Watch our interview for a more in-depth look at the PDK transmission, including how the clutch packs are cooled, how fast the shifts occur, and the fuel economy.

Discuss the PDK in the Porsche 911 Forum.

Rod Millen, who was the 2007 winner at the Transsyberia rally for Porsche, did not compete in this year’s rally, but instead handed over the torch to his son Ryan.

Click here to watch more Roadfly videos.

The BMW roadster hardtops are great. They not only look great but they perform well too. They eliminate outside noise, make the interior warmer in cold weather and gives your roadster extra rigidity which may be why so many people are looking for hardtops.

The cost, if purchased new, is very high and a lot of people are looking for used hardtops to save some money. The BMW list price for a new Z4 hardtop is $2,575.00, the Z4 mounting hardware is another $180, the Z3 hardware (which is no longer available) was around $450, and the labor to install it is $250 to $500 depending on the labor rate and car. They are great but expensive.

Here are some things to consider if you’re looking to purchase a used hardtop. Hardtops are extremely large, heavy and hard to ship. When purchased new from your local BMW dealer they arrive at the dealership mounted on a metal rack on a pallet and a box is built around them. They come painted to match your car and are ready to mount. An item this large is difficult to ship and must be shipped as freight.

I spoke to one guy who purchased a used hardtop, sight unseen. It was located on the other side of the country and to save money he had it shipped via bus, in the luggage compartment underneath the bus. It still cost him several hundred dollars but was much less expensive than using a freight carrier. When he received the hardtop it was bent, twisted, and scratched. Now he is fighting with an insurance company and a bus company to get his money back and his hardtop repaired. How much money do you think he saved by purchasing a used hardtop? So far he’s spent more on this used one than he would have on a new one…and he still doesn’t have a hardtop on his car.

I spoke to another person who used a totally different approach. He installed the hardtop mounting kit on his car and drove to the place of purchase, put the hardtop on the car and drove it home. This sounds like a much better approach to me.

A good place to begin your search may be the parts counter of your local BMW dealer. They may have a hardtop lurking in the back corner collecting dust. One guy told me he got a great deal this way. My local dealer had one sitting around for a long time before someone took it home.

Here is a list of some things to think about before buying a hardtop, new or used:
*Initial cost.
*Transporting it; how are you going to get it home? On an item this size and weight, shipping is very expensive.
*Installation; this is not an easy install unless you are really handy.
*Cost and availability of the mounting hardware, needed before you can use the hardtop.
*Getting it painted, which could cost around $400.
*Removing it. How are you going to get the hardtop off the car? Two people can do it but you can’t do it yourself. A hoist can be a big help here.
*Storage. You’ll need a hoist or a cart to store your hardtop in.

A used hardtop will cost $1,000 to $1,500 and you still have to find and purchase the mounting hardware, have it installed, get it painted. You would be extremely lucky to find one in the color you need. Don’t spend this kind of money on a used hardtop and end up with something unusable. There’s a lot of opportunity here to waste your money. Do your research up front and you won’t get stuck.

For more info/advice on all your Z3/Z4 accessories, contact Dick at Roadster Solutions:
Dick Leinbach
Roadster Solutions (Z3Solutions)
P.O. Box 194, Birdsboro, Pennsylvania 19508 USA
1-877-862-0585 (toll free)
610-406-0597 (voice) / 610-406-0598 (fax)
Dick@RoadsterSolutions.com
http://roadstersolutions.com/

The ten-story facility will house 1500 employees and is located on a 50-acre campus with a restored wetland that’s home to 50,000 native plants.  The building features many energy saving design elements like adjustable sun screens on the exterior, and interior lights with sensors that dim lights when enough natural light is present to illuminate the wide open office areas.  There’s also a roof mounted plant tray system that helps to naturally insulate the roof.

The building is constructed with open stairways and myriad “Town Hall” meeting spaces to enhance employee productivity.  “This ‘Connectivity Concept’ encourages impromptu meetings,” said Rob Traynham, director of Corporate Services for Nissan, who oversaw the move into the new building.  “Not only will we have increased productivity, we expect a 30-35% savings on utilities,” said Traynham.

The increase in employee productivity was apparent everywhere the assembled group of journalists toured.  “I started being more productive the second I touched down,” said Katherine Zachary, manager, Nissan Corporate Communications.  And these employees will need to be productive, as at an outdoor dedication ceremony for the new building, Nissan President and CEO Carlos Ghosn outlined an aggressive plan for Nissan to be a world and U.S. leader in producing zero-emission electric vehicles.

