Two observations: one, there’s nothing cooler than a LS1-engined BMW that is externally indistinguishable from its bread-and-butter cousins and two, the Apple iPhone is probably the worst thing for filming a movie ever. A little less of number two and a little more number one, if you please.

This BMW E46 3-Series coupe, or as its UK owner has appropriately named it, the 357Ci, started its life as a 2001 325Ci with an M Sport Package.

In the hands of its current owner, it received the same 5.7-liter LS1 V8 engine as the rather forlorn looking Porsche 911 we wrote about last week, making this the second American-powered German automobile we’ve featured in as many days.

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The new, sixth generation of BMW’s 3-Series sedan, codenamed F30 is almost upon us and as a result, we’re seeing more and more prototype models with less camouflage making their appearance on the road or in this case, testing on the Nürburgring circuit in Germany.

Being that the 3-Series has been the backbone of BMW’s success over the years, it doesn’t come to much of a surprise that the F30 remains close to the current model in terms of design.

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Last time we reported about BMW's long-rumored family of turbocharged 4-cylinder engines, it was in the summer of 2010. Meanwhile, the German manufacturer hasn't revealed anything on the matter, giving the whole affair an almost mythical status.

However, a new rumor has surfaced, with Automobile Magazine tweeting that the entry level BMW Z4 will soon get a new, 4-cylinder force inducted engine, as a replacement for the naturally aspirated inline-six.

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BMW's British arm announced today that it has joined forces with Streetcar, one of the UK's largest car clubs, giving drivers the chance to loan a new bimmer for less than £7.

Renting a BMW 1-Series for as little as £6.95 (equal to €7.9 or US$10.8) and a 3-Series for £8.95 (€10.2 or US$14) sure sounds tempting, but is there a catch to Streetcar's offer?

Well, of course there is. That kind of money will buy you only an hour's worth of driving time in the BMW 116 / 118d five-door hatchback and the 318d saloon respectively.

Not a bad deal if you want to rent a bimmer for a couple of hours but it gets less tempting as time increases with the 1 Series costing £69.50 for a whole day, £225 for Monday through Friday, £345 for 7 days and £895 for a whole month.

Prices for the 3 Series are even more steep with Streetcar asking for £89.50 for 24 hours, £295 for Monday to Friday, £445 for a week and £1,095 for a month.

The company said that it has more than 1,000 locations across a seven cities in the UK including London, Brighton, Cambridge, Southampton, Guildford, Maidstone and Oxford, but it aims to increase this number to 2,000 by 2011.

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Here's your chance to get a look at the North America-only BMW 335is Coupe in motion at the media presentation that took place at the Estoril race track in Portugal. If you follow the jump, you'll find two videos, one that includes a walk around the sporty coupe that nests between the 2011 335i and the M3, and the other with some driving impressions from the circuit.

The newest model in the facelifted 3-Series range packs an upgraded, twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six with 320HP and 332 lb-ft of torque (370 lb-ft with overboost) mated to either six-speed manual or seven-speed dual-clutch automated manual gearboxes.

The high-performance 335is Coupe will go on sale in the United States in June at an MSRP of $50,525, or about $7,000 more than the 2011 335i Coupe that's powered by a new single-turbocharged 3.0-liter straight-six with 300HP.

Via: BMWblog & Bimmerpost

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BMW's North American division has released official details on the new 335is Coupe and Convertible models ahead of their world debut at the New York International Auto Show in April.

Based on the facelifted versions of the 3-Series Coupe and Convertible, the 335is feature a detuned version of the 340HP N54 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged straight six found in the also new Z4 sDrive35is.

In the 335is this unit produces 320 horsepower and 332 lb-ft of torque with up to 370 lb-ft of torque available through the use of temporary overboost. As a reminder, BMW replaced the 300HP twin-turbo six N54 with the new 300HP single-turbo six N55 in the 2011 335i.

Aside from the more potent 320HP engine, the 335is are also the first 3-Series models in the U.S. to be offered with BMW's 7-speed Double Clutch Transmission (DCT) with Launch Control as an option, in place of the standard 6-speed manual transmission.

BMW said that top speed of the 335is will be electronically limited to 150 mph or 241km/h.

The 335is Coupe performs 0-60 mph (96km/h) runs in 5.0 seconds with the optional 7-speed DCT and 5.1 seconds with the manual 6-speed. The 335is Convertible, meanwhile, requires 5.2 seconds for the 0-60mph run whether equipped with the 6-speed manual or optional 7-speed DCT.

