832948a1 Mercury Connector Assy on 2040-parts.com

BMW M5 manual mess-up

By Chris chilton Motor Industry 27 January 2007 01:34 North American customers were delighted when BMW bowed to their demands for a full three-pedal manual version of the current V10 M5 super saloon, but aren’t quiet so enamoured with the finished product. The issue is not with the gearbox itself – BMW successfully replaced the European model’s seven-speed SMG box with the old-shape M5’s six-speed manual – but with the compromises that were needed to get there. Without the benefit of computer control for the opening and closing of the clutch plates, M division’s engineers couldn’t eliminate axle tramp under hard take-offs.

BMW i8 Spyder leaks ahead of Beijing

BMW i8 Spyder What looks set to be the BMW i8 Spyder, an open top version of BMW’s i8 eco supercar, has leaked ahead of a debut at the Beijing Motor Show. The gestation period for BMW’s i8 eco supercar started with the reveal of the BMW Vision ED Concept back in 2009, with a production concept – and the BMW i8 name – arriving last summer. And now, ahead of a debut at the Beijing Motor Show in April we get the first photos of the BMW i8 Spyder.

MINI Goodwood Rolls Royce Tribute parks up in Harrods’ window

MINI Goodwood sets up shop in Harrods The MINI ‘Inspired by Goodwood’ has taken up residence in Harrods’ window to celebrate the first customer deliveries. The MINI ‘Inspired by Goodwood’ is another of MINI’s marketing moves to fill every niche for MINI it can; the Goodwood for those who want a MINI trimmed out like a Rolls Royce. For those prepared to fork out £41k – that’s £18k for the Cooper S donor car and £23k for the Rolls Royce bit – you get a Cooper S with the bonnet off a MINI One, Rolls Royce coloured paintwork, posh alloys and an interior that takes more than an average herd of cows to cover.