One thing that never crossed my mind when considering BMW was the world of golf. In fact, BMW have been holding their own golf tournaments since 1982, going professional in 1989 with their first BMW International Open. This saw them break into the world of professional golfing and heralded them making increasing success year after year.Aside from the prize money for winning a BMW golf tournament is the tempting reward of a dream car if you succeed in getting a hole in one on a particular hole at each game. The first professional to achieve this was Jay Townsend in 1991 the BMW International Open. After obtaining his hole in one on the twelfth hole he was the lucky recipient of the keys to a BMW 325i Cabrio.

Another marker in the world of BMW golf came in 1992. The BMW International Open saw the one and only time when a total of five players had to battle it out for the prize money. It’s the only time that this many players have been involved in a playoff at a PGA European Tour Event and it was eventually won by Paul Zinger 9the 2008 USA Ryder Cup captain). The other four were to take joint second place.

The BMW Asian Open golf tournament has recently taken place in Shanghai and was won by thirty nine year old Darren Clarke of Northern Ireland. His putt of about thirty foot on the eighteenth hole gave him a one shot victory over his opponent, Robert-Jan Derksen from the Netherlands.

Clarke had been in the top fifty players previously but had seen his position drop to 236 at the start of the BMW Asian Open. This was sadly due to his wife passing away in August 2006 and Clarke has had some major emotional hurdles to overcome to get back into his game. With two young sons to care for, this is a major feat for Clarke and his family must be immensely proud of him.

With his eleventh win, Clarke took home a staggering $383,000 for his time, although it has been a long, hard road. He says he has been practicing for ten to twelve hours a day to bring his game back up to speed and will continue to do this to regain his positioning the top fifty.

BMW are great believers in getting people into sport and to this end, offer scholarships to the most deserving and dedicated of young players. Their scholarship establishments have been in a class that have seen them at the top of this field and have earned them world-wide recognition for the part they play in helping young people achieve their goals and dreams.

The following year the car showed more promise but was not able to win the event and that is truly what its makers wanted to do. Their patience paid off in 1940 when a BMW 328 car, the car that won their class in 1938, won the whole event after a gruelling 998 miles. The car was helped as it was upgraded with a streamlined body that allowed for more aerodynamic efficiency.The BMW 328 also won the 1939 RAC rally and then finished 5th overall after 24 hours and 1st in the 2 litre class. This meant that it was considered as the best international sports car of that era in the 2 litre category. At this time, BMW were racing motorbikes, in 1939 one of their motorcycles won the Isle Of Man TT and other events such as the sidecar World Championship. This continued until the 1970’s.

BMW have also had a fairly big history in Formula 1. During the 1980’s they wanted to develop an engine for F1 purposes. The Brabham F1 team saw this opportunity and the engine were first raced in 1982. The engines first race win was at the 1982 Canadian grand prix with the help of Nelson Piquet.

The following season, in 1983, the partnership continued and the BMW powered Brabham took 4 victories on its way to help Nelson Piquet win the title. BMW changed to the Benetton team in 1986 but it only managed to win one world championship race. With the success in Formula 1 at a minimum, BMW decided to drop their engines out of the world championship at the end of the 1986 season.

The engine they used though continued throughout 1987 but was renamed Megatron as they had bought the rights to the engine and they were put into the Arrows team for 1987. The BMW engine was famous for being the first Formula 1 engine to develop more than 1000hp in race trim and nearly 1400hp in qualifying trim when the boost was engaged fully.

They did not enter Formula 1 again until 1997 when they formed a partnership agreement with the Williams F1 team to produce engines for them for the 2000 season onwards. The powerful E41 V10 engine was made for the Williams team and debuted by the team where they managed to get 3rd place in the constructors’ championship and 3 podium finishes. There was always some disagreements during the partnership with Williams and in 2005 a big row broke out about the reliability of the engines and the team was not competitive during the season.

BMW then bought rights to the Sauber team which allowed them to set up their own team and design the car from the ground up. The car was quite successful in its first season earning themselves 5th in the constructor’s championship. Jacque Villeneuve who was with the team when it was Sauber had disagreements with BMW and then left at the end of the season where polish rookie driver Robert Kubica replaced him and instantly showed promise.

For nearly 100 years, the Audi brand has been synonymous with producing high quality, reliable, and well engineered vehicles. The Audi S5 is one of the best brands of the Audi Companies creations and every single one of their productions is worth the money and time looking at. The Audi is one of the best reliable cars of this century providing you wide sources of money saving while you’re on the road. The Audi S5 brings you the technology that’s saves you on fuel and provides the performances you need in order to get what you want in the Audi. The Audi is one brand car that produces the 4Wd drive in all their cars providing good stable driving.The Audi S5 has been highly anticipated by car enthusiasts all over the world.  The price tag for the new Audi A5 isn’t going to be cheap being that it’s full of perfection. The talk on Audi S5 forums is all about the quality of the car and how much money you will be saving if you drive one. The forums that contain information on the Audi S5 can be easy to find through other search engine such as Google or Yahoo. There is more search engine that shows you new results to the top sites and allows you to pick one that contains information on the Audi.

Audi R8 is an impressive and powerful sports car born with powerful ideas and an art of seduction. The Audi R8 is definitely in a different league and goes above any traditional luxury. Styled with perfect, detail, and elegance, the car is artistically designed with an all-aluminium Audi Space Frame body. The exterior styling of R8 makes an emphatic statement with the design classics, frame grille flanked by impressive headlights, and narrow tail lights with LED technology. Even the interior is comfortable, spacious, and elegant with the racing style cockpit, appealing instrument cluster, and state-of-art adornments.The attention to detail inside is second to none, and the drive is certainly not going to disappoint. The new car is powered with a V8 mid-mounted engine with a power output of 420 bhp at 7,800 rpm. The advanced engine delivers a maximum torque 430 Nm between 4,500 and 6,000 rpm and can achieve a top speed of 301 kmph with 0-100 kmph in an inspiring 4.6 seconds. In addition, it is also equipped with a perfect combination of Quattro permanent all-wheel drive mated with manual six-speed transmission or six-speed R-tronic.

Its many attractive models have pampered mankind with their style, comfort and driving pleasure. The acceleration, handling, mileage, looks, built, engine/transmission, capacities, safety, steadiness—just name it and the BMW car has it all. Here’s a teaser for you: BMW’s AC Schnitzer TENSION took part in a high-speed test in Italy under the “Beyond 300 km/h” category and emerged as the fastest BMW in the world at the end of it. So whenever you think of speed, you just can’t dismiss the BMW. It burns roads in its fiery presence—the regal interiors, superb engineering, commendable engine power, top notch body-styling components and more.The BMW 3-series coupe and convertible are the latest additions in 2007. The developers and designers of this car brand never stop thinking about the drivers’ needs. The 325 models have got a power upgrade to 230 and a name upgrade to 328. The 330 models have got a turbocharged 3-liter inline six and a name upgrade to 335. All are ready in an all-wheel-drive version 328xi. These also have improved navigation systems that can download real-time traffic updates and factor in traffic delays when computing the fastest route.

Take for instance the BMW 328i sedan—it’s purely a love-at-first-drive car! Forget the cliché good looks that’s integral to BMW, this sports sedan is a sheer driver’s joy, unlike most cars in this range. The Audi A4, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Lexus IS250, Infiniti G35, Acura TL, and Volvo S-60 are all worthy of the ‘sports sedan’ tag, but the 328i sedan has a tad more to it—it has impressed drivers with its unparalleled stability on high-speed runs and smoothness on any terrain. However, speed does not come only from maximum engine power; it is also because of careful engineering of all elements and maintenance. That is one reason why its owners give huge importance to BMW tuning.

The BMW 5-series and 6-series models have the new navigation systems now. Optionally, the 5-series is also been given a high-definition radio and night-vision to enhance the drivers’ luxury and the 6-series is fitted with a high-quality leather package and Logic7 sound system. The 7-series BMW has one-of-a-kind interior trim, Merino leather and special 20″ wheels. It also offers more exterior paint colors at extra cost to compound the BMW experience.

This car brand has an intense fan-following, for obvious reasons! And all BMW enthusiasts over the world interact with each other and share their common dreams, fantasies and ideas through the BMW community online. You must be part of one if you love the BMW; and if you aren’t, it won’t take you long for sure.

The BMW Hydrogen 7 is a hydrogen vehicle that is equipped with cutting-edge BMW body parts to complement its powerful yet environment-friendly nature. It is based on the chassis of the standard 7-series. Its internal combustion engine is capable of running on either hydrogen or gasoline. The engine of the vehicle is powered by a 260kW, 12-cylinder engine and accelerates from zero to 100km/h in 9.5 seconds. The top speed is limited electronically to 229km/h. The hydrogen technology imbibed in the vehicle trims down emissions of carbon dioxide. When the vehicle is running in the hydrogen mode, it emits nothing but vapor.The coming of BMW’s green car is given enough publicity and aspirations. “Leave it to BMW to come up with a viable alternative to fuel cells, electric propulsion, and storage batteries,” Automobile magazine said of the BMW Hydrogen 7. Nevertheless, the introduction of said vehicle leaves so many questions unanswered. Will it be considered as an anathema or would it be the other way around?

“Like money, hydrogen is plentiful but not easily obtained,” wrote Don Sherman in one of the issues of Automobile. “The most noticeable difference between the two fuel modes [hydrogen and gasoline] is a sharper, more metallic edge to the engine note during acceleration on hydrogen. Only by listening carefully can you hear the gurgle of the engine coolant circulating to warm the chilly hydrogen for combustion.” Sherman concluded, “BMW’s Hydrogen 7 is encouraging evidence that pistons and spark plugs could survive to entertain us for decades to come in the era of carbon-free fuel.”

One of the first journalists to drive the BMW Hydrogen 7 is BBC News business reporter Jorn Madslien. He assessed whether the vehicle is indeed a green initiative or a cynical market trap. Behind the powerful and efficient car is a set of auto drawbacks. The worst so far is finding refueling stations.

“We don’t have a problem about saying it is a marketing exercise,” admitted Timm Kehler. Kehler is the person responsible for marketing BMW’s early developments and innovation projects. The saving grace lies on the taking of a long-term commercial risk. “It shows the company can respond quickly to increases in the price of fossil fuel,” Kehler said, adding that as the world will eventually run out of oil and gas “we’ll need to start this now if we want to exist in the future”.

BMW has already received plenty of offers from politicians and executives, scientists and athletes, celebrities and other famous personalities, all eager to help “create visibility for hydrogen.” Among the long list of popular people are Madonna, Al Gore, David Suzuki and Arnold Schwarzenegger. They are queuing up to endorse the car and perhaps further boost their own green images in the process.

“All innovation invokes expensive solutions that can best be pumped into the market from the top end,” explained Kehler. “Here we have customers who are affluent and who are committed to technology. They are in a position to pay for technology that may prove to be the status symbols of the future.”

Despite the apparent shortfalls, the project is about much more than merely marketing, Kehler explained. “I think the car itself shows you it is not just a façade.” Wolfgang Leder of Total Deutschland’s new energy team added, “What we see here is a far reaching, advanced and mature technology. We want people who invest in filling stations to know there are users out there.”

“Hydrogen is an energy carrier,” Leder pointed out. “There are several ways to produce it. Wind power would be the best, or solar.” On a positive note, BMW’s marketing and brand manager, Torsten Muller-Otvos, predicted, “One day, even petrol and diesel will have to compete with hydrogen.”

What most people don’t know, however, is that BMW had it’s beginnings in 1923 not with cars, but with motorcycle production. To this day, BMW constantly comes out with new models of motorcycles employing cutting edge technology. Their racing teams see constant action in the international racing circuits, and win quite a number of these races with regularity.As a matter of fact, some BMW racing teams like to show off the specs of their machines by beating modified motorcycles from other groups, but they do so using only stock motorcycles that can be bought straight off the showroom floor by regular people. This impressive fact stands out and is something to bear in mind if you’re considering buying a motorcycle.

BMW has enjoyed such a high level of popularity that almost every country in the world has exclusive BMW motorcycle clubs for racers, owners, and enthusiasts. These clubs promote the popularity of BMW motorcycles by holding races, rallies, showroom events, and regular meetings among it’s members.

BMWs are some of the toughest vehicles around, and their motorcycles also bear this same stamp of durability. Despite looking like racing bikes, which in the mind of most people means that a bike is delicate and can only function at top specs on a race track, BMW bikes have actually seen action in quite a number of off-road and all-weather competitions.

The only drawback perhaps to the BMW is its price tag, which tends to be higher than the average motorcycle. However, most BMW owners feel that the price is a worthwhile trade off for all the perks of the bike. As a matter of fact, its price and quality have made owning a BMW a status symbol.

The price actually works to the advantage of some of the more knowledgeable motorcycle enthusiasts, who have made a livelihood out of restoring BMWs or selling them to collectors. Because of the popularity and prestige of BMW, older model beemer bikes have become vintage units that can fetch a hefty price with the right people.

IPods have reached the point where they not only can play your favorite music, but they can also play movies and slide shows of photos, and can function as a portable hard drive. Podcasts of your favorite radio and Internet shows as well as mp3-format audiobooks are now also easily available for use on your iPod. IPods are very handy to use because of their tiny size and the easy click wheel. The iPod BMW audio system with the greatest storage capacity can hold up to 20,000 of your favorite songs. No more listening to something you don’t like–now you can always have a great tune for your aural enjoyment, because you chose it. You can search for just the song you want by using the click wheel. You also have the capability to use your iPod while driving by using steering-wheel controls.IPods cram all of that digital information into the tiniest of spaces by using tiny sliders on the hard drive. This powerful hard drive, as well as very sensitive thin film, allows for a greater capacity of digital bits to be recorded upon it that other types of media. Both of these features enable the huge capacity of these minuscule digital powerhouses.

IPods are able to play music that is in mp3 format. Mp3 files work based on the idea of compression. Many digital files have information that appears more than one time in the file. What compression does, in a digital format, is to leave only a single incidence of each bit of information, and then reference it when the information is needed in the particular program that is running. In this way, the quality of the music is not harmed by reducing the redundant information that goes into making up the file. This compression factor is what allows speedy downloads of music, and also allows for increased storage of songs on your iPod’s hard drive, because they take up less space there.

Experience the joy of an iPod and a digital commute the next time you pull out of your driveway.

Just when you think you have heard it all, something comes along that totally surprises you. Like a gentle breeze on the back of your neck on a hot summer’s day that promises unexpected pleasure, so too will BMW amaze you. If you are up for an unusual story of innovation and imagination, read on my friend read on.

You will be pleasantly delighted.When we think of mechanical devices and steam, the first thing that usually comes to mind is the old steam engines of the American west. But now a new use has been found for an old source of energy. But who in their wildest dreams every thought that steam would be used as a source of power for our cars in this century.

Is this a leap forward for BMW or just a gimmick that won’t last very long?

In the closing days of 2005, BMW announced the introduction of a new technology they called the “turbosteamer”. And like most people I had no idea what they were talking about. Not only that, but I didn’t know that a large part of the energy released by burning gas in my car went right out the exhaust system as heat. Wow. What a waste of money.

But here is where things get really interesting. The heat that comes from the car’s regular internal combustion engine is used to power a steam engine that produces more energy to power the car. Or, to put it another way, it’s like getting a “turbo boost” like that black car ”KIT” in the TV series Knight Rider. And what a boost this steam produces to give the real BMW that extra “edge”.

What would an extra 15% do for you?

That’s right. With the “turbosteamer” the BMW is 15% more efficient. To make it easier to understand, think of it this way. Using this system you would go 15% longer before having to fill up with gas. Your gas bill would be 15% less. And in the long run you would be 15% happier with the results. You win. Your wallet wins. And the environment wins. It’s like winning the Triple Crown don’t you think?

Is there anything else to this system that makes it so unique?

I’m so glad you asked that question. Now that you mention it there are two very important pieces to this efficiency puzzle. You see, because the energy to run the steam engine comes directly from the heat of the exhaust, this concept is a stroke of genius. In addition, the heat from the internal combustion engine cooling system is also used as input to run the “turbosteamer”. Are BMW engineers awesome or what?

You won’t see this at your local dealership in the next few years. For now the development is focusing on making all the components of the system smaller and simpler. But the good news is that BMW should have a production model available around 2015.

And now you know what all the fuss is about when it comes to BMW and steam.

The engine which is being used in the Audi TTS is highly advanced in technology, it is made up of a two liter, consisting of four cylinders and also a direct injection system which will allow the car to generate greater amount of the torque and hence more amount of the power can be generated to make the car travel with a greater speed and also with increased amount of the pick up. The car comes in both the format which is of a roadster style and also comes in the form of a coupe. Both being equally popular and has gained enormous amount of the sales in the current year I the sports utility vehicle sector and has gained great reputation.The other important aspect of this car which makes it one of the best cars in this segment is the ability of the car to provide them with different driving styles in order to suit the driving method of the driver, this feature has become a great hit all over the world since this provides greater flexibility to the member who are driving the car. There is an option to lower the height of the car by about ten millimeters. This lowering of the position of the car can be achieved by using the electro magnetic damping system, which is available in the car. The other technological advancements, which can be seen in the car, are the presence of a more advance connecting rods, more efficient cylinders and more useful engine block. Also the intake and the exhaust valve, which are present in the engine blocks, have been optimized in order to increase the output of the car and also to increase the efficiency of the car.