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Review: 2013 BMW M3 Coupe Lime Rock Park Edition

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, BMW, New Car Reviews, Luxury

Sic Transit Gloria

2013 BMW M3 Lime Rock Park Edition

I like difficult cars. I like turbo “moments,” dramatic weight distribution, low-grip, peaky power delivery, and overly quick steering, along with ultra-short wheelbases and any number of other non-racecar-perfect dynamic foibles. I love the newest generation of BMW cars and engines – all turbo’d up with tons of torque and power everywhere in the rev range, too. But what I think the enthusiast community will miss when this 2013 M3 Coupe becomes the 2014 M4 Coupe – replacing its idiosyncratic, small-displacement, revvy V8 for something like a triple-turbo, directly injected, inline six-cylinder powerhouse in the process – is the work it takes to drive the car fast and perfectly. Sometimes small flaws just make things better; my mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun, and all that.

The idea of this E92 M3 going away then, magnified by the loss of the M3 badge for the coupe, is at best bittersweet for me. This generation of M car is already surpassed in terms of raw thrills by the better-than-ever Mercedes-Benz C63, a car that doesn’t ask its driver to sacrifice low-end grunt or the very latest in amenities in return for stellar backroad performance. Yet any time I’ve been lucky enough to lap a track in the M3, it has quickly become clear that the Bimmer is the better on-edge tool. With the freedom to wring the neck of the 4.0-liter V8 and room to exercise the lovely balance of the car, the E92 is hard to match (even six years after its debut).

Still, when the 2013 BMW M3 Coupe Lime Rock Park Edition rolled into my driveway, its Fire Orange bodywork flashing over gloss-black 19-inch rolling stock, the car had me a little crossed up. BMW has been tossing out special edition M3s for the last few years now, all asking thousands of dollars extra for the limited production-run vehicles. I knew that the LRP was more than a mere trim and tape package, but would it be an appropriate send off for a spectacularly departing sports car legend, or just $10,000 down the drain where a stock M3 Coupe would have happily sufficed?

Continue reading 2013 BMW M3 Coupe Lime Rock Park Edition

2013 BMW M3 Coupe Lime Rock Park Edition originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 25 Jul 2013 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Seinfeld and Chris Rock laugh it up in a Lamborghini Miura

Filed under: Classics, Coupe, Performance, Videos, Lamborghini, Celebrities, Humor

Jerry Seinfeld and Chris Rock get pulled over by police officer in Lamborghini Miura - video screencap

Jerry Seinfeld has featured many beautiful cars and hilarious comedians in his Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee web series, but this latest episode might top them all. (To his credit, it feels like we’ve been saying that a lot lately). In this video, Seinfeld snags the keys to a 1969 Lamborghini Miura and picks up funnyman Chris Rock.

Not surprisingly, Seinfeld says the Miura is “the most beautiful car ever designed,” and he shows how fast it can be, too. After stopping for lunch and a conversation with Rock, Seinfeld gets an unexpected chat with one of New Jersey’s Finest. There are plenty of laughs, but the Lamborghini and its long eyelashes steal the light in this episode. Check it out below.

Continue reading Seinfeld and Chris Rock laugh it up in a Lamborghini Miura

Seinfeld and Chris Rock laugh it up in a Lamborghini Miura originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 18 Jul 2013 19:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Followup: KISS-themed Mini Countryman one-offs rock on to eBay Motors for charity

Filed under: Car Buying, Auctions, Mini, Celebrities

kiss custom mini countryman

KISS and Mini create custom Countryman models for charity – Click above for high-res image gallery

Ready for your garage to rock and roll all night and party every day? Break out your checkbook. Mini has teamed up with legendary rock group KISS to create a quartet of customized Countryman crossovers for charity. Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer have applied their trademark style to the exterior of four examples of the 2011 Mini Countryman.

The vehicles, which debuted at the New York Auto Show, each have their own auction listing on eBay Motors, and the proceeds from these auctions will be donated to UNICEF. The organization is working hard to raise money for children affected by the recent disasters in Japan.

These customized ~~Countrymen~~ ~~Countrymans~~ cars aren’t wearing decals. Each vehicle was hand painted by a group of BMW employees who provided the artwork while off the clock. The four vehicles have been named after the members of KISS they mimic; Starchild, The Demon, Spaceman and Catman.

The full press release is located after the jump, and you can check out all four Mini Countryman custom cars in the gallery below.

