All Entries in the "BMW" Category
eBay Watch: 2008 BMW 128i Convertible
by Gunnar Heinrich ::: img CarOne via eBay Motors ::: 2008 BMW 128i
BMW’s one-series has had its detractors.
Materials are too cheap, they say. They bemoan that the coupe and convertible both have the face of a pug and the belly of a pig, referring to the squished fascia and the doorsills that seem to sag in a low arc toward the road. It is, also, cynically overpriced.
Or was. The entry 128i convertible starts featuring BMW’s lovely 3L, 230 hp straight-six motor started in the low $40Ks. Time, 18K miles, and a little depreciation have cropped that figure down to size. The buy-it-now price on this still-warrantied black on black, off-lease, babied Texan 128i stands as a more equitable $25,950.
Did I mention that at that price you get a modern Bavarian droptop/boulevardier whose magnificent driving characteristics are more insync with BMW’s sporting heritage than any other (non-M) Bimmer since the E30 3-Series?
Pugs and pigs be damned, that’s one sweet car.
[eBay]
On BMW’s Outstanding E32 7-Series
by Gunnar Heinrich ::: YouTube ::: img Sara (1997) via IMCDB ::: BMW e32 7 Series
PRECIOUS little’s written of the BMW e32 7-Series (1986-1994).
What’s online, generally, is content posted by owners that enthusiastically showcase their 735i’s aftermarket performance mods or 750iL’s 0-60 time on YouTube. Fine ‘n dandy, but none of these casual entries really do justice to the vintage e32 7er – a sharp, powerfully understated sedan with true Continental swagger.
Truth is – BMW’s e32 stands as one of the best model lines ever to roll off the line at Dingolfing.
When the second generation 7er debuted in 1986, the über-saloon launched the Roundel well into the 90s with pioneering technology and engineering that set the benchmark for performance in the luxury sedan market.
An ungoverned 750i/iL could sail past Mercedes’ 560SEL to 185 mph. At the time, that was no small feat.
Auto, Motor und Sport via Fuenfkommasechs.de
Catch is – the e32 started the industry trend towards a heavy reliance on electronics that’s hurt the model’s longevity. Good, functioning examples of 735i/iL, 740i/iL, and certainly 750iLs are increasingly rare due to high running costs. In particular, repairs of the 750iL’s 5.0 Liter, 300 horsepower V12, Germany’s first automotive 12 cylinder engine since the Weimar, are notorious for being Jaguar-involved and costly.
Still, sterling examples expertly showcase Bavarian road-going finesse and classic Teutonic taste. All the more reason that more should be written on the great e32.
The Ultimate In Tasteful Marketing: BMW + Mad Men
by Gunnar Heinrich ::: img AMC ::: BMW Sponsors Mad Men
READ NY Mag’s recap of season four’s premiere of AMC’s Mad Men.
Logan Hill’s take was as concertedly analytical as what we’ve come to expect from New York’s coverage of the series that depicts the madness behind the Brylcreem of Madison Avenue in the 60s. In his article, Mr. Hill referenced a line from Andy Warhol which applies nicely to cars and BMW’s ad campaign, in particular. Let’s reintroduce it here:
Warhol once said, “Lock up a department store today, open the door after a hundred years, and you will have a museum of art.” (Lock up an office in 1964, then pop it open on AMC in 2010, and, with a lot of creative license, you’ve got quality TV.)
How true.
BMW, who’s sponsored Mad Men’s previous season, was presenting sponsor for this season’s premiere. And true to the show’s vintage nature, BMW’s commercials would’ve sated Janus himself – looking past first, then present.
In one of the spots, we see the BMW 5-Series in earlier forms – notably the E28. A BMW rep talks candidly on camera about the elegance of BMW’s past 5ers while we see company footage. Later on, another spot showcases the now familiar current bodystyle F10.
Past und present.
The last ad markets the bread ‘n butter 3er. We see E30 vintage 3-series sedans and then beauty shots of the current lineup while listening to chatter about “performance sedans”. The past and the future play equal parts again in a symphony for your attention (and hopefully dollars).
These spots culminate into great messaging by BMW.
Part of Mad Men’s wide appeal is that the series reintroduces some of the glamorous aspects of commercialism in post war American society. Any company that associates itself with that classic aspect is making a case for the enduring appeal of its own brand’s identity. When is a bottle of Clorox art? When we see a bottle from the 60s deliberately re-presented.
When is a BMW art? When we see an vintage 5-Series in its former element. Being the Ultimate Driving Machine. This campaign ranks as an important departure from most car advertising which focuses on right now.
After all, to fully and faithfully subscribe to a brand identity like BMW, you have to maintain an appreciation for the past in order to ask buyers to re-invest in the present and the future.
BMW’s underwriting for Mad Men is mad marvelous.
DIY: Removing Door Panels E38 7er & W210 E-Class Illustrates Design Similarities
by Gunnar Heinrich ::: YouTube ::: Door Panel Removal Videos E38 7-Series & W210 E-Class
HOW a car is put together says a great deal about the caliber of the engineering and design teams at work behind all the marketing hype and brand imagery. Layout is, to be plain, where the rubber meets the road.
It’s intriguing then to remember that despite being distinct marques, Mercedes-Benz and BMW’s cars are rather similar. Besides sharing part suppliers, there’s Teutonic commonalities in how each company manufactures their autos.
Consider these two videos as cases in point. Both are illustrative DIY films on how to remove the interior door panels without resorting to crowbar and hacksaw. We see a helpful technician work off an E38 gen. BMW 7er’s door panel (and burn his finger in the process) and another tech do the same (albeit more orchestrated and professionally edited) for a Mercedes-Benz W210 gen. E-Class.
