This is a sight that we rarely get to see. Photographer Arnaud Taquet , along with a series of European automotive outlets, puts together an impressive photoshoot of some of the most amazing M cars ever built. In chronological order, we have the E30 M3 EVO, E36 M3, E46 M3, E46 M3 CSL, E93 M3, E92 M3 ZCP, M3 GTS and the 1M. Among them, the photographer also included the iconic 2002 tii. While the 1M remains close to our hearts, the favorites among the bunch continue to be the E46 M3 CSL and the limited-edition M3 GTS. CSL stands for “Coupe Sport Lightweight”, a moniker first given to the legendary race winning BMW 3.0 CSL. First appearing in 1972, the 3.0CSL homologation special model was very successful in racing, especially in the European Touring Car Championship and the Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft, thus securing BMW’s position amongst motorsport giants. The CSL-spec engine is rated at 360 hp at 7,900 rpm and 273 lb-ft of torque at 4,300 rpm. The M3 CSL is equipped exclusively with the SMG II transmission featuring a special launch control mode that automatically shifts at the optimum point for maximum acceleration. BMW M3 GTS uses a larger and more powerful V8 engine than the “regular” E92 M3, as well as an exclusive tuning of the 7-speed M Dual Clutch Transmission with Drivelogic and modified suspension technology. The car, which is designed for club sport use, has also been specifically optimized with regard to aerodynamics and lightweight construction. BMW M3 Coupe features a 331 kW/450 bhp engine . Featuring a transmission and suspension configuration which has been optimized for the racetrack, the BMW M3 GTS accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in a mere 4.4 seconds. The car reaches the 1,000 meter mark from a standstill in just 22.5 seconds. Now, let’s have a look at the impressive photo gallery. Originally posted here: Photoshoot: ///M Family Reunion

Wintertime seasonal affective disorder (aka SAD) can be a dangerous thing for some people. Symptoms include depression, anxiety, and the near-suicidal urge to ride an inner tube on icy public roads while being pulled behind someone who’s driving way too fast. More » View original here: Watch an insane, high-speed ride in traffic on an inner tube [Video] Read more:  Watch an insane, high-speed ride in traffic on an inner tube [Video]

Prior Design unveils a new body kit for the F10 BMW 5 Series. Instead of building atop the already aggressive M Sport Package, the tuner takes a new approach and creates more exclusivity for the 5 Series models. First significant change comes from the rear-end where Prior Design installed an exhaust system with four tailpipes in a setting similar to the BMW M3, toward the center of the rear bumper. The package also includes a Prior Design front spoiler, a rear apron diffuser, matching side skirts and a roof edge spoiler in carbon. All components are initially available only for export, prices are directly available on request from Prior Design. [Source: Prior Design via BimmerToday ] Read the rest here: BMW 5 Series Aero Kit by Prior Design

Bacteria-tainted food, flawed vehicles, smelly bottles of medicines… 2011 could be considered the year of really awful consumer product news, judging by the amount of safety recalls made by regulatory agencies. But which product recall of 2011 really lit the fire for online searches in the U.S.? Google analyzed the billions of queries its search engine received in 2011 to develop its Zeigeist 2011, which outlines the m,ost-searched for topics among the global online realm. Among Web users in the U.S., here are the 10 fastest rising product recalls: 10. Harley Davidson. In October, over 250,000 Harley-Davidson motorcycles were recalled in the U.S. for faulty switches which caused the bike’s brake lights—or even the brakes themselves—to fail. Worldwide, the problem affected more than 300,000 Harley “hogs.” 9. Mazda 6. The news: The Japanese sedan could catch fire—which would be reason enough for an official recall of more than 52,000 Mazda 6 cars back in March . But news of the root problem—spiders infesting the cars’ fuel vents—undoubtedly kept the search for Mazda’s recall news alive for months. 8. Ford F-150. Ford’s popular pickup trucks wasn’t literally buggy. It was plagued with problems. In late January, 280,000 F-150s were recalled for door handles that can open during crashes. In late February, 144,000 F-150 were recalled for air bag issues—which expanded to a recall of more than 1.2 million Ford pickups by April. In May, 2.7 million Ford F-150s were being investigated for fuel tank problems . In late July, more than one million Ford trucks—including the F-150—were recalled for faulty fuel tank straps . 7. Sony TVs. Searches for Sony Bravia LCD TVs spiked in October because the Japanese had literally hot flat-panel TV models. More than 1.6 million Sony TVs were recalled worldwide after reports of some sets caught on fire in homes. (No fires were reported among the 400,000 TVs recalled in the U.S., though.) 6. Mendela. In January, Mendela recalled a “limited number” of breast pumps for power and suction issues. Nursing mothers also turned to the Web in April for news about safety issues regarding the power adapters included with its breast pumps . (Consumer...

