Auto Mobiles

Filed under: BMW

How many cars have you owned over the course of your life? Three? Five? Ten? How about 135, and all from the same company? It may seem like unfathomable customer loyalty, but that's just what one Herr Klaus Hammerschmidt has done in taking delivery of his latest Bavarian motor work. You might think he'd mark the occasion with a new 135i, but instead the 73-year-old retiree picked up a brand-new M6 coupe, complete with the Competition Package, from the flagship BMW Welt showroom in Munich.

Hammerschmidt says he began driving when he was just 12, taking the wheel of his dad's car while papa worked the pedals. His first car was a 1800ti in 1963, and since then he's had 26 M cars, 29 Alpinas and another 80 standard BMWs. Before you go pulling out the calculator, that works out to an average of nearly 3 new cars every year. Not a bad way to spend a lifetime's earnings if you have the means. And at just 73, he's likely to go through a few more before his days are up. Follow the jump for the video.

[Source: BMW]

Continue reading VIDEO: German man takes delivery of his 135th BMW

VIDEO: German man takes delivery of his 135th BMW originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 04 Jul 2009 11:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Bentley, Motorcycles

As similar as the two industries are, there aren't as many automobile/motorcycle crossovers as you might otherwise think. A handful of carmakers (Honda, Suzuki, Peugeot, BMW, Triumph once upon a time...) also make motorcycles. Ford has their Harley-Davidson edition F-Series pick-up trucks. Some small sports cars use motorcycle engines, and there are some big motorcycles (really big) that use car engines. Fiat sponsors world champion Valentino Rossi's MotoGP Yamaha bike. And, once in a while, we see a custom chopper decked out to look like a particular automobile. We've eyeballed our share of Ferrari-inspired motorbikes, but this is something else entirely: a Bentley chopper.

Of course, there's nothing particularly Bentley about this chopper other than the trim, so don't go expecting a 6.75-liter V8 or a twin-turbo W12 sprung between two wheels. But the fit and finish look rather impressive. The greenish-grey paint finish is complemented by a soft tan leather saddle and capped with a "Flying B" emblem on the gas tank. Pretty sweet ride from the look of things, and even if it is a one-off, it's one more link between between motor vehicles with two wheels and those with four.

[Source: Jalopnik]

Born to be Bentley: One-off Crewe chopper originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 04 Jul 2009 10:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Etc.

Today, we in the United States celebrate Independence Day; a day full of backyard celebrations with family and friends, tasty food on the grill, an abundance of refreshing beverages, and, in towns across America, fireworks displays that close the day of celebration in grand fashion. As we like to do each year on July 4th, we're giving you a you just one bit of required reading before you head out for all the festivities. Without that document, we have nothing to celebrate, but because of it and the courage of those who fought for its ideals, we have 233 years of history to commemorate today.

So, Happy Independence Day from all of us here at Autoblog. Drive safely and have fun! Your regularly scheduled programming follows.

[Image: soul motor | License: Creative Commons NC-SA 2.0]

Happy Independence Day from Autoblog originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 04 Jul 2009 09:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Vice President Joe Biden pressed Iraqi leaders on Friday to do more to foster national reconciliation and offered U.S. assistance in achieving that, as concerns grow that a lack of political progress is fueling violence in Iraq.

* Look carefully at the above photo. Typical garage scene: Tools scattered about, tires stacked almost haphazardly, workbench loaded down with an engine rebuild. There’s even a TV hung from the railing. Now, would you believe it’s all 1/24th scale?

* We know Mickey Thompson from his exploits in pretty much every venue of racing, and our pal Gary Faules recently took a look at Thompson’s pair of attempts to finish La Carrera Panamericana, the Mexican road race.

* While not quite a Save These Cars post, the guys from the Singlefinger Speed Shop (great name…) discovered what they call “the junkyard that time forgot” somewhere in Pontiac, Michigan. (via)

* Remember Mythbusters smashing up a couple of Eagles a couple months back? Well, that was all filmed at the MGA proving grounds – the former AMC proving grounds – outside of Kenosha, Wisconsin. Jeni Panhorst of amcpacer.com (who HCC readers may remember from all the way back in issue #1) toured the grounds as part of her 2002 trip to Kenosha. Wonder if those bushes survived…

* Finally, and coincidentally, after our post on the Cunningham sedan the other day, we noticed Vintage Sports Car Review’s collection of photographs and paintings of the Cunningham C4R, the beastliest of Cunningham’s creations.

The 2010 Toyota Prius adopts a theme from a revered song: "I'm going to change the way I strut my stuff." In less than a decade, the Prius hybrid automobile has gone from an oddity to an icon.

A French government plane carrying the young girl believed to be the only survivor of an Indian Ocean plane crash arrived Thursday at a Paris airport from Comoros.

A U.S. Postal worker was ordered held without bond this afternoon on charges he sexually assaulted a pair of teenage girls after he threatened and forced them into his personal vehicle in two separate attacks.

Filed under: Frankfurt Auto Show, Spy Photos, Sports/GTs, Porsche

With every iteration of the 911, Porsche makes incremental improvements to its iconic sports car and naturally, the next generation will be no exception.

This latest 911 prototype was caught at the Nurburgring sporting 997 sheetmetal, but it's what's on top and out back that deserves note. A double-bubble roof panel has been fitted, while underneath the rear camouflage is a sizeable wing and additional ducting. Look closely and you'll see a small sill at the base of the rear windscreen that's assumed to be feeding the rear-mounted flat-six - likely necessary keep the boxer cool while Porsche engineers figure out how the new contoured roof affects aerodynamics. If previous reports are to be believed, we can expect the next 911 to debut sometime in 2010, but we wouldn't rule out an appearance at the Frankfurt Motor Show this September.

Spy Shots: Next-gen Porsche 911 sporting double-bubble roof originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 03 Jul 2009 19:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Aftermarket, SUVs, Mercedes-Benz

What is it lately that people don't seem to understand about hardcore off-roaders? They're not supposed to be aerodynamic, and they're not supposed to be pretty. And yet here we are yet again - after the modified Hummer recently spotted on eBay - looking at one of the world's most serious rock-climbing workhorses that's been smoothed out in controversial fashion, and in metallic Barney purple, no less.

What we have on one hand is the Mercedes Geländewagen, the same essential truck that Magna Steyr has been building for the Three-Pointed Star for some thirty years now. It's got the aerodynamic profile of a barn. Attached to a parachute. On the other, we have the E-Class, one of the most aerodynamically slippery cars on the market. Part of the same company's line-up, but just about as different as can be. And yet, thanks to what looks to be a not inconsequential amount of elbow grease, the two have come together to breed this remarkable concoction, which, we gather, was recently put up for sale on eBay. While we can't locate the auction itself, one has to figure that the owner is going to have a hard time selling a vehicle that's been so extensively "personalized."



[Source: Autogespot]

Behold: The one-of-a-kind Mercedes G/E-Class originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 03 Jul 2009 18:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments