• top gear

    Top Gear Pits BMW M3 Vs. Lexus IS-F, We Translate Stig's Morse Code

    If you had a chance to see last night's episode of Top Gear you'd have seen the four-door BMW M3 take to the track against the Lexus IS-F. You'd also see Stig take the IS-F for a power lap, again while listening to the sounds of Morse code. The inability to understand what Stiggie was saying / hearing due to all those dots and dashes was buggin' us, so we enlisted the help of one of America's preeminent practitioners of the code of dits and dahs — who also happens to be an avid Jalopnik reader (although he likes bikes more than cars for some reason. Jeesh, hasn't he heard the old maxim about "two wheels bad, four wheels good?" Whatever, we won't hold it against him). He's helpfully translated the two short bursts of circles and lines. Hit the jump for the full video as well as the translation. More »
  • top gear

    The Stig Breaks In Top Gear Australia's Test Track

    In case you missed it, the first episode of Top Gear Australia aired this week, and while we're still not sure how much we like the down under counterpart to the British original, it's still good entertainment. One thing we weren't sure of until we watched was what exactly the test track would look like. This clip shows Aussie Stig pounding out the first power-lap on the estimated 1.28-mile circuit in the new 2009 Porsche 911

    More »
  • custom cars

    Dinan To Squeeze 638 HP V10 Into BMW M3, Laugh Manically

    Like mad scientists splicing bits and pieces of animal carcasses together to create something unholy, Dinan is prepping a BMW M3 equipped with a 638 HP version of the BMW V10. The heart of this ludicrous M3 will be a 5.7 liter bored-and-stroked version of the 5.0-liter DOHC 40-valve V10 found in the BMW M5 and BMW M6. This engine swap is not unprecedented, as Hamann, Hartge and AC Schnitzer have done it before, but this will be the first time major engine modification will be involved. Look for this manic M3 to break sound barriers in the near future. [Modified L&E]
    Photography credit: 0-60 Magazine
  • accidents

    BMW M3 Plowed Into House By Idiot Teen Driver

    Potential idiot parents take note — the 2008 BMW M3 is a finely crafted, high-performance, German-engineered rocket sled. It is not a present to buy for your LA-area 19-year-old. When parents like you buy cars like M3s for your kids, things like this happen — they pile a couple of guys in the car, then take it out for high-speed foolishness. At the peak of teenage testosterone, they will hit the "M button," rocket up a hill, lose control, jump a curb and bash into a house.

    More »
  • motorsports

    Note To BMW: New M3 ALMS Racer Looks Hot On Track Without Flame-Surfacing

    We first saw the new BMW M3 racer earlier this year at its Chicago Auto Show reveal. Now, after a year of development, the finished product has taken to the track for a test run as it's readied to do battle in the ALMS GT2 class against the likes of the Porsche 911 and Ferrari F430.

    More »
  • jalopnik automotive amerigasm

    Top Ten Best Real-Life Police Chases

    After yesterday's top ten silver screen police car chases, we're continuing our week-long Amerigasm with the top ten real police car chases. Because whether you're rooting for the baddies to make a clean getaway, or for the long arm to catch 'em, there's nothing quite like a good ol' real-life American police chase. While other countries may think they can, we know we can do 'em better than anyone else, so to prove it, click "more" for our list of the top ten best cop car chases — and then vote for the one you think is the best. More »
  • 2010 bmw m3

    2009/2010 BMW M3 Sedan

    The power-hungry BMW-lovers at M3Post have caught the 2009/2010 BMW M3 Sedan out for a stroll, and it looks like the next model year of the BMW M3's getting a bit of a rear-end lift with some color, some lines and yes, some new taillights to match what we've been told to expect on the next 3-Series sedan. Other than the butt-lift on the four-door, don't expect a whole lot of other changes for the next M3. Well, other than that "Space Gray" paint job.

    [via M3Post]
  • saab turbo x

    2008 Saab Turbo X Hits The Track, Goes Head-To-Head With The Subaru WRX STi, BMW M3, BMW 3-Series And Audi A4

    We'd read somewhere that at the height of the Cold War, the U.S. locked in the struggle against the evil Commies, Sweden was considered as a potential candidate for location of a Northern European base for F-117A Night Hawk Stealth fighters. Obviously that didn't happen as the decision was made to base all 59 of the arrow-headed black-as-night fighters stateside at Holloman Air Force Base after testing completed at the Toponah test range. And now, well, now they've all been retired. But we're going to imagine for a moment that maybe a couple of them were sent over to Sweden for some leave time. It's the only way we're able to explain the 2008 Saab Turbo X — because if Saab claims they're born from jets, we're of the impression this jet-black baby meatball's daddy has to be an F-117A. Earlier this week our intrepid Editor-in-Chief and I were invited over to Gingerman Raceway on Michigan's western coast to watch as Saab attempted to prove that pedigree by taking on the limited-edition Turbo X's competitors — the Audi A4 3.2 Quattro and the BMW 335 Xi. In addition, and just to see how it stacked up, the Swedes also brought along a new 2008 Subaru WRX STi and a brand spanking new 2008 BMW M3. So what happened? Well, hit the jump.

    More »