I have one of these sitting in my garage awaiting a new engine, so I know I shouldn’t be looking at another one, but I can’t help it. It’s like sitting in a hospital with your loved one next to you while checking Match.com for her replacement. But here I sit; looking at this beautiful silver 1991 318is.

The racy little 4 cylinder engine makes a spectacular induction sound of a much larger engine. None of that screaming that comes from a Honda VTEC motor. This engine is refined, almost as much as the chassis. Poised as a Ms. America on four wheels. At 2500lbs, the car is a lightweight too and with 136HP under your right foot, you’re not exactly going to win any races. But with the right tires and suspension you can flat foot yourself around turns like a pro, with composure, and look like a drift hero.

So, despite the fact that the old, clunky black car that sits in my garage, broken with over 212k miles on the clock, I yearn once again to take it out and race it around the block. There’s nothing like the feeling of really thrashing a car to get it to move at any significant speeds. So, though I’ll have to pass on this one and wait until I can swap my new engine to the ICU-laden love that sits in my garage, however, it’s beautiful enough for someone else to come along and pickup this great looking car. Perfect paint. Super engine. It’s such a sweet deal that it really is hard to pass up, however whoever does pickup this silver-haired beauty will be in for a treat! Good luck to that lucky person!

With all this said, we have many things to be thankful for. We at EasyAutoSales are thankful that so many of you chose us every day to shop for your next car online. We are also thankful for all the great cars that are for sale today. No matter what you do or what your needs are, there’s car or for you! So, with that said, here’s my “What Cars I’m Thankful For” in honor of Thanksgiving 2008:

1. The Audi Coupe GT – This was the car I learned how to drive and my first real car I drove in high school. It was a super sweet ride that came over as a grey market car in 1986. I believe there were something like 500 of them brought over to the states. With an inline-5 engine and a slick 5-speed (and some awesome quality leather), this was a super rare and stylish ride at the time. Though the car was originally supposed to be giving to my brother when he graduated college, it got caught on some black ice while I was driving and ended up t-boning a Lincoln. RIP Audi.

2. The BMW E30 3-Series – This was my first car ever that I bought myself. I’ve had 3 of them thus far, including a 1991 318is that’s sitting in my garage. In my spare time, I’ve been taking it apart with plans to restore the car and get it out autocrossing. The car is super light, super cheap, efficient and a significant portion of the cars were build before the fall of the Berlin Wall, so they were built like a German tank. There will always be a special place in my heart for these cars.

3. The BMW 850CSi – This was my first “dream” car. While other kids had Lamborghinis and Ferraris on their wall, I remember watching a MotorWeek on TV back in the early 90s and recall the review of the ultra-exclusive BMW 850CSi. With a supurb 5.6L 12-cylinder engine (later derivatives of the V12 from this BMW were dropped into the McLaren F1), the 850CSi was the peak of german GT performance in the 90s.

4. The McLaren F1 – This was my first “dream” super-car. This was it. This was the car that embodied everything I wanted in a car. Speed. Handling. The look and a it had been the fastest production car for an incredibly long period of time. Even by today’s standards, there’s only a few cars that can match the F1’s performance. I’ll take mine in LeMans Orange. Now, all I need is the $4 million these cars are going for these days.

5. “New” Mini Cooper – It’s one of the most fun, efficient and safe cars I’ve ever had the chance to drive. In terms of pure performance, it’s not the fastest car in the world. However, it runs like it’s on rails, it’s got tons of low end torque and it just gives you the feeling of being in a much faster and more expensive car. They are just an all around great car! Though the new turbocharged Coopers are fantastic, there’s something really sweet looking about the previous generation’s GP edition. Just make sure and get yours without run-flat tires. Just no good…

6. Ford F-150 – Used to have a 1997 Ford F-150 and like the Mini Cooper, there’s something fun about driving it. You get a king-of-the-road type feeling, super hauling power and the great sound of a rumbling American V8. Due to some “lemon” issues with the car, I had to return it to the party I bought it from, but it’s on my list of cars that will tow my eventual race cars. The F-150 has/had been the best selling car for many years in a row and it’s no wonder. Though the older cars interior is pretty shady by modern standards, that’s not why you get a pickup truck.

7. Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder – In my opinion, one of the most beautiful cars made today. The overt and absurd styling of Lamborghinis crossed with the sex appeal of a drop-top (and reliability of an Audi) make this car exactly what I want to drive along the A1-A on a sunny day with my wife by my side. A car like this is also an investment, as quality Lamborghinis like the Gallardo are sure to keep their value in years to come. Though the Murcielago is the “big brother,” many have described it as a powerful, 4WD Elise due to its compact size. I love small cars and this one acts much larger with it’s 5.0L V10.

8. Lotus Elise – Proof you can have a car that has super-car performance and get well over 30MPG. Not much to say about this car, as it’s legend in its own right.

With the exception of last season’s 3rd place to 1st win by Finn Kimi Raikkonen It’s been a long time since we’ve had such an exciting season, let alone an exciting final race. With Felipe Massa coming into the final race a half dozen points behind, Lewis Hamilton would have had to finish lower than 5th place for Massa to win. As most who watch Brazil know, it’s a grand prix known for it’s unpredictable weather and frequent rain. This race was no different. With a 10 minute delay in the race start due to a downpour, the race started out rather unspectacularly. A first corner incident left David Coulthard, in his final grand prix, for the worse with a broken car and a bruised ego. It’s a shame DC would leave the sport on such a trivial accident.

