A profile of Steve McQueen: Autoweek archives

For today's Autoweek archive feature, we are highlighting an article by Denise McCluggage from February 1981. McCluggage knew McQueen and recalls her encounters with the “King of Cool” through the years until his death. Before becoming a star, McQueen and McCluggage met over their mutual love of automobiles, more specifically the MG-TC, which both subsequently owned.

CAR scoop: BMW and Toyota's joint sports car plot

BMW is buddying up with Toyota on an all-new sports car platform, set to underpin the replacements for the Z4, 6-series and GT86. The unlikely collaboration stems from an alliance that began in 2011, where BMW and Toyota agreed to co-develop next-generation lithium ion batteries, and for Toyota to use BMW’s fourpot diesels in its European cars. An engineering team is beavering away on the project, with the clock ticking: the suits want to outline the car’s specification before the end of 2013. What does BMW get out of the bargain?

First Sight: BMW 4 Series

Within BMW, it was an ongoing discussion for two decades: what to call the coupé version of the 3 Series? With the new model pictured here, the advocates of change got it their way. The proliferation of models most likely tipped the scales – besides the 3 Series sedan, there is the Touring, the 'Gran Turismo' and the China-only long-wheelbase version.