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BMW 2 Series to wear 230i, M240i nameplates

BMW might not be done tweaking its naming scheme quite yet. Of course, at this point, the jumble of numbers on the back of the Bavarian models has no connection to what's under the hood. So there's not much reason to stop changing the monikers now.
As Autoblog reported a few months ago, BMW is slotting upgraded, turbocharged four- and six-cylinder engines called the B48 and B58, respectively, into the 3 and 4 Series. If this happens, the 328i/428i would become the 330i/430i, and the 335i/435i would turn into the 340i/440i.
Obviously, this change hasn't happened yet, but the same member of 2Addicts, a portion of the larger Bimmerpost community has now claimed that the 228i and M235i would get the same treatment. They would become the 230i and M240i, respectively, with the new engines.

Watch the next BMW M5 slide its way around the Nurburgring

By now, you've probably seen the spy photos of the next BMW M5 – we posted three sets of camouflaged cars last year. Now comes recently captured video showing three camouflaged examples – including the car shown in our June 2015 photos – lapping Germany's famed Nurburgring. The (obvious) advantage of video when looking at prototypes like this is that we can actually see the vehicle in motion. That allows us to make a couple of educated guesses, particularly when it comes to the rumors about the next M5 moving to an all-wheel-drive setup. In the video, we can clearly see the next super-sedan throw its tail out around a bend. Judging by the way the driver takes the turn and the change in engine note, it looks and sounds like the driver was actively trying to throw the tail out. That could point to a rear-drive layout, or at the very least an AWD setup with a heavy rear-wheel bias. Beyond seeing the M5 sliding about, we also get to hear its thumping, twin-turbo heart at work. It's widely expected BMW's popular 4.4-liter, twin-turbo V8 will carry on under the hood, and this video gives us absolutely zero reason to think otherwise. It sounds a lot like the current car, down to the abrupt upshifts of the seven-speed, dual-clutch transmission. According to the video's caption, that upgraded V8 should get around a 60-horsepower bump, which would put it around 620 hp. That's 20 ponies more than the 30th Anniversary car and would contradict a June 2015 report claiming that M was capping its cars at 600 hp. Related Video:

Morgan Plus 8 Speedster hits the track versus BMW R Nine T

Evo is back at it with its car-versus-bike races, following up on the all-British Jaguar/Triumph battle from last weekend with an (almost) all-BMW affair, pitting the German brand's stylish and vintage-looking R Nine T against the British-built, BMW-powered Morgan Plus 8 Speedster. Unlike last week's battle, though, we're guessing this contest will be quite a bit more even. See, the F-Type had 380 horsepower and plenty of body fat to haul about. The Morgan, though, is nearly as powerful (367 ponies) and is far lighter, at around 2,200 pounds. The BMW, meanwhile, isn't quite the track star that the lightweight Triumph Street Triple R. You'll need to check out the video to see whether two wheels or four wheels will prevail. Have a look. News Source: EVO via YouTube BMW Convertible Motorcycle Performance Videos evo