Desuetude

For the most part, that is a yes. The E30 M3 (1987-1991) was arguably the most similar to it's European counterpart. The only differences were that we didn't get the Evolution versions that the lucky Europeans got. Nor did we get the M3 Cabriolet. The E36 M3 (1993-1999) is the biggest example of BMW being mean to Americans. The E36 M3 came out in Europe as a '93 model, one year after the E36's 1992 debut. It came with the S50B30 motor, which was a 285hp juggernaut of a motor, having solid lifters, infinitely variable VANOS (as opposed to single stage) on the intake cam, etc. It was a true ///M motor, having a dizzyingly high rev limiter, space age technology, hand assembly, etc. In 1995, the E36 M3 showed up in the U.S, and was seriously neutered. The biggest disservice was the motor. The US M3 in '95 came with the S50B30US making 240hp, which is COMPLETELY UNRELATED to the S50B30/S50B32. The S50 and later S52US were based off of the M50/M52 motors found in the non-M E36es. They were basically bored, stroked and cammed versions of the M50/M52, whereas the european S50B30 was a completely different animal. The S50/S52s did not rev higher, were not hand built, and were basically a joke compared to the euro S50B30/S50B32s. After '95, the US received the S52B32, which was a 3.2L version of the S50B30US, which BMW needed to do because of the difficulty in maintaining power levels after the switch to OBD-II engine controls. It delivered more of its power in the midrange than the S50B30US, but it still made the 240HP of its predecessor. Then after '95 in Europe, they got the S50B32, otherwise known as the "Evo" motor (only known as that in the UK), which was bumped to 3.2 liters (I have a feeling that you're probably beginning to understand that the numbers after B in the engine codes indicates the displacement of the motor) and made 321hp. Not to mention the fact that we got a mediocre ZF 5 speed with a tendency to have weak mounts and linkages leading to mis-shifts and over-revs (otherwise known as the Money $hift), while Europe got a super-slick Getrag 6 speed trans (which is considered stronger than the Getrag 6 speed in the Supra), that the EU M3 got a significantly larger rear subframe than the US, and that it got the large-case Differential (220) as opposed to the US (medium case 185). European E36 M3s were also the first BMWs to ever get SMG (SMG-I), however, I don't consider that a point of superiority, because the 3rd generation SMG sucks now, so I can only imagine how badly the 1st generation SMG sucked. There are a ton of other little differences in things like brake rotors, etc between the US and EU M3s. Basically, we got really screwed over here in the US. I have a friend (saying he's a friend is being a bit nice, lol) who's been a complete idiot, and has spent a ridiculous amount of time converting a US M3 into full EU spec, with a few add-ons. The E46 M3 (2000-2006) was almost as equal between the US and the EU in spec, after BMW realized that US customers would pay money to have the real deal. There were only a few small disservices they paid us on the US version, like the crappy pre-catted headers (costing us 8hp over the Europeans, and making the S54 motor that much more buzzy and rice rockety sounding than it already was in the EU), and floating front rotors. Beyond those two things, that was about the extent of the disservice that BMW did to the US in the regular version. However...and that is a big, full bodied however...BMW did not bring us the CSL (coupe sport lightweight) track day special, which really, really sucked for us. The CSL had a ton of Carbon Fiber used in all the right places, different aerodynamics, brakes, wheels, R-compound tires, headers, exhaust, intake, steering rack, seats, steering wheel, trim, and the list goes on. Basically, everything that mattered was different on the CSL. And we didn't get it. We got the ZCP package in '05-'06, which was a step above the base M3, giving us wheels looking almost identical to the CSL, slightly better brakes, suspension and different interior trim bits...but even the bits that were upgraded were nothing compared to those on the CSL. The E92 M3 (2007-????) Nobody knows yet how much of a disservice BMW will do to its US customers. In reality, it had better not, because it will make that many more people choose the awesome 335, 135, or the imminent 135tii over it. There's a ridiculously long answer to a question I'm sure you didn't want answered in as much detail as I gave! Sorry about the dissertation!

