How to Film Your BMW

If you’ve gotten your hands on a BMW that is in good condition, or one that you’ve restored to a good condition, you don’t want to keep all that beautiful German engineering to yourself. Filming your car is a great way to showcase your BMW, especially if you don’t have the time or the money to travel to car shows across the country. If you want to film your BMW, where should you start? Here are a few ideas, tips and tricks to help get you started.

Choose Your Angle

How do you want to shoot your car — from the inside as the driver or from the outside as a spectator? Depending on what you’re doing, the answer could be both, so you need to take both angles into account.

Are you planning on photoshopping or editing your video after you film it? If so, you need a camera that has digital capabilities so that you can upload the unfinished video to your computer for editing or finishing. This is useful if you’re shooting both inside and outside your car because it allows you to splice the video together into a finished product digitally.

Once you’ve figured out your angle, it’s time to start thinking about equipment.

Choose Your Weapon

Step two is to pick your weapon of choice. For professional — or professional-esque — videos, you’re going to need a camera, a microphone and some mounting equipment to hold your camera steady while you’re driving or filming from the outside.

A good roll bar mount for a GoPro, or other cameras can capture some fantastic images of the road as you drive, or your competitors if you take your BMW to the track. You can use these inside or outside the car, depending on where your roll bars go.

GoPro cameras are often the camera of choice for this sort of filming, but they’re expensive. You can create a decent video with a high-quality camera on a cell phone if you can hold it steady enough. If not, consider investing in a tripod.

Choose Your Location

Finally, choose your shooting location. Choose a place where no one will disturb you — unless you want to include the local color in your video. Think about your lighting — do you want to showcase your car in direct sunlight, indirect sunlight or even on a cloudy day.

Figure out what you want to do with your filming. Are you showcasing your car or showing off what it can do? That will determine the kind of location you choose for your shoot. You can shoot nearly anywhere as long as you have permission. If you’re interested in shooting on private property, ask the property owner. Chances are they’ll say yes, but it’s always better to ask permission first.

Show off Your Baby

Filming your BMW is a great way to show off your automotive baby, as long as you do it right. No one wants to see a grainy, low-resolution video of your car, whether you’re driving a BMW, a Mustang or a beat-up old Honda. Invest in a good camera and learn how to use it and you’ll make fantastic videos as long as you own your car.

The New X2. What Exactly is it?

So it’s been out now for a few months, you might even have seen one out on the road. You know the one, looks like an X1 but shrunken in a science lab, or that it even looks like a lifted wagon/estate. Whatever that new BMW with the roundel neatly placed on the c-pillar looks like to you, that’s the new BMW X2.

What is it? A new crossover SUV that slots in-between the X1 and the X3.  Allegedly, it’s the more sporting version of an X1, in the same vein that an X4 is related to the X3. Remember the days when BMW had just the X5 and then  the X3? By next year, they’ll have, wait for it: X1 X2 X3 X4 X5 X6 and X7. Some might call it heresy. Whatever you want to make of it, there’s no denying it; this is a good looking car. Great looking, in fact, especially in that pupil-popping blue or orange. Heck, I even like that weird, slightly yellow-but-at-the-same-time-green color.

X2 courtesy of BMW of Roseville

Imagine an X1 that got pinched in the front and rear, shortening the overhangs, but with a nice tapering to both ends. The M Sport X adds visual drama with extra gills and openings and adornments of metal trim pieces. There are some pretty tasty wheels on option too. Inside, the design theme from the  X3 and 5-series carries over, bringing a very nice update to the interior compared to, say, a current 3-series. Materials are top notch, as is the tech inside, with the newest iDrive.

On the road, the BMW X2 feels definitely related to the X1. Makes sense, they really are the same car underneath. Except, it’s not all X1. Steering response is slightly sharper as is the subsequent response from the chassis itself. The perception that this is a sporting car is not awash, but that’s the key word. This is not a sports car, but it is a sporting car, with sports intentions. For the likely buyer, that is more than enough. Engine response resembles that of a naturally aspirated engine much better than most turbocharged engines. Mid-range power is what it lives for. Not rapid, but capable.

As far as crossovers go, this is easily what I think is one of the best looking on the market. The drive is deeply satisfying with a surprising edge to the steering and handling, while remaining comfortable. However, and this is a big but; it’s expensive. Fully loaded with the right color and that M Sport X package will run $50,000. That’s a lot for what is a small car. Which reminds me to point out that the back seat is not the most comfortable. Shrinking it down has had an adverse effect on space, most the rear seat a cargo area. Visibility is hurt too, not helped by the rising beltline in the rear.

I’d call it a lifestyle car, but lifestyle cars do not drive this well. Compromise is present, so it is something you must consider when taking in the price and cargo space (or lack thereof) into thought. You could have a loaded X1 M Sport for far less, with tons more room, too and drives mostly similar. One thing is for sure, your eyes will undoubtedly follow the X2 more closely. Or when someone goes down the road in the X2 you nearly bought. An accessory, a grocery-getter, an adventurer, or a sports-crossover, call it what you want, but it’s an X2.

How to Autocross Your BMW

It might not be the fastest race in the world, but autocross is one of the best ways to get your foot in the door — so to speak — in the world of racing. Autocross is an amateur race where all you need to enter is a driver’s license, a vehicle and a helmet. If you’re interested in auto crossing your BMW, here are all the tips and tricks you need to know to get started.

First, Pick up a Helmet

Bicycle helmets won’t cut it for an autocross race. Your helmet has to be DOT rated, but only class M for motorcycles or class SA for special applications are allowed on the track. You can take the visor off if it interferes with your vision, but you have to keep your head covered. If you don’t have your own helmet, show up early — most tracks offer a limited number of helmets for rent, but they’re first come first served, so you need to show up early to make sure you can get your hands on one.

Pick the Right Class

There’s a variety of different classes of autocross races, so it’s important to make sure you pick the right class. Street category requires street tires and limits the number of bolt-on modifications allowed. Street Touring still requires street tires but allows more bolt-ons. Street Prepared allows racing tires and bolt-ons, while Street Modified allows more internal engine modifications. Prepared and Modified categories have higher allowances for mods.

There are also classes for classic American muscle cars, vintage cars and karts.

Walk the Track

Autocross isn’t just a race — it’s an automotive obstacle course. The nice thing about autocross races is that you don’t have to have a dedicated track for a race. As long as you’ve got enough space, you can set up an autocross track in a parking lot, an empty field or anywhere that’s flat and open — as long as you have permission, of course. Grab some cones or some easily removable parking lot paint, and you’re good to go!

Once you’ve arrived, take a few minutes to walk the track and figure out where the curves and tricks are to give you an advantage once you hit that starting line. If you need some help, ask — chances are, you’ll make a new friend in the process, and you may even learn something that gives you an edge.

Get Inspected

Before you can take the track, you’ll need to get your car inspected. Make it easier for your inspector — open the hood and take all loose items out of the car. You’ll also need to take the driver’s side floor mat for safety reasons. The inspector will check things like the lug nuts, wheel bearings, suspension and battery, as well as the seatbelts or harnesses, brakes and accelerator. The goal is to make sure your car is safe and ready to race, whether you’re racing in the street class or one of the modified ones.

Once the inspection is complete and you get your numbers, it’s time to get into the lineup and race!

If you want to try your hand at racing but don’t have the skills to get into a professional racing circuit, autocross is a great place to start. It’s competitive, but in a casual sort of way, and if you’ve got a helmet, a driver’s license and a car, you’ve got everything you need to enter. Make sure your car is in good shape, learn your track and whatever you do, don’t forget your helmet!