2006 Bmw 525i Base Sedan 4-door 3.0l on 2040-cars

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BMW CS reinterpretation proves retro can be sexy [w/video]

Designer David Obendorfer doesn't work for BMW, but perhaps the German automaker should give him a call. His CS Vintage Concept shows a singular ability to understand the brand's classic style and reinterpret it for today. He isn't some amateur, either. Obendorfer has an industrial design degree and has been penning the interiors and exteriors of yachts from the Officina Italiana Design for five years, which counts luxury shipbuilders like Riva and Sanlorenzo among its clients. His website shows a real passion and knack for modernizing '60s and '70s European cars, too.
Obendorfer prefers to reimagine classic automotive styles. "Retro cars are not copies of their predecessors or renovated specimens, rather they are carefully studied reconsiderations, strongly rooted in contemporary style," he tells Autoblog. For the CS Vintage Concept, he worked to update the looks of the seminal BMW 2000CS and its E9 chassis while placing them on a modern platform. Obendorfer's inspiration comes from his belief that the later CS models' design is partially responsible for defining BMW styling, with its shark-nose front and four round headlights.
The CS Vintage Concept's shape starts with a jutting hood and a quartet of LED headlights, but the whole design really comes together in profile. The Hofmeister Kink at the rear pillar with the BMW Roundel is a nice nod to the originals, yet the proportions still find the perfect fusion of classic and modern. The interior is minimalist, with a vast expanse of wood for the dashboard at first glance, but the latter opens to expose the car's infotainment system.

2017 BMW M760i xDrive is an M and a 7, but not an M7

It's still not a proper M7, but the BMW M760i has a lot to offer. For one, it comes with BMW's silky smooth, 6.6-liter V12, good for 600 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque. It looks elegant, even in its Geneva Motor Show-spec shade of matte gray. In terms of baller status Bimmers, this is top-shelf stuff. Or is it? As I discussed in the earlier M760i post, the newly announced Alpina B7 xDrive has just as much power, is quicker to accelerate, and will run to a higher top speed. No, it doesn't come with that awesome V12, but it's a frickin' Alpina, complete with those super rad 21-inch wheels. But I digress. The M760i xDrive (that's all-wheel drive) is quite a beast to behold, and I'm sure it'll stack up nicely with the Mercedes-Benz S600s and Audi A8 W12s of the world. Check it out in the galleries above and below. View 18 Photos The All-New 2017 BMW M760i xDrive. - Superb performance and exceptional luxury combined. - The allure of the most powerful BMW V12 production engine. - First BMW 7 Series M Performance Automobile. Today, BMW announced the all-new BMW M760i xDrive, the latest addition to the BMW M Performance line-up. With the introduction of the 2017 BMW M760i xDrive, the sixth generation BMW 7 Series adds the first M Performance TwinPower Turbo 12-cylinder to its offerings. The all-new BMW M760i xDrive combines luxurious driving, style, safety and innovative technologies while embodying M Performance dynamics with the integration of the first 12-cylinder gasoline engine with M Performance Twin Power Turbo technology. The BMW M760i xDrive will arrive early in 2017 and MRSP will be announced closer to launch. The allure of the most powerful BMW V12 production engine. The M Performance TwinPower Turbo 12-cylinder gasoline engine in the new BMW M760i xDrive has a displacement of 6,592 cc, developing 600 hp (preliminary figure) at 5,500 rpm and peak torque of 590 lb-ft from as low as 1,500 rpm. These performance figures enable the luxury sedan to accelerate from 0 to 62 mph in just 3.9 seconds (preliminary figure) and on to a governed top speed of 155 mph. During the development of the all-aluminum block, the engineers focused on maximizing rigidity while also minimizing weight. Using a closed- deck construction combined with bolts holding the cylinder head down on the bed plate of the crankcase, the engine ensures maximum stability on the cylinder liners.

Tesla exec calls rival EVs 'little more than appliances'

Tesla's Vice President of Business Development Diarmuid O'Connell called the company's competition "little more than appliances" at the Center for Automotive Research's Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City, MI yesterday. "In essence, [mainstream automakers] delivered little more than appliances," O' Connell said. "Now, appliances are useful. But they tend to be white. They tend to be unemotional." According to Automotive News, O'Connell's main critique is that vehicles like the Nissan Leaf and BMW i3 don't deliver enough performance or range to draw the attention of consumers outside of a small group. The solution, in O'Connell's mind, is more power, more range, more excitement and a lower price – that last point is particularly rich coming from an automaker whose cheapest current offering, the Model S 60, costs $66,000 – although the cheaper Model 3 is on the horizon, way out there, somewhere. But some EVs are better than none, O'Connell added. "On balance, I'm happier that [traditional automakers are] doing these cars than not," O'Connell said. "I just wish they would do them better and faster." O'Connell also used his appearance at the Management Briefing Seminars to launch a volley at the Michigan legislature, blaming its opposition to Tesla's direct-sales model for the lack of available EVs in the Wolverine State. "I think if the Michigan Legislature would allow Tesla to sell cars in Michigan, we could probably address [the lack of available electric cars]," O'Connell said. Related Video: