Derek Shiekhi

Almost everything has a price: concert tickets, milk, even history. If you have at least $138,275 to spend on a car, you can buy an important piece of the BMW legacy: the 2015 30th Anniversary Edition M5.

A few weeks ago, there were murmurings that a 9 Series concept was on its way to the Beijing Auto Show. BMW did not disappoint. It offered attendees a glimpse at roundel products to come with the Vision Future Luxury concept.

If you own a 2010 – 2012 Bimmer with an inline six, get ready to take it to your closest roundel dealer’s service department. BMW is recalling 156,137 vehicles of the above ages and engine type in the United States. Specifically, “A wide variety of models, including the 3 Series and 5 Series sedans, 5 Series Gran Turismo, X3, X5, and X6 crossovers, Z4 sports car, and the 1 Series coupe and convertible.” The bolts that keep the VANOS variable-camshaft timing unit housings in position can potentially loosen or break.

In the last several years, BMW has branched out into using digits previously not found on the tail ends of roundel-badged cars, such as 1, 2 and 4; however, the 8 Series has not been revived. But the Bavarian automaker might shoot straight past that to the number nine.

Dinan Engineering adds power and improved handling to the 2011 BMW 1M Coupe, and let’s not forget irony. Irony? Yes, because the S3-R, an extensively tuned version of the Bavarian pocket rocket, doesn’t come across as a modified car — it’s not an unreliable, one-dimensional creation.

This video took everything I thought I knew about tuners and turned it on its head. See, until now, I was of the understanding that modifiers make cars more powerful and (more often than not) ruin the appearance of the vehicles upon which they lay their hands. ALPINA proved me wrong.

Future presidents take their first steps down the path of leadership as broke law students. Successful comedians begin their careers making their friends laugh. Steve Dinan laid the foundation for his tuning empire in his home garage in 1979. Now look at him. His eponymous company has won two Rolex 24 at Daytona championships and three Rolex Sports Car Series top trophies. Dinan Engineering now operates out of a 33,000-square-foot facility in Morgan Hill, California.