Ghosn announced a new partnership with the State of Tennessee and the Tennessee Valley Authority electric utility to produce an electric vehicle in the State by 2010, and worldwide by 2012.  At a later roundtable discussion with journalists, Ghosn was asked why Nissan chose to go the electric car route when other manufacturers are gravitating towards hybrids. “We are moving in this direction because I think the environment has changed dramatically in the last few years,” said Ghosn.  In addition to rising fuel prices, Ghosn said the political environment has changed, and Nissan’s strategy must remain flexible.  “Every time we meet with an official, the only question is about electric cars and when are we going to produce them,” said Ghosn. “And we are not doing zero-emission vehicles by duty, we are doing it because there is a market for it,” Ghosn added. When asked if there would be a singular strategy for Nissan’s worldwide electric car effort, Ghosn said that each market is different, and each platform would reflect the nuances of that market.

In addition to their aggressive electric car initiative, Nissan announced they will launch 60 new models worldwide by 2012.

One event of Le Mans Week is the “Technical Scrutineering,” where fans can get up close and personal with their favorite race cars. Also on hand are the pit crews to answer a myriad of questions about these high-tech wonders. These sessions were held on Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesday and Thursday, you could take a walk along Pit Row, where lots of action takes place during the race. Qualifying sessions to determine grid positions were also held these two days. On Friday, pit walks were again available, as were press conferences with teams for the attending media. Friday evening brought a very exciting event, the Grande Parade Des Pilotes or Driver’s Parade where fans could see the cars and drivers so closely that they could even get autographs. This multi-hour parade also featured plenty of classic race and road cars, including the latest offerings from small and large auto manufacturers.

On Saturday, all that is Le Mans came together. Fans from around the world took their positions in grandstands or hillsides along the famed 8.5 mile circuit. Want to see flat out speed? Then the Mulsanne Straight, where speeds exceed 200 mph, was for you. Want action and drama? Then the Porsche Curves or the Indianapolis Corner is where you should have been stationed. If you wanted to check out all of Pit Row drama, then a seat along the start/finish straight was in order. A record 258,500 fans attended Le Mans this year. At 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 14, the 2008 24 Hours of Le Mans began.

Audi began its tenth year of running in the 24 Hours of Le Mans with a lot of history behind it. Considered the world’s most important endurance race, Audi has won Le Mans seven times in the last eight years. Audi first established its dominance at Le Mans with the gasoline powered R8, sweeping the top three spots in the main LM P1 class in 2000, 2001 and 2002.

In an effort to tout its technological superiority, and to bring “green” racing into the Audi Motorsports stable, Audi showcased the R10 TDI turbo diesel-powered racecar at the Paris Auto Show in 2005. It didn’t take long for Audi to show its dominance with diesel, winning Le Mans in 2007.

It’s amazing that a diesel-powered racecar can be so competitive. We often think of diesel powered cars as stinky and slow. With 650 horsepower and 811 pound-feet of torque, these Audi race cars are far from slow. Of the 55 cars in the race, spread over four performance classes, six were diesel powered. Peugeot, the French automaker, also fielded three turbo-diesel entries.

Audi’s head of motorsport, Dr. Wolfgang Ulrich, had high hopes for Audi’s tenth entry: “We enter our anniversary race well-prepared. Nevertheless, like every year, you have to expect the unexpected at Le Mans and react as good as possible to whatever comes up. It shouldn’t be forgotten that we compete against extremely strong competition,” said Ulrich. Overall, the nine factory drivers from Audi share 23 first, second and third place victories.

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And Peugeot was ready too. Their diesel cars qualified on the pole with the fastest lap times in Le Mans history, shattering the record of 3:27.18 (held by Audi) by almost eight seconds. The three French cars propelled from the “flying start” with ferocity. It was stunning to see the effortless way the Peugeots powered away from the field. But endurance races are about endurance, and 24 hours is a long time to race, with the weather (it rained overnight in Le Mans), darkness, driver fatigue, and durability and reliability all coming into play.

This year, Audi was the first team to race at Le Mans with a mix of traditional diesel and biodiesel. Co-developed with Shell Oil, Shell’s V-Power “Power Diesel” uses biofuel made from biowaste which cannot be used for food. The Power Diesel is nearly sulfur free and odorless, and the R10 TDI uses two Dow particulate filters to further clean up the exhaust stream. These cars are super clean and amazingly quiet, producing a humming sound instead of the usual droning noise of a typical high strung racecar.

The final hours of the race were full of drama. Overnight, as the rains came down, Audi’s slower cars had the advantage, and the number 2 car pushed into the lead, with the number 1 and 3 cars fighting with Peugeot for the second and third spots. And it was a battle that would go to the wire. Peugeot misfired on a pit stop, with the car spinning to a stop on the wet tarmac. The number 2 Audi was involved in a crash in the 22nd hour that sent another car to the pits, but the Audi, piloted by then seven time winner Tom Kristensen, powered on.

