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Entries Tagged as 'BMW'

BMW Art Car: Esther Mahlangu – MAD Museum, NYC

November 19th, 2010 by Ian

A little over a year ago, we showed you a taste of BMW’s Traveling Art Exhibit from our very own Grand Central Station. This particular BMW didn’t make it to that exhibit though, so head over to the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) to check it out in its full glory. The colorfully decorated luxury sedan, a 1991 BMW 525i, was painted by South African artist Esther Mahlangu as part of the Global Africa Project that aims to explore the impact of African visual culture on contemporary art, craft and design around the world. Mahlangu is the leading representative for this traditional Ndebele tribe’s art form.  ”My art has evolved from the tribal tradition of decorating our homes,” says Mahlangu.

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BMW 2002 – Morton Street, NYC

August 13th, 2010 by Ian

Strolling along in Greenwich Village, I stumbled onto this ’72 BMW 2002 sandwiched between two modern day compacts – a Ford Focus and Honda Fit. The three cars appear to have somewhat similar functional design elements – a tall greenhouse for good headroom, compact wheelbase for superior urban maneuverability, lightweight and fuel efficient, modest operation costs, etc. But something tells me that people won’t be cherishing and collecting Focuses and Fits 40 years from now.

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Garage Queens: BMW Z8 – 57th & 11th Avenue, NYC

July 1st, 2010 by Aaron

Spotted this all-aluminum, hand-built Bavarian beauty meets 400 hp bruiser in a west side garage on 57th street and felt compelled to snap a few. It’s almost as if time has stood still for this classically designed roadster. The 507-inspired lines still ring very very true today. It’s actually hard to believe that this car has been out of production for the better part of 10 years considering how new, relevant and fresh it still appears today. The Z4 is cool and all but when will BMW’s skunk works Motorsport division bring us another roadster worthy of such praise?

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BMW 2002 – Holt Ave, Los Angeles

June 8th, 2010 by Nick

Nothing wrong with a custom 2002. Blah blah blah stock this stock that blah blah. Sometimes you gotta just do what you want to make the car your own. This thing has been pushed and pulled to fit into the owner’s mold of his ideal car and he couldn’t be happier. No, I’m not making assumptions that the driver is, in fact, a he. He happened to come out of his house while I was visually molesting his car with my iPhone. Bobby doesn’t care about resale value or keeping a binder stocked full of original receipts and bills of sales, he claims that got thrown out at least five owners ago. He’s in this to “drive this thing into the ground.” He loves it and so do I. Keep on truckin’, Bobby.

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BMW 550i Gran Turismo – East 51st Street, NYC

April 9th, 2010 by Stu

I love spotting new product – its akin to a rookie actor’s first appearance on a well known TV show. You are watching to see how good (or bad) they look on camera and what the dynamic is with other cast members. Do they add something to the show? Detract from it? It’s no different for new cars. BMW, in this case, is the well known, award winning show and 5-Series GT is the unknown player greeting customers in showrooms. I have seen pictures and renderings of the wagon/crossover mash up in various auto mags, that’s like Page 6 for car guys, and I must say it looks much larger in person. Chalk that up to the tall roofline and XL chassis shared with BMW’s flagship 7-Series. That might translate well inside with ample head and legroom but it makes for some awkward proportions outside. 5-Series GT’s intention also seems a bit confused next to other BMW models like X5 and X6. After all, how many 4-5 passenger crossovers can one manufacturer make? This particular example is fitted with the company’s 4.4-liter twin-turbo V-8, good for 400hp and 450 ft-lbs of torque. In a puzzling move, BMW released this nearly $64,000 rear wheel drive V8 ahead of the six-cylinder and AWD versions that are hitting dealerships as you read this. The only overly positive thing I can say at this point is that I would take one over a Mercedes R-Class – itself a confused station wagon.

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BMW 2002 – NW 8th & Everett, Portland

April 1st, 2010 by Emir

This Malaga Red BMW 2002, which appears to be pre-1974, looks good parked all by its lonesome on NW 8th & Everett in Portland. As per usual, the rain adds a nice touch.

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Fine Lines: BMW 507 | Rolex Submariner 55XX

March 22nd, 2010 by Ian

We live in a world where design is constantly being borrowed and then reinterpreted. And it seems there are no limits to how or where we can draw our inspiration from, as many of the freshest ideas are found in seemingly unrelated areas ranging from fashion and architecture to desk lamps and cell phones. It just takes some good old fashioned observation and imagination to bring it all together. Did BMW consider the Rolex Submariner 55XX, a classic watch that debuted in 1953, when designing their now iconic 507 sports car? Probably not…but we certainly would have.

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German classics – Lincoln Blvd, Santa Monica

March 9th, 2010 by Mike

I’m not sure what it is about the Venice/Santa Monica border but it’s like a magnet for independent German auto mechanics. Including the guy I use, there are 7-8 indy establishments within walking distance from my house, usually with interesting cars on the lot. This spot in particular, called Glassers Auto Body, always catches my eye, mainly because of the aging Mercedes 450 SEL 6.9 and rotting BMW 2800 that have been sitting 3 millimeters from each other for years now. It’s a shame that two cars with so much historical significance are left in this condition, but even more of a shame that they’re not being driven. Oh well, at least they look pretty, even in this state.

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BMW 2002 – Sawtelle blvd, West LA

February 24th, 2010 by Nick

2002 isn’t a great year to be named after, but I guess it’s better than 1987. Okay, maybe it’s just a number to differentiate between 2 and 4 door models. And although all cars look good in the rain, this 2002 might just look better than most. It’s the perfect mix between tying a sweater around your shoulders and heading to the tennis club, and racing the VW next to you through the canyon.

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BMW 2000CS – Mission Street, Santa Barbara CA

February 15th, 2010 by Nick

Badges? We don’t need no stinkin’ badges! Alright, it has a few left on it, but other than those, this thing could care less about what fancy, German car plant it originally came from. This ride was set up to rip, and it looks the part. It is just dirty and banged up enough to recognize the owner loves it, but knew it’s roll at the same time. The cracked, faded paint mixed with the snooty angle of the front grill gives the car an air of arrogance – like a retired, handsome prize-fighter.

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