BMW

Car and Driver has released their 10 Best Cars for 2008. Here are the winners, including the number of times each vehicle has made the list:

2008 BMW 3-Series (17)
2008 Cadillac CTS (1)
2008 Chevrolet Corvette (14)
2008 Chevrolet Malibu (1)
2008 Honda Accord (22)
2008 Honda Fit (2)
2008 Mazda MX-5 (9)
2008 Mazdaspeed 3 (2)
2008 Porsche Boxster/Cayman (9)
2008 Volkswagen GTI (3)*

As a guy from Detroit, it’s sad to see only 3 domestic vehicles on the list, with General Motors as the only American manufacturer represented. It’s great to see the resurgence of GM, but it seems like Ford and Chrysler have a long way to go. Also noticeably absent from this years list is Toyota.

The full Car and Driver Article can be read here.

It is pretty amazing how auto manufacturer’s are drawing no lines as far as where they are building their automobiles. It excites me that we live in such a global market place where it has grown fuzzy to determine what driving American or driving German means.

European manufacturer’s are reaping the rewards right now of the strength of the Euro vs. the dollar.

That is why it is not surprising that BMW announced back on May 16 that they have plans to build the next generation BMW X3 at it’s plant in Spartanburg, SC. This is a big blow for Magna International which currently assembles the X3 for BMW at its Magna Steyr plant in Graz, Austria.

Here is what car and driver had to say.

“While not unexpected, it is a blow for Magna International which currently assembles the X3 for BMW at its Magna Steyr plant in Graz, Austria. In preparation for the addition of the X3, which launched in January 2004, Magna purchased its next-door neighbor, Chrysler’s Eurostar plant that was making minivans and PT Cruisers. Once Magna owned the whole complex, minivan production moved to Magna’s original plant; PT Cruisers were consolidated at the Toluca, Mexico, plant; and the vacated Eurostar space was prepped to set Magna up as the sole source for the new BMW.

In 2006, the X3 represented about 45 percent of Graz’s total vehicle output. But the writing has been on the wall since BMW officials began suggesting the next X3 could share underpinnings with the Z4—and both could end up adopting the new 3-series architecture.

BMW is spending $3 billion to expand capacity at Spartanburg within three years from 140,000 units annually to 200,000. It already revamped operations, replacing two separate assembly lines with a single flexible one that builds the Z4 and the midsize X5 SUV. The new coupe-shaped X6 (based on the X5) also will be sourced out of South Carolina next year. The continued strength of the euro vs. the dollar is one of the reasons for building more of the BMW lineup in the U.S.”

Now that we have our feet wet in the 21st century it is always fun to look back in time and find out how things began. We know now that we can just go to any car dealer and pick out the car we are drooling over and take it home. But how did these car companies begin; what was the process of their development?

When I was contemplating writing about the BMW 6-series I thought it may be fun first to research how BMW came about.

What does BMW stand for? (Look below to test your knowledge)

In 1917 BMW produced it’s first airplane engine, later in 1923 the R-32 motorcycle. It wasn’t until 1928 that marked the production of the first BMW car - the Dixi 3/15 PS.

Like most of history, BMW has a lengthy story not without it’s fair share of drama. These are some of the highlights I found on fantasy cars.com

In 1917, BMW’s first aircraft engine went into production, the 6 cylinder Type IIIa. In 1919, using an aircraft powered by its successor, the Type IV, Franz Zeno Diemer set an altitude record of 9,760 metres (32,013 ft). After the Treaty of Versailles was signed in the same year, prohibiting BMW from building aircraft engines, production switched to air brakes for railway cars. When BMW started once again to build aircraft engines in 1922, no fewer than 29 world records in aviation were set with them. The current BMW logo, introduced in 1920, was based on the circular design of an aircraft propeller.

The first BMW motorcycle, the R 32, went into production in 1923 at the newly constructed Eisenach factory next to the Munich airport of the day. The R 32 used a flat-twin engine transversely mounted in a double-tubular frame producing 8.5 horsepower at 3300 rpm. The 2-cylinder 494cc motorcycle could reach a top speed of 59 mph (95 km/h). BMW manufactured 3090 of them during its 3 year life span.

It was 1928 that made history in terms of the BMW car. Produced at the Eisenbach factory, the Dixi 3/15 PS marked the beginning of BMW automobile production. It was built under license from Austin and was essentially the same model as the US Bantam and the Japanese Datsun. The first Dixis used an open roof and were powered by a 743cc 4 cylinder engine producing 15 horsepower. Top speed was in the neighbourhood of 50 mph (80 km/h). In 1929 a new improved version was launched, the DA2, which employed an all-steel body and 4-wheel brakes, and in 1930 the Dixi scored its first wins in motor racing. Total production: 18,976 units.

1932 was the year the BMW AM 4 (Ausfuhrung Munchen 4 Gange - Munich Version 4 Speeds) - a.k.a. BMW’s first “real” car - went into production. The AM 4, also called the 3/20 PS, was the successor to the Dixi and the first production car to be built entirely in-house by BMW. The powerplant was a 782cc 4 cylinder unit which featured suspended valves and a double chain driving the camshafts, producing 20 horsepower at 3500 rpm and providing the saloon with a 50 mph top speed.

The next year mark ed the introduction of the 303 saloon and the first BMW inline-six cylinder power unit, a configuration that remains BMW’s typical choice even in contemporary cars. The 303 was also the first BMW to use the twin-kidney shaped radiator grilles, another cur rent trademark. Using a welded tubular steel frame, independent front suspension and rack and pinion steering, the 303 was a benchmark in technological achievements. Its 1173cc engine provided 30 horsepower and a top speed of 56 mph (90 km/h).

3 years later, in 1936, the BMW 328 was introduced. It was the most popular and remains BMW’s most famous pre-war sports car, the successor to the 315/1 (1934-36). The 328 was built mainly for motor sport, where it proved itself successful by winning the Mille Miglia in Italy in its class in 1938, but quickly became a popular road car as well. A curb weight of only 1830 lb was achieved through the use of an extra-light tubular spaceframe and light alloy parts for the hood, doors and tail end. Using a 1971cc inline-6 cylinder engine with three carburettors that produced a healthy 80 horsepower at 5000 rpm, the 328 could reach a maximum speed of 93 mph (150 km/h). 462 units of this classic were produced in total.

In 1935 BMW entered the record books once again, this time on two wheels. Riding a streamlined 500cc compressor machine developing 108 hp and an amazing power-to-weigh ratio (282 lb curb weight), Ernst Henne set a world speed record for motorcycles of 173.7 mph (279.5 km/h) in 1937. It stood for nearly two decades.

BMW = Bavarian Motor Works