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BMW M4 pitted against i8 in drag race

Germany's Auto Bild has set up a very intriguing drag race to settle not just an inter-brand rivalry within BMW but a question of the old school versus the latest tech. The BMW M4 is a leader among the traditional sports coupes with a turbocharged inline-six spinning the rear wheels, but the M has to tackle the cutting-edge i8 with its turbocharged three-cylinder augmented with electric drive. See what happens when they go head to head. Even on paper, the race looks quite close. The i8 weighs about 300 pounds less than the M4 and also slightly nudges it out on net torque at 420 pound-feet versus 406 lb-ft. Also in some shots, the pavement looks just a little bit damp here, which would benefit the i8's all-wheel drive setup. However, the M-car has a healthy horsepower advantage with 425 hp against the hybrid's 357 hp. The race commences after a short introduction. Watch and see whether the traditional tech or latest layout wins the day. Related Gallery 2015 BMW M4 Coupe: First Drive View 38 Photos Related Gallery 2015 BMW i8: First Drive View 62 Photos News Source: Auto Bild TV via YouTubeImage Credit: Related images Copyright 2014 Michael Harley, Drew Phillips / AOL Green BMW Coupe Hybrid Performance Videos drag race race bmw m4

BMW Films are on the way back [w/videos]

The BMW Films series caused a stir in 2001 and 2002 by combining top-quality cinematography, Hollywood names and driving excitement to sell its sporty wares in a whole new way. By arriving five years before YouTube, they ranked as some of the earliest viral videos on the internet. By now, these sorts of films are almost commonplace, but back when BMW hit upon the idea, the idea of brand-integrated short films on the internet was still a novelty. Now, for the first time in over a decade, the German automaker is planning on bringing back BMW Films for a new season.
Trudy Hardy, BMW North America Vice President of Marketing, announced the series' return at the 2014 Automotive News World Congress in Detroit, according to Ad Age. However, neither the German brand nor Anonymous Content, the original production company, have been willing to comment further on when the new videos are coming.
The original series of eight films starred Clive Owen as the Driver (back then, Owen was largely unknown to American audiences), a mercenary who would take a variety of jobs and always drive a BMW. David Fincher executive produced the first season and directors included top names like John Frankenheimer, Ang Lee and Guy Ritchie. All of the second season movies had Owen driving a Z4, but in our estimation, the quality had fallen off a bit compared to the outstanding first season.

BMW Z4 and Toyota Supra replacement spied in the snow

The new BMW Z4 and Toyota Supra will be the fruit of a marriage of convenience, born from the former's chassis and powertrain expertise and the latter's giant coffers full of money. The final product, spied testing in frigid temperatures in parts unknown, will have specific bodies depending on which brand it carries, so it won't be a simple rebadging exercise. This mule sports a softtop, rather than a retractable hardtop like the existing Z4. Whether this represents a final decision about what type of roof will be fitted to the production model is unclear. What we have heard, repeatedly, is that the chassis and the entire driveline will be pure BMW for both models, and that the main difference will be brand-specific sheetmetal. There are even rumors that an all-wheel-drive version will be available, or that the model will be available as a hybrid using Toyota's expertise in that arena. It's been a long wait since the memorandum of understanding that lead to the mule you see above was signed in 2012, and we had expected an announcement that the roadster would go into production by the end of 2015, but that time has come and gone. Perhaps we'll find out more at one of the upcoming auto shows. Geneva is coming up in March, after all.