After that, the rest of the race was a definite challenge for Hamilton to say in the top 5 to keep his championship alive. Between two strong Ferraris, Fernando Alonso’s late season charge, Toyota’s Jarno Trulli surprisingly quick drive, 19 year old Sebastian Vettle’s absolute tear, it took the entire length of the race plus a minute to determine if Hamilton would hold on to The Championship. Going into the last lap, Hamilton sat outside the top 5 with a late race pass by Sebastian Vettle. However, after Massa had finished and won the race, Hamilton chased down 5th place Timo Glock (after SV passed him) to put him in 5th with all but 3 turns left in the race. So there it is. Lewis Hamilton wins the F1 Driver’s World Championship by one point. It was a hard fought battle that will surely come alive again next season with drivers like Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettle and Robert Kubica being thrown into the mix with an already tight top 3 (Massa, Raikkonen and Hamilton).

Congratulations to Lewis and the whole McLaren team! Though they have often been the center of drama and various ex-drivers have recently revealed questionable practices regarding internal favoritism, they performed well on track and Lewis Hamilton has greatly matured since last season.

Here’s how the race results ended up:

1. Filepe Massa (Ferrari)
2. Fernando Alonso (Renault)
3. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
4. Sebastian Vettel (STR-Ferrari)
5. Lewis Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes)
6. Timo Glock (Toyota)
7. Heikki Kovalainen (McLaren-Mercedes)
8. Jarno Trulli (Toyota)
9. Mark Webber (Red Bull-Renault)
10. Nick Heidfeld (BMW Sauber)
11. Robert Kubica (BMW Sauber)
12. Nico Rosberg (Williams Toyota)
13. Jenson Button (Honda)
14. Sebastian Bourdais (STR-Ferrari)
15. Rubens Barrichello (Honda)
16. Adrian Sutil (Force India-Ferrari)
17. Kazuki Nakajima (Williams-Toyota)
18. Giancarlo Fisichella (Force India-Ferrari)
19. Nelsinho Piquet (Renault)
20. David Coulthard (Red Bull-Renault)

As a BMW driver, I know that at times, we can piss off quite a few people. As a Georgian, you often wonder if those gun racks are for show or easy access. So, for those more aggressive BMW drivers in the South (and heads of state) who require a great handling SUV AND require the ability to stop a .44 caliber bullet, we can now turn to the BMW X5 Security. Obviously, BMW is keeping most of the specifics on the down low for obvious reasons, but we do know the windows are upgraded to laminated 22-mm thick security glass. The SAV has a camera system with intercom keeps the passengers informed of what’s happening outside their bullet-proof kid-carrier. To handle the extra armor plating, the Security package is bundled to the X5 4.8i model with its 4.8L, 350HP V8. Nearly indistinguishable from the regular model, BMW has reportedly attempted to maintain the X5’s driving dynamics with upgraded suspension and brakes. Seeing what BMW has done with an already tough to manage SAV, throwing more weight will hamper the already 2-ton beast. However, knowing what BMW can do with heavy cars means this whale will still scoot like a kangaroo and be the most rewarding security based car on the market.

Source: AutoBlog

We don’t have too much details on this car but it goes to show how a carefully crafted paint job can make a car look AMAZING.  This car looks like it has a BMW front with a Lamboghini back.  If you guys know anything about it, we would love to get more info on it.

In the past 3 months there has been quite a bit of hemming and hawing about if there was going to be a NBC Top Gear, who are going to be the hosts, then back to no show, then if Jay Leno would be a possible host when he left the Tonight Show, then when he said he wouldn’t, how even he admitted that the show could be lame. For those of us who really care about Top Gear, it was a bit of an emotional roller-coaster. Now that we know the show will be around NBC in the coming months and the fact that Adam Carolla, Eric Strommer and Tanner Foust, we’re starting to get more details about the show strait from Carolla’s mouth. According to Carolla:

• The NBC adaptation will follow the BBC format: guest segment, stunt, test drive and, yes, the Stig (casting for that crucial role is still pending).

• The premiere episode will feature a race from Las Vegas to San Francisco, ending in a “mammoth stunt.” (NBC isn’t insisting on copycat stunts or episodes, a la Season One of The Office.)

• Carolla is pushing for an on-air drive of the just-unveiled BMW M1 Homage concept as soon as it’s available, as well as the Aston Martin DBS (though that would be a reprisal of a Clarkson drive).

• Clarkson and Carolla recently met face-to-face, but Carolla promises to focus more on improv than the heavily-prepared Clarkson.

• Officials from Top Gear in England, who are producing the show, along with “everyone involved,” have assured Carolla that he will be able to speak his mind on any car “without fear of reprisal” from advertisers, which he fully plans to do.”

The format looks great, as it’s based on the UK version. However, the unique content is really great to hear. At the very least, even if the show doesn’t live up to the UK version, at least we’ll have some unique shows that aren’t just a carbon copy of what Jeremy Clarkson and the rest of the British team has done.

Source: Popular Mechanics