All posts by Francis Mitterrand

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1980 BMW M1 sold for $552,000

In 1978, BMW presented its first mid-engined sports car to be mass-produced. It was produced until 1981, and only 453 cars left the production lines. One of them, a 1980 BMW M1 sold for $552,000.

The BMW M1 is powered by a 3.5-liter M88 inline-six with 273 hp (204 kW) and 243 lb-ft (330 Nm) of torque. Power is sent to the rear wheels via a ZF five-speed manual gearbox and a limited-slip differential. It is mounted on white 16″ Campagnolo wheels wrapped in 205/55 and 225/50 Dunlop SP Sport Maxx tires.

The car is finished in white with painted BMW Motorsport tri-color stripes, and is in good condition. It is equipped with an M1 Procar-style front air dam, pop-up headlights, dual locking fuel caps, rear window louvers, dual BMW roundels on the trailing edge of the vented buttress-style sail panels, hand-painted signature “Design W. Maurer” below the right taillight, and servo-assisted ventilated discs at all four corners.

Inside, adjustable seats are trimmed in blue leather with a color-coordinated dashboard, center console, door panels, and carpets. In front of the driver are a blue leather-wrapped steering wheel and an eight-digit odometer showing 20,235 kilometers (~13k miles). Additional equipment includes electric windows and air conditioning, and in 2017, a Becker Europa cassette player and door speakers were installed by Burlingame Motors, while the center console and door panels were recovered by Acker Leather Works.

The car has a clean Carfax report that shows no accidents or other damage. It comes with tools, a first-aid kit, a reproduction owner’s manual, literature, service records, and a clean Montana title.

Source: Bring a Trailer

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1980 BMW M1 sold for $552,000
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2025 BMW i5 Touring

BMW has not announced when it will premiere its electric sports wagon BMW i5 Touring, but it has shown a silhouette that hints at the imminent arrival of this model.

After a series of teasers, spy photos, renders and patent sketches that have been released to the public, it’s pretty clear what the Series 5 and i5 Touring will look like. The wagon shares the front part of the body with the sedan, the roof line has been redesigned, while the rear part has thin LED lights.

Also, it is not certain what this model will be called, but some information suggests that it could be the i5 Touring M60 xDrive. The car in the teaser has a body kit made in the BMW M department, and the differences compared to the current i5 model include sports bumpers, more aerodynamic side mirror housings, larger rims and a series of M badges.

When it comes to performance cars, there is no information for now. The current i5 sedan is powered by two electric motors with 593 hp (442 kW) and 605 lb-ft (820 Nm) of torque. It is equipped with an 81.2 kWh battery, and the i5 Touring is expected to use the same powertrain.

Source: BMW

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2025 BMW i5 Touring
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Mercedes confirmed the arrival of the baby G-Class as an EV

It has long been rumored that Mercedes could make a smaller version of the G-Class that will continue to use the ICE, but that won’t happen. In an interview with Autocar, Mercedes-Benz Chief Technology Officer Markus Schaefer said that the upcoming baby G-Class will be powered by electric motors.

It is expected that Mercedes will present the baby G-Class in 2026, and this year the German manufacturer will present the new G-Class, known as EQG. The new model could arrive with technologies similar to those of the next-generation standard G-Class, developed by Magna Steyr. Mercedes claims that the electric EQG will be its most capable SUV and that it will be much better than the ICE version, which means better off-road capabilities.

Schaefer also said that the smaller G-Class will not be based on the MMA platform that was developed for entry-level models in the electric era, but will use the platform used by Mercedes’ larger rear-wheel drive cars.

The Mercedes-Benz EQG will be powered by four electric motors, one at each wheel, and will be equipped with torque control software at each wheel, which is crucial for off-road driving.

Source: Mercedes-Benz