CVC Announcements

BMW CCA Foundation raffling off a 1985 M635CSi

The BMW CCA Foundation has received a donation of a 1985 BMW M635CSi that we are raffling off to raise money for our programs.  This car will be awarded to the raffle winner later this year in November.  The link to the drawing, as well as more information about the car, is www.bmwccafoundation.org/SponsorshipDrive.asp

Tickets can be purchased for as little as $10 for a chance to win this great car.  The car will be at BMW CCA’s Oktoberfest at Elkhart Lake in August for viewing. 

///M Update

Confirmed with several iron clad sources that for model year 2011, ///M3s will be available with an optional Competition Package (ZCP). In the past the Competition Package featured larger wheels, brakes, and a host of other performance enhancements. The ZCP is what every enthusiast could want in an ///M- it gives us more of the things we want and less of the stuff everyone else wants. On the previous generation ///M3 (E46) ZCP interior there were Alcantara inserts throughout, with the most notable of all being the steering wheel. Alcantara not only looks and feels great it provides added grip to the wheel (refrain from using lotion as it KILLS the Alcantara). Exclusive trim items reminiscent of the famed CSL were also carried over.

With BMW recently releasing the ///M3 GTS outside the US we had heard that a competition package was in the works with some of the items designed for that special car being used to fill it. While details remain fuzzy, we know there will be larger wheels and a host of other performance enhancements available. The wheels will be 19" (style 359 M),we have also been told to expect 10 mm lower suspension and an updated EDC Sport setting. Those are just some of the anticipated enhancements. There is also a 7MA option tied directly to the ZCP, it could be simply a manual transmission option or what we hope to be a leaner and meaner exhaust.

As for pricing, we estimate the full competition package to come in at between four and five thousand dollars based on past examples.

Credit to Bimmer Files Twitter: www.twitter.com/BavarianClub Myspace: www.myspace.com/BavarianMotorsportClub LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/Bavarian Flixster:www.flixster.com/user/Bavarian

Our brothers & sisters to the northwest...

...are planning a pretty significant event for the weekend of July 17 & 18th. They are putting together a BMW vintage event at the Saratoga Auto Museum with the goal being something on the order of the Vintage at the Vineyard event.

All the details available at the moment are here...

http://www.bmwcca.org/forum/showthread.php?p=32216#post32216

E46 Class Action Settlement
BMW Models 99-06

BMW E46 Settlement
Read More at http://www.myspace.com/motorsportseries

Many owners of 99-06 model year BMW 3 series vehicles have reported failures of the rear-axle supports in the vehicles sub-frame caused by cracking and defects. BMW has steadfastly denied any charges of wrongdoing made against it in the lawsuit but has issued the following statement and owners or leasees can refer to an established website for further information.

BMW NA Official Statement:

BMW has agreed to a proposed settlement of a class action lawsuit concerning the Sub-Frame structures on 3 Series (“E46”) models produced from 1999 through 2006. Under rare conditions the attachment points of the Sub-Frame may develop a fracture or crack. BMW has prepared an inspection, approved repair procedure, and reimbursement policy in keeping with the terms of the proposed class settlement. Details will be forthcoming, pending the court’s final approval of the proposed class settlement. In advance of the final settlement, BMW customers with questions should visit www.E46subframeclassactionsettlement.com.

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Points list updated as of the January/February 2010 newsletter:

BMW M3 Limited Edition

In a surprise move BMW is releasing limited edition M3 models with special trim, wheels and a lowered suspension for release worldwide in July.

Official Release: Powerful, aesthetic design, supreme performance and exclusive style – the unique characteristics of the BMW M3 are now available in highly attractive Edition Models focusing on the most outstanding highlights of these outstanding cars.

Based on the BMW M3 Coupé, the M3 Edition Models offer a choice of no less than four highly individual cars boasting perfectly harmonized modifications in body design and interior features as well as special light-alloy wheels and an even lower chassis.

The BMW M3 Edition Models will be entering the market worldwide in July 2009 in Alpine White, Black, Dakar Yellow, and Monte Carlo Blue. In the interest of supreme exclusivity their production period is limited to just six months. Individual highlights both outside and inside.

