Innehållsförteckning för December 2023 från TOTAL BMW

I feel like I should be wearing a party hat writing this issue's introduction because this marks Total BMW‘s first birthday since its re-launch when the decision was made to merge Performance BMW and BMW Car. I sincerely hope that everyone has been enjoying the mix of BMW content we've brought you, and what a first year it's been. We've had 12 sensational cover features, countless stunning feature cars, and a whole heap of wonderful BMW content from around the world. And, looking ahead to what we've got lined up over the next 12 months, there are some absolutely awesome features coming your way, including some stunning E36s (I know you love them) and a big helping of classics with some very cool owners’ stories. It might sound cliché, but…

Revamping a popular car is fraught with difficulties and complications. Some old adage about fixing things that aren't broken must surely give engineers sleepless nights, but progress is the key to staying ahead of the game. This is why BMW felt the need to update the X5 SUV, fitting new technology, fresh styling features and some reworked powertrains in a bid to maintain the upper hand against some of the most modern luxury SUVs in the business. BMW's slightly cautious approach is immediately obvious the moment you see the car, which looks broadly the same as its predecessor. All that's really changed is the inclusion of new, narrower headlights with a kind of arrow signature and a new front bumper. There's a new bumper design at the back, too, and…

Driver-focused Motorsport Coupés? BMW is surely the undisputed master of the genre. But over the years, many different interpretations of the concept have passed through BMW's factory gates – with several going on to be acclaimed Munich masterpieces. Different designers have, of course, envisioned the Motorsport Coupé in slightly different ways, but the fundamentals have always remained the same – styling, power, control and driver engagement must be exceptional. And so it is with both these two BMWMotorsport contenders. Drive either one of the road or the track, and you're guaranteed satisfaction. The E86 Z4 M Coupé and the F13 M6 Coupé sit at opposite ends of the size spectrum, however, they also employ quite different engine technology and hark from slightly differing eras – but they do command very…

LS1 V8 E36 People can be a bit funny about non-BMW engine swaps. We say people, but what we really mean are the diehard BM fans who consider putting an engine that didn't come from Bavaria in a BMW to be a mortal sin punishable by death or by really rude online comments, whichever is deemed more unpleasant. We reckon it's a bit narrowminded to consider BMW the be-all and end-all when it comes to performance engines. You've got to be willing and prepared to broaden your horizons a little bit. If, for example, you want a performance V8 under your bonnet, BMW's in-house offerings are impressive enough, but there are other tempting options out there. Across the pond in the US, our American cousins have a near-unlimited choice of…

One of BMW's finest, the 2016-on F87 M2 is not only stylish, tunable and quick, it's also a proper driver's car. And although there are plenty around for buyers to choose from the range-topping Two is still one of the most sought-after M Cars. Late-plate examples sell for close to £40,000, but decent earlier M2s at dealerships start at just £25,000, with the most desirable Competition models available from just five grand more. And despite the M2 Coupe's impressive technology and performance, the F87 seems to claim a good reliability record, too. Eye-catching wide-bodied styling guarantees the M2 plenty of admiring glances, but the F87 has the go to back up the show. The original model's single-turbocharged 3.0-litre N55B30T0 straight-six produces 370hp at 6500rpm and an impressive 343lb ft of…

S50 E30 why did I then decide to buy this convertible? Quite simply, I'd always wanted one – they're sporty and they're cool Everybody loves an E30 3 Series, that's just a fact. The genius of the E30 from the outset was that there really was a version for everyone. The range was so broad and diverse that it could tick any conceivable box: if you wanted a sensible family runabout, the Touring had plenty of boot space. If you fancied a sports car, the M3 was the Touring Car halo. The 318i four-door made for a frugal commuter. Combined with a design language that was crisp and has proven to be pretty timeless, the accessible price point made for a runaway sales success through the 1980s and into the…

E63 M6 While BMW fans will fiercely debate the finest incarnation of the late, great 6 Series (RIP), no one can deny that, in V10-powered E63 M6 form, it achieved near-legendary status that made it into a modern-day performance icon, one that enthusiasts lust after to this day. Sam Sandhu (@that.m6) knows all too well how irresistible that appeal is as he's owned this awesome example for almost eight years now, and he has been well and truly enraptured by its many ample charms. For Sam, like many lifelong BMW fans and owners, it was a childhood experience of the Bavarian brand that got him hooked. “I have been into BMWs for as long as memory serves,” Sam says with a smile. “My earliest memory of BMWs was at the…

