Car magazine is reporting the next version of the 1-series, slated for 2011 production will take a different direction compared to the 1er we have today. The new car will come in a variety of body styles including a coupe, a hatchback and a uniquely styled model dubbed the Supersport. The Supersport is the car which gets us worked up, bearing throwback styling like round headlights, eyebrow style turn signals, and a body-ringing character line. The Ess-Ess would slot between the 135i and the M3 with a rumored two-ish liter twin-turbo, direct injection four cylinder with positively felonious power figures, think 300 BHP and about 330 lb-ft of torque.

The other two models would share less raucous styling and get more normal engines, but there's the possibility of a stripped-out model in the form of a 115i, which would more bare bones than any BMW in years. Is it possible? Is BMW listening to the complaints and desires of its enthusiasts? Sounds impossible, but it may be true. [Car]

But the pie’s not just in Beatrice’s face as she was being protected by a police escort, who failed to notice either the forgotten keys or the car being stolen. The vehicle was taken when Beatrice and her guard stopped to visit a shop on London’s Devonshire Place.

The 1-series was given to Beatrice by her father, Prince Andrew, for her 17th birthday. Though the enterprising theif managed to outwit what appears to be a fairly witless royal and her bumbling coterie, the car's personalized numberplate makes the car an easy target for police. While the car contained a variety of personal items, none of them were sensitive to the royal family. You can imagine the police are anxious to catch this cold-blooded, blue-blood-nipping bandit. [via The Telegraph]

I’m certainly hoping so. The former owner of two E30s (a 1990 325is and a 1992 325iC), I’ve been left out in the cold by recent BMW products. Those E30s represented, to me at least, the perfect blend of sportiness and luxury. Just big enough for two people (four in a pinch) to ride in the supportive and comfy leather-clad, manual adjusting Recaros the E30 was almost two cars in one. You could choose to cruise around in a nice, classy looking luxury car or you could put the hammer down and out-drive Porsches on mountain roads. At 2865 lb (coupe) they were light. At 168 HP and 164 lb-ft they were, for the time, fast and even by modern standards they were torquey and smooth. More importantly, they put nothing between the driver and driving, they were real, honest to god, sports cars.

So hopping into the 135i on my way out of New York, I was really hoping to be able to recapture the sense of driving involvement BMWs since that time have slowly lost. Initial signs were good. Very good. Surprised by the amount of instantaneous power on offer, within 500 feet I had the car sideways on a highway on-ramp, my girlfriend’s motion sick sister screaming in the back seat.

The engine dominates initial driving impressions, overwhelming you with its torque and smoothness. Powerful enough to hussle the 4894 lb behemoth that is the BMW X6, here, in a car only a fraction of the size, it’s incredible. Driving it north on I-87, 3,000 RPM is enough to belt you into three figure, license-losing speeds much faster than expected. Delve into the higher RPMs and it feels M3 fast. BMW still knows how to build great engines, and this is probably the best of them.

Things settle down when you readjust yourself to how quickly the 135i can gather speed. Inside the cabin, the little Bimmer is a nice place to spend time. Only a little bit bigger on the inside than an E30, it’s luxurious in the front seat and offers rear seat passengers just enough space they’ll shut up and stop complaining — eventually.

Back when I was in school, I’d sneak out early every Sunday and take my E30 for a spin around a secret country route. Not able to do that every weekend now that I’m all grown up and Ray expects me to get work done, I nevertheless have a similar place that I go in the Catskills anytime I’m handed the keys to something fast. I took the Audi R8 there, the BMW M3 and the Jag XKR too. And that’s where I’m headed in the 135i. Out of all of them, this is the one I’m most excited about. The power, the size, the badge, this is the car for me. At least that’s what I thought until I got up there.

The backroads in the Catskills are narrow, tree-lined and gravel strewn. To go fast you need to have ultimate confidence in your car. That confidence comes through feel and feel is something the 135i doesn’t have. The steering wheel is dead around center, before firming up when turned. But it’s weight, not response that you’re getting. With all the silly nannies switched off, the 135i will oversteer with the best of them. But up here you need to know before that happens and in this car you don’t. Nor does the car reward driver input with involvement. I hate to say it, but the 135i is a fast, but ultimately, boring car to drive.

So here you have everything that should make a great a great BMW: the longitudinal six, rear wheel drive, small dimensions. But in the 135i you get the impression that those are more branding elements than something engineers have included for their fundamental rightness. Creating a car with the packaging compromises of a performance vehicle, but none of the things that would make those compromises worthwhile.

Is the 135i the simple, well-engineered driver’s car that will recapture the hearts of enthusiasts everywhere? I’m sad to report that it isn’t.

We're told by the folks at Motor Authority the car pictured here is an early test-mule for the next-generation 1-series hatch due most likely in either late 2011 or early 2012. Makeshift fender flares indicate we could expect the new model to sport a widened track both front and rear, confirming the next 1-series will be bigger than the current model. The larger footprint will also improve the car's dynamics and road-holding abilities and hopefully increase the headroom and legroom in the rear seat to move the demographic of buyers from parents with two child amputees to parents with two children with growth hormone deficiencies. [Motor Authority]

The Ramp, Part 1

The Ramp, Part 2

The Ramp. Part 3

Download the high res version at the site "Jeff Schultz" has set up for the movie: Rampenfest.com

Woe unto thee in cubical farms, for this is our greatest attempt yet to get you canned

Your wheel choices are the HARTGE Classic 2 or the HARTGE Classic 2, with a wide range of Pirelli and Continental tires including a 9x19" 255/30ZR 19/8 x19" 225/35ZR rear/front setup. [Source: HARTGE]

The models were kind enough to run it up and down for us a couple of times and it seems to work well. The interior is same as on the current car, but the headliner is a strange stretchy cloth that does the job of covering up the top's inner workings. The little trim detail which runs along the edge of the top is a nice brushed piece of stainless steel, adding to the overall precise look nicely. Now if only they can down what is sure to be a ridiculously high price tag.

