Gm 604 Crate Motor on 2040-parts.com

BMW's N20 engine--four cylinders, more power

More power, greater torque, reduced fuel consumption, lower tailpipe emissions and less weight--but better? Before driving the BMW X1 xDrive28i, the first model to feature the German carmaker's new turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine, we weren't so sure. The new engine, known as the N20 and set to lead a return of four-cylinder BMW models to North America for the first time since 1998, has been conceived to (indirectly) replace the company's long-running naturally aspirated 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder.

BMW X1 facelift (2012) first pictures

BMW is unveiling a pepped-up X1 facelift at the 2012 New York auto show. Why launch it in the US? Because soon the smallest BMW soft-roader will be sold Stateside.

One Lap of the Web: made in West Germany...with pride!

-- Out of all the viral social media trends that 24-hour news agencies love to fret over, easily the best is #burnoutnomination -- where you do a burnout and tag an unwitting victim, whereupon they have to perform it in 24 hours or face copious shame and embarrassment. Porsche racer and director Jeff Zwart was recently tasked with burnout duty. Never one to shy away from The Awesome, he recorded a fantastic burnout in his Porsche 914/6.