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Behind the scenes of BMW's 'Driftmob' [w/videos]

All this, for one minute and 47 seconds of action-packed footage with no official plot.
We arrive in Cape Town, South Africa, on the third and final practice day for the drivers of a BMWStories internet video called The Epic Driftmob feat. BMW M235i. We are immediately whisked to a large, empty parking lot on the outskirts of Cape Town, where tires are squealing and chunks of rubber are flying as five red BMW M235i coupes churn up more smoke than a California wildfire. And the smell - it smells like heated metal, the kind of thing rev limiters are made for. Times five.

Wunderlich creates two-wheel-drive hybrid BMW motorcycle

Two wheel-drive motorcycles aren\\\\\\'t new, but more mainstream and niche companies are now dabbling in the technology. German aftermarket shop Wunderlich is the latest, creating the two-wheel drive BMW R1200GS LC by placing a 7.6-kilowatt hub motor on the front wheel. Wunderlich worked with Italian company Evolt on the innovation, good for 12 miles per hour by itself without the help of the boxer-powered rear wheel. Regenerative braking energy is stored in a small battery pack under the motorcycle\\\\\\'s front beak. Powered action works in forward, as well as in reverse up to three miles per hour. The rider is able to choose direction with a toggle switch in the cockpit. Wunderlich hasn\\\\\\'t said yet how power to the front wheel is controlled or if it is simply always fully on or off. It weighs 525 pounds, and has an allowable payload of another 467 pounds. Powering the front wheel, even with just 7.6 kW, would help move all that weight around in good conditions and could be a godsend in tough stuff out on the trail. Wunderlich showed off its creation at this year\\\\\\'s EICMA motorcycle show in Italy, we have a feeling some BMW owners will be waiting for word on production possibilities once the show is over. Related Video: Featured Gallery Wunderlich BMW R1200 GS LC News Source: EICMA via Asphalt and Rubber Green Misc. Auto Shows BMW Motorcycle Hybrid Off-Road Vehicles eicma bmw r1200gs

This Alpina C1 is a rare bit of BMW 3 Series history

Over its five decades in the business, German tuner-turned-automaker Alpina has established a long history of taking great BMWs and making them just a bit tastier, more luxurious, and well... faster. Of course, they haven't always been the land rockets of modern day, however that's not to say they were exactly tame. Back in the early 1980s, this was one of the cars to have—an Alpina C1 2.3. Based on the original E21 BMW 3-series, the C1 2.3 bridged the performance gap between the standard BMW 323i and Alpina's hard-charging B6 2.8. It summoned up a heady 170 horsepower and disposed of the 60 mph sprint in just seven and a half seconds. Not shabby at all. 33 years later, this '83 Alpina C1 is back up for sale , and it's still quite the head-turner. RELATED: Check Out the Hard-Charging 2016 Alpina B6 xDrive A look back at the C1's contemporary relatives show just how wide Alpina's performance gap had been. Introduced in 1977, the BMW 323i offered up 141 horsepower courtesy of BMW's famed M20 straight-six engine, a big performance improvement over the E21's previous four-cylinders. The Alpina B6 2.8 3-series on the other hand, introduced in 1978, blew its doors off thanks to the bigger 2.8-liter straight-six plucked from the BMW 528i, offering up 200 horsepower. All that, in an early 3-series. With that in mind, a middle-of-the-pack car made sense, so Alpina treated the 323i's straight-six to some of the B6 2.8's goodies, minus the former's Bosch fuel-injection system. Bilstein shocks were part of the diet too, along with oversized disc brakes, sleek alloy wheels, as well as the tell-tale Alpina front splitter, rear spoiler, and racy side-stripes. RELATED: The BMW Isetta is Coming Back, But as an Electric Vehicle! Inside, Alpina added a dose of luxury as well. One could order their C1 2.3 with the gorgeous optional Recaro seats with Alpina stripes, as well as a bespoke leather steering wheel, gear knob, and speedometer. Top speed? About 130 mph. Compared to regular E21 BMW 3-series cars, these are quite rare. How rare is a point of debate, however. Production estimates range from as few as 35 to as many as 400, depending on the source. Regardless, you certainly don't see them everyday, and if this one fits your fancy... it lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Related Video: This article originally appeared on Boldride.com. Aftermarket BMW Auctions Coupe Classics eBay alpina