There we were mid day sun cutting through the crisp winter air, salt like a lick on the street surface, mano y mano. Brand new BMW 135i with a flappy paddle shifter versus '99 Audi A4 2.8 manual. Wisps of exhaust drifting in the breeze. Green. Wooooooooooooooosh! Clutch, shift, woooooooooosh, clutch, shift. We kept things civil and didn't go past the speed limit, but sweet merciful crap, that thing is fast. Honestly there was no chance to start, who are we to turn down a couple of runs? Do want.

The video is supposedly the work of an American videographer named Jeff Schultz. Jeff's Youtube account is suspiciously centered around this odd 454 meter tall ramp he happened to find in the a Bavarian hamlet named "Oberpfaffelbachen." Amusingly, the city of Oberpfaffelbachen is not a real place, this much has been confirmed with the most Bavarian of our associates. If you were to follow the lead of Jeff's profile on the site, you would end up at his wordpress blog - a seemingly clumsy attempt at keeping everybody updated on his ongoing wanderings through Bavaria. Now if you're paying attention, you'll notice the odd "Oberpfaffelbachen" keyword prominently displayed. A little Google searching will reveal the towns homepage - and that's where the the whole thing starts looking like the viral advertising it is.

Oberpfaffelbachen's fictional web site makes it seem like any other idyllic German town. The site is complete with an 'About' section, profiles of the town council (one of whom has a Friendster profile), a little history, and most importantly, all sorts of allusions to an upcoming commemoration of the fictitious ramp. The pomp and circumstance even humorously includes a "Miss Ramp" pageant (Send in your pictures right now! The qualifications are you must be female, older than 21 and willing to e-mail them your picture!). It even has a a fairly amusing "Welcome to Oberpfaffelbachen" video from the "mayor".

But let's get down to brass tacks. What the hell is the ramp all about and what the hell is "Rampenfest." Heading over to that section of the site is where the viral marketing becomes clear. It seems that rather than ship the BMW 1-series across the ocean, BMW is planning on launching the little car to the US by way of an imaginary 454 meter ramp set up in the imaginary little burg:

"What is Rampenfest? Only the most amazing event in the history of Bavaria. To celebrate the launch of the new BMW 1-Series in America, we have constructed a gigantish Ramp to launch a BMW 1-Series into America. Our ramp stands an impressive 454 meters — tall enough to launch a 300-horsepower 1-Series over the Atlantic and into America!"

While we could be wrong on all accounts here, this seems like the makings of an absolutely epic viral marketing effort if we're right about where BMW is going with this concept. For the moment, we're willing to suspend disbelief and hoist our fictional steins high until we find out for certain where this twisted tale of super amazing rampage across the ocean leads. {Hat tip to Adam Frucci!)

The AC Schnitzer ACS1 3.5i

Not only in proportions is the new 1-series Coupé a worthy successor to the BMW 2002, but also technically: As in the 70s, the current most powerful standard version is powered by a "charged" engine. Daringly, the overtaking prestige was then enhanced further by the mirror-image Turbo logo on the front spoiler. In the 1-series Coupé, the possibilities are more refined, not least thanks to AC Schnitzer from Aachen. And naturally the company founded in Aachen in 1987 has made more than its logo available in its refinement package. Particularly impressive is the extensive AC Schnitzer bodykit including front grille, which is far more than mere decoration, but also effectively harmonised into the entire concept. The front spoiler elements and the rear skirt insert, together with the rear wing and rear roof spoiler, increase downforce and ensure better ground adhesion. For the front spoiler elements, AC Schnitzer supplies optional aluminium struts as used in motorsport - after all, the BMW 2002 was renowned for its track speed at the time. And it is on one particularly legendary circuit, the Nürburgring North Loop, that Manfred Wollgarten, Technical Director at AC Schnitzer, set up the sports suspension for the ACS1 3.5i. As a Touring Car driver, he knows what he's doing. He also sent the Coupé on its way with another strut brace for the front, to further reduce the torsion of a body already very stiff as standard. So at every point on the course, the driver has total control over the vehicle to centimetre precision when he turns the neat AC Schnitzer 3-spoke sports airbag steering wheel. And that's good, because finally the unrestrained power of the biturbo engine is applied on the right track. Especially since AC Schnitzer has not only improved the downforce of the vehicle, but also its thrust. Its heart now beats at 360 instead of 306 HP (265 instead of 225 kW) and accelerates the fiery 1-series Coupé to 100 km/h in less than five seconds. At the same time, the maximum torque rises from 400 to 450 Nm and the top speed from 250 to an impressive 300 km/h.

Values which you can not only see but also hear because the AC Schnitzer sports rear silencer with its refined "Racing" tailpipe sounds its baritone. It goes almost without saying that AC Schnitzer also offers a range of sporting alloy wheels for the ACS1 3.5i. The perfect complement with their sleek and refined design are the Type IV "BiColor" rims in size 8.5Jx19" and tyres 225/35R19. The stuff of dreams for drivers of the BMW 2002, just like the countless attractive interior components from AC Schnitzer in the form of controls and decor elements of aluminium and carbon.

The other mini Bavarian cruiser will come in at just under $30,000 with a price of $29,375 (including destination) for the regular inline-six-powered 128i. If you want more power, the 135i features the 300 horsepower twin-turbo six and can be had for the reasonable price of $35,675. [Kicking Tires]