1991 Bmw M5 on 2040-cars

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Toyota GT86 engineers explored shooting brake and sedan variants, are they still in the cards?

According to the Toyota UK blog, engineers for the automaker were so excited developing the GT86 coupe that they investigated producing a whole family of models based on the rear-wheel drive sports car. And at least one engineer - product chief Tetsuya Tada - still hopes it can happen, even if not everyone at Toyota is onboard. Tada: "Actually we tried to do this secretly but the executives found us out. They said: 'What are you doing? Will you please focus on the coupe.'"
Those mooted variants included both a four-door sedan and a shooting brake. Why? Aside from the pure excellence of a lightweight, brilliantly handling hatchback, Toyota was keenly aware of the fact that it may need to spread the cost of development out across several models. Tada says that's part of the reason why it was so easy to create the convertible. The company knew from the outset that a softtop version was in the cards, and built the machine's structure to accommodate having the roof sliced off.
Tada also made mention of the already-announced collaboration between Toyota and BMW. The engineer said that the GT86 was particularly helpful because it demonstrated just how successful a product conceived and designed by two different companies can be. While he didn't say exactly what Toyota and BMW are up to, it's clear the two are looking into a number of possibilities. It's an interesting read with a lot of

BMW M235i in circuit scrap with legendary E46 M3 CSL

Earlier this month, we brought you news that BMW's one-year wonder, the 2011 1 Series M Coupe, is actually trading for more money today than it did when new. That sort of short-term appreciation is a major rarity with modern production cars, but apparently it's not the only BMW enthusiast coupe to enjoy far-above-average residual values. The not-for-North America 2004 M3 CSL, itself a single-year offering, apparently also fits that description, as we've just learned from Auto Express.
The M3 CSL ruled overseas BMW showrooms a decade ago, with just 1,400 examples built. Based on the well-regarded E46 M3, the rare two-door was relieved of extraneous bits for improved track work and driver fidelity, coming in at around 240 fewer pounds than a garden-variety M3. With carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic bodywork, thinner glass and a lot less sound insulation, the CSL was one of the more raucous cars of its day. Like the 1M Coupe, it was also one of the more connected cars of the era, with a retuned suspension, quicker steering, and a bit more power than its brethren.
As Auto Express points out, a good used one commands about the same money as a brand-new 2014 M235i - the closest thing BMW makes to a 1M Coupe today - which makes this video track battle an interesting new-versus-used showdown. According to AE, a well-sorted used M3 CSL will run UK consumers anywhere between £30,000 and £35,000 - roughly $50,000 to $59,000 US. That's a massive premium over the $10k-17k British buyers can expect to shell out for a comparable standard M3, similar to the story that plays out for the 1M versus lesser 1 Series variants.

Vorsteiner BMW M4 GTRS4 shows how to do a widebody at SEMA

Part of the joy of the SEMA Show is that all of the best tuners in the world are competing to show off their wares, and the challenge often pushes the companies into some absolutely insane directions. Case in point: Vorsteiner and its ludicrous GTRS4 wide body kit with the BMW M4.
According to Auto Evolution, the kit reportedly adds 4 inches in the front to fit 10.5-inch-wide wheels and a massive 7-inches more in the rear to snug in 13.5-inch-wide wheels, but spinning around the BMW in these images makes the changes look even more extreme. Beyond just the extra room in the fenders, the lower air intakes are ready to suck in huge volumes of cool air, and there's a front splitter to keep things planted. The front and rear extensions are joined by side sills that grow the farther back they go. Finally, at the rear, the M4 gets a reworked diffuser with mesh inserts.
This is just the type of automotive craziness that makes SEMA interesting. Take a lot at it for yourself in the gallery.