Your TL-1000 is SWEET! As far as beating my old car, I dunno buddy, it would have definitely been an interesting run! Certainly one that I wouldn't put a bet on! However, I was always neck and neck with a buddy's '04 RC-51 from 50-150 in 5 run matches, which I think would be a pretty fair comparison to a TL-1000. Again, whenever I was doing these runs, I was running C-16, meth, and 26 psi, so we're definitely not talking the same amount power that I disclosed above. Twins are simply a whole different measuring stick than Japanese 4-banger bikes. Very sweet bike nonetheless, and definitely something that will lay waste to 99.9% of cars on the road! I have a feeling the 954 would probably beat my old car, however. *EDIT* Now that I think about it, I never actually ran any 900cc 4-banger bikes. I ran against a few GSXR-750s, then it was GSXR-1000s, R1s, ZX-10s, etc (600s were the most common, and always wanted a piece, but they were always in for an ego bruising). The liter bikes would definitely pull a solid 2-4 cars on me to 150, but it wasn't a total blowout. Then there have been the few ZX-14s and 'Busas that I ran against, because I'm a silly glutton for punishment. In 2 cases, they were modified as well. I really just wanted to see how badly they could beat me Thanks for the compliments on the M6! I do agree about it being one of the all time best BMWs, and yes, the E30 M3 is definitely up there! If only it had some more power The fact that my good friend got smoked by a Honda Odyssey in his E30 M3 (under 30k original miles, he's selling it now because he just got a 997 GT3 *drool*) definitely reinforced the idea in my mind that all E30 M3s need motor transplants, or heavily built motors at the very least! Good eye! It's actually a '73 911E 2.4 (last year before they mucked it up with DOT-reg bumpers). It's a PCA-concours winning resto that my late-Grandfather and I did when I was in HS. One of the fondest memories I have of my pre-college years. I still have that car, and I wouldn't sell it for all of King Midas's gold. Here are some pics of the car itself, taken in mid '04: I should probably stop showing cars now, I'm really starting to look like a junkie

Thanks very much! Nobody really thought much of it...till they couldn't see it anymore! Well there's always the dyno, or the dragstrip. The 'strip really doesn't lie when it comes to finding out a car's real power (trap speed). I don't think that it's at all unreasonable to have 360hp from a 351. If everything is in order, you have a good cam, mani, carb, headers, heads, etc, and have some pistons with decent compression, you definitely could have that much power. Also, FYI, the M635CSi (M6 in the US, which is what I have) or the E28 M5 (ROW) are the closest to the M1. The motor in the M1 is called the M88-1. The motor in the M635CSi/E28 M5 (ROW) is called the M88-3. The motor in the US M6 and M5 is called the S38. They are all pretty much the same motor. The M88s are that much more similar, they both have single row timing chains, etc. The only differences between the two motors is in the compression, mech vs. EFI, etc. Just saying if you want the closest thing to a M1, then you get an M635CSi. Heh, I like to think I've calmed down. Then I realize that I'm looking for 997TTs. And yes, E30M3s are awesome, once they have that boat anchor S14 out! Honestly, I'd recommend doing a swap with an S52/S50 instead, it makes better power, is a better platform for further mods, etc. Just my .02 LSB is awesome. Definitely my fav. E46 color. I'd love to have a Duck myself, I've just never learned how to ride, and have always been afraid of doing so, which is probably why I've always wanted cars that are as fast/outrun bikes. The only bikes that I couldn't outrun in my M3 when I had race gas and meth were modern 900cc+ japanese bikes. I would love to learn though. The 335 is an awesome car. Good buddy of mine has one with all the bolt ons, software, etc. Puts down about 340ish whp, very, very fun car! It's definitely a great machine! It certainly wasn't slow!

Nice E36 M3! I had an affliction with one for a while. See my old '95 M332 (sold about a year and a half ago): The truly afflicted have probably already noticed the rather conspicuous intercooler occupying the front bumper and lower kidneys: That's because it had one of these: 567whp, 579wtq (93 octane pump fuel, no meth, WI, etc. Hot run in a hotter dyno room). God, having such a sleeper was dirty, naughty fun. 60-130mph in 9 seconds flat (on a 60mph punch, not a full run up from 40). Nobody knew. I even had 318 badges on the back for a while, just for laughs. That car was not for the weak hearted. Never has a car of mine garnered such polarized reactions from passengers. It certainly wasn't a car that people would say "eh, it was fine" after having a ride. Red-faced excitement, or white-faced fear were usually the two options that passengers chose from. And in regards to the Lotus...silly Xyphis, we all know that there isn't just one thing to fix on a Lotus in one season! There's always a fun new gremlin to chase! And you have a sublime 'stang, looks like you really did it up proper on the resto, based on what I see in the .gif!

