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History of BMW touring cars looks splendid in Adrenalin trailer

More high-quality documentaries about the history of motorsports are always welcome. When thinking about racing, we generally focus on moving forward to go a little faster or shave a tenth of a second off a lap. There's not much time to look backward. It's too bad, because there are so many fantastic stories from the sport's history. Thankfully, an upcoming doc is taking on the challenge of telling some of these tales, and it looks like a movie not to miss, especially for BMW fans.
Adrenalin - The BMW Touring Car Story mixes high-quality, vintage footage with new interviews from many of the drivers of these machines to craft what looks like a fantastic experience. Covering the period from the '60s to the modern DTM era, just the trailer shows racing from the 2002, 3.0 CSL and of course the E30 chassis M3 of the '80s. You also get to hear from legends behind the wheel like Hans-Joachim Stuck, Johnny Cecotto and Joachim Winkelhock telling their stories.
Adrenalin comes out in November on DVD, Blu-Ray and on-demand. Check out its trailer above for a taste at what it's aiming for. The documentary definitely looks like one to watch.

Car technology I'm thankful and unthankful for

The past few years have seen a surge of tech features in new vehicles — everything from cloud-based content to semi-autonomous driving. While some of it makes the driving experience better, not all tech is useful or well thought out. Automakers who are adept at drivetrains, ride quality and in-cabin comforts often fail at infotainment interfaces and connectivity. From testing dozens of vehicles each year and in the spirit of gratitude, here are three car tech features I'm thankful — and a trio I could live without. Thanks Connected search: This seems like a no-brainer since everyone already has it on their smartphones, but not all automakers include it in the dashboard and as part of their nav systems. The best ones, such as Toyota Entune, leverage a driver's connected device to search for a range of services and don't charge a subscription or require a separate data plan for the car. I also like how systems like Chrysler Uconnect use Yelp or other apps to find everything from coffee to gas stations and allow searching via voice recognition. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto: It took two of the largest tech companies to get in-dash infotainment right. While they have their disadvantages (you're forced to use Apple Maps with CarPlay, for example), the two smartphone-integration platforms make it easier and safer to use their respective native apps for phoning, messaging, music and more behind the wheel by transferring a familiar UI to the dashboard — with no subscription required. Heated seats and steering wheels: I really appreciate these simple but pleasant features come wintertime. It's easy to get spoiled by bun-warmers on frosty mornings and using a heated steering wheel to warm the cold hands. I recently tested a 2018 Mercedes-Benz E400 Coupe that also had heated armrest that added to a cozy luxury experience. Bonus points for brands like Buick that allow setting seat heaters to turn on when the engine is remotely started. No thanks Automaker infotainment systems: Automakers have probably poured millions into creating their own infotainment systems, with the result largely being frustration on the part of most car owners. And Apple CarPlay and Android Auto coming along to make them obsolete. While some automaker systems, such as Toyota Entune and FCA's Uconnect, are easy and intuitive to use, it seems that high-end systems (I'm looking at you BMW iDrive and Mercedes-Benz COMAND) are the most difficult.

Hyundai poaches another BMW M exec to run high-performance N division

Hyundai has poached a third executive for its N high-performance division from the ranks of BMW's M department. Thomas Schemera, a 31-year BMW veteran, will head the High Performance Vehicle & Motorsport Division that Hyundai just inaugurated on March 1. Schemera's job will be to "oversee strategy, product planning, sales and marketing for the new division." He will make the most of the transfer from Hyundai Motorsport to the road cars developed by the N division, and work to boost the brand. Schemera has the same boss at N that he did at M: Albert Biermann, the first M exec Hyundai snagged in 2015. After Biermann came Fayez Abdul Rahman, installed at the Genesis brand, who had previously developed platforms for the BMW 7 Series, X models, and M vehicles. Rahman spent the last phase of his BMW tenure in charge of M Equipment, M Sport Packages, and BMW Individual. Although he's undoubtedly busy with his VP job in charge of Genesis architecture development, we hear Hyundai plans to develop some kind of "N Sport" appearance and performance items for release later this year — a middle step in the same vein as M Sport and Audi S-line — and Rahman could certainly help. Schemera brings proven chops when it comes to moving standard and specialty hi-po offerings; as VP in charge of sales and dealer development in China, Schemera oversaw a four-fold increase in BMW and M sales in the four years from 2005-2008. He ended his run as head of BMW M and BMW Individual in the Americas. Although there's but one N product for sale now, the slate is full, and Hyundai looks ready to spend the time and money to seize every opportunity. BMW on the other hand, might soon turn into that tormented significant other regarding its M personnel: "So ... why did you let Hyundai like your Instagram post? Do you like Hyundai? Do you follow them back?!" Related Video: Featured Gallery 2019 Hyundai Veloster N: Detroit 2018 View 16 Photos Image Credit: Drew Phillips / Autoblog Auto News BMW Hyundai Performance bmw m albert biermann