Before the race, Audi driver (car number 1) Emanuele Pirro called the 24 Hours of Le Mans “the greatest wheeled race since Ben Hur.” In the end, his thoughts were spot on as the number two car, piloted by Kristensen, Dindo Capello and Allan McNish, beat the number 7 Peugeot 908 by four minutes, thirty-one seconds. During the entire race, these two cars were never separated by more than one lap. Kristensen added to his Le Mans trophy total with his record eighth win. At the end, only 35 of the 55 cars that started the race were running at the finish, truly underscoring the beating man and machine take during the race. According to McNish, “You have to beat Le Mans before you beat any of your competitors. And beating Le Mans is the hardest part of it.”

In other classes, LM P2 was won by Porsche, Aston Martin defended its LM GT1 title, and Ferrari swept the LM GT2 Class.

The season opener at Infineon Raceway was a raging success. The series has already grown from the 2 cars last year to 6 competitors on Saturday (March 15th, 2008) and 7 on Sunday (March 16th, 2008). The March event at Thunderhill saw 6 Saturday and 9 the following race. Add to that the 3 or 4 cars in our shop that we’re preparing and we’ll have a full grid of our own by the end of the season. The SpecE30 series is a real testament to BMWs and their durability. The cars are limited to stock engines, transmissions and differentials. Despite the cars being nearly 20 years old they are able to withstand the abuse of the warm up, the qualifying, and 30 minute sprint races with little to no maintenance between rounds! While our fellow racers are busy hammering away repairing or replacing parts we get to stand around and enjoy each others company. This camaraderie has some Spec Miata and RX7 people looking at our series, the Valley Motorwerks / Norcalspece30.com

Saturday’s race at Infineon was pretty trouble free despite half the field was made up of rookies. We took the time to talk to everyone and make sure that they were going to drive a clean race and not damage their car or reputation! The guys did really well and I was proud to watch them in their maiden race. I was not present for Sunday’s race and maybe it was a good thing. All of our good luck from Saturday was gone by Sunday’s race. Brenden Selvig from Carmel managed to overcook turn 11 and total out a Honda Challenge car. Luckily no one was hurt and the parties involved were able to work out an equitable solution. The March Thunderhill race was simply incredible. I thought it would be difficult to outdo ourselves but we did. Having a record number of 9 cars and 2 others at the track going through testing was an incredible feeling. Adam Lazur, Mike Schwartzbart, Ryan Johnson and Brenden Selvig tested for their licenses and passed! Ryan sat out the Sunday race but the others jumped in feet first. The start was a reverse grid that placed 2 rookies on the front of the pack. The races were going to be run with a standing rather than a rolling start adding to the stress. AJ Goldsmith took off early then BACKED UP and got back into place just in time for the green flag. We could have had a real catastrophe on our hands but it all worked out well. There was some really exciting racing but it only lasted a few laps. Unfortunately, the race was red flagged due to a bad accident that involved Brandon Kraus. He took Lifeflight to a Chico area hospital and was released with only bruising a few cuts and a broken arm. His crash was a grim reminder how dangerous our sport can be.

For most of the guys this was their chance to get into racing and live out a lifelong dream. The cost of building and maintaining a SpecE30 is relatively low compared to other forms of auto racing. A set of tires will run 3 race weekends and brake pads will last about half a season.

VMWERKS Racing prepared a car for licensed racers outside the series to drive during a non-race session. Scott and Marcus Miller, Don Bailey, Carlos Suarez, Mark Welch, Tommy Lo and Richard Serafino along with myself took the car out. The common thread between all of us was how drivable the car was. The Miatas owners really liked the stability of the chassis and all the torque. I owned a SpecE30 for 2 years and picked up a second one a year ago but had never driven one. I was excited to get behind the wheel and give it a go. My personal track car is an E30 but is modified to a much greater degree than the Spec cars. I was surprised at how quickly you could pedal around Thunderhill in a stock drivetrain E30. The E30 chassis equipped with the Spec suspension had no bad habits and was “easy” to drive. Needless to say the test drive concept was a good one and allowed other competitors a chance to see what racing “The Ultimate Driving Machine” is all about!

See you at the races!

This facility is responsible for world-wide production of the M engines as well as a significant number of 3 Series wagons. The video features manufacturing areas such as the robotic welding arms, robotic car painting as well as final car prep areas of the factory.

BMW Production Factory Tour Video:

8 Series (E31) Forum

The E31 Lounge

Watch our BMW Welt Video:

You can also watch the BMW Welt Video Tour on YouTube.

Check out the 2007 Range Rover Sport going off-road at the Biltmore Estate.

You can also watch 2007 Range Rover Sport Off-Road Video on YouTube.

If you want to see more on the Land Rover Experience Driving School, click here for an article about the Driving Experience as well as additional video coverage.

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