Passing of a Legend

Richard Hamann

It is a rather sad week for racing fans across the globe. Richard Hamann, founder of the Hamann Tuning company and Hamann Motorsports, was pronounced dead a few days ago after he lost his battle with Lung Cancer. This man was a racing legend. He participated in 700 races. Of those 700, he took the podium in 300 races and first place in 103. HAMANN was his very acknowledgeable tuning company. It's one of the few tuning companies that in my belief tune cars the way they need to be tuned. For example, Mansory will make an ugly car like the Porsche Panamera even uglier, just with more power. HAMANN, on the other hand, will take a good looking car, like the new 6-Series, and give it enough tweaks to make it go faster without losing its dignity, as seen here...

2012 Hamann 650i Convertible

They've only added minor tweaks to the already awesome Grand Tourer, and it still looks good. Man, what a legacy Richard Hamann had. My thoughts and prayers go out to the family and HAMANN Tuning. Richard Hamann will be missed. Check out the last car to come out before his death.

[Source: MotorWard]

Lucky 6's

2012 BMW 650i Coupe

The 2012 BMW 6-series is now complete, thanks to the unveiling of the all new 650i Coupe. It's everything you loved about the convertible, only with a sunroof, a hardtop, and some whale-tail styling. It still has the same 4.4-liter 400 horsepower Twin-Turbocharged V8 engine, 4.8 sec. 0 to 60 time, and 155 MPH limited top speed, you'll just be enjoying all of this with the sunroof open and the windows down. The new 6 will be offered with a 6-speed manual shifter or BMW's new 8-speed automatic. Both transmissions deliver the same output. As far as gizmos and gadgets go, the new 6 will feature a 10.2-inch screen which will be "iPad", in essence, of the visual information system. Then, there's the available Lane Departure Warning system, the Active Blind Spot detection system, rear and top view cameras, a Parking Assistance system, and a 3D heads-up display. Prices have not been announced yet, but since the convertible starts at $90,500, expect this to be a little bit cheaper. By the way, I will be testing a special BMW this April. Stay tuned for that.

Build a Beemer Workshop

2012 BMW 650i Convertible

If I had the money and the garage space, this is what my BMW 650i would look like: a pure grand-touring sports car. But this is just my customization. You can customize your own 6 as well. BMW of America has officially launched their 650i Convertible Configurator. So now, you can customize your 6-series the way you want it. Who knows, if you have enough money, your 6-series convertible could become real. Get started here.