Quick Vid: BMW 1 Series M road test (FLD Tours)

I've been a fan of the BMW 1 Series since it's debut a few years ago and was pleased to see the M badge make an appearance on it, within the US. The '1M' is now available for journalists to play with; check out a review of this new coupe by the guys at FLD Tours.

The Red Coupe - Takin' it on the chin Pt. 1

All issues following the engine swap are now resolved; they were primarily self-inflicted wounds (loose coolant clamps n' what not). I got the car spectacularly clean on the outside, but still needed to cleanup the coolant from my leak and odd oil coming from the cap (old seal). I bought a new oil cap and some other odd parts from the local dealer which will star in another episode, but like all projects, I was thrown a curve ball that I couldn't quite make contact with. Well actually that's not the right way to put it...I made contact alright.

I-95N on the way home from work at 12:45am and a very large raccoon (I saw the stripes and hunched back) decided to sprint across four lanes. This girthy rodent took such a sharp angle toward the front of my car I couldn't react in time to dodge it, and ended up doing what I do with all bumps in the road I can't dodge...I put a tire on it. An audible bang/crackly/crunchy sound ensued, all within less than a second mind you, and when I arrived at my neighborhood gas station to fill up I was able to survey the damage.

Having a front lip ripped off this car doesn't sound like it; in retrospect you only hear yourself driving over the lip. I've done this before with a truck tire carcass...that time around it was strangely the same gd mile of road, on the way home at night with this cars' original apron that I replaced last summer. Hitting an adult raccoon was much worse than hitting a tire carcass, because it has the strength of bone and muscle as opposed to flexible steel belted rubber. I handled my anger better than I would've in years past, but the fact remained I needed to move quickly to fix a number of issues. This evening was spent searching online for a used apron and a driver-side foglight. I'd also need to make a list of dealer replacement parts and perform a good inspection when the sun returned.

Quick Vid: Cultstyle.pl 2010 (Wolfsgruppe/Loniek)

Been going through carshow withdrawal lately. Enjoy in HD.


Cultstyle.pl 2010 - first show from Loniek on Vimeo.

Dope. #50

Image courtesy of vwfashion.com

What to watch this weekend (May 19th - 22nd)

• Why We Race - The Mustang Challenge. Episode 1 of this chase for the Utah Championship. Friday @ 4am - 5am (Discovery's HD Theater) replay
• Why We Race - The Mustang Challenge. Episode 2 of this chase for the Utah Championship. Friday @ 5am - 6am (Discovery's HD Theater) replay
• Formula 1 - Catalunya Grand Prix; Catalunya, Spain/Circuit de Catalunya. Qualifying. Saturday @ 8am - 9:30am (SPEED/SPEEDHD) live
• Isle of Man TT 2010 - Episode 4 of 2010's seasonal coverage. Saturday @ 12pm - 1pm (Discovery's High Def Theater) replay
• RM Auctions - Vintage Motorcars. Marathon. Sunday @ 2am - 6am (Discovery's HD Theater) replay
• Formula 1 - Catalunya Grand Prix; Catalunya, Spain/Circuit de Catalunya. Race. Sunday @ 7:30am - 10am (SPEED/SPEEDHD) live - replay @ 4:30pm
• IndyCar Series - Qualifying Bump day for The Indianapolis 500. From Indianapolis Motor Speedway, from Speedway, Indiana. Sunday @ 12pm - 6:30pm (VS/VSHD) live

An eclectic mix of viewing material this weekend. A replay of amature racing series The Mustang Challenge, more insane Isle of Man action, vintage auto auctions, qualifying for the legendary Indy 500 and the next chapter of the Formula 1 2011 Championship saga. Due to my tight schedule I didn't watch the Turkish Grand Prix on DVR until yesterday; what an intriguing start to the season it has been. McLaren seems to have figured out some things and are scratching on the door that Red Bull Racing has built (and is currently reinforcing with steel). Ferrari's Alonso and Masa have a competitive package, but they just can't get on the podium. One thing is for sure, if Vettel keeps putting checkered flags and pole positions in his pocket, his points lead will put the rest of the field in a chase for 2nd place.

Image courtesy of Formula1onlive.com

Quick Vid: BMW 335is review

Review of the 2012 BMW 335is by Everyday driver.

Quick Vid: McLaren previews MP4-12C GT3 racer

After years away from international (non-F1) racing, Mclaren's all new MP4-12C has been massaged into a GT3 spec variant for competition this year. Testing is still underway, but this is a very large leap for the new McLaren road car division in 2011.


Video courtesy of AutomotiveTv.