Yes friends, Forzalopnik is back! We’re pleased to announce that the next car pack for Forza Motorsport 4 will be the January Jalopnik Pack, available for purchase and download on Xbox LIVE starting Tuesday, January 3rd. Here’s are the ten cars and all the details. More » More: Forza 4 January Jalopnik Car Pack: This Is It [Video] Excerpt from: Forza 4 January Jalopnik Car Pack: This Is It [Video]

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened an official investigation into 2004 Ford Freestyle and Mercury Monterey vans. The agency has received several reports of the seat anchors failing to secure the third row of seating to the vehicle. According to the NHTSA’s Office of Defect Investigations, the agency has received seven consumer reports complaining of the rear seat anchors, which are attached the sides of the seats to the van’s rear wheel wells. In one complaint report received by the ODI, a seat anchor allegedly separated from the wheel well completely. The issue may tied to corrosion of the rear wheel wells and affect only Ford Freestyle and Mercury Monterey vans driven in so-called “salt-belt” states—areas where harsh de-icing chemicals are used on roadways during the winter season. The NHSTA’s investigation into the seat anchor issue will determine if a product defect exists and if an official recall is necessary. Defect Investigation: 2004 Ford Freestar / Mercury Monterey – Seat Anchors       Action Number : PE11039 [NHTSA] Read more here:  Feds probes 2004 Ford Freestar for third-row seat anchor issues

When Elizabeth LeFevre went into labor around midnight last Tuesday morning, the drive to the hospital was complicated by one serious problem: Interstate 25, which runs between the family’s home near Cañoncito and Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center in Santa Fe, was shut down by a snowstorm. More » View post: Baby born in truck during New Mexico blizzard [Trucks] Read more from the original source: Baby born in truck during New Mexico blizzard [Trucks]

Earlier this month, we told you that the U.S. traffic fatality rate for 2010 was the lowest in recorded history. All told, there were 32,885 deaths on American roads that year, or about 1.10 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled. But for most of us, it’s hard to put numbers like that in perspective. Yesterday, an article in the New… View original post here: Americans More Likely To Be Poisoned Than Killed In An Auto Accident

The marketing and driving machine that is Ken Block had another busy year in 2011. He kicked out a new Gymkhana video, raced a few WRC stages, stacked a car (hard) in Portugal, made dozens of celebrity appearances and sold a boatload of shoes and giant-billed hats. Thanks to the small-in-size-but-big-in-resolution GoPro camera, you can now revisit the highlights of Ken’s year, in full 1080 pixel resolution. It’s pretty clear that Ken Block spent more time sideways on racetracks in 2011 than we spent driving on racetracks this year, but we hope to change that in 2012. We’re sure Ken will be back at it again in 2012, too, and we’re hoping he decides to put a little more effort into racing WRC than he has in the past. We know the Ford Fiesta RS WRC is a capable car (it gave Mikko Hirvonen a third place finish this year), and we know that Ken can drive on a variety of surfaces. How about showing the rest of the world that Americans can drive in motorsports other than NASCAR?   More here: Ken Block’s Year In Reverse: Video Read the original:  Ken Block’s Year In Reverse: Video

This is the Morning Shift , our one-stop daily roundup of all the auto news that’s actually important — all in one place at 9:00 AM. Or, you could spend all day waiting for other sites to parcel it out to you one story at a time. Isn’t your time more important? More » Continued here: 2013 Ram 1500 puts on airs, the Dodge Caliber is dead, and Lotus R-GT gets a shakedown [Video] The rest is here: 2013 Ram 1500 puts on airs, the Dodge Caliber is dead, and Lotus R-GT gets a shakedown [Video]

