The next stop on the world tour will see the Formula One entourage doing a daily commute between two continents: from the hotels and events on the European side of the sprawling city of Istanbul to the race track on the Asian side of the Bosphorus. At the challenging Istanbul Park circuit, which opened in 2005, the aim will be to come off as well as possible in the three-way contest between the top teams. Ferrari had a clear edge in Barcelona, while the BMW Sauber F1 Team and McLaren Mercedes were more or less level-pegging. There are no tests between the race in Barcelona and the Turkish Grand Prix on 11th May, but all the teams will be lining up with detail improvements again.

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To mark the 30th anniversary of BMWs M1 super sports car, BMW Group Design is presenting a homage to this legendary model as part of the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este 2008. With the runaway success of Audi’s “halo” car, the R8, could BMW be trying to generate interest for a possible production model? Stay tuned…

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BMW recently announced four executive appointments. Tom Purves, who had served as Chairman and CEO of BMW (US) has been appointed CEO of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited. Jim O’Donnell will assume the position Chairman and CEO of BMW (US) Holding Corp. effective July 1, 2008.

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All in all, a disappointing race weekend in Spain for the BMW Sauber team, as they ended up with only five championship points courtesy of Robert Kubica. This puts them in second place in the Constructor’s standings, ahead on McLaren Mercedes, who lost a car in a heavy accident. Nick Heidfeld had bad luck as he was forced to refuel during the subsequent safety car period. A stop and go penalty dropped him down from fifth to the back of the pack.

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At a recent Investor and Analyst meeting held in BMWs Spartanburg plant, Tom Purves had a “state-of-the-union” presentation on BMWs current status in the automotive world. Click through the rest of the post for a link to a pdf file with the charts and pictures as well a recent interview with Bloomberg news.

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The BMW Sauber F1 Team has barely embarked on its third season and is already heading for its first Formula One grand prix as the leader of the constructors’ championship. In the first three World Championship races of the 2008 season, the team was on the podium each time (two second places and a third), had its first pole position (Robert Kubica / Bahrain) and set its first fastest race lap (Nick Heidfeld / Malaysia).

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With the introduction of the new X6 Sports Activity Coupe, BMW rounds out its lineup of four-wheel drive vehicles. This time it is targeting those SUV owners who prefer a sportier drive. We recently had a chance to test drive this wonderful beast and our review will be up soon. In the mean time here is the official press release from BMW, including tech specs and pricing.

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After three races completed, BMW Sauber is atop the leader board in the Constructors Championship. Having started at the pole position and finishing with its third straight podium finish, BMW Sauber heads to Spain leading Ferrari with a one point margin.

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Let the modding begin! For those who don’t want to wait for the rumored 1 series sports concept that was unveiled at the Tokyo Auto Show, BMW has now made available performance parts to trick out your shiny new 1 series. Although there are no engine modifications, there is a variety of aerodynamic kits, brake systems, and carbon fiber accessories available to satisfy all your boy-racer needs. Check out the link below for all the details.

BMW 1 Series Performance Parts

From the steaming jungle heat of the second race in Sepang, Malaysia, into the dusty desert of Sahkir in the Kingdom of Bahrain for the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix, the BMW Sauber crew continue their promising season on their quest for the championship. Here are their thoughts on the upcoming race.

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