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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Spotted this John Cooper Works Mini that is mightier than the rest on Spring Street in Soho. Unlike someone we know, this owner was able to control him or herself from covering the entire body in carbon fiber accents and ridiculously oversized rear wings. The result is a boy racer with a tasteful level of modifications that really emphasizes this hot hatchback’s ability to get up and go. All of the modern day Minis are pretty great thanks to their agile handling, great fuel economy, relative light weight, free scheduled manintenance and famous BMW fit & finish, but I particularly adore these supercharged gen 1 models. They somehow appear cleaner and less bulbous than the twin scroll turbo gen 2 models currently in dealers

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I recently had the opportunity to go exploring in the streets of Sun Valley during a recent trip. Walking around, sun blazing, I began to recognize a common theme of expansive properties, dirt yards, roosters, mammals, at least three vehicles per household, at least two of them sitting immobile with the hoods up, horse trailers, boats and Sea Doos, all with months of dirt on them, baking in the sun.

I happen upon a yard full of kiddie pools with gangs of ducks wading in them and feel the need to remind myself that I’m only 15 minutes from Downtown LA. Across the street, behind a locked gate, is this great looking Mini of the vintage variety. As I’m admiring it, and enjoying the fact that it’s on Dayton wire wheels, the owner pulls up riding a mini 80cc dirtbike with extra loud exhaust mods. Late twenties/early thirties, shirtless, silver chain around his neck, heavily tatted, arriving home from the liquor store with a large grocery bag in hand (meaning he rode to the store on public roads with no helmet, and shopped in the store with no shirt on). He’s polite and thanked me for complimenting the car and then proceeded to open up the gate to expose two trailers on the property (Airstream and regular RV). There is no house to be found.

Maybe he lives in the Airstream and cooks meth in the RV? Or maybe he’s just a nice guy with no hangups about living in a trailer in a dirt lot as long as he can have his dream car. Weigh in below with your thoughts.

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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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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.

Chunky metal makes for an industrial look on the 507 and the Submariner

Built for speed and precision, the black steel enamel bezel of the Rolex shines like the black lacquered style paint of the 507.

A perfect example of not over designing the product – nothing is there that doesn’t need to be.

The simple Submariner dial shares details with that of the 507 – a black face with white numbers and sticks.

The lines are fluid and smooth, but the components are substantial and strong – you know when you have this watch on your wrist, the same way the sporty yet muscular stance of the 507 has heavy street presence.

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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.

The 2800 hit the market in 1968 for about $7,000, while the 6.9 hit the market a couple years later at $50,000, more than most Rolls Royce cars at the time. If the 2800 foreshadowed BMW’s long standing identity (until recently, that is) as the lighter-weight, manual-shifting, performance-minded sedan, then the 6.9 did the exact same for Mercedes/AMG, further establishing Benz as the well-built luxo tank with racetrack capabilities and gobs of muscle on tap—more insulated than the BMWs but more practical and performance-minded than the Double-Rs.

Fenced in behind these guys are few more commonplace gems in better shape. Fortunately the Doberman guarding them was also fenced in.

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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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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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It’s funny how Minis can make everyday vehicles around them look a bit silly. Even though it appears the car is standing still, we were actually traveling next to it at 75 mph. This super clean pre-BMW Mini is modified just enough to affirm you’re seeing something special – but your attention isn’t drawn to any one mod. The slightly raked stance, fender flares, MiniLite-style wheels, classy pin striping, crisp interior with contrast piping and wailing dual center-exit exhaust are all working together quite well. We can’t be certain on the year because the original Mini, essentially GB’s Beetle, was made in this basic body style all the way up until 2000 (MK1 – MK3). But the modern interior alludes to a 90s vehicle. Feel free to weigh in below.

MIKE ARDELEAN

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We spotted this BMW X6 on 14th street in the Meatpacking District. The sexy soft-roader with a chopped roofline was BMW’s answer to the rising trend toward combining coupe-like profiles with utter non-sports cars. Before X6 hit the scene, the trend had applied almost exclusively to sedans like Mercedes CLS and Passat CC. Although BMW was not the first automaker to fuse coupes and crossovers – Infiniti did it back in 2003 with the precocious FX35 and FX45.

This particular X6 is eqiupped with the optional 4.4L twin turbo V8 – it sends 400 horsepower to all four wheel via BMW’s intelligent AWD system. Apparently, the hulking V8 is the first of its kind to feature turbos between the V section in the middle of the two banks of cylinders. The trunk lid might just be the best iteration yet of the infamous Bangle But. A similarly intentioned crossover coupe from Acura called the ZDX will be hitting dealerships soon.

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