The appeal of a hardcore build is easy to understand and hard to resist. Fully focused cars are just built, different, literally, with nothing but the ultimate in top-end parts in terms of wheels, brakes, suspension, interior, performance – the whole package. If you want to build a hardcore machine, you can't cut any corners if you want to do things properly, and you need the focus to execute your vision perfectly. Dom (@ebisueight) is the man with the means and the motivation, and his Team Schirmer M2 Competition is all the proof you need. For Dom, it was a family BMW that served as his first introduction to the brand, and his passion for BMW grew from there. “My dad used to have a green 2002 that I loved…

We all have our pride and joy, the cars we don't subject to rain, snow, ice and salt. Mine are classics, and while my 1989 730i garage queen has never felt the heat of a welder, my 1994 Compact 318ti has now seen four British winters with me and doesn't need to see another. I really do need to get it in the workshop this winter, drop the fuel tank and repair the rear sills properly before it's too late. But, a chap needs wheels, so what to do? Enter the winter beater. Back in the good old days, that would be a Ford Sierra, a Cavalier, a Carina or even an Alfa 33. All cheap, easily fixable and eminently disposable come spring. Those days have gone, and the bangers…

The new 5 Series Saloon now offers the entire range of electrified drive technology. Just a few weeks after the market launch of the all-electric i5 and the ICE variants equipped exclusively with 48-volt mild hybrid technology, two plug-in hybrid models will be launched in November 2023. The 530e Saloon and the 550e xDrive Saloon can be ordered as of now. They are available from £59,455 for the new 530e Saloon and £76,605 for the new 550e xDrive Saloon. In the eighth generation of the world's most successful business saloon, the plug-in hybrid models are characterised by extremely spontaneous power delivery, clearly increased efficiency and a significantly increased electric range. Both models feature the latest BMW eDrive technology for plug-in hybrid systems, which is combined in the 530e Saloon with…

We hate to start another feature by sounding like a stuck record, but here is once again a car that we feel is seriously underrepresented on the modified BMW scene. The E21 does get love – you just need to look at the attention a really tidy example receives at any show – but it's just not a car that is as well-catered for by the aftermarket as its E30 counterpart. If you see a modded E21, then you know its owner is really committed to their car. They've deliberately chosen an older model, even knowing the likely extra problems they'll have to deal with when looking after it, and the extra lengths they'll have to go to when modifying it. And none of that put them off. We like…

If anyone knows anything about CSLs, it's how hard it is to find a rust-free shell. The Karmann bodies are sadly notorious for not reacting very well to the elements and winter road treatments. This one was in such good condition as it had been a racing car for many, many years and was then kept in storage. Its preVink history is a little murky, but what is known for certain, is that Italian driver Gianni Giudici, whose career included racing a works Alfa Romeo in the DTM in the early ‘90s used it as a hill climb racer in his native Italian mountains. When he moved on to something a little more modern, it was sold to someone in the UK, who kept it stored in a protected environment…

It's six months since I began my journey with the i4 M50. A lot has happened in that time, and many lessons have been learned. That somewhat sums up the last decade of EV development. These cars have come a long way, but each mile has shown how much further they need to go, while the whole doctrine of battery-electric traction could yet prove to be an automotive and, indeed, environmental, cul-de-sac. Politically, the EV is great news. There are masses of seen-to-be-done elements around it, opportunities for investment, even more for PR, changing the world and above all, pulling the wool. Burning fossil fuel is bad – we get it, just as we understood that smoking was damaging people's health, both the smoker themselves, and the folk around them,…

August is traditionally the holiday month for the Harper household, partly down to having school-age children but mainly as Mrs H works for an Italian firm, which virtually shuts down for a couple of weeks, during which all staff go on their jollies. However, now the youngest Harper offspring is off to university, and Mrs H's employment is looking increasingly precarious, this could be about to change. Still, for 2023, it was another tour of Britain on the cards and after last month's fettling, the fleet was raring to go. First up was the annual camping in Cornwall extravaganza, which mainly involved being glued to half a dozen weather apps for the weeks before we departed to discover just how many waterproof layers we were going to need. In the…