2012 Bmw 5-series 528i Xdrive Clear Title, Not Salvage on 2040-cars

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BMW M3 gets throwback livery for Oktoberfest [w/video]

BMW is ringing in Oktoberfest this year with the special M3 you see here. The performance sedan has been done up in a retro livery that harkens back one of the BMW M1 Procars from 1981, and was even designed by the same artist responsible for the original 34 years ago. But you'll have to go to Munich to see it. To understand the significance of the livery, you first have to know something about the BMW M1 Procar. The spec racing series was formed in 1979 around the M1, the legendary mid-engined sports car designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro and co-developed with Lamborghini. The road-going M1 models used in the series were modified for racing with more powerful engines, more aggressive aero, and other competition-spec components, and were driven by many F1 drivers in support races at European grands prix. Some even competed against other entries in broader races. Many of the cars featured liveries with BMW's signature red, dark blue, and light blue stripes, but others ran more unique color schemes. The "Munchner Wirte" (Munich hosts) car was one such example, running at Le Mans with a custom livery designed and hand-painted by artist Walter Maurer. It featured Munich landmarks like the Olympic Stadium, Frauenkirche church and BMW's headquarters, along with a roast-chestnut vendor and an Oktoberfest beer tent. 34 years later, Maurer has applied the same livery to the M3 you see here. It'll be displayed at this year's Oktoberfest, which kicks off this weekend in – you guessed it – Munich. As if we needed another excuse to visit Europe in the fall and swill some of the world's finest beers by the liter. Check out the video below for BMW's official welcome to Oktoberfest visitors. Oktoberfest date for one-off BMW M3 "Munchner Wirte". Munich. BMW M GmbH is set to unveil a BMW M3 in "Munchner Wirte" livery to coincide with this year's Oktoberfest in Munich (19 September – 4 October). The one-off car will underscore the company's ties with motor sport in general and the city of Munich in particular. The livery design of the BMW M3 "Munchner Wirte" harks back to that of the legendary BMW M1 Procar from 1981, complete with Bavarian-style facade painting and blue and white twisted cords, along with depictions of Munich landmarks (such as the Olympic Stadium, Siegestor, Frauenkirche church and BMW's headquarters – the "four-cylinder" building), a roast chestnut seller and the Wiesn-Schanke beer tent at the Oktoberfest.

What happens when you take an engineer sliding in a BMW i8

The BMW i8 is a pretty impressive car, and a highly visible one at that. It's a great brand ambassador, but not just for BMW. It's really no surprise that Formula E chose it as the safety car from the electric racing series. And, for its duties at tracks around the word, the i8 safety car got some slick upgrades, including wireless charging capabilities courtesy of Qualcomm. It's not your regular, cut-and-dry technology presentation. In the video below, Qualcomm engineers explain a little bit about what they do to enhance electric vehicles. But it's not your regular, cut-and-dry technology presentation. The engineers are forced to answer questions about Qualcomm's technology while riding along in the BMW i8 Qualcomm Safety Car driven by none other than Formula E driver Nelson Piquet, Jr. Sure, riding shotgun for hot laps at Donnington Park in an i8 sounds like a lot of fun, but these guys have a job to do, and Mr. Piquet isn't making it easy for them. The Qualcomm guys talk about taking technology and beefing it up for automotive use, explain the benefits of wireless charging and discuss some other stuff that's hard to pay attention to while watching the i8 get totally sideways in a smoky powerslide. See for yourself in the video below. If you miss something, don't worry; Qualcomm provides more explanation about its automotive technologies at its website, including safety, communication and, of course, inductive charging.

BMW 1 Series sedan prepares to fight Mercedes CLA, Audi A3

The entry-level premium sedan segment is pretty hot right now, with the Audi A3 and Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class doing well for their respective automakers here in the US. Of course, BMW has its 2 Series, but that's currently only available as a coupe, with a convertible bodystyle forthcoming. That all looks to change, however, as our spies recently caught BMW testing a four-door 1 Series sedan that seems to have the A3 and CLA clear in its sight.
BMW's entry-level four-door is expected to ride on the same front-wheel-drive UKL platform that we recently spied in Mini Countryman form. We're pretty sure this thing will launch under the 1 Series line (odds for sedans and wagons, evens for coupes and convertibles), but it's anyone's guess with BMW - after all, the five-door, front-drive Active Tourer wears a 2 Series nameplate.
Look for the 1 Series sedan to launch sometime in 2016 as a 2017 model. Better late than never in the entry-lux segment, we suppose.