BMW M Models 2011 News

Waiting for a new car is never easy. It could be a week or it could be a year — even longer — but a delivery hold-up still means delayed satisfaction.

The group of Hells Angels bikies charged including Sydney chapter boss Felix Lyle, Mostafa Jouayde, Selim Kocak, Jeffrey Sahyoun and Nonda Stamatakis.The group had been accused of attempting to extort cash from Terry Mullens, the owner of a luxury car yard at Burwood, in Sydney's inner west.They had been charged with demanding with menace between July 7 and 11, 2011, a silver BMW M3 valued at $49,000 from Mr Mullens at his dealership on Parramatta Road.They had also been charged with participating in a criminal group and intimidation with intent to cause fear or physical harm in relation to the incident.All five pleaded not guilty to the charges last year.In Burwood Local Court on Tuesday, police prosecutor Daniel McMahon withdrew all charges against the men.He said the decision was taken because of recent developments, but told the court he did not want to go into them at this stage.In a discussion over costs, counsel for Stamatakis, Paul Hardin, said police had failed to properly investigate the credibility of Mr Mullens, who was to be a star witness for the prosecution.Jouayde, 31, and Kocak, 25, were present in court for the decision and smiled broadly as the charges against them were dropped, before leaving prior to the argument over costs.Jouayde, president of the Hells Angels Parramatta chapter, last year obtained a one-off extension to his bail curfew so he could marry his fiancee, Susie Arida, in a lavish wedding ceremony in Sydney.Lyle, 54, president of the Sydney Chapter of the Hells Angels, was not present at court. Magistrate Brian Maloney adjourned the hearing on costs to May 30. 

Bernard Tomic's orange BMW coupe continues to follow him around the world - with the Aussie tennis star coming in for more police questioning at his new Monte Carlo base. Tomic's hoon-mobile caused a Gold Coast stand-off back in January, when the 19-year-old was stopped twice on Australia Day by cops over alleged sneaky drives while on a restricted P-plate licence. Despite Tomic's unsuccessful attempts to flog his motor back in Queensland, the roar of the V8 engine has followed him to the tax-free European principality, home to dozens of his fellow ATP players. One Monte Carlo policeman even put the hard word on the teen over his car. "A policeman here, he pulled my dad over while walking. The guy asked him for his licence. Just a random check," Tomic revealed after reaching the second round of the Monte Carlo Masters with a 6-4 6-3 win over Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan. "The guy followed tennis, and he asked: 'How is it going with the car?'" While Tomic may be moving on from his notorious Beemer, temptation stares him in the face, with the motor-mad teen living not far from a Maserati dealership in Monte Carlo. So far he has resisted the urge to buy a car. But like a sleazy, insincere car salesman, it's maybe time for mX to suggest a couple of nice little runners that might better suit the tennis teen.  

The family yesterday turned down a bid of $146,000 for the orange high-powered sports car. The 2010 BMW M3 has only 6926km on the clock but yesterday failed to meet a secret reserve set by Tomic's father John during a Brisbane auction. Pickles Auctions manager Robert Webster said the Tomic family had negotiated with the highest bidder, a mysterious interstate buyer, but had failed to reach an agreement. "It will be up to the Tomic family whether or not they re-list the car for auction. They may sell privately or through a dealer,'' he said. "They spent around $200,000 for the car in 2010 and they were expecting a higher return.'' The failed sale comes just two weeks after the 19-year-old was pulled over three times and fined twice by police in less than two hours on Australia Day. Police also charged Tomic with three traffic offences, including evading police. Talking at a media conference this week Tomic said he might never drive in Australia again. Pickles Auctions national manager Steve Allen said Tomic had said he now wanted to focus on his tennis career without distractions. "He's had his fun and he's ready to focus on tennis now,'' Mr Allen said. "We thought it would fetch a high price given the publicity surrounding the car and its performance enhancements. "There are only five of these BMWs in this colour in Australia.'' John Tomic attended the auction and appeared disappointed with the final bid. Punters said they were shocked the top bid was turned down. Bidder John Marshall joked he wanted to buy the BMW for his granddaughter. "I was thinking about it but she's only on her P-plates,'' he said. "It's an outrageous price for a car but I guess with all that comes with it . . . "I am here looking for a more sensible car but it was great to witness the auction. I thought for sure it would sell today.'' The Tomic family has until tomorrow morning to reconsider the $146,000 bid.

Just as HSV and FPV went big on black on their latest V8 muscle cars, and Benz has plans for an upcoming Black Series C63 Coupe, so the newest BMW M3 is a black attack. It's called the Frozen Black edition, reflecting the matt black bodywork. There will only be 12 cars for Australia with the Frozen Black package, which was developed in Germany for worldwide work. It's a typical deal on the limited-edition front, with visual tickles to justify a $17,100 increase over the $155,000 showroom sticker for a regular M3 coupe. "We managed to grab 12 cars for Australia. It's only available as a coupe and we've had a lot of interest," says Piers Scott, spokesman for BMW Australia. "Frozen Black is just a synonym for the matt paint. So that's the visual effect. We've had a number of customers, through BMW Individual, choose frozen paint finishes for their cars." BMW denies the black-mobile is reaction to the arrival of the latest Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Coupe in Australia, even though the first supplies of its obvious rival have just landed. "M3 sales are healthy. It's certainly not reactionary. It's a car that we knew there would be demand for," Scott says. The details of the Frozen Black package run to the paintwork, 19-inch black chrome wheels and black chrome exhaust, black Novillo leather in the cabin with red stitching, special leather dash trimming with red stitching, black side gills and red brake calipers. The Frozen Black M3 comes after the M3 Pure Edition and as sales of the Competition Pack for the M3 continue strongly. "The Pure edition was something just for Australia, that we concevied here. The Competition Pack is global, and so is the Frozen Black,"  says Scott. "It's only available in the Coupe. There are a batch for the 'states but I don't think you'd find them everywhere in the world."

...including clear Carparazzi pictures of the car being tested at the Nurburgring in Germany.The fuel economy focus in the new M5 will be repeated in the hot Three and European sources hint at a triple-turbocharged six-cylinder engine with extra use of carbon fibre-reinforced plastic parts to cut weight.The all-new pocket rocket will be here late in 2013 at around $150,000.

There is plenty of go left in the BMW M3, based on the way it's being teased and tizzied for extra showroom appeal. The newest tweak is an M3 sedan that fits between the regular model and the GTS coupe, a space previously reserved for the lightweight CSL. The newcomer was teased at the Shanghai Motor Show with the promise of around 325 kiloWatts, bigger brakes, firmer suspension and lightened exhaust - without the wild rear wing on the M3 GTS.

China is clearly on top of the car world in 2011.