1999 - 2003 BMW Z8

The BMW 327

The BMW Z8 was a convertible sports car automobile produced by BMW from 1999 to 2003. It was given the E52 BMW model code.

The Z8 originated from a prototype designated Z07, which was designed by Henrik Fisker at BMW’s Designworks in Southern California. It was showcased at the Tokyo Auto Show in 1997. The car was originally designed as a styling exercise to both echo and celebrate the BMW 507 of the 1950s for its 50th birthday.

The overwhelming popularity of the prototype show-car led to the decision to put the car into limited production, to be designated Z8. The car was featured in the James Bond movie The World Is Not Enough in late 1999. About 5700 Z8s were built, with about half of them exported to the USA.

BMW Z8 (E52)

  

With production of the Z8 completed by November 2002, for 2003 the Z8 production was replaced by the Alpina V8 Roadster.[4] The Alpina was a departure from the hard-edged sporting focus of the original car, and elements of the new grand touring intent were evident throughout this final edition. Instead of the original six-speed manual and 4.9 L (S62) engine featured in earlier Z8's, the Alpina came only as an automatic, using a five-speed BMW Steptronic transmission allied to a downgraded 4.8 L Alpina-tuned V8 motor from the Alpina E39 B10 V8 S. In order to complete the car's transition from sportscar to boulevardier, relaxed suspension tuning was used. The standard Z8's run-flat tires and 18 in (46 cm) wheels were discarded in favor of conventional tires with softer sidewalls, and 20 in (51 cm) wheels. A new, softer grade of Nappa leather replaced the Z8's less supple specification, and special Alpina gauges were featured on the dash cluster. An Alpina steering wheel with three solid spokes replaced the original, which could not be retrofitted with shift paddles for the automatic. Gear selection was displayed in an Alpina-specific display mounted in front of the wheel.

Performance of the Alpina V8 differed from that of the standard car in that peak power was reduced to 375 hp (280 kW) while peak torque was raised to 383 lb·ft (519 N·m); this torque was available at significantly lower rpm than the original in order to enable more relaxed cruising. Curiously, the electronically limited top speed was officially raised to 161 mph (259 km/h).

Only 555 of these Alpinas were built, 450 of which were exported to the U.S. market and only eight to the UK.[5] In the United States, this special edition of the Z8 was sold directly through BMW dealerships, marking a first for Alpina, whose cars had never been sold through retail channels in the U.S.

2013 BMW Alpina B7

For the time being, BMW has left it up to close collaborator Alpina to create a turbocharged V8-powered rival for the Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG and Audi S8. We've been lucky enough to take a few spirited drives in Alpinafied BMWs on the no-limit Autobahns around the company's headquarters in Buchloe, Germany, over the years, and each experience has been solidly hair-raising.

Other than creating what may be the country's ultimate everyday Autobahn missiles, Alpina does wonders for the ride and handling of the BMW models they touch, along with providing impressively reworked transmission interfaces and improved overall responsiveness. In the case of this B7, Alpina turns the 7 Series into the best big Bimmer going.

In the niche of thundering bi-turbo V8 luxury sedans, only this 532-horsepower Alpina B7, 512-hp Audi S8 and the 536-hp Mercedes S63 AMG (563 horses, that is, with the $7,300 AMG Performance Package) really reach this particular level. The $139,625 Porsche Panamera Turbo and the $176,275 Turbo S are both fine rides, but they aren't traditional sedans, and their unusual aesthetics don't always appeal to the buttoned-down execs that buy traditional premium saloons.

It's not surprising that buying either the B7 Bimmer or the S63 Benz will likely set you back some $140,000 to $145,000 once they are spec'd exactly the way you'd want 'em (the SWB-only Audi is a bit cheaper, at about $124k happily optioned). Base price for the Alpina B7 short wheelbase is $127,600 or $131,500 for the long wheelbase model, with a further $3,000 premium for xDrive. Following these, as a curveball, there's the 503-hp Jaguar XJ/XJL Supersport at around $126,000. The US comes closest with its Chrysler 300 SRT8 at 465 hp and a price of $60,000 tops in your driveway. It's like two separate worlds.


We were expecting greatness in our 750Li-based rear-wheel-drive Alpina B7, but it went a bit beyond our expectations. Its overall composure, grace and sophistication, even while in the sportiest of setups, are impressive. The N63B44 4.4-liter twin turbo engine with Valvetronic now pumps forth 540 hp between 5,200 and 6,250 rpm and 538 pound-feet of torque from 2,800 to 5,000 rpm. The pre-facelift B7, you may recall, offered but 493 hp and a "paltry" 516 lb-ft. For shame. Official 0-60 time is now listed at 4.3 seconds, while top speed has jumped from 175 mph in last year's car to 194 mph, a number that we tested ourselves on the latest episode of The List. Take your new B7 to a track with a really long straight; you'll be astounded at the pulling power the V8 pours out right up until the braking point – and the Alpina compound brake set is forever up to the task.

Alpina has done extensive aero work to the standard 7 Series bodyshell for big increases in cooling air flow to the engine and brakes. The whole front chin has been redesigned with larger intakes and each passage ducted to cool one specific portion of this finely tuned high-performance mix.