Continue reading KISS-themed Mini Countryman one-offs rock on to eBay Motors for charity

KISS-themed Mini Countryman one-offs rock on to eBay Motors for charity originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 01 Jun 2011 17:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Geneva 2011: Rolls-Royce 102EX Concept is going to rock down to Electric Avenue

Filed under: Concept Cars, Sedan, Geneva Motor Show, Technology, Rolls-Royce, Electric, Luxury

Rolls-Royce 102EX Concept

Rolls-Royce 102EX Concept – Click above for high-res image gallery

The electric car has come of age. How do we know? Well, see for yourself. Rolls-Royce, perhaps the most iconic of classic luxury marques, has stepped firmly into the EV waters with the 102EX Concept. According to CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös, this machine was created to help the company “[seek] clarity on which technology may be suitable to drive Rolls-Royce motor cars of the future.”

We’d imagine a nice big diesel engine (perhaps fueled with a biodiesel blend) would work just fine and dandy, but electric drive is certainly a workable option, as well. Apparently, the 102EX, which is apparently also known as the Phantom Experimental Electric, will be used throughout 2011 as a test bed to shuttle… well, whomever Rolls-Royce deems worthy of transport. It won’t, however, be made into a production vehicle.

The Phantom Experimental Electric started life as a run-of-the-mill Rolls-Royce Phantom from which the 6.75-liter engine and six-speed automatic gearbox were removed and replaced with a pair of electric motors putting out 145 kilowatts each. That thrust is sufficient to send the 6,000-pound EV to 60 miles per hour in “under eight seconds.”

More impressive is the battery pack, which is comprised of 96 individual cells assembled (on purpose, we gather) to resemble the shape of the original engine and transmission. Rolls-Royce believes its 338-volt, 71-kWh unit is the largest battery ever fitted to a road car. Also of note is the inductive charging technology that eschews an actual plug in favor of a charging mat on the ground and an inductive mat on the underside of the vehicle that wirelessly recharges the battery. A plug also exists where the fuel filler normally resides.

Naturally, there’s an exhaustive press release pasted after the break. Be sure to check out our high-res image gallery of live photos below, and pay special attention to the clear Spirit of Ecstasy that is illuminated in blue light.

Gallery: Rolls-Royce 102EX Concept: Geneva 2011

Continue reading Geneva 2011: Rolls-Royce 102EX Concept is going to rock down to Electric Avenue

Geneva 2011: Rolls-Royce 102EX Concept is going to rock down to Electric Avenue originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 02 Mar 2011 06:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Chevrolet gives Kid Rock custom Camaro for his 40th birthday

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Etc., Videos, Chevrolet, Celebrities

Kid Rock Camaro

Kid Rock receives a Camaro for his birthday – Click above to watch video after the jump

Chevrolet and NASCAR racer Jimmie Johnson teamed up to make Kid Rock’s recent birthday party one the Detroit city rocker will likely never forget. During the singer’s 40th birthday celebration concert, Johnson presented Rock a brand-new Chevrolet Camaro on behalf of the Bow Tie brand. You know, because if there’s anyone who can’t afford to buy his own car, it’s Kid Rock. Sarcasm aside, Rock seemed genuinely surprised and grateful for the gift, even going so far as to ask if he was being punked.

No, sir. That’s the rest of us.

Ironically, the birthday celebration concert that Kid threw himself was being held at Ford Field. The one-off Camaro also came with special graphics slathered over the hood, doors and back glass, as well as a personalized “BADASS” license plate. We couldn’t make this stuff up if we tried. You can hit the jump to see a video of the gift-giving for yourself.

[Sources: YouTube, Yahoo Sports]

Continue reading Video: Chevrolet gives Kid Rock custom Camaro for his 40th birthday

Video: Chevrolet gives Kid Rock custom Camaro for his 40th birthday originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 13:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Ever seen a V24 diesel rock the dyno?

Filed under: Etc., Videos, Diesel

V24 Detroit Diesel

24-cylinder Detroit Diesel madness: Click above to watch the video after the jump

Want to see something really crazy? How about a 24-cylinder Detroit Diesel engine with twelve giant blowers, all polished up and ready for its new assignment. For what it’s worth, its previous assignment was providing the motive force necessary to spin the propeller of a ocean-going yacht.

And its new assignment? Nestled tightly within the confines of a Peterbilt semi truck, mated up to an Allison transmission of some sort and mounted on a custom-built 40-foot-long chassis. Sounds pretty epic to us, and we’re thinking that 3,424 horsepower (our feeble brains are telling us it should have well over 5,000 pound-feet of torque…) ought to be just about enough.

And the man behind the madness? That would be Big Mike, the burly bearded millionaire you can read about in detail right here. Nicely done, Mr. Harrah. Hit the jump to see a video of this ridiculous piece of machinery make its first dyno run.

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading Video: Ever seen a V24 diesel rock the dyno?

Video: Ever seen a V24 diesel rock the dyno? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 30 Nov 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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