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This BMW i8 gains Alpina V8 power thanks to tuner

German engineering firm Gabura Racing Technologies will strip out everything that makes a BMW i8 green in an effort to create a much wilder machine. Rather than a plug-in hybrid with a turbocharged three-cylinder, the company will cram in a twin-turbo V8. The firm even intends to produce a limited run of these insane conversions for customers. Gabura hasn't actually built one of these beasts yet, but it provided several glimpses of how it would work at the 2015 Professional MotorSport World Expo in Cologne, Germany. The company stuffs the engine under the front end in what looks like a quite snug fit. In several of the photos, the top of the valve covers even appears to be above the base of the windshield. According to BBC Autos, this mill is the S63 4.4-liter turbocharged V8 from the M5 and M6. Additional tuning with some help from Alpina allegedly pushes output to around 760 horsepower – more than double the i8's stock figure. One of Gabura's own six-speed sequential gearboxes reportedly transfers the power to the wheels. Gabura recently posted on Facebook that the engineers are now ready for the first conversion. They promised to "completely rebuild it inside-out, fueled with racing technology." We're very curious to see how an i8 looks and sounds after such a significant transformation.

BMW M4 Concept beckons the new golden child of M cars

Ushering in the next-generation of two-door M performance cars for BMW, the new M4 Concept was officially unveiled at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance last night after an unceremonious embargo leak yesterday afternoon. The reality of the fact that we will never again have a new M3 Coupe is a little easier to deal with after browsing the M4 Concept's sleek and sporty lines.
As was the case with the Concept 4 Series Coupe, we expect the this M4 to transition from concept car to production coupe with very few changes. Among the features we's bet against making it into production include the front splitter and the exhaust tips - both made from carbon fiber. Other notable details are the aero-shaped mirrors, the subtle M stripes on the carbon fiber roof and the 20-inch wheels exposing big six-piston from brakes. If it were up to us, we'd say bring this car to production as is - except for the paint color.
There is still no word on the M4's powertrain or if it will even offer a manual geabox, but we would imagine that we'll be seeing this car in production form, complete with all of those details at the LA Auto Show.

BMW X3 spied with nip and tuck nearly complete

With the style-driven BMW X4 coming along in development, it looks like some of the forthcoming crossover's design could trickle over to its utilitarian sibling, the X3. Captured in these spy shots, it appears that the 2015 BMW X3 is preparing for a minor facelift, and from what we can tell, the biggest change will center on the CUV's headlights.
There is plenty of camouflage on the front and rear fascias to suggest updates will occur there, too, but we can definitely tell that the X3 will be getting LED-equipped headlights - at least as an option, anyway. The halos are slightly different from the current offering and there is also an LED strip above the headlights used as turn signal indicators. Another interesting thing we notice in these pictures is the nub at the bottom of the grille (also visible in recent X4 spy shots). While this could be some sort of test sensor for this prototype, it could also be a front-mounted camera for a possible parking assist system.
We don't expect any changes to the powertrain and we're not sure what updates could be in store for the interior, but we're guessing that that the 2015 X3 will debut shortly after the X4 goes on sale next year.