Himafagy

Those Bavarian wunderkind over at BMW just took the wraps off the latest 3-Series convertible, complete with folding hard-top. But even as impressive as the range-topping 335i is, what with its twin-turbo inline-six hitting the 300 mark in both horsepower and torque, there's yet more power underway: an all but completely undisguised M3 cabrio has been caught undergoing cold-weather testing way up north in Sweden, blasting past Saabs and Volvos.

Like the rest of the 3-Series convertible range, the M3 cabrio will feature a metal roof protecting four passengers from the elements and retracting at the push of a button to let the sunshine in. As with all M models, you'll be able to tell it apart from its more ordinary siblings by the wider fenders, sportier bumpers housing bigger air intakes and four exhaust tips, plus of course the requisite M badging. While the power bulge pictured on the hood is reportedly fake, under the hood is where the action is, where the M3 will pack a V8 pumping out over 400 horsepower, derived from the award-winning M5/6's V10 but with two cylinders lopped off. Power will be put down initially though BMW's Sequential Manual Gearbox (SMG) until the Bavarians are ready with their own anticipated dual-clutch gearbox.

Insiders predict the M3 coupe to bow at Frankfurt this coming September, but the convertible version probably won't be ready before 2008. Expect to take a penalty in both price and performance for the folding tin-top.

[Source: World Car Fans]

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It would seem that BMW reads Autoblog. How else would you explain them, at least partially, answering ourquestion about how a conventional automobile would utilize some of the hybrid demon-tweaks?



For the first time ever, BMW has equipped a non-hybrid car with a regenerative braking system. There's a new battery that uses fiberglass mats between the plates to keep the electrolytes put, and a corresponding "intelligent" alternator. The battery technology, known as Absorbtive Glass Mat construction is capable of being charged very quickly without boiling; and they stand up far better to the deep cycling that would be abusive to a traditional lead-acid battery. The ability to receive and deliver high amperages reliably makes the AGM batteries ideal for coupling with the rest of BMWs Efficient Dynamics program. The battery can be fully charged during braking, which reduces the load on the engine by making the alternator work less. The program's intent is to reduce weight and fuel consumption, ultimately keeping CO2 emissions down. BMWs efforts result in a vehicle that has the low-rolling-resistance tires, electrically operated AC and power steering and stop/start systems of a hybrid, without the electric motors.



[Source: Fifth Gear viaJalopnik]

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UDPATE:
Like you, we're having a hard time wading through the conjecture on what this car is exactly. We mistakenly told you below that the Z9 would be a CL-Class fighter, which is wrong – it will be an SL-fighter (damned Mercedes nomenclature!). However, the test mule still doesn't look large enough to compete with the SL-Class (maybe the SLK, which is why we still think it's a Z4).



Reports are flooding in from Munich of a never-before-seen test mule from BMW that's purported to be the Z9, the successor to the short-lived Z8 premium ragtop the automaker sold from 2000 to 2003. Now, to be fair, the mule could simply be the next generation Z4 convertible, but the photographers from KGP seem to believe the body shape is purposefully misleading and that it is, indeed, the Z9.


Such a car would go head-to-head in the marketplace with the Mercedes-Benz CL-Class, and thus likely be offered in both coupe and hardtop converitble models. BMW's choice of engine for the Z9 seems obvious, as nothing less than the corporate V10 producing 500 hp would do for such a premium vehicle. In fact, Winding Road is surmising that the Z9 will carry an even more premium price than the Z8's $128,000 base MSRP, perhaps somewhere in the neighborhood of $150,000.


Despite the fact that speculators seem convinced this mule is the future Z9, we still think it looks too small for that to be the case. From the side profile it appears the vehicle is just about the right size for a slightly larger Z4 and not comparable to the size of a Mercedes-Benz CL-Class.


[Source: Winding Road]

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If you squint your eyes and turn your head at just the right angle, you can almost decipher what changes BMW made to the existing 5-series. Both the front and rear bumpers have been slightly tweaked, with the former getting a new grille, revised air intakes and clear glass front headlamps, while the latter gets LED directional indicators.


Five new exterior colors will also be made available for the 2007 model year, along with six new alloy wheel designs.


On the inside, you'll find the gear selector pulled from the new X5, while the iDrive gets a few tweaks in its selection functions.


Your choice of powerplants will also be broadened, with the 535i model coming equipped with the 3-liter, twin-turbo, inline-six and a 528i model being offered as well.


The other big news is the addition of a wagon version of the M5 super-saloon. Not much is different between the sedan and the "touring" model, with the obvious exception of the extra space in the boot.


Expect more information to follow later today. Stay tuned.


[Source: BMW.com – International site]

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WhenCar magazine dropped images and specs of the new M3 in their recent issue, there was an air of skepticism around this latest foray into Bimmer hypothesizing.


Thankfully, Car thought it was a good idea to post some background on their website about how the images were created and how certain information was attained. Unfortunately, if you want all the details you have to trek on over to your local newsstand, but a few things are worth noting from both the article and a thread on M3post.com.


To begin with, the car in the picture is a 335i that was photochopped with insider information that gave up the rear styling, gills, side skirts, spoiler and wheels. However, beyond the exterior styling, technical information is scarce. At least online.


Additionally, one forum member at M3post got word that a concept will likely bow in Geneva, similar to the M5 concept before it.


We're going to head on over to our local bookseller to get all the techy details, including power output, transmission specs and the surely-drool inducing redline.


[Sources: Car, M3post via Jalopnik]

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