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Watch two championship-winning DTM cars from BMW go head-to-head

BMW recently had a little fun with two of the company's past DTM champions. Roberto Ravaglia and Bruno Spengler, winners of the 1989 and 2012 championships, respectively, both showed up at the world-famous Hockenheimring with their title-winning cars. The two swapped seats, with Ravaglia taking the helm of Spengler's BMW M3 DTM racer and Spengler sliding behind the wheel of Ravaglia's first-generation M3 racer in the classic BMW Bank livery, and headed for the track. Spengler got a 23 second head start in the first-gen M3 with Ravaglia chasing behind.
It didn't take long for the older hotshoe to sort out his new ride and close the gap. The short clip below follows the two as they make their way around the circuit, but the really interesting portion comes when the pair begin discussing what they like and don't like about each other's machines. You can check out the full video below for yourself.

BMW Isetta resurrected as Microlino EV

The Isetta "Bubble Car" began its life in Italy in the 1950s with Iso, before eventually being licensed by BMW. Since then, the tiny Isetta has retained a fan base who love the car for its tiny footprint and unique design. In recent years, designers have toyed with the idea of updated versions of the Isetta. The latest take comes from a Swiss company that manufactures scooters and kickboards. Micro Mobility Systems has reimagined the BMW Isetta as an electric vehicle. Called the Microlino, the diminutive EV is under development, but Micro brought a concept version to the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year. The company barely managed to pull it off, as the prototype was damaged in a forklift incident not long before the show but was repaired just in the nick of time. Technically, the Microlino isn't classified as a car, so it won't be subject to some of the more rigorous safety regulations, particularly crash tests. It's classified as an L7e motorized quadricycle, similar to the Renault Twizy. In fact, the Microlino's pedestal at the Geneva show loudly declared, "This is not a car!" Micro began taking non-binding reservations for the first 500 Microlinos at the Geneva show, and found quite a bit of interest in their retro-chic EV. The car garnered 500 reservations in 13 days. For the rest of us, Micro has set up a waiting list. So what are buyers getting into? The Microlino uses a 15-kW electric motor that can propel the car to a top speed of about 62 miles per hour, with a driving range of about 60 to 75 miles per charge. The first series production is expected in late 2017, with an estimated price range of about $9,000 to $13,500. That is, if this iSetta EV revival goes better than the last few times the idea was tossed around. Related Video: News Source: Microlino, Technologic Vehicles, Gas2 Green BMW Automakers Green Automakers NEV (Neighborhood Electric Vehicle) Concept Cars Electric Videos microcar isetta bmw isetta

2015 BMW i8 configurator is ready to show the future

Good news if you're one of the lucky few that can afford the new BMW i8. The high-performance hybrid's configurator has gone live on BMW USA's consumer website, meaning you can head in and customize till you drop.
If you've ever played with a BMW configurator, you'll instantly feel at home with the i8's. You have the choice of four trim packages (your author refuses to use BMW's pretentious "World" trim names), followed by wheel and exterior paint options. The interior choices are fixed to the trim level, so aside from trim, color and the choice of two wheel options, there isn't a lot to pick out on the i8.
Head on over and take a look.