Other notable upgrades under the hood include the additional radiator behind the left-side front air intake, along with a more powerful electric cooling fan, stiffer engine mounts and a new sport exhaust system.

Above and beyond the cosmetic tweaks of the facelift models, the 335is get M Style bumpers, the rear with an integrated diffuser, new kidney grille surrounds in high gloss black, Shadowline black window trim, wing mirror caps in high gloss black, and standard 18-inch light alloy wheels in ferric grey color (19-inch are optional).

Inside, the M Sport upgrades concern the M Sport steering wheel, sport seats, anthracite headliner, M door sills, M driver's footrest, M gearshift knob, and stainless steel sport pedals. The instrument cluster dials in dark grey with a "335is" badge on the tachometer face and the "335is" badge on the passenger side dashboard complete the changes.

The 335is will initially be available only in the U.S. and Canada with prices in the States starting from $50,525 including destination for the 335is Coupe, and $59,075 including destination for the Convertible.

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While BMW has yet to make an official announcement on the all-new 335is Coupe and Convertible, the Bavarian firm uploaded the first official photos of both models on its public website. The 335is, which is believed to be offered initially only in North America, closes the gap between the 300HP 335i (306HP in Euro spec) and the 414HP M3 (420HP for the Euro model).

As we've already informed you from our previous post, a leaked spec sheet from BMW's Canadian division reveals that the 335is makes use of a tweaked version of the outgoing 335i's N54 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged inline six - and not the single-turbo N55 engine of the facelift 2011 335i.

The 335is' straight-six pumps out 322 horsepower (+22HP) and 332 lb-ft of peak torque (+32 lb-ft) with 369 lb-ft available temporarily on the over boost function.

Power is transferred to the rear-wheels through a six-speed manual gearbox or an optional seven-speed double clutch transmission.

We assume that like the new Z4 sDrive35is, the 335is model will get suspension calibrations for a sportier ride.

Naturally, the new 335is models get an M Aerodynamics package that includes unique front and rear bumpers as well as specific 18-inch alloy wheels and shadow trim for the double kidney grille, window surrounds and the dual tail pipes.

We expect an official release with more details to be released shortly.

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This past weekend BMW took the wraps off its refreshed 3-Series coupe and hardtop convertible models. In brief, the two-door variants of the 3-Series receive revised exterior styling and a new, more responsive and fuel-efficient single-turbo 3.0-liter straight-six for the 335i models.

In addition to these upgrades that we already told you about, the European-spec versions benefit from a tweaked diesel lineup and the presentation of a new-entry level model in the form of the 318i.

Beginning with the diesel range, the updated 2.0-liter four-cylinder unit in the 320d Coupe and Convertible models that complies with the EU 6 emission standards that won't go into force until 2014, now delivers 184HP and 380Nm of torque, up from 177HP and 350Nm.

In the case of the 320d Coupe, this has shortened the 0-100km/h (62mph) sprint by 0.4 seconds to 7.5 seconds, while at the same time reducing consumption by 1.0mpg US to 50 mpg US or 4.7 lt/100km and lowering emissions by 3g/km to 125g/km.

The values for the 320d Convertible are 0-100km/h (62mph) in 8.3 seconds, consumption is 46.1 mpg US or 5.1 lt/100km and emissions 135g/km.

BMW says that 320d Coupe is capable of reaching a top speed of 236km/h or 147mph with the Convertible attaining 228km/h or 142mph.

Similar improvements have been performed on the 325d's 3.0-liter six-cylinder diesel unit. Engine output is 7HP higher at 204HP, and torque is up from 400 to 430Nm enabling the Coupe to shave 0.4 seconds off its 0-100km/h (62mph) time, that now arrives in 6.9 seconds.

Even though fuel consumption remains the same at 41.3 mpg US or 5.7lt/100km, CO2 emissions are lower by 2g/km at 151g/km. The 325d Convertible's equivalent values are 7.5 seconds, 38.5 mpg US or 6.1lt/100km and 160g/km of CO2.

Finally, the 335d Coupe's diesel has also been tweaked resulting in an improved fuel consumption figure and lower CO2 emissions. It now records 35.6mpg US or 6.6lt/100km on the combined cycle, an improvement of 0.5mpg US, and 174g/km.

Note that the revised four-cylinder and inline-six diesels engines also made their way under the hood of 3-Series sedan and Touring models.

The 2011 model also marks the introduction of a new entry-level version for both the 3-Series Coupe and Convertible, the 318i.

As with most BMW models these days, the last