2003 Bmw M3 Base Convertible 2-door 3.2l on 2040-cars

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BMW i3 with range extender won't get all the EV tax benefits in NJ

Everyone loves that new-car smell, but not everyone loves that new-car tax. And whoever in New Jersey thought the extended-range version of the BMW i3 plug-in would be exempt from said tax was sorely mistaken, Green Car Reports says. To paraphrase the Garden State's favorite son, Bruce Springsteen, the first kick those drivers will take is when they hit the ground. BMW said last year that the BMW REx would qualify for new-car tax exemptions in New Jersey and in Washington State. The car's all-electric range was recently estimated at 72 miles and it has another 87 miles of gas-powered range-extended capability. Unfortunately, the range extender not only tacks on $3,850 to the car's sticker price but adds on almost that much again because New Jersey's seven-percent sales tax applies to all cars with any sort of gas-powered engine. BMW didn't respond to a request for comment about the New Jersey situation from AutoblogGreen. In other New Jersey electric vehicle news, the Consumer Affairs Committee of the New Jersey State Assembly will discuss the legality of Tesla selling directly to consumbers tomorrow. The extended-range i3 is involved in a different issue on the other side of the country. BMW said earlier this year that the REx would qualify for California's white zero-emission vehicle stickers that allow for solo access to high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes. These unlimited white stickers can go on any EV, but the REx version only qualifies for the green stickers, which are designated for plug-in hybrids and extended-range plug-ins and the state has run out of those.

Bimmerfest puts BMW's heritage on display and in motion

The typical Memorial Day weekend is celebrated with family and friends and plenty of food, but for thousands of BMW fans it was spent at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, CA, for the 17th annual Bimmerfest. The event expanded significantly in the last few years with a move to the massive racetrack complex outside Los Angeles in 2016, and a second day was added this year. The celebration of the Roundel is the largest of its kind, boasting 4,000 cars and 10,000 people in attendance. There's something for just about every type of owner. For those wanting serious time behind the wheel, the oval and road course were open to hot laps, and there was the Bimmer Challenge race from Speed Ventures. An autocross course was set up in an adjacent parking lot. Those wanting to compete in less dynamic fashion had a Battle of the Bimmers car show, and the Heritage Corral and Centennial Corral put the century-long history of the brand on display. Perhaps our favorite part of the event was the BMW Fan Zone display, which showcased a few of the company's most iconic contemporary racecars. A V8-powered 2001 BMW M3 GTR and a McLaren F1 GTR sporting a BMW-developed V12 provided some fond memories of their historic on-track endeavors. If you missed Bimmerfest 2016 then you can check out our massive photo gallery above, and for those of you on the East Coast there will be a Bimmerfest East at Raceway Park in Englishtown, NJ, from July 30-31. Visit www.bimmerfest.com for more details. Related Video: Featured Gallery Bimmerfest 2016 View 80 Photos Image Credit: Copyright 2016 Drew Phillips / AOL Design/Style BMW Classics

2014 BMW M235i is your Diet M4

Alongside its big brothers, the M3 and M4, the new M235i was rolled out by BMW at the Detroit Auto Show today as the sportiest member of the 2 Series range. The sharp two-door is the replacement for the current 1 Series, meaning the M235i is more or less the equivalent of the old 135is. Underhood sits BMW's venerable 3.0-liter, turbocharged inline six-cylinder engine, complete with 322 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque. Power is, naturally, sent to the rear wheels via either a six-speed manual or an eight-speed automatic, allowing the M235i to hit 62 miles per hour in 4.8 seconds when optioned with the automatic. Prices start at $43,100, meaning the M235i should give the $47,450 Mercedes-Benz CLA45 AMG a real challenge in terms of cluck for the buck, provided a second set of doors isn't needed. We've got a full gallery of live images from the floor of the 2014 Detroit Auto Show, along with the stock gallery and BMW's press release from our original post on the 2 Series. Scroll up for the former and down for the latter. The All-New BMW 2 Series Coupe A new dimension for The Ultimate Driving Machine Woodcliff Lake, N.J. – October 24, 2013 – 6:00pm EDT/3:00pm PDT. . . BMW today announced the introduction of an entirely new model series with the introduction of the all-new BMW 2 Series Coupe. This new take on The Ultimate Driving MachineTM will arrive in the US in the first quarter of 2014 as the 228i and the M235i. The BMW M235i, the first M Performance Automobile offered in the US, includes an impressive list of performance enhancing features. This successor to the successful 1 Series Coupe will continue the decades-long tradition of premium sub-compact coupes with impeccable driving dynamics when it makes its world debut at the North American International Auto Show in January 2014. The 2014 BMW 2 Series Coupe will be offered at a Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price of $33,025 for the 228i and $44,025 for the M235i, including $925 destination and handling.