Latest news with #E46
Motor 1
24-05-2025
- Automotive
- Motor 1
The 2025 BMW M3 Competition Is a German GT-R: Video Review
The E46 BMW M3 has one of the tallest statures in all of automotive history. It's the one that every M3 is judged against, save for the E30 , and is almost universally beloved. For the average BMW fan, there isn't an M3 that can quite match the original magic of that car. I think that the newest facelift for 2025 (LCI, to BMW nerds) is finally that M3. For our newest YouTube video, I got to drive the latest M3. And I found myself pleasantly surprised. I would hear arguments for more interesting or more exciting M3s, but the G80 generation is one of the most complete since the E46–And I think it finally hits the chord of excitement. Odd, because I was one of many journalists who beat the ugly drum on the buck-tooth'd G80. I almost hate that the car has proven me wrong, but the earliest variants of the car were OK at best. It's a matter of technology. This is the first all-wheel-drive generation of M3, the latest refinement of a wide array of integrated chassis systems like adaptive dampers, brake vectoring, and advanced traction control. It is so technologically leveraged that tuning the systems is as important as tuning spring rates and sway bars. Finally, after some teething years, the 2025 G80 is something approaching M3 perfection. Find out why by watching our video. More on the M3 We Drove Three of the Best BMW M3s Ever. One Stood Out The Next BMW M3 Will Have a 'New Type' of Gas Engine Get the best news, reviews, columns, and more delivered straight to your inbox, daily. back Sign up For more information, read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use . Share this Story Facebook X LinkedIn Flipboard Reddit WhatsApp E-Mail Got a tip for us? Email: tips@ Join the conversation ( )
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
At $13,500, Is This 1970 Datsun 510 A Fabulous Find?
Today's Nice Price or No Dice Datsun is claimed in its ad to have never left California and still wears its era-correct license plates from that state. Let's see if its price tag makes it a blue plate special. Last Friday was the first full day of spring, which means changing weather, leading many of us to start thinking about getting out of the house to shake off the long winter funk. Funk wasn't the word—although the pronunciation was adjacent to—the reaction many of us had to the $23,995 asking price for the 2005 BMW 330i ZHP we considered on this past Friday's spring fling. Arguably the most desirable non-M3 edition of the E46, and also in great apparent condition, that performance package saloon still couldn't muster much enthusiasm for its dealer-set price. Ultimately, we all dealt it a fatal blow in the form of a massive 93 percent No Dice rebuke. Read more: Alleged Horse-And-Buggy Thief In Way More Trouble Than If She Had Just Stolen A Car While Friday's 330i didn't hit the mark, as far as value goes, there's no mistaking its mystique, something that BMWs of yore almost all seem to wear with aplomb. In the early 1970s, the Bavarian car builder's vanguard in the U.S. was the 2002, an engaging, driver-oriented two-door whose sporty nature presaged the hot hatches that would follow, eventually spelling the end of the party for many traditional small sports cars. On the other side of the globe, Japan's Nissan was building its own small but practical car, marketed as the Bluebird in its home market and as the Datsun 510 elsewhere. Featuring a similar layout of a small, efficient OHC four-cylinder engine, independent suspension, and boxy styling—but at a substantially lower price tag—the 510 earned the nickname of the "poor man's BMW." The Datsun even went BMW one better by offering four-door and station wagon editions of its fun family car. In fact, Datsun's U.S. lineup in the early 1970s was pretty much a hit parade. In addition to the 510, the company offered the 1200, the "Li'l Hustler" pickup, and the game-changer 240Z. Today, save for the 1200, all of these models are wildly collectible, with both the 510 and Z cars pulling astronomical numbers when flexing on the used car market. This 1970 510 wagon isn't the most desirable of the model's lineup, but it's still a pretty cool and fun classic, nonetheless. It should be noted that while the 510 was touted as having four-wheel independent suspension—something considered very upmarket for the car's price class—that feature didn't extend to the wagons. In consideration of the wagon's greater lading, these have a live axle in the back, located by leaf springs. Yes, that's a sad trombone, but it's admittedly much more practical. This wagon is claimed to be completely stock and rocking its original drivetrain. That's comprised of a 1.6-liter SOHC inline-four with a Hitachi two-barrel carburetor and a three-speed automatic with column shift. From the factory, the four made a claimed 96 horsepower and 100 lb-ft of torque, both gross numbers. According to the ad, the engine has been rebuilt, and the car has an older respray. It also sports a cute-as-can-be vinyl roof, something you don't see every day. Claimed to be a one-family car, overall it looks to have been very well cared for. All the trim is intact, and aside from some loose rubber on a bumper guard, it all looks to be in great shape, as well. Full wheel covers dress up the exterior even further, as do the period-correct white wall tires and blue and gold California license plates, which the state had adopted just a year before this car was built. The cabin features updated velour