On the BMW M3 Edition Models the exterior paintwork and interior design are individually matched to one another. Depending on the respective Edition model, the body comes either in Alpine White Non-Metallic, Black Non-Metallic, Dakar Yellow Non-Metallic or Monte Carlo Blue Metallic. The combination with BMW Individual High-Gloss Satin Chrome accentuates the truly sophisticated character of the Edition Models.

The openings on the engine compartment lid on all models are finished in black, the BMW kidney grille, the side gills and the dual tailpipes on the exhaust system come in dark eloxy-plated chrome. The caps on the special BMW M exterior mirrors are likewise finished in black and are connected to the A-pillars by dual arms extending out of the mirror base finished in body color.

Special color highlights add an individual touch also to the interior of the BMW M3 Edition Models. The surfaces on the centre armrest, the centre console and the armrests on the door panels are finished in White on the Alpine White and Black models. At the same time these Edition Models come with interior trim in Carbon Structure Leather with white contrasting seams. The seats in Black Novillo Leather feature bespoke contrasting seams as well as vertical trim stripes on the upper section of the backrest and at the front of the leg-rest. On the Alpine White and Black models, these features come in white, on the Dakar Yellow and Monte Carlo Blue models they are in the appropriate exterior color.

As a further feature the armrests and door closing handles at the inside on the Dakar Yellow and Monte Carlo Blue models come with yellow and, respectively, blue contrasting seams. And last but certainly not least, entry trim bars in Checkered Flag Design bearing the “M3“ model designation give all Edition Models yet another highlight.

Special rim design and lowered suspension.

To optimize the looks of the car, all four Edition Models come with specially designed light-alloy rims and a unique suspension: On all models the 19-inch forged M light-alloy rims in double-spoke design are available either in black or in the classic rim color. And on the Alpine White, Black and Monte Carlo Blue models, the same rims are also available in a special white contrasting color with polished spokes.

The suspension of the BMW M3 Edition Models adds to the sporting style of the cars, lowering the entire body by 10 millimetres or 0.4“.

BMW M3: supreme performance with eight cylinders and seven gears.

The BMW M3 Edition Models give this high-performance athlete a particularly striking look also reflected by the car’s supreme driving dynamics based on a unique all-round concept and drive-train/suspension technology inspired by motorsport. The V8 high-speed power unit of the BMW M3 develops maximum output of 309 kW/420 hp from 4.0 litres.

Power is transmitted to the rear wheels either through the six-speed manual gearbox featured as standard or through the optional M double-clutch gearbox with Drive logic enhancing both the dynamic performance and the all-round efficiency of the BMW M3 all in one. In this case acceleration to 100 km/h comes in 4.6 seconds (six-speed manual: 4.8 seconds) and average fuel consumption in the EU test cycle is 11.9 litres/23.7 mpg imp (six-speed manual: 12.4 litres/22.8 mpg imp)/100 kilometres.

The BMW M3 comes as standard with a lightweight carbon roof, while the options include Electronic Damper Control and the M Drive menu enabling the driver to configure individual, M-specific suspension and drive train functions just right for his personal style.

More blogs at http://www.myspace.com/motorsportseries

July 2009

BMW Leaves Formula One

In a shocking turn of events BMW has decided to end its involvement in F1 racing at the end of the 2009 season. Instead it will turn its focus on creating consumer products and increase its work in the area of sustainability. Undoubtedly cost was also an issue.

While the team wasn’t in top form this year, they have been quite consistent in year pass and quickly moved up the ranks to become one of F1’s top teams. They will be missed not only here at the BF HQ but all across the world. Here’s the official release:

The BMW Group will not continue its Formula One campaign after the end of the 2009 season. Resources freed up as a result are to be dedicated to the development of new drive technologies and projects in the field of sustainability. BMW will continue to be actively involved in other motor sports series. The landmark decision to restructure BMW Motorsport’s activities was made at the Board of Management’s meeting yesterday.

“Of course, this was a difficult decision for us. But it’s a resolute step in view of our company’s strategic realignment,” explained Dr. Norbert Reithofer, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG. “Premium will increasingly be defined in terms of sustainability and environmental compatibility. This is an area in which we want to remain in the lead. In line with our Strategy Number ONE, we are continually reviewing all projects and initiatives to check them for future viability and sustainability. Our Formula One campaign is thus less a key promoter for us. Mario Theissen has been in charge of our motor sports program since 1999. We have scored a large number of successes in this period, including some in Formula One racing. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Mario Theissen and his team for this,” said Reithofer.

Dr. Klaus Draeger, the member of the Board of Management responsible for development, said: “It only took us three years to establish ourselves as a top team with the BMW Sauber F1 Team. Unfortunately, we were unable to meet expectations in the current season. Nevertheless, our ten years of Formula One experience have had a major impact on our development engineers. We have racing to thank for numerous technological innovations as well as the competitive spirit that drives us to develop mass-produced cars.” Possible redundancies in Munich and Hinwil cannot be quantified at present. Says Draeger: “Since we only made this decision yesterday, we cannot provide any more precise information. We will develop and assess various scenarios and do our best to find a solution for the employees in Hinwil and the staff members involved in the Formula One project in Munich. We are aware of the responsibility we shoulder and will inform the staff as soon as we can make a clear statement.” Says BMW Motorsport director Dr. Mario Theissen: “Of course, we, the employees in Hinwil and Munich, would all have liked to continue this ambitious campaign and show that this season was just a hiccup following three successful years. But I can understand why this decision was made from a corporate perspective. We will now focus sharply on the remaining races and demonstrate our fighting spirit and put in a good result as we bid farewell to Formula One racing.”

BMW will continue its programs in a number of motor sports series: BMW will appear on the starting grid in the touring car series and young driver promotion program in Formula BMW. This will be supplemented by BMW’s participation in ALMS, the American Le Mans Series, endurance races and close-to-production customer sports. Furthermore, BMW Motorrad Motorsport will continue its campaigns, with the super bike world championship leading the way.

BMW looks back on a long track record of success in the field of motor sports:

BMW achieved eight Formula One victories from 1982 to 1985 with Brabham. In 1983, BMW won the driver’s championship with Nelson Piquet (Brabham BMW). The last win with the legendary turbo engine followed with Benetton in 1986. Ten victories were scored during the partnership with Williams (2000-2005). BMW had a total of 19 grand prix wins and 33 pole positions before the BMW Sauber F1 Team era. In its debut season in 2006, the newly established BMW Sauber F1 Team wound up fifth in the constructor’s championship. In 2007, the German-Swiss team came in second after McLaren-Mercedes’ exclusion from the points standings. The 2008 season saw the team in the hunt for the world championship until the end of the season, winding up third. Polish-born Robert Kubica achieved the first and hitherto only GP victory in Canada on June 8, 2008. So far, the BMW Sauber F1 Team has taken one pole position (Kubica in Bahrain in 2008) and 16 podium finishes. The BMW Sauber F1 Team occupies the eighth spot in the manufacturer’s standings in the season presently underway.

Here’s a transcript of the speech given by Dr. Norbert Reithofer, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG at today’s press conference:

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Thank you for joining us at such short notice here today. Yesterday, the Board of Management made the following decision:

We will realign our motor sports activities.

The BMW Group will end its Formula One activities at the end of the 2009 season.

We will remain active in the field of motor sports, focusing on close-to-production motor sports and promoting young drivers.

We will pool our expertise and financial resources in the fields of sustainability and new technology development.

In 2007, we set the foundation for a strategic realignment of the BMW Group by adopting our Strategy Number ONE. Now we are rolling out this strategy in all areas within the BMW Group. In addition, we initiated an internal change process that goes hand in hand with a new mindset throughout our workforce.

All measures and activities aim for the same goal, namely to ensure our company’s future viability. This is the focus to which we are dedicating our resources and capacities, while constantly adjusting them to new requirements.

