mpg combined, on par with a manual Mini Cooper , that combines 32mpg. Set to be the most popular transmission is Fiat’s 6 speed Dualogic semi-automatic, however, fuel economy won’t be so popular with consumers. With 27mpg city, 34mpg highway, and 30mpg combine, the 500 falls behind the Mini Cooper by 1mpg. The U.S spec 500 is powered by Fiat’s 1.4 litre MultiAir petrol engine that pumps out 135bhp. Go here to read the rest: Photo Gallery: 2011 Fiat 500 (U.S) Here is the original post:  Photo Gallery: 2011 Fiat 500 (U.S)

Pagani has replaced the firms €1m Zonda hypercar will the all-new Huayra. Huayra has taken seven years to produce and develop and sports a Mercedes-sourced bi-turbo 6.0 litre V12. The hypercar nameplate is pronounced as ‘wirer’, which stands for ‘god of wind’. CEO Horacio Pagani, claims the vehicle offers a different flavour of supercar to the Zonda. Pagani will sell two variants of the Huayra: the standard engine with 700bhp (710PS/522kW) and 1,000Nm (664lb-ft) of torque, and a Sport version with 730bhp (740PS/544kW) and 1,098Nm (811lb-ft) of torque. Performance wise, Huayra is claimed to have a top speed of 230mph (370km/h), while reaching 62mph (100km/h) in 3.3 seconds via a 96kg 7-speed automated manual transmission. To shrink the length of the drivetrain, the gearbox is mounted transversely after the engine. Huayra is larger and has more safety equipment than the Zonda, but kerbweight remains a mere 1,350kg. The extra safety features guarantees the Hauyra meets and exceeds U.S safety regulations. While the interior is typically Pagani, it has been designed to be more comfortable on longer journeys, plus Bluetooth, bi-xenon headlights w/LED day-time running lights, and a touch-screen satellite navigation system come as standard. If the hypercar sells well enough, Pagani will double annual production and sell the Hauyra in the U.S and Chinese markets. View post: Photo Gallery: 2012 Pagani Huayra Read more here: Photo Gallery: 2012 Pagani Huayra

The fellas at Precision Sport Industries have recently installed a set of Supersprint downpipes on the BMW X6M. The Supersprint catless downpipes give the already fast and loud X6M further enhancements, both in the acoustic and performance areas. Letting the X6M’s twin turbos atop the motor breathe easier through the Supersprint pipes means 2 things: greater power and some added sound as well! For the rest of the exhaust, Precision Sport chose to use Supersprint connecting pipes and x-pipe, as well as the Meisterschaft titanium GTS muffler for an aggressive look and tone, along with weight savings. The completion of this round of performance upgrades for the X6M is an Active Autowerke performance software flash, performed in house at their facility in Orlando, Florida. Along with AA, Precision Sport will be pioneering an ECU tune for X6M without catalytic converters to achieve greater horsepower than the standard off-the-shelf flash available for X6M. Stay tuned for more details in the near future! Here is the original post:  Precision Sport installs Supersprint performance downpipes on BMW X6M

Together with Wheelspin.tv and some help from great friends on the ground at Daytona, will be doing live Internet radio broadcasting of the Rolex 24 hours at Daytona race that starts tomorrow at 3 PM ET. SPEED Channel has us all covered from 3 until 10 PM ET when they cut the live feed to broadcast other things. And what happens when the TV goes dark? Well, you stick by Twitter search #rolex24 and Grand-Am’s website for live timing. But if you’re like me and have done that in years past, it’s quite annoying, because you’re just sitting there reading a computer screen, not actually hearing any voices talk and help pass the time. And that’s where RoundelTable Radio will try and help out. We’ll be as helpful as we can from the 10 PM ET to 9 AM ET when SPEED ends their live television broadcast. RoundeTable Radio will have people on the ground, at the race, helping to report back to us live during the race via phone, Skype, and any other way we can get information to you guys who love and enjoy Rolex 24 as much as we do. Video streaming by Ustream Originally posted here:  LIVE Internet Radio Coverage of Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona

