2003 Bmw X5 4.4 Automatic Transmission 4 Door, Metalic Charcoal Grey on 2040-cars

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BMW reveals full details on M235i Racing

We were suitably excited when BMW first announced the imminent arrival of the M235i Racing. After all, what's not to like about a factory-prepared racecar with 333 horsepower you can pick up for just eighty grand? Now BMW has released the full details on the latest addition to its racing portfolio, where it joins the M3 DTM, M3 GT4, Z4 GTE/GT3 and 320 TC in a growing family of competition machinery prepared by BMW Motorsport.
Based on the new 2 Series coupe, the M235i Racing is the first M Performance model for the track, and boasts the line's most powerful engine: the 3.0-liter twin-turbo straight six has been optimized to 333 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque. A mechanical limited-slip differential helps transfer the power to the track surface, along with race-tuned ABS, DSC and traction control.
Four-pot calipers up front and two-pot calipers in the rear shave off speed for the corner and are packed inside the 18-inch alloys, with KW dampers and H&R suspension components. Inside there's a six-point racing harness and Recaro bucket surrounded by an FIA-certified roll cage, and customers can even have an extra seat installed to take passengers for ride-alongs. All of which can be yours for €59,500.00 - equivalent to $82k at today's rates, before taxes.

These are the top luxury cars bought by people entering the segment for the first time

Let's say you just got a big promotion at work or the kids are moving out of the house, and you finally have some extra money. You decide to blow it all at once and treat yourself by upgrading your ride. Naturally, you look to a luxury automaker. What do you choose?
Models like the Audi A3 and Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class may be tailor-made to introduce buyers to the premium segment, but a new study finds that they don't garner the highest rates of non-luxury customer conquests. It turns out that a Volvo leads among folks moving up to a premium brand, and it isn't even one that's made anymore, at that.
A recent study by Polk and IHS Automotive looked at what models had the highest rates of buyers upgrading from a non-luxury segment. The information comes from its new vehicle registration data through April 2014. All ten top models boasted conquest rates of over 50 percent, but the Volvo C70 led the field with 68.01 percent of its customers coming from non-premium brands.

The 2014 Alpina B4 Bi-Turbo Cabrio powers up luxury and speed

The BMW specialists at Alpina know how to exploit a niche when they see one. With the BMW M4 still not technically official, it saw the need for a higher performance four-seat convertible than the 435i 'vert. Enter the new B4 Bi-Turbo Cabrio that is debuting at the Geneva Motor Show.
The European-exclusive model takes BMW's 3.0-liter, twin-turbocharged inline-6 and massages it up to 410 horsepower and 442 pound-feet of torque, which is less power but more twist than the M4 would give buyers. Alpina's tend to be built more as quick, luxurious grand tourers, and the B4 Bi-Turbo gets is no different with an adaptive sport suspension and an eight-speed automatic. Plus it wears the classic pinstripes and 21-spoke wheels that are the brand's design hallmarks.
While the added weight for the convertible means that the Cabrio takes 4.5 seconds to reach 62 miles per hour, about a half-second slower than the coupe, at the moment it is the only way to get this kind of performance in a BMW convertible. Orders for the convertible open in March in Europe and prices in Germany start at 74,800 euros ($102,878 at today's conversion rates).