BMW 1-Series Monster-Truck To Take Part In 2008 Dakar Rally!

Long before BMW even admitted considering the possibility of adding an X1 model in its range –don’t worry, you’ll be hearing something from Carscoop soon enough…, somewhere in France, a guy named Pascal Boutet has been working like a French poodle on steroids developing a 1-Series hatch 4WD rally car dubbed “Trio”.

Of course, underneath its 1-Series inspired fibreglass body, the “Trio”, that was created to participate in the 2008 Dakar Rally, has very little in common with the compact bimmer. Measuring in at 4.2m in length and weighing 1.900 kg (approximately 4.190 lb) this monster 1-Series is powered by a stock 3.0-litre turbodiesel straight-6 BMW engine that delivers 265Hp. No word on acceleration figures but the monster 1 has a top speed of 185 km/h.-Follow the jump for more images

Via: Autoblog.nl , Info: cms

New BMW 135i Coupe Wallpaper Gallery

It’s Sunday, I’ve been stuck inside all day mucking around with my PC –boy, do I need a vacation…, and among other things, I surfed the net in search of a new desktop wallpaper which led me to BMW’s North American site. Before I take a desperately needed break and head off to the beach, I though I’d share with you these artistically gorgeous wallpapers featuring the new 135i Coupe. In all, there are 8 different wallpapers of the new Bavarian compact coupe, available in these dimensions: 800x600, 1024x768, 1152x870, 1280x1024 and 1680x1280. Now if you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll take off! -Follow the jump for the comprehensive wallpaper gallery

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1024x768

1152x870

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Insider: BMW 1-Series Cabrio To Debut At The 2008 Geneva Show

We’re probably about 99% sure on the accuracy on the inside info on this BMW 1-Series Cabrio. If it were anything less we wouldn’t even have bothered sharing… follow the jump to see what we mean. As you can see from the spy photos that we took a few months ago, the 1-Series Coupe’s roofless alter ego will be fitted with a conventional canvas top just like the 6-Series Cabriolet and in contrast to the 3-Series Cabriolet, which is equipped with an electric folding hard-top. Although there’s no official information, we suspect that BMW preferred the soft-top to a hardtop not only because it’s quite cheaper but also because the canvas roof takes up less space from the boot.

Power is likely to come from the same range of engines as known from the 1-Series Coupe, which means, a 230Hp 3.0-litre petrol unit for the 128i, a 306Hp twin turbo 3.0-litre petrol engine for the 130i and in Europe, a 177Hp 2.0-litre turbodiesel for the 120d and a 204Hp 2.0-litre twin-turbo diesel for the 123d. We expect the 1-Series Cabriolet to go on sale shortly after its premiere at the 2008 Geneva Show in March. -Continued: Click “Read More…” below

We know that this part is off-topic, but we think some of you will find it interesting.

Patiently waiting to see the light of day, the 1-Series Cabriolet and Coupe scoop images weren’t the only things lying around on our desktop the past few months. We had also written an article to accompany the pics, but due to the numerous rumors about the upcoming 2 door 1-Series we hesitated since we weren’t sure what to believe. So, we decided to disclose both. Confused? Read the article below that we wrote several months ago and you’ll understand.

Question of the Day: BMW 1-Series Coupe & Cabrio or just plain Coupe-Cabrio?

We have to admit that we’re kind of confused with this one. During a one-on-one chitchat with a high-rank BMW official we were led to believe that there will only be one version of the 2door 1-Series when the car goes on sale in 2008: a Coupe-Cabrio with an electric folding hardtop. With the curious minds that we have, we also asked a PR who categorically confirmed the fact.

Theoretically, two ultra-reliable sources should be enough to break a story, but since we have a true love affair with “buts” (and butts, but that’s another story…) we contacted an inside source of ours that hasn’t proved us wrong up to now when it comes to BMW’s. Guess what; he claimed that to his knowledge, BMW will present two versions: a 1-Series Coupe and a 1-Series Cabriolet with a soft-top!