This Saturday the flag will drop to start the 49th 24 Hours of Daytona and a chance for a BMW to earn another shot at winning a grueling, hair raising international endurance race that’s played an important role in BMW Motorsport history in the United States. This year’s race will see BMW represented in two forms: in the GT category via the E92 M3 and Daytona Prototypes. While Daytona has seems to have lost it’s luster in recent years possibly due to the popularity of NASCAR’s own Daytona 500, the 24 Hours of Daytona is a highly respected event with a rich history shared only with a handful of 24 hour endurance races across the globe. BMW has significant ties to the 24 hour enduro, as well. In 1976, a 3.0 CSL was piloted to victory at the hands of Peter Gregg, Brian Redman and John Fitzpatrick completing a distance of 3368.035 km and interrupting the dominant Hurley Haywood in the Brumos 911 RSR. After a successful stint in the Pro Car series, an BMW M1 was converted to IMSA GT spec and run throughout the 1980′s and even won the GTO class and finished 6th overall with Hans Stuck behind the wheel in the 1981 race. 1976 24 Hours of Daytona Winner – the 3.0 CSL Fast forward a few years and the 24 Hours of Daytona, sponsored by Swiss watchmaker Rolex, has a greater focus on the Daytona Prototypes – chassises and engines designed for performance but also relative cost efficiency – and the GT class which runs a similar specification to the GT3 class of the FIA GT3 Championship. Under the GT category, cars have a power output range of 390 to 450 horsepower and a maximum speed of 180 MPH. Cars can be a caged, lightly modified version of the production car or a custom tube chassis. However, rules mandate things like output, weight and tire sizes in this category all of which leads to one thing: close racing over the span of 24 hours in the GT class. This year, as we’ve already shown you, Turner Motorsport has moved from the M6 chassis of last season to the E92 M3 and from the looks of the video below  - they know this car inside out! However, with Turner’s new entry into GT via an M3, they’ll continue to face stiff competition from the likes of Porsche GT3′s, Mazda RX8′s, Camaro’s, Mustangs...

M5board brings us new renderings of the upcoming 2012 BMW M5. The next generation F10 M5 will be unveiled in late March and the car, in a concept form, will make its debut at the Shanghai Auto Show on April 19th. Taking a different approach, the m5board fellas give the new M5 the beautiful and stunning Frozen Grey paint, along with super sporty black wheels. Design wise, the F10 M5 gets front-end M treatment with the usual aggressive bumper and large air intakes. The production M5 will feature a hood with a same sporty look emphasized by concave and convex shapes as seen in some of the newer BMWs. The design lines continue to flow from front to end and they become even more substantiated on the sides. The car sits lower than the regular 5 Series and thanks to the wider rear fenders, it sports a more muscular look. At the rear-end, the typical quad exhausts remain with a sculpted diffuser and central intake. A small bootlid spoiler allows the car to remain understated and restrained. The next generation 2012 BMW M5 drops the fans-favorite V10 naturally aspirated engine in favor for a V8 turbocharged engine. The powerplant in the F10 M5 is based on the same unit found in the BMW X5 M and X6M, the twin scroll twin turbo version of the N63, known as the S63. The 4.4-liter V8 twin-scroll powerplant will peak at 578-horsepower and 530 lb-ft of torque. The 0-62 mph dash should take about 4.4 seconds, but official track times will not be available until late 2011. The same very engine is rumored to feature cylinder shutdown to aid with fuel consumption overall figures and a 25-30% more efficiency is expected, when compared to the current E60 M5. The production model will debut this fall at the Frankfurt Auto Show and sales will begin in early 2012. [Source: m5board ] Read the original here:  Photoshop: 2012 BMW M5 in Frozen Grey

This weekend, the new BMW 1M will take the centerstage of BMW news. The new “baby-M” makes its somewhat U.S. official debut at the Daytona 24 Hours race. An 1M prototype will serve as the pace car in the annual racing event and fans around the country will get to enjoy the Valencia Orange paint in person. Courtesy of our reader Brendan Smith, we have new photos of the 1M preparing for the race tomorrow. As seen earlier in our first photos, the pace car markings on the 1 M Coupe are minimal with only a few stickers and the light bar across the roof. We will be present for the race tomorrow and bringing you coverage of not only the 1 M as it guides a fleet of race cars around the historic track but also of the many teams that are proudly carrying the BMW Roundel. Watch this space today and tomorrow for more content as the 24 Hours of Daytona kicks off bright and early tomorrow. We will also work to provide even more coverage of this very special 1 M Coupe! The Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona is, like the 24 Hours of Le Mans, an endurance race of man and machine to see who can traverse the longest distance in the alotted time. Many teams have tried and many have failed to survive the grueling conditions of the race. The series, typically dominated by Porsche and GM cars, had an abundance of Bavarians at the 2010 running of the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona held in Daytona Beach, Florida. Update: As extra bonus today, here is a photo of the 1M from the upcoming Top Gear magazine. See original here: Photos: BMW 1M Pace Car in action at Daytona 24 Hours