The two cars share surprisingly similar construction traits, though it’s clear that the E-Class represents the older school formula of leaving the bulk of the electronics on the console and not the door. Seems wise, in hindsight.
Have a look.
Video: Man Chases After His Runaway Bimmer
Could happen to any of us. But it’s funny when it happens to someone else.
Baroque Angel: Former Star of the Munich Police Force
by Gunnar Heinrich ::: YouTube ::: BMW 501
SOME time back, I was on an assignment covering a small town’s board of selectmen meeting when the item regarding budget allocation for police transport arose. Step forward the town’s sheriff who, as humble as pie, asked politely for the council’s consideration in letting his department lease two Harley Davidson motorcycles.
To support his case and show due diligence for finding the best rate for the tax payer, he submitted a paper showing competitive quotes from several local Harley dealers. The board chatted amiably amongst themselves for a moment, asked the top cop a question or two, and then voted.
The police department got their Harleys for summertime cruisin’.
In this video from Deutsche Welle TV, we’re introduced to retired Munich cop Herbert Joksch who pridefully shows us his former patrol car – a green 1950’s BMW 501 known as the “Baroque Angel.” Early predecessor to the 7-Series, BMW’s 501 was Munich’s luxurious answer to the Mercedes 300.
Herr Joksch remembers:
“When you were standing outside [directing traffic] for seven hours at a time and then some fellow policeman drove through the square in a Baroque Angel, all you could do was wave to him briefly. It wasn’t a feeling of envy. But your dearest wish at that moment was to one day be allowed to sit in that car.”
Officer Joksch, members of a certain police force Stateside know just how you feel.
On The Street In NYC: BMW E38 7er
by Gunnar Heinrich ::: img ADLX ::: e38 BMW 740i
PRIME examples of the mid-90s/early 00s BMW 7-Series are getting to be as common as llama sightings on Fifth Avenue.
Sadly, BMW’s e38 generation (1995-2001) 7-Series sedans, generally speaking, are used, abused, and tossed to the next owner who wants a flash car but can’t or won’t pay for upkeep. And given that these 7ers have plenty of electronics that go wrong – from the soft-close trunk to the early gen. in-dash GPS – we can just imagine how many basket case 740i/740iL/750iL sedans there are on the roads.
Above is a ‘99-’01 post-facelift gold 740i. Cosmetically, it’s a find. Gold was more commonly featured on the e32 generation (1987-1994) and didn’t accentuate the later 7’s contours as nicely, but, it’s still sharp.
The ‘99 facelift’s subtle effects shine here, too – particularly how the trim beneath the headlamp housings perfectly outlines the two sets of spherical headlights.
All told, a prime 7 in a prime city in prime condition.
Hey, MINI – Porsche Is For Racers, Not Poseurs
by Gunnar Heinrich ::: YouTube ::: Porsche Marketing v. MINI Marketing
MUCHADO about the MINI v. Porsche would-be-showdown-that-sadly-won’t-happen on the blogosphere today.
Porsche’s North American head told MINI’s North American head where to shove it – in a polite, circumlocutory way. Still, MINI marketing wins (as it usually does) on chutzpah, pluck, and creativity points – 100,000,000 awarded!
Actually, both sides win if we think about it as this non-story raises both car companies profiles. Split 50,000,000 points each, then?
Anywho, Porsche in this advert posted on YouTube reaffirms Zuffenhausen’s stern, chin-out disposition on just where the company stands. Which is apparently beyond reproach.
One Millionth BMW X5: King of Its Own Hill
by Gunnar Heinrich ::: img BMW ::: BMW makes 1,000,000 X5s
THE press release is kind of funny as BMW is still using its own “Sports Activity” jargon when describing its X5 – judged a straight up sports utility vehicle by pretty much everyone on the planet.
The BMW X5, which was originally launched in Spartanburg in 1999 as the first vehicle in the Sports Activity segment, has laid the cornerstone for BMW as the most successful premium vehicle manufacturer in the SAV/SUV segment during its 11-year history.
Nothing quite like declaring yourself king of your own hill. In any event, in 11 years BMW’s made 1,000,000 X5s – a figure that represents a significant chuck of their overall car sales.
Meanwhile, Mercedes has announced a kind of reminder that it, too, makes SUVs that go like stink and take a corner. The ML63 AMG features a 6.3 Liter, 510 horsepower V8 which puts it in company with the BMW X5 M’s 4.4 Liter, twin-turbo, 550 horsepower V8.
Classic Top Gear: 1986 BMW 735i & Trickle Down Technology
by Gunnar Heinrich ::: YouTube ::: BMW E32 735i
CLASSIC Top Gear is a wonder to behold.
Lacking modern Top Gear’s ADHD flash, jump-cuts, and Clarkson’s cult of personality – the original’s as mild and soothing to watch as mum putting on the kettle to serve you a cup of Twinnings Earl Grey. Only cozier.
The hosts suggest, advise, and warn – rather like Her Majesty the Queen - as opposed to prodding info at you through prat falls and dense snark that Richard Porter wrote furiously the night before.
That said, there’s no denying that Top Gear has come a very long way.
As has the BMW 7-Series – though not in the same positive direction. In the late 80s and early 90s, the E32 7er was the technically superlative, brilliantly executed, and wonderfully understated answer to the obnoxious Bimmer image that catered to – as the host puts it – the “aggressive, thrusting, young businessman who’s on his way to the top and doesn’t much care who knows about it.”
Tea’s ready.