Thanks so much, my friend! It's very rewarding when someone else appreciates it, it helps make the headaches and frustration that much more worth it! Just wait till you see her with the concours-level paint+trim(being done now), big brakes and fresh wheels! Big thanks, my man! Like I said above, it's very gratifying when someone has the same appreciation for the car as I do! The car comes stock with a 25% lock, 3.91 LSD. I recently replaced that with a 30/90 ramp, 4.10 LSD (polished BMW Motorsport gears). Not like the car is wanting for grunt...but, like Carrol Shelby once said, "too much is just right!" The 4.10 will definitely provide a nice bit of extra kick without diminishing drivability, and making gas mileage even more pitiful. And the 30/90 ramp will be absolutely sublime

Very nice notch, you deserve every last compliment you get for that! I can't tell if it's a windsor under there or not...whatcha got in there? Sorry, gotta be the BMW fanatic mood killer and tell ya that it's not a 635CSi...it's a 3.0 CSL (Group 4). That body style is the E9, which is the predecessor to the E24, otherwise known as the 6 series. I love the E24, particularly ones of M variety. In fact, I like them so much, that I was foolish enough to take on a 3 year long (and counting) resto/mod project on one! She's currently stripped to the bone, has been acid dipped, and is being painted as we speak. Once that's done, she's all going back together, and will be done for good. Since I started, she's shed almost 400 pounds, has a fully reupholstered interior and fresh audio, Brembo F&R big brakes, Penske-shock based coilovers (and every last bushing/bearing you can think of has been upgraded), and a motor that's been built, bored and stroked to the tune of 340hp and 330tq at the wheels. It has been some smiles, and a whole lot of disappointment, anger and frustration. When it's all done, I won't know whether to smile, or to cry. Shot in August '06, before paint, interior, new wheels, brakes, headers, throttle bodies, and her bump to 340whp (she had 290whp back then. Still an improvement over her 200whp stock)

Same happened with mine . So much for the double AR!

As far as Panoz is concerned, I wholeheartedly agree. Yes indeed, BMW all the way! Thanks for the compliment! All Z8s came with 6 speeds. It's only those pussay Alpina Roadsters that come with autos and a weaker motor (from the X5 4.6is). My cars are stick, with the exception of this: Alas, automatics are sometimes the price one pays for sanity.

LOL, sorry to be the buzzkill, cars are my first passion. I know you aren't a typical woman; however, you've alluded to the fact that you take extreme interest in new hobbies. Perhaps this is a new one for you! PS...my vote for pretty GT roadster can be seen above.

Um, excuse me. That's not the batmobile. This is the original Batmobile:

They raced em...but they never did well. The esperante LMP was always DOMINATED by the R8s. As far as Panoz goes, the AIV Roadster was cool, but IMO, the Esperante is a glorified mustang. Why do I say that? It is. Interior bits, motor, trans, suspension, steering system, etc, etc...all mustang bits. For that matter, the AIV Roadster was a glorified Mustang as well, just a bit more glorified than the Esperante. They were making quite a buzz in the early part of the decade, but they fell off the map after they took forever getting their models out, etc. When it came to cars in the "Sporty GT Roadster" category, there were a few options. This is the road I took: Never looked back.

No idea why DSN bracelets are so hard to install, my bracelet from TWP went right on, no problems. PS, the River springbars don't seem to fit the bracelets. At least they didn't fit on mine.

Thanks! Yes, the heritage has personal relevance to me, but...it just looks so right! I wore it into a very well known vintage watch dealer in NYC yesterday, the owner called everyone over to check it out. It calls out to the right crowd

Some old beat up piece of junk. To A German in Denmark- Buy yourself a Light Box. Look up "Light Box" or "Light Therapy" on Google. They are not cheap, but they are worth every penny. Yes, they are perfectly safe, do not cause cataracts, etc. It will make the winter a whole lot less bleak, take my word for it.

*EDIT* Removed, I'll post my response in Elwopo's thread on Guns, Society, and moral judgments here. I'm done desecrating this thread, it's about the poor victims of this tragedy.

Shall I copy+paste my response in Bergie's thread? lol. Humans are pretty self destructive by nature. Guns are good, when they're in the right hands. The vast majority of humans are completely idiotic and totally disposable. Now I'm waiting for someone to try and argue otherwise. Come on, someone take a shot, say that intelligence is totally an issue of socioeconomic circumstance!

Here here. If it wasn't apparent before, my initial post was not to drag the thread further off topic.

The head of the nail hath been struck

Sorry V, that couldn't be further from the truth. Gang and vendetta shootings occur far more often than you'd think in inner city schools. There's a reason that homicide has been the leading cause of death among Black males age 15-19 since 1969. Also, I should mention that in spite of the panic that gripped the nation when the first rash of suburban school shootings occured in '97 and '98, the number of violent deaths in school settings decreased by 27.5% between '92 and '98. I won't bother going into the rest of the inner city, convicted felon, juvenile offender and gang data, I'll let you read the whole report on "promising strategies to end gun violence in the US" here First off, children prey on the weak, it isn't fundamentally different than what goes on as adults, it just happens to be more blatant. Now, onto your flawed analysis of the cause behind school shootings. Children today have less access to guns than they ever have. Between 1972 and 2006, the number of households with firearms in the US dropped by 20%, from a high of 54 percent in 1977 to 34.5 percent in 2006. From 1980 to 2006, the percentage of Americans who reported personally owning a gun dropped more than nine percentage points: from a high of 30.7 percent in 1985 to a low during the period of 21.6 percent in 2006. I'll let you read this decidedly gun-control supportive report to further hammer this into your head. Looks like us silly little "gun lovers" aren't helping to perpetuate much at all, at least when it comes to having weapons available at our children's disposal. So, given the statistics in the report I linked to in my response to V, and the report I cited here, let's put those last few nails in the coffin. You can get all emotional, hoot and holler about how evil gun owners are, how their owning guns causes innocent children to be harmed, etc. Personally, I think that it is an argument often made by people looking to dump the blame on something else, when the blame should be on the very people making said arguments. Do healthy, loved, supported, well cared for and adjusted children, whose parents take active roles in their lives, go on shooting rampages? We all know the answer to that rhetorical question. Shall we blame video games, TV, the internet, video games, and music for these unconscionable acts? The only time these things can be blamed is when parents fail to perform in the most important job they have...being a dedicated, active, involved, loving parent. Children always seek the influence of figures in their lives; its how they shape themselves as people. If parents fail to be a positive, significant presence in a child's life, it leaves a vulnerable, impressionable child victim to the very elements of society that surround them, that they have not been able to put into context due to their parents failure to ground them, and give them perspective. Nanuq's got the right idea. Caring, and being active in children's lives is what will help solve this problem. In an ever increasingly self-centric society, I don't think it's unreasonable to say that people simply have forgotten their priorities. However, it is only the inferior parents that will blame society, the media, popular culture, and lack of gun control, when it is themselves they should blame. For the record, I am a supporter of moderate gun control. I am a bigger supporter of ignorance control.

Black kids do this kind of thing. It's called gang violence, and it happens all the time. Sad but true. The only thing that is more sad is that because of the fear of more gang violence, other kids and family members do nothing to help identify the killers, perpetuating the cycle. It's a shame, but quite the reality.

Then you go and sell elsewhere. One of the upsides of a worldwide economy.

I hope that the illegality of it involves a 20B! God, I wish I had that pic of me in the 750Li at Lime Rock at the SCDA's DE, that was classic!

You're smart enough to construct an argument against America and our gun-toting way of life. I think you should be smart enough to figure out my statement, no?

This is the gorgeous IDF that mysteriously disappeared from Ebay because some troll messed with the seller's feedback, causing the watches he was auctioning to sell way below market. So I worked out a deal with him, and bam, whaddaya know...2 days later I've got a little piece of history! And yes, send that beauty right over! Maybe it will help me resize this bracelet!