Himafagy

When does a 1995 Mazda Miata cease being a Miata? We're not sure it ever truly does, but the owner of this particular example put in a Herculean effort to try and make it happen. No folks, your eyes do not deceive you: despite all the Bimmer-look trickery, the car you see here is a '95 Miata with 85,000 miles on the odometer, and if you want it, it's just a click away ateBay.


Sporting an engine and tranny that reportedly have under 40,000 miles on them, the pseudo-Z3 is painted Atlanta Blue and actually sports authentic BMW lights (front and rear), grilles and badging. The winner will also get an assortment of other accessories, including a set of underdrive pulleys, thrown in on the deal. Click the image above to view the auction, where the seller has several more photos loaded.


[Source: eBay viaCarscoop]

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When BMW opted to only make the M5 available with a seven-speed SMG gearbox, the hue and cry from U.S. purists was heard across the ocean. For 2007, BMW has finally decided to appease American customers by equipping the 500 HP uber-saloon with a six-speed manual, much to the apparent disgust of Gerhard Richter, the development chief of the M division.



Automobile magazine got their hands on the manual version of the M5 and seem to have come away with the opinion that it's better, but still not as good as it should be.


Aside from the fact that the manual cog swapper slows forward momentum of the V10-powered sedan, BMW also decided to nix the ability to completely disable the traction control. This decision, surely on the part of BMW's legal wonks, will likely cause another up swell of consumer complaints.


Overall, the reviewer thought that the action of the clutch and shift linkage was up to BMW standards, but in the end, the two words that stuck with us after reading the review were, "even clumsier."



[Source: Automobile]

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Click image to enlarge



If you follow the "read" link your eyes and ears will be under full assault as BMW hypes up a soon to be released gizmo. What is it? We're a bit baffled, but according to the trailer it has the ability to play MP3s, DVDs and CDs, has USB and Bluetooth connectivity, can recognize voice commands and has a 65,000 color LCD. But alas, no nav.



We're still a trifle confused as to why an automaker would begin producing personal electronics, but then again, BMW has a tendency to throw the occasional curve ball, with its products and marketing tactics.



Until it's released in Mid-January 2007, we're just going to call it the "Highend," since that's the only discernable thing we could see in the URL.



A few more images are posted after the jump.

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The February issue ofCAR Magazine based in the U.K. isn't set to go on newsstands until January 3rd. The cover, however, which reveals what appears to be an official shot of the new BMW E92 M3 rear end, is already up on the buff book's website, while pages of the accompanying article are being hosted onM3Post.com andGermanCarScene (we'll refrain from posting them here on account of the obvious illegality of scans).


In the issue, the BMW M3 is called The Most Exciting Car of the Year, no doubt due to the anticipation of its release, which has been fueled by a steady stream of spy shots and rumors of a 400+ hp V8 under the car's long hood. The article inside the issue states that the new M3 will cost £48,000 GBP, or about $94,000 USD (!) if you trust exchange rates. It goes on to reveal that the engine is indeed a 4.0-liter V8 producing 420bhp, but that the motor can only propel the M3 to 62mph in 4.9 seconds. The current M3 with "only" a 333-hp, 3.2-liter inline-six can manage that in skilled hands, which casts some doubt on the information provided (an over 100% price increase, seriously?). So take the info with a grain of salt, but the scans of CAR Magazine's February issue sure look like official shots from the manufacturuer to us.
Thanks for the tip, Disco Stu!

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We
just posted some spy shots and new speculation about the upcoming X6 last month, but German magazine Auto Zeitung has even more information on this somewhat mysterious new BMW. The X6 Coupe is expected to be a sporty four-door coupe version of the X5 sport-ute. Kind of like the Mercedes-Benz CLS, but with all wheel drive and a higher driving position thanks to that X5 platform.



Think of the X5/X6 relationship as being the same as that between the 5 and 6-series. The 6 is positioned as the sportier, slightly more upscale model. Auto Zeitung is predicting the X6 will share the best engines from BMW's range including the 286hp twin-turbo 3.0 liter diesel, the 335i's 300hp twin-turbo 6, and the 4.8 liter V8 putting out 367hp. Word has it a turbo V8 with 420hp is also in the works and should be good for a sub-six second 0-100 km/h sprint.



Like the X5 4.8is, BMW will most likely stay away from the "M" label for that model. Whichever engine you pick you'll get the power routed through a 6-speed automatic with that new joystick shifter from the 2007 X5 that's promised for the 5-series as well. Looks like crossovers like this are the future for many automakers, as Audi will have the Q5 and Mercedes the GLK in the next couple of years, too.

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