M Sport Package comes to the BMW X1

The X1 compact crossover is getting a lot of attention lately from BMW. Following the addition of the firm's new 2.0-liter turbo engine to the range, the Bavarian company officially announced the launch of an M Sport package for smallest member of the X family. The M Sport specification comprises suspension, exterior and interior components specially developed for the X1.

In detail, the package adds 17-inch star-spoke M alloy wheels or optionally, 18-inch rims, sports suspension calibration, an M Aerodynamics package with unique bumpers and side skirts, door sills with the “M” logo and BMW Individual High Gloss Shadow Line trim for the side window surrounds and roof rails.

Also available in conjunction with the M Sports package are the metallic exterior paint colours Alpine White, Le Mans Blue, Sapphire Black, Space Grey, Vermillion Red and Mineral White.

Inside, X1 gets sports seats upholstered in cloth/alcantara, an M leather-trimmed steering wheel with multifunction buttons and an M footrest for the driver capped off by an anthracite liner, dark cross-brushed aluminium trim, plus the M gearshift lever for vehicles with six-speed manual gearbox and a leather handbrake lever gaiter.

In the UK, prices start at £26,615 OTR for the X1 18d sDrive M Sport and £27,710 for 18d xDrive M Sport.

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BMW Officially Confirms 2.0-Liter Turbo for Z4 and 5-Series

Earlier this week, BMW unveiled its new 2.0-liter turbocharged gasoline engine which will effectively replace the firm's classic, naturally aspirated straight-six. The force-fed four banger made its debut on the X1 compact crossover, but today, the Bavarian automaker officially confirmed that the new engine will be available in other models "such as the BMW Z4 and 5 Series in due course." While BMW did not give out a launch date, expect to see both models towards the end of the year or early 2012, depending on the market.

In the X1 28xDrive, the new turbocharged twin-scroll engine churns out 245hp and 350Nm torque from just 1,250rpm, with BMW claiming that the four-cylinder unit is lighter and more compact than the equivalent six-cylinder engine, while also returning 16 per cent better fuel consumption and lower CO2 emissions.

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New Chevy Camaro SS Convertible to Pace Indy 500, then go on Sale

For the second year in a row, Chevrolet's Camaro SS will serve as the official pace car of the Indianapolis 500. The only difference this year is that GM's pony car will be the new convertible model with the company planning to build a total of 50 examples.

The pace car, along with the matching replicas are all based on the SS model and are equipped with a 400-horsepower V8 engine. All cars are painted in a Summit White exterior accented with orange stripes and door graphics. Inside, the seats are trimmed in orange leather with the front headrests featuring an embossed Indy 500 logo, while the door panels and instrument panel get white trims. In addition, the center panel trim features extensions of the orange exterior stripes.

GM said it will auction off the first of the 50 Indianapolis 500 Festival Committee cars at Saturday's (January 22, 2010) Barrett-Jackson event, with all proceeds from the sale to be donated to the David Foster Foundation, a charity devoted to supporting families with children in need of life-saving organ transplants.

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Ferrari's Revolutionary Breadvan: The Four-Seater, All-Wheel Drive FF

Ferrari's replacement for the 612 Scaglietti has finally come out of the closet ushering a radical new concept for the famed company from Maranello. The FF, which is an acronym for Ferrari Four, is probably the company's most versatile series production model ever featuring seating and luggage space for four, an all-wheel drive system and a shooting brake body style. It will be revealed at the forthcoming Geneva Motor Show with sales to follow later in the year.

Designed by Pininfarina, the FF is a large sports car measuring 4,907 mm in length, 1,953 in width and 1,379 mm in height. The elongated roofline, the styling of the rear quarter and the car's proportions bring to mind a variety of older models, one of which is the BMW Z3 Coupe.

The Prancing Horse company has not published any photos of the interior yet, but notes that the FF "can comfortably accommodate four people and their luggage". Talking about boot capacity, there's 450 liters of space with all four passengers about, or 800 liter with the rear seats folded.

Ferrari added that it has developed a vast array of personalization options and accessories for the FF, including include six model-specific exterior colors and interior trims.

There's a lot going on under the sheetmetal as the FF introduces company’s first ever [production] four-wheel drive system. Called 4RM, it is said to weigh 50 per cent less than a conventional four-wheel drive system, thus helping to maintain an almost perfect weight distribution [47:53].

The Italian company has released few other details about the system, but it claims "it delivers record levels of performance on all terrains and in all conditions via continuous and intelligent predictive torque distribution to all four wheels."

The FF is powered by a brand new 6.3-liter V12 engine with direct injection and Ferrari's HELE tech that includes a stop/start system. Sitting up front, the 12-cylinder motor delivers 660-horses at 8,000 rpm and is hooked up to dual-clutch F1 gearbox. Ferrari said the FF completes the 0-100km/h [62mph] sprint in 3.7 seconds and 335 km/h (208 mph), while returning a combined fuel economy of 15.4 lt/100km, equal to 15.3 mpg US, with CO2 emissions of 360 g/km.

The GT tips the scales at a hefty 1,790 kg or 3,946 pounds, but thanks to the powerful V12, it boasts a weight-to-power ratio of 2.7 kg/hp.

Other highlights include the latest magnetorheological damping system (SCM3), as well as the most recent development in carbon-ceramic brakes from Brembo.

More details will be released at the Geneva Motor Show in March, but until then, check out the photos and video below, and tell us what you think about Ferrari's latest model in the comments section.

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2012 BMW 6-Series Convertible Photo Shoot from South Africa

If by any chance you still haven't seen the new 6-Series Convertible in the flesh and are not satisfied by the first batch of 133 photos released by the Bavarian automaker last November, BMW has just published an enormous gallery of its soft top cabriolet, photographed in South Africa. The Germans also added a few shots of a 6-Series Individual, which is a special program that provides customers additional bespoke options to reflect their individuality.

As a reminder, there are two engines available for the new 6 Series Convertible at launch. The 640i gets a 3.0-liter turbocharged straight-six with 320-horses and 450Nm / 332 lb-ft of peak torque, good enough to propel the four-seater model from standstill to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 5.7 seconds.

The 650i boasts a 4.4-liter turbo V8 producing 407HP and 600Nm / 443 lb-ft, and completes the standard sprint in 5.0 seconds. Both models have an electronically limited top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph).

In the USA, BMW will offer the 650i Convertible from this Spring with a starting price of $91,375 (including destination and handling fees).

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