2012 BMW 3 Series
Obviously, all the cars listed in our surprises and successes posts are cars we’re looking forward to driving, but there are a few others.
Scion showed off, for the first time on American soil, the FR-S Drifter. We like the drifter with it’s 600 hp, but we’re really excited to get the chance to take the FR-S out on the streets and maybe even to Texas Motorsport Ranch for a little track fun. Continue reading
2011 Buick Regal Turbo at Cowboy Stadium
The new Buick Regal was brought over from Europe to solve some of GM’s big problems in the U.S. Buick has been falling in numbers and failing with marketing for years, and now that it’s one of the surviving brands of the “New GM”, Buick knows it’s got to get it right. In the European market, this car is known as the Opel Insignia. If you know European cars and Opel’s history with GM, you’ll know that the last generation Opel Insignia was brought over to our shores as the Saturn Aura. Before the purging of brands, this Buick Regal would have been yet another poorly marketed Saturn. Thankfully, someone in GM had some clarity to make this a Buick. The Opel was built to compete in Europe with the likes of Audi and BMW, sort of the same market that Buick needs to go after. When you see the Regal, sit in it, and drive it, you might think to yourself that this feels more like a German car than an American one. With good reason, as the U.S. version shares 95% of its overall parts with the Insignia. The 5% that differs consist of the headlights and taillights and other minor changes to meet American standards. Continue reading
BMW M6
At txGarage, we fancy ourselves as driving enthusiasts. Anyone who says that should acknowledge that BMW is one brand that produces some of the best driving cars out there (In their words, the Ultimate Driving Machine). The BMW M3 is an iconic car that has dominated its segment for the past 24 years and has become a benchmark for all pure drivers cars. The BMW M6, reintroduced in 2006, was easily one of our favorite GT cars. With a massive and technically genius engine and great BMW styling, this car really made its mark.
Unfortunately, not everyone was so enthusiastic about the M6 as we were. It took a lot of criticism for it’s looks and being overly packed with technology. And now with BMW dropping its V10 powerplant in favor of a more “fuel efficient” twin-turbo V8, BMW has decided to drop the M6 all together.
We’ll miss the M6 for sure, but something also tells me that BMW has something new up its sleeve to reinvigorate – with shock and awe – the enthusiasts out there. As a goodbye to the M6, we at txGarage are looking for a generous fan that would let us shoot some video of their iconic car. Any takers?
the BMW 850CSi
I truly think that the BMW 8 Series is one of the most under-rated GT supercars out there. When talking to a group of people about great GT cars and future classics of the automotive world, the 8 Series never comes up. Why is that?
The E31, or 8 series, BMW was introduced in 1989 as a 2+2, 2 door coupe. The 8 series replaced the original 6 series coupe from the 80’s but was not made to be a successor to the 6 series. Rather the 8 series was designed as a whole new offering to compete with the Mercedes-Benz SL-Class. The all new 8 series was set off to be the new flagship car for BMW with a premium price tag, M1 looks, and a slew of new technology. The price tag today, adjusting for inflation, would be over $110,000 which is well above even the M6 of today.
Sunoco Camaro
It has been a long time since we have seen a real race series pitting iconic American muscle cars against each other. The Camaro vs Mustang in American racing is what helped spark the muscle car revaluation in the late 60′s. Seeing the classic dark blue Sunoco Chevy Camaro back to fight agains the Mustang in the Grand-Am KONI challenge brings us back to those iconic times.
We will get a chance to see these cars go head to head during the final round of the 2009 KONI Race at Virginia International Raceway. We don’t expect the Camaro to have a spectacular showing against the seasoned Mustangs but it should still be a blast to watch. If you tune in you will also get the pleasure of watching them battle with the new M3′s, Porsche’s, GTI’s, Miata’s, and a Subaru Legacy. It is a great and exciting racing series.
Cars and Coffee
Cars and Coffee in Dallas is gathering this Saturday July 25 from 7:00 am to 10:00 am at Classic BMW in Plano. The gathering is for auto enthusiasts where hundreds of proud drivers will congregate to kick tires ad have a cup of coffee. On display will be classic cars, exotics, concepts, hotrods, motorcycles, and motor-sport cars.
[source: web/carsandcoffee pic/mike]