Mansory Strikes With BMW 7-Series F01 Tune

Mansory's Geneva Motor Show world premieres, the tuning house's Swiss subsidiary came out with a set of photos announcing its upcoming program for the latest BMW 7-Series.


Mansory Switzerland is keeping all details under wraps for now, so we can only tell you about the styling treatment which includes a new front bumper with massive air vents that incorporates vertical LED daytime lights and carbon fiber spoilers, and an alternative version of BMW's trademark kidney grille with horizontal instead of vertical bars also made out of carbon fiber. 

 The new alloy wheels complete the exterior look, while Mansory has also fiddled around with the BMW's interior.

Source: Mansory via Autoblog.nl

PHOTO GALLERY

BMW M Car Sales Increase by More than 14 Percent in 2010

Sales of BMW's M car series continue to sprout as the Bavarian company's performance division concluded the 2010 business year with a 14.2 percent increase to 16,967 units, despite the phase out of the V10-powered M5 and M6 models. 
 
The M brand's most popular model remained the M3 with 5,729 units of the coupe, 2,544 units of the Convertible and 1,843 Saloons. Worldwide sales of the newly introduced all-wheel drive X5 M and X6 M totaled 2,778 and 3,082 respectively.

The USA was once again the most important single market in 2010 for the performance brand with overall BMW M car sales up by more than 6 percent to 6,821 units. As before, the number two sales region was the German domestic market with sales of 1,716 cars, followed by Britain and Northern Ireland with 1,264 units. 

BMW M's division saw its most dynamic growth in China where sales rose by 355 percent to 1,088 units, making the country the fourth-strongest market for the brand. Significant gains were also registered in Brazil (+ 237 percent) and Russia (+ 104 percent).

The German company said that it also recorded a 1 percent increase in sales of the M Sport packages, with 138,800 units in 2010. The main market for M Sport packages was Britain and Northern Ireland, followed by Germany and the USA.

The was also a significant jump in the demand for the firm's Individual program, with 24,155 options being ordered in 2010, an increase of 47 percent over 2009.

_______________________________GALLERY_______________________________

ItalDesign’s Nazca Reborn in Sabino Leerentveld

Since the demise of BMW’s M1 in 1981, designers and illustrators alike have speculated on the look of a possible successor to the Bavarian automaker’s only mass produced, mid-engined vehicle. Some – like industry stalwart ItalDesign – have gone so far to build full scale, drivable mock-ups. 
 
One such speculative mock-up was ItalDesign’s Nazca M12 of 1991 featuring a mid-mounted V12 and BMW’s ubiquitous rear wheel drive.

The Italian design house also presented a race-spec version of the car called the Nazca C2 at the 1992 Tokyo Motor Show, followed by a Spyder model in 1993.


Now, twenty years later, Dutch designer Sabino Leerentveld has resurrected the Nazca C2 in the form of this rather slick homage.


With its sculpted aerodynamic flanks, EfficientDynamics-inspired nose and pillars cleverly secreted behind its massive glasshouse, Leerentveld’s Nazca homage is quite a wonder to behold. In fact, one could also most say it's more production ready than ItalDesign’s 2008 concept. And, dare I say it, slightly less fussy in the styling department.

As always, you shouldn’t take my word for it. Check out our gallery below and deliver your verdict in the comments.

By Tristan Hankins

Source: Sabino Leerentveld

_______________________________CONCEPT_______________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________ITALDESIGN NAZCA________________________

Kelleners Sport Spices Up the F10 BMW 535i

The German tuner developed a complete aerodynamics package, designed to make the car more "athletic" - or so they claim. At the front, there's a new bumper, with integrated (and ever so popular) LED daytime running lights and oversized air intakes. Aggressive front spoiler lips widen the car, as do the beefy side skirts.


The rear end of the modified 535i boasts a boot lid spoiler and a redesigned bumper incorporating a diffuser. Kelleners also added a four-pipe stainless steel exhaust system.


A choice of 19- or 20-inch lightweight wheels, codenamed "Hamburg" and "Berlin", replace the standard alloys. The new rims are shod in 255/35 front and 285/30 rear high performance tires and come in different finishes, such as Matte Black, Polished Graphite Silver or Polished Platinum Silver.


Under the hood, the 306 hp 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six was fitted with the KS Power35 module, boosting peak output to 367 hp and 480 Nm (354 lb-ft) of torque. No performance figures were released. Kelleners also mentions the lowered (-30 mm) sports suspension, which, it claims, improves handling.


Interior appointments were kept to a minimal and consist of personalized floor mats and aluminum pedals, both available as standalone options.


By Csaba Daradics

_______________________________GALLERY_______________________________

The 2011 BMW 5-Series

The tuning specialists over at AC Schnitzer in Germany have endowed the latest BMW 5-Series saloon, codenamed F10, with exterior and interior styling accessories, as well as hardware upgrades.


The company's engineers got under the bonnet and came up with a performance upgrade for the 530d's straight-six turbo diesel pushing output from the 245HP to 286HP.

Optimizations for the rest of the diesel range, including the 520d, 525d and 535d models in Europe, are also under development and will become available soon, according to AC Schnitzer.


There's also a new sport exhaust system with chrome tail pipes that offers a throatier tone and is available on the 550i and 535i petrol, and 535d and 530d diesel models.


To improve handling, AC Schnitzer has come up with some minor enhancements to make the 5er more sporty on the road, including stiffer springs that lower the vehicle's road height by 25mm and an 8-piston caliper brake system for the front axle.


Buyers can choose from two different alloy wheel designs that are available in sizes 19- and 20-inches. The 20s are fitted with high performance tires size 245/35 R20 on the front and 285/30 R 20 on the rear.


For the exterior, there's a body kit package with a new front spoiler, a chromed twin kidney grille, side skirts, roof and boot lid spoilers, and a rear apron incorporating a diffuser.


Inside, the cockpit and steering wheel can be trimmed in black carbon fiber with silver accents, while the tuner also offers aluminum foot rest and pedal sets, gear knobs trimmed in leather and aluminum (with or without the digital gear display) and an aluminum cover for the i-Drive system controller.