upholstery on the seats. Originally, that would have been textured vinyl. Considering that this car doesn't have AirCon, that was probably a well-considered change. There's also full carpeting on the floor and an additional rug on the dash, hiding a massive crack in the cap. That's something that happens to these cars all the time. Another issue; the steering wheel is missing its half-ring horn tooter, normally found in the lower half. That's probably not going to be an easy thing to replace. Imagine living in 1970 and having an all-Datsun household comprised of a practical 510 like this and a sleek 240Z sports car for giving the middle finger to that practicality. You would have been living your best life. That aspiration could still be achieved, but it's going to cost a fortune as Z cars, and S30s in particular, have gone through the roof in terms of value. This little 510 wagon comes with a clean title and is in what appears to be turnkey condition. At $13,500, it's not cheap, but it's a far cry from what a 240Z in similar nick could command. And if you still want that Z Car connection, you can take solace in the knowledge that the plastic grilles on the 510's hatch are the same ones used on the 240's back door. What's your opinion of this 510 wagon and that $13,500 price? Does that feel like a deal for a survivor with the added benefit of a kitschy vinyl roof? Or is the wagon the wrong model to ask five-figures? You decide! Nice Price or No Dice: San Francisco Bay Area, California, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears. Help me out with NPOND. Hit me up at robemslie@ and send me a fixed-price tip. Remember to include your commenter handle. Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox... Read the original article on Jalopnik.
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
At $23,995, Is This 2005 BMW 330i ZHP A Bayerisch Bargain?
According to its ad, today's Nice Price or No Dice E46 is a one-owner car. Let's see if this hot ZHP edition's price tag makes you think the offering dealer is full of number two. When it comes to boats, tractors, heavy construction equipment, and others, it's typically not the miles that determine the level of wear and tear; it's engine hours. For cars, however, it's the odometer that portends gloom and doom whenever the numbers get too high. Back when nobody thought cars and trucks would last all that long, the odo would roll over once it hit 100,000. Nowadays, you'd have to hit a million miles on most cars before that magic milestone could be manifested. In the case of the 2002 Mercedes-Benz SLK 32 AMG we looked at yesterday, those miles added up to over 200,000, and that was a lot of road for the hot sports car to have covered. Because of that, we all didn't think too highly of the Benz's $8,500 asking price. In a nail-biter of a vote, that ultimately fell in an incredibly narrow 51 percent No Dice loss. Read more: The 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe Is The Crossover To End All Crossovers Fortunately for those among us who identify as mile-a-phobes, today's 2005 BMW 330i sports a modest 90,650 miles on its digital odometer. It also rocks the special and sought-after performance package that the Marque's many fans note by its options sheet code, "ZHP." The ZHP package was a U.S.-only upgrade that was intended to position the so-imbued 330i somewhere in between the standard 330i and the hairiest-chested of all M3. This puts it as Mama Bear to the other two models' Baby and Papa Bears. Changes on the ZHP included a revised suspension featuring thicker anti-roll bars, firmer springs, and different control arm bushings. In addition to the upgraded components, BMW's engineers revised the model's suspension geometry and gave it a lower ride height. The steering ratio is also faster, and the cars ride on 18-inch Style 135M alloys. Overall, the feel is not quite a halfway point between the plebeian starting point and the M3, but it's a pretty fun car nonetheless. A big part of that fun comes from the mods made to the 2979cc M54B30 under the hood. The ZHP package includes hotter cams for the straight six, giving it a 10 horsepower bump to 235 and an increase in torque to 222 lb-ft. That's not much, but it also shows up 300 rpm later in the rev range, making for a different feel from the less-peppy car. Backing that up is a ZF six-speed and shorter final drive in the limited-slip rear end, which, again, are changes made to give the ZHP an edge. It's not just all go and no show either. The ZHP cars have unique bumper styling and chrome-plated dual exhaust tips. Those changes, along with the slightly lower ride height and the bigger wheels, make the ZHP one of the, if not the best-looking, E46s out there. This one appears to still wear that style well. The dark silver color may not be the life of the party, but it still properly pops as it should. There's no discoloring of the headlamp covers nor annoying flaking of any of the various roundels, either. Those style 135s also appear to be in great shape, with no evidence of having ever tussled with a curb. The interior appears up to the task as well. It's a sea of Alcantara in here, with the material covering the highly-bolstered front buckets, as well as the rear bench and sport steering wheel. More still covers the car's headliner. Faux carbon fiber trim crosses the dash and spills down onto the console to surround the shifter. There are a lot of gadgets in here too, starting with power front seats with multi-position memory for the driver's throne. Along with that comes automatic