BMW used the data it gathered from the E30-based 325iX Elektric test mules to develop a total of 25 battery-powered E36 prototypes from 1991 to 1997. The cars were still finicky and not considered candidates for mass production, but they represented a significant step forward in the field of electric mobility. Continue reading »
Ran When Parked got to spend the better part of a weekend in Bangkok, Thailand, on our way back home from a business trip in China. Having never been to Thailand before, we were impressed by all of the old cars that are still on the road. Continue reading »
The E36 increased the distance between the BMW 3-Series and the 2002 that inspired it by moving the nameplate up a notch on the market. Bigger, faster and more opulent than its predecessor, the E36 alienated a small group of purists that longed for a simple, nimble and relatively affordable rear-wheel drive machine. Continue reading »
BMW started experimenting with electric drivetrains in 1969 when it asked its top engineers to design a battery-powered version of the popular 1602. The car took several years to complete and it didn’t make its public debut until the city of Munich, Germany, held the Olympic Games in 1972. The electric coupe worked as engineers … Continue reading »
This well-kept BMW 318i is living the last few days of its life behind a pile of late-model SEAT sub-compacts and Opel hatchbacks in a local junkyard. It is not the only E30 in the yard, but it is the only one that doesn’t appear to have been gradually driven into the ground over the … Continue reading »
Automakers often try to draw a parallel between cars and boats in advertisements and promotional photos. Picturing the two modes of transportation together is a way to emphasize the utilitarian nature of a vehicle, or to associate it with a particular – and generally affluent – lifestyle. Continue reading »
Automakers’ archives departments are filled with thousands of photos that will likely never see the light of day. Images of assembly lines are among some of the most obscure documents because they can’t easily be used in magazine advertisements and the auto media rarely has a need for them. Most often than not they were … Continue reading »
The 16th annual Monte-Carlo Historique Rally took place last week in southeastern France. Organized by the Automobile Club of Monaco, it is open to cars that participated in the iconic rally from 1955 to 1980 and that were built between those years. Continue reading »
According to a heavily-publicized prediction made by the Mayan civilization several centuries ago, the world as we know it will end for good today. Everything looks okay to us and we’ve yet to spot zombies, flaming meteorites or craters where shopping centers once were, but it’s best to be cautious. After all, most weather stations … Continue reading »
Automakers often go to great lengths in order to test upcoming vehicles without prematurely revealing what they look like. In 1986, BMW fine-tuned the upcoming Z1′s suspension by sending engineers around a test track in a bare chassis. How would you caption this picture of an early Z1 test mule? Continue reading »