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BMW shows up-armored X5 concept

BMW has brought a slightly different concept vehicle to the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show. Rather than something that foreshadows a future product or a new design direction, the Munich-based manufacturer has brought an X5 that's designed to be shot at. It's called the Concept X5 Security Plus. The Concept X5 name is a bit misleading, though. It's based on the 2014 X5, while BMW already builds an armored CUV, called the X5 Security. The concept tag has to do with the "Security Plus" part.

Engineered to be compliant with VR6 security standards – the current X5 Security is for VR4 standards - the Concept X5 will quite happily shrug off direct attacks from an AK-47. Thanks to sealed joints, high-strength steel moldings, high-performance steel body panels and special, polycarbonate-coated security glass, Kalashnikov's finest, whether used as a firearm or as a melee weapon, would be useless against this X5.

Built alongside the standard X5 in BMW's Spartanburg, SC factory, the X5 is shipped to a BMW facility in Toluca, Mexico for installation of the armor and security features. The company claims this delivers a more thoroughly engineered protective solution than aftermarket retrofitting.

Underhood, the Concept X5 Security Plus is a lot like what will show up at regular dealerships. A twin-turbocharged, 450-horsepower V8 will sit up front and should deliver enough grunt – even with the extra weight, to escape any baddies that come after it.

We sent out intrepid reporter Jonathon Ramsey to take some pictures of the Bavarian beast, but it seems as though Messe security is spoiling everyone's fun. Says Ramsey, "Without a hint of irony, BMW has put the X5 Armored in the Security Lounge, which I cannot penetrate." Suffice it to say then, that you can have a look at our stock image gallery above, or peek below for the full press release from BMW.

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BMW ha traído un vehículo de concepto ligeramente diferente a la del Automóvil de Frankfurt 2013. En lugar de algo que presagia un futuro producto o una nueva dirección de diseño, el fabricante con sede en Munich ha traído un X5 que está diseñado para ser disparado. Se llama el concepto X5 Security Plus. El nombre X5 Concept es un poco engañoso, sin embargo. Se basa en el 2014 X5, mientras que BMW ya se construye un CUV blindada, denominada Seguridad X5. La etiqueta concepto tiene que ver con el "Plus Seguridad" parte. 


 جلبت BMW سيارة مفهوم مختلف قليلا لعام 2013 معرض فرانكفورت للسيارات. بدلا من أن ينذر شيئا منتج المستقبل أو اتجاه التصميم الجديد، فقد وجهت الشركة المصنعة ومقرها ميونيخ وX5 التي تهدف لاطلاق النار عليهم في. انها تسمى مفهوم X5 الأمن زائد. مفهوم X5 اسم مضلل بعض الشيء، على الرغم من. أنها تقوم على 2014 X5، بينما BMW يبني بالفعل CUV مدرعة، ودعا الأمن X5. العلامة مفهوم له علاقة مع "زائد الأمن" جزء.

2013 BMW 650i Gran Coupe Long-Term

 

You are what you drive. Except in Los Angeles, where what you drive is usually who you want to be. In L.A., first impressions count, and because there's so much expensive automotive eye candy on the street, when someone says "nice car" as you're gassing up your ride, you pay attention. It's happened to me a couple of times while pumping another tankful of premium into the BMW 650i Gran Coupe. Munich's low-slung four-door seems right at home in Tinseltown.  

After a couple of months behind the wheel of the Gran Coupe, the great first impressions linger -- I still steal an over-the-shoulder glance at that glamorous profile every time I walk away from it in a parking lot -- but the day-to-day realities are crowding in.

An 850-mile round trip to Phoenix and back via Yuma and San Diego revealed the Gran Coupe to be an exceptional grand tourer. When conditions allow, it will cruise at 100 mph with the engine turning barely 2400 rpm. Wind and road noise are commendably low, and like all German cars, it tracks beautifully in a straight line. That tall gearing helps fuel economy on the freeway – the Grand Coupe averaged 24.1 mpg on one 260-mile leg of the Phoenix trip – but the 4417-pound curb weight takes its toll in stop-start running: I've seen as low as 9.9 mpg bustling between the stop signs on L.A. back streets.

 

 To rub salt into the wound, the Gran Coupe's tank holds just 18.5 gallons and is frustratingly slow to fill. Premium unleaded is not the only thing the Gran Coupe likes to drink, either. The low oil level warning light flashed on at just 2600 miles, causing mild consternation, not just because I was traveling at 70 mph on a freeway at the time, but also because the last long-term BMW I ran (a 730d back in England in 2003) did 18,000 hard miles without me even lifting the hood.

Checking the oil is quite a ritual. You must first park on a level surface with the transmission in Park or Neutral, and the engine idling at operating temperature. Then you have to hit the menu button on iDrive controller, scroll to "Vehicle Info," depress the controller button again, scroll to the fourth icon down, and depress the controller once more. The revs will rise from normal idle speed of 750 rpm to 1100 rpm, and 72 seconds later, you'll be told how much oil to add. Ah technology…making our lives simpler. The computer told me the Gran Coupe needed a quart, which was a little worrying after so few miles. Was it simply under-filled at the factory? Is the twin-turbo V-8 an oil-burner during break-in? Or is there a more sinister problem lurking? I feel like the guy in the horror movie who's just realized that gorgeous blonde he's dating could be an ax murderer.

 

 Read more: .motortrend.com/roadtests/oneyear/sedans/1310_2013_bmw_650i_gran_coupe_update_1