climate control, power windows and locks, cruise, and a CD stereo. The interior does show its age in the lack of a center stack screen, offering the old-school charm of BMW's orange digital readout in the IP for miles and information readouts instead. Everything, from the pixels in those displays to the carpet mats and floor covering in the boot, all appear to be in stellar condition, having been seemingly well-kept by the car's single owner. The only black mark on the car is a couple of missing components in its boot lid tool kit. Per the annoyingly brief ad, the car has a clean title and, well... available financing. The dealer's website listing offers some more info, but it's mostly limited to the model's specs and does not give us much in the way of details on this particular car. Despite that, there's a lot to like here, based on the car's apparent condition and this model's fandom among the Bimmer community. Could it then be worth the $23,995 the dealer is asking? What are your thoughts on that price for this hot-to-trot 330i? Is that a fair deal for the car as it sits? Or is that asking far too much of Mama Bear? You decide! Nice Price or No Dice: Fresno, California, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears. H/T to RevUnlimiter for the hookup! Help me out with NPOND. Hit me up at robemslie@ and send me a fixed-price tip. Remember to include your commenter handle. Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox... Read the original article on Jalopnik.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
E46 BMW M3 Competition Sports An E60 M5 Engine Swap
Read the full story on Backfire News For many, the E46 BMW M3 Competition is the iconic Bavarian speedster. Lightweight, balanced, entertainingly quick, most wouldn't mess with the factory setup. But one guy had a radical idea to do a V10 engine swap from an E60 M5 and kept going, transforming the vehicle into his perfect vision. It works surprisingly S85 V10 is shoehorned into the front of the E46 and it fits rather well. But to get it in there and have everything sit just right took a lot of work, so hats off to the guys who worked on this. It's bolted up to a transmission from an E92 M3, adding to the Frankenstein nature of this Bimmer. Our biggest question, and we assume it's everyone's, is how the much larger engine affects handling and braking. The owner says because the V10 has an aluminum block and the factory inline-six for the E46 was cast iron, it's under 100 lbs. difference in weight. That's rather fortunate. The hood is a carbon fiber example made by a tuner out of Japan. That explains all the venting, which adds to the aggressive look of the car. You'll also note the vented fenders, with the fins showing of exposed carbon fiber weave. There's also a carbon fiber lip on the front bumper, which is flared out to meet the aftermarket fenders. The reflectors in the front bumper were also removed, the cutouts filled in for a cleaner look. Around back is more carbon fiber in the form of a lip on the bumper and the trunk lid, which is done in the OEM style. Plus, there's a small hint on the exterior about what's under that vented hood, thanks to a V10 badge custom created for the car. As you might imagine, this thing is rowdy when the driver gets on the accelerator, making some lovely sounds. Make sure to watch the video so you get to experience that Bavarian symphony. Images via Autotopia LA/YouTube
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
BMW's New Online Museum Is the Best Kind of Internet Rabbit Hole
BMW has officially ruined your productivity for the next week. The automaker has just released a massive Digital Archive of its vehicles, giving fans direct access to the best Bimmer museum your laptop can provide. Packing a gigantic assortment of photos, technical specs, and other details about BMWs dating all the way back to 1928, it's a treasure trove for any classic car enthusiast. This isn't the first time that BMW has released such an archive, having dropped similar sites for its motorcycles and Mini brands back in 2021. The new collection was worth the wait however, featuring some 424 models. This includes the very first BMW Roundel-wearing machine, in the BMW 3/15 PS DA 2 Sedan, all the way up to the E46, E39, and E38 Generation models. BMW has even included data on the first-generation X5, highlighting the significance of the SUV to the brand's current position. And while the archive doesn't currently cover all of BMW's bases, more cars will continue to be added as they age or archival materials are sourced. Fans can filter through the museum-esque site by decade, body style, and nameplate, making it particularly easy to locate your specific curiosity. The Pre-War section is particularly fun, featuring a load of vehicles you may not be that familiar with. The breakdowns aren't limited to a specific trim either, with most model features including the entire range. (The brand has even broken out the American market vehicles, which we can certainly appreciate.) There's loads of lovely information about each variant on offer, and even internal links to the brand's historic parts offerings should you be working on repairs. BMW also includes links to its archival sites where you can locate other items like period brochures and press photography. Did the archive introduce you to any models you weren't already keen on? Let us know which machines surprised you the most down below. You Might Also Like You Need a Torque Wrench in Your Toolbox Tested: Best Car Interior Cleaners The Man Who Signs Every Car
