Read about the entire unveiling (with photos) here: http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=424637
Just read this from the BMWCCA
http://bmwcca.org/forum/showthread.php?t=7853
“Sneak peek” of enthusiasts’ dream ride promised
Remember when BMW M GmbH came up with the E36 M3, but decided it would be too expensive for the American market? Well, BMW CCA members take pride in the part we played in changing their minds. A letter-writing campaign spurred by Roundel’s Bob Roemer, aided and abetted by BMW NA’s M guy, Erik Wensberg—along with BMW dealers like California’s Rug Cunningham—convinced the factory to create a version of the car with a less-expensive engine for the U.S. market.
The result was satisfactory.
That is, the E36 M3 not only sold like sunblock in Mojave, but it re-established BMW as the bad-boy street ride that would free your inner delinquent. The M3 became a halo car for the entire fleet; fast and nimble, it was also affordable, as well as bridging the performance gap between the last E34 M5 (1993) and the E39 M5 (1998).
The E60 M5, which just finished its production run at a little over 20,000 units, first saw the light of day at Oktoberfest 2004.The success of the E36 M3 in the American market gave a certain credence to the opinions of vocal enthusiasts—that would be us rowdies of the BMW CCA, for the most part—and resulted in other U.S.-only coups. The 330i Performance Package—better known by its option code, ZHP, as owners did not care for the giggles whenever anybody mentioned a “330i peepee”—became a coveted example of the E46 3 Series. Built specifically for the American market, the ZHP featured a short-shift kit and a lower differential ratio—the better to get torque to the asphalt. More recently, BMW tweaked the twin-turbo 335i to create the 335is, another car aimed solely at the U.S. market. (In fact, certain BMW insiders claim that its gnarly exhaust would not meet German TUV noise restrictions, arrh arrh ARRH!)
And now there’s another fast, nimble ride warming up in the BMW wings.
This car, too, was spawned by enthusiasts’ cries for what they wanted: a fast, light, nimble car. BMW’s solution: the—
Wait! Wait! We can’t tell you!
Do you remember the surprise at Oktoberfest 2004 in Pasadena? That’s when BMW unveiled the E60 M5 for the first time—before it had even appeared at any car shows. We can’t promise a repeat of the appearance of that rootbeer-brown M5, but we can tell you that something will appear at our Oktoberfest awards banquet on Friday, August 27. It will probably be all covered up, but maybe they’ll let us see the left front fender or something, like when you were fifteen and managed to get two buttons of Betty Lou’s blouse unbuttoned before the slap.
What’s beneath the wrapping? Here’s a hint: One of the guests in attendance is Dr. Kay Segler. You may remember when he was the BMW Group’s brand manager for Mini. But these days he holds a different position: He’s head of BMW M GmbH.
Aren’t you glad you’re going to Oktoberfest (August 23-29, 2010 @ Road America in Wisconsin) ?!—Satch Carlson