Tag Archives: m performance

Check Out the BMW M5 Competition Package

There’s been a lot of news about the M5 Competition, but in case you missed it, we have you covered.

You can’t look at a new BMW without at least glancing over all the fantastic performance packages and accessories you can add on to your new car. The newest and perhaps the most exciting of these packages is the Competition Package for the new M5 sedan. Let’s take a look at the already-beefy M5 and what this package has to offer.

The BMW M5

This luxury sedan is already a beast even by BMW’s standards. The 4.4L twin-turbo V8 engine cranks out a whopping 600 horsepower and 553 lb.-ft. of torque. While the newest models may have lost some fans because of the automatic transmission with no manual option, there are still plenty of drivers waiting for the newest incarnation of this powerful little sedan to roll off the assembly line.

Right out of the factory, this car can make it from zero to 60 in 2.8 seconds and can pull a quarter-mile in 10.9 seconds at 129 miles per hour. It comes with all-wheel-drive but can easily be switched into rear-wheel-drive mode with the push of a button, though rear-wheel-drive does knock a couple of seconds off its 0-60 and quarter-mile times.

With adjustable suspension modes, this sedan is just as much at home on the track as it is during your morning commute.

The Competition Package

Adding a good engine treatment can be a great way to squeeze a few extra horses out of nearly any engine, even one as powerful as the V8 under the hood of the M5. If 600 horsepower just isn’t enough for you, though, waiting for the new Competition Package was the best thing you could have done.

This package adds 25 more horsepower and 37 extra lb.-ft. of torque to the already-powerful engine. It also includes a firmer suspension — which can still be adjusted to fit your driving needs — and y-spoke alloy wheels to stand up to any punishment on or off the track.

This package also includes a Sports Exhaust. While it isn’t going to be the full titanium exhaust used on older models, it will reportedly be louder and offer more cracks that the titanium pipes, so we’ll have to see how the Competition Package M5 sounds out on the track.

Of course, no BMW package is complete without its branding — and you’ll see that in the door sills, rear badging, logos and engine cover.

One thing this package doesn’t include is BMW’s carbon ceramic brakes, which came as a surprise to many fans. While you can still add these to your M5 for an additional cost, leaving them off does take roughly 50 pounds off the car’s overall weight. It’s entirely up to you.

You might find it’s totally worth the cost for a few extra ponies under the hood and some snazzy additions to an already-fantastic little sedan.

Alpina vs M … the battle of the performance super sedans

Many people ask… M versus Alpina.  BMW is releasing cars that seem to directly compete with each other.  Which would you rather have, an Alpina B6 versus a BMW M6?  Should you use BMW’s in-house performance division?  Or should you rely on an outside performance automaker to get your thrills in your four door super sedan?

The guys at MotorTrend paint a great picture explaining the difference between the two.

BMW at Monterey Car Week

Photos by Mitchell Weitzman and Daniel Blodgett.

There’s nothing quite like vintage, historic motor racing where one can see such storied, beautiful, and valuable machinery be used the way they were meant to. Having BMW as the featured marque at the Motorsports Reunion only added to the appeal.

Where else can you see so many amazing, rare BMW’s in one place? Fortunately for Bavarian aficionados, BMW was a featured marque at several major events at Monterey Car Week, celebrating the centenary of the storied brand. As a result, BMW’s by the hundreds flocked to the Monterey Peninsula to commemorate the week and their cars.  There’s always been a large attraction of BMW’s here every year, but never like this. DSC_2457

The Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca shows that nostalgia is not a shameful condition. It’s only natural to yearn for days past and to live in another era, especially when it has to do with cars. There’s nothing quite like vintage, historic motor racing where one can see such storied, beautiful, and valuable machinery be used the way they were meant to.  Having BMW as the featured marque at the Motorsports Reunion only added to the appeal.

DSC_0466With 3.0 CSL ‘Batmobile’s’ tangling on track with M1 Procars and 2002s, it’s a marvelous sensation. If you’ve never had the chance to hear a Procar in person, wringing out the M88, it’s pure majesty. If I could, I’d have the sound played at my wedding. BMW brought numerous racing cars from their past on display in the paddock as well, including a F1 GTR, V12 LMR, M3 GTR, and a Williams F1 car featuring a BMW V10.DSC_2273

Also on track throughout the week with the BMW’s were Ferrari GTOs, Porsche 911s, Group C madness, Can-Am, Trans Am, and also now in its second year at Laguna Seca, classic Formula 1 cars. With the price of admission comes unparalleled access to the paddock, where all the racing cars are on display for the fans between races. The drivers, crew members, and owners are all incredibly nice too, offering conversation to admiring spectators.

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Of course, the other, unofficial show are the parking lots. Anywhere you go, there’s exotic machinery. At Laguna, it was the BMW car corral inside the track. Elsewhere, be it on the streets in Carmel, or at the Embassy Suites, BMW’s were out in full force.

DSC_2467At the headline event, the Pebble Beach Concours D’elegance, classics ranging from original Mille Miglia-spec 328s to the exquisite Alexander Calder 3.0 CSL ‘art car’ were on display celebrating the brand along the coastal cliffs of scenic Pebble Beach. Seeing an old 328 in person, it’s every bit as elegant as a period Delahaye or Bugatti.

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For anyone who hasn’t gone, put it on your car-bucket list. You won’t regret it. Here are some photographic highlights of BMW’s through the week.

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Boris Said, along with Jonathan Edwards and Bill Auberlen, greeting fans.

DSC_0315 DSC_0318Anyone know the name of this color? It works brilliantly.

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A rare BMW M3 Lightweight. Stock on these are rising fast.

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Alpina stripes should be brought back on current offerings.

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Who needs an M4 GTS? Absolutely menacing.

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George Miller should use BMWs in the next Mad Max perhaps

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Just. Look. At. It.

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Once owned by the King, Elvis Presley, this 507 just finished a complete restoration by BMW in Munich.

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M3ntal. The attention to detail is astounding.

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