BMW articles, project cars conversations, and more

You Need This: K20-swapped E30 BMW track car

The iconic, high-revving K-series experience, but in the E30 BMW chassis you know and love.

You Need This: A not-so-subtle, S54-powered E36 BMW wagon

Prefer to be the center of attention? Subtly isn't really your vibe? Here's an E36 BMW wagon–powered by an S54 engine–to match your personality.

You Need This: Widened, track-ready BMW 128i

An even more track-capable BMW 1-Series? This 128i for sale has been made a little wider, a little lower and a little stiffer.

You Need This: BMW 533i with M30B35 power

In addition to several mods like BBS wheels, H&R and Bilstein suspension parts and an Ireland Engineering exhaust, this 533i features an M30B35 engine from a later E34 BMW.

You Need This: Time trials and HPDE-ready E36 M3 Coupe

Currently set up for HPDE and time trials, this track-ready E36 BMW M3 features several suspension, chassis and engine upgrades.

Buyer's Guides: F8X BMW: All you need to know to go fast with one

The F8X BMW provides a great platform for a dual-duty car. Learn more about what you need to know about this era of M3 and M4.

Electronics & Electrical Systems: Troubleshooting 101: Basic steps when your car won't start

Sometimes a simple, methodical approach can bring that dead car back to life.

Shop Work: #TBT: Which BMW M3 is best for track and street, E30, E36 or E46?

In this test from 2004, we compare an E30 M3, E36 M3 and E46 M3 against each other to find out which one works best as a street car and a track car.

Restoration & Renovation: Painting a car at home part 3: Spraying the topcoats

A series of stories chronicling our adventure in painting a car at home. In part 1, we prepped. In part 2, we created a perfect, primed surface to paint on. And in part 3, we'll spray on the top coats.

Columns: How I learned to stop worrying and love my BMW M3

You put a lot of effort into your cars, so why not actually drive and enjoy them?

2004 M3

We've chronicled our adventures in E30-chassis and E36-chassis BMW M3s, but what's life like with an E46-chassis example?

2015 435i

Is the BMW F30 chassis the next hot track day car? We intend to find out.

1991 318is

This BMW 318is is the perfect candidate to see if we can make it just as fast as an M3 without breaking the bank.

1997 M3

This one-family, two-owner, 180,000-mile example was purchased nearly new in 1998 by Associate Publisher Joe Gearin’s dad.

2011 328i

A 2011 328i that we picked up off a used car lot at a considerable discount—but it's a blank slate for fun upgrades!

Do all cars really need bigger brakes?

Some cars greatly benefit from a big-brake kit, as the factory pieces just can’t handle the heat. Just see how the upsized hardware transformed our Corvette Z06 and …

Do we have an engine oiling problem with our BMW 435i?

Even when we first waded into this 2015 BMW 435i project, we warned you that we may encounter some genetic challenges, particularly with track use of its N55 …

What being on track can tell you that a dyno won't

Dynamometers are great tuning and research tools, but they do have their limitations. The primary limiting factor of a dyno is that it’s static. It tests power at the wheels …

Why was I slow? Let’s see what the data says.

One time is a fluke, twice is coincidence, and three times is a pattern. I think the quote is originally attributed to Ian Fleming, although I’m most familiar with it …