We’ve nearly completed our list of tires to test for the 2012 tire-test program, which will cover family car tires. Historically, this is our biggest category, and this year’s group will be no exception. We’ll be testing regular all-season models in the T-speed rating that are commonly used on older cars and minivans, as well as H- and V-speed rated all-season tires that come on newer cars. We also plan to test winter tires. Needless to say, the holiday season finds us feverishly shopping for tires. If all goes according to plan, we should have most of the targeted tires in time to start testing in January, 2012. Regular blog readers may the notice absence of some perennial favorites that have been or will be discontinued by the time we publish the results next fall. Likewise, there are a number of new models we’ll be testing for the first time. These changes promise to make the 2012 program quite interesting and informative. The tires we have so far include: T-speed BF Goodrich Advantage T/A T Continental ProContact with EcoPlus Technology Cooper GFE Cooper CS4 Touring Falken Sincera Touring SN211 Firestone FR710 Firestone Precision Touring Goodyear Assurance TripleTred All-Season Hankook Optima H727 Kelly Explorer Plus Kumho Solus KR21 Michelin Energy Saver A/S Michelin Defender Pirelli P4 Four Seasons Sumitomo HTR T4 Toyo Extensa A/S Uniroyal Tiger Paw Touring Yokohama Avid Touring-S Yokohama Ascend H-speed BF Goodrich Advantage T/A H Bridgestone Ecopia EP442 Continental PureContact Cooper CS4 H Dunlop Signature 2 Dunlop SP Sport 7000 A/S Falken Ziex ZE-912 Firestone Precision Sport Firestone Champion HR Fuzion Touring H Kumho  Solus KH16 Michelin Primacy MXV4 H Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S H Nokian WRG2 Pirelli P7 Cinturato A/S Sumitomo HTR A/S PO1 Uniroyal Tiger Paw Touring H Yokohama Avid ENVigor GITI GT Radial Champiro VP1 V-speed BF Goodrich Advantage T/A V Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Bridgestone Turanza Serenity + Continental PureContact Cooper CS4 V Dunlop SP Sport 7000 A/S Dunlop SP Sport 5000 Asymmetrical Firestone Firehawk Wide Oval AS Goodyear Assurance ComforTred Touring Goodyear Assurance TripleTred All-Season Hankook Optimo H426 Kumho Ecsta LX Platinum Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S V Michelin Primacy MXV4 V Nokian eNTRE Pirelli...

Regular readers will know about the innovative car2go service which has been launched in various cities around the world, with most sites located in Europe. In an indicator of its continued popularity and acceptance, car2go recently announced that it’s 1 millionth transaction has recently been recorded. Worldwide, the car2go service accommodates 1,000 rentals a day. At this point, there are 2,000 vehicles in service and more than 50,000 customers worldwide. By 2016, car2go is aiming to have a presence in 40 to 50 European cities, with a dual-digit number of cities in the U.S. Also being refined is the transaction system that will allow a car2go member in one locality to roam in another country. This would be of great convenience in Europe. As of now, a car2go membership is limited to one locality, and a multinational or multi-city user would have to register multiple times. car2go hopes to have the roaming system up and running in 2012. View original post here: car2go Announces Milestones

After marketing head Steve Cannon was recently appointed to head Mercedes-Benz North America’s operations, we all thought that fired former CEO for North America Ernst Lieb would settle for some peace and quiet away from the controversy. Instead, employing the services of a legal eagle, Lieb has gone to court to contest what his lawyer says is an unfair dismissal. Lieb’s counsel, Stefan Naegele plans to show in German court that Lieb is only one of many Mercedes-Benz employees who have been unfairly dismissed as part of Mercedes’ zero tolerance policy on corruption. This company direction is being vigorously pursued after Mercedes settled U.S. SEC and Justice Department suits on bribery charges. It is Naegele’s contention that the reasons for Lieb’s dismissal were known to and in some cases, approved by Mercedes management. While there is no chance that Lieb will be reinstated, this may yet prove to be financially fruitful for Lieb if his lawyer is successful with his arguments in court. See more here:  Fired MBNA Head Goes To Court

In a photo shoot by Calvin Klein, the new Mercedes-Benz SL R231 has been used. Lara Stone stars in the ad. In this video, the shoot was shot by Alex Prager’s lens, and it will show the making. Go here to read the rest: The Making of the CK Ad with Lara Stone Feat. 2013 Mercedes SL

The sales of the joint venture partner of Mercedes-Benz in China is whopping. Since the start of the year, the company has seen a 52% rise in the Chinese market, but it’s now going steady. A report from Gasgoo says that the Chinese branch is trying to breakthrough the overseas market. In an attempt to do that, they are now exporting the Wheelbase E-Class. The car has been very popular and the management of BAIC says they know that this step may help them increase their 2012 sales. If this become successful the GLK and C-Class may also be exported. Source: Gasgoo Here is the original post: China Will Export the Mercedes E-Class