The BMW Group is the world’s leading premium car company in the automotive industry.

We are of the opinion that the premium segment has to remain a positive role model within our society. By launching our Efficient Dynamics technology program, we began early on to reduce our vehicles’ fuel consumption and emissions significantly. Today, our BMW and MINI fleet in Germany consumes a mere 5.9 liters of fuel on average. This is below the average of Germany’s largest-volume brand. Sportiness and dynamics remain the key attributes of all BMW models, albeit paired with responsibility. At the IAA, we will showcase a concept car as a“CO2 champion” to demonstrate a whole new dimension of driving pleasure with regards to efficiency with performance.

In line with our Strategy Number ONE, we are continually reviewing all projects and initiatives to check them for future viability and sustainability.

We made this clear with the initial announcement of our Strategy Number ONE. And, naturally, this also includes motor sports.

And I have always been clear about my position on making tough decisions that will help ensure the BMW Group’s success over the long run.

As our company places stronger focus on sustainability initiatives, our participation in Formula One becomes less a key promoter of this engagement.

It goes without saying that this step was very difficult for us—as well as for me personally. On behalf of the entire Board of Management, I would like to express our immense gratitude to Mario Theissen for his commitment and successes.

Everyone knows that the BMW brand embodies sportiness with sheer driving pleasure. Sportiness and fair competition are firmly encoded in our DNA.

This is why we will remain loyal to motor sports. But we will do this in series that enable us to transfer technology more directly and to realize additional synergies, while strengthening our brand values. This is in our customers’ best interest.

As a company, we are making a paradigm shift based on our Strategy Number ONE. We are setting new priorities in an ever-changing environment.

The focus of the BMW Group will be towards sustainable development over the next years and decades to come.

Our vision remains clear: to be the leading provider of premium products and premium services for individual mobility. We will pursue this vision with resolve.

Thank you for your attention.

Finally here’s a transcript of the speech given by Dr. Klaus Draeger, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG:

BMW and motor sports: These two things have a long-standing tradition and simply belong together. Be it in motorcycle, touring car, sports car, rally or Formula One and Formula Two racing, BMW has amassed successes around the globe.

Promoting talent has always been a priority for us. In 1991, Formula sports saw the beginning of a joint talent promotion campaign by BMW and ADAC. Formula One drivers like Sebastian Vettel, Nico Rosberg, Timo Glock, Adrian Sutil, Ralf Schumacher and Christian Klien learned the basics of Formula racing from this program.

BMW is clearly the most successful brand in the 24-hour race around the Nürburgring’s north circuit. In 1980, BMW announced the company’s entry into Formula One racing as an engine supplier. The partnership lasted until 1986.

Then BMW joined WilliamsF1 on the starting grid in the 2000 season. Gerhard Berger was the BMW Motorsport director at the time. Mario Theissen was nominated to assist him soon thereafter. We have scored 10 wins with the BMW WilliamsF1 Team. In the middle of 2005, BMW acquired the Swiss team Sauber and took to the starting grid under its own steam.

Spearheaded by BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen, in 2008, the new BMW Sauber F1 Team established itself as one of the top three teams.

These are just a few chapters of BMW’s motor sports history. This goes to show that our decision to end our Formula One campaign was anything but easy.

Formula One racing had always been the perfect platform for BMW to showcase important brand values. We did this for years and transferred Formula One technology to series production more resolutely than any other manufacturer. The most recent findings obtained from Formula One racing to be applied to series production will be our KERS expertise.

However, our planned cost reduction will cause component standardization and homologation to increase, and thus will set certain limits on our engineers’ creativity. This doesn’t necessary correspond to our belief of what’s ideal. In times of economic and societal change, we must remain capable of taking action and being flexible. We have now paid tribute to this fact.

Our ten years of Formula One experience have had a deep impact on our development engineers. We have racing to thank for numerous technological innovations which can be found in our mass-produced vehicles today.

The main reason for this decision was not our current performance in Formula One racing or the general economic situation. It was solely the company’s strategic realignment. Of course, our decision to discontinue our Formula One campaign will have an effect on our employees. Since we only made this decision yesterday, I trust that you will understand that I cannot give you any more precise information on this matter yet.

We will develop and assess various scenarios and do our best to find solutions for our employees in Hinwil and those involved in the Formula One project in Munich and Landshut. Most importantly, we are aware of the responsibility we shoulder and will inform staff as soon as we can make a clear statement. We will continue our touring car and Formula BMW racing campaigns in 2010. This will be supplemented by our participation in ALMS and endurance races as well as our increasing activity in close-to-production customer sports.

As before, these activities will be supervised by Mario Theissen.

I would like to take this opportunity to express my personal thanks to our motor sports director Mario Theissen for his commitment and successes as well.

Furthermore, we will naturally continue our international motorcycle racing program, focusing on the super bike world championship series.

I would like to underscore what Mr. Reithofer just said:

Sustainability is becoming increasingly important. As a responsible premium manufacturer, we want to address this issue even more extensively than before. What this means for our products is that:

They will be developed and built in line with the principle of sustainability across all development stages. Technological innovations will be accelerated even more, in order to constantly make our vehicles more efficient.

You will see a product of sustainable development at the IAA in Frankfurt in a few weeks in the form of a concept car. The BMW Efficient Dynamics Vision will demonstrate how efficient a sports car can be. It will also prove that sustainability does not apply to the drive train alone, but to design and materials as well.

Anyone who takes a closer look at this concept car will understand the direction in which we are developing our technology. And it will become evident that we will have to dedicate more human and financial resources to this type of development work. Ladies and Gentlemen,

BMW has always been active in the field of motor sports, and this will not change. We will maintain our outstanding tradition in touring car and Formula BMW racing over the long term. We will promote framework conditions that establish motor sports as the arrowhead of innovations that trickle down to future mass-produced cars. New drive concepts are just one example. BMW will continue to showcase sheer driving pleasure on the racetrack.

Blog with other members at http://www.myspace.com/motorsportseries
http://www.linkedin.com/in/bavarianmotorsportclub

Announcements from John Sullivan, NA RVP BMW CCA

From: Kati.Hockner at partner.bmwgroup dot com
Sent: Thursday, October 02, 2008 9:51 AM
Subject: Council News. Newsletter of the International Council of BMW Clubs. Issue 3/08

Dear BMW Club members,

An eventful summer is drawing to a close. And even if the weather in this part of the world hasn't always been suitable for an extended trip through the countryside, it is certainly true to say that a great deal has happened. To find out exactly what, simply turn to the entertaining articles in the current Newsletter. (PDF)

To celebrate the seventieth anniversary of the Frazer-Nash BMW Rally from Great Britain to Munich, the BMW Historic Motor Club UK organised a rally in May that as far as possible replicated the original route. Turn to page 3 to go back in time.

Many visitors lined the fences to witness the spectacular events of the BMW M1 meeting at the end of June. Many club members responded to the call of the BMW M1 Club e.V. and lined up in front of the BMW Welt with a total of 26 BMW M1 cars. They were rewarded for their efforts with a highly varied and enjoyable programme that catered for all tastes. Turn to page 5 to read more.

In July, the BMW Welt in Munich was once again the destination of a pilgrimage, undertaken this time by the members of the BMW Moto Club France, who took the opportunity while at the BMW Motorrad Days in Garmisch Partenkirchen to make a quick trip to Munich. Find out more about their ride on page 7.

Last but not least, an exclusive book recommendation for all club members: a new book has just been published in the series "BMW Profiles" about the BMW M1. For more information on this rare sports car, fans should turn to page 4.

And now it only remains for us to say that we hope you enjoy reading this edition of the Newsletter.

Your International BMW Club Office Team

P.S.: You can also download the Council News from the following link:

http://www.bmw-clubs-international.com/en/News_%26_Events/Council_News/Council_News/_pdf/BMW-Clubs_CouncilNews_08-03_e.pdf

Responsible for the content of this e-mail:

International BMW Club Office
Schleissheimer Str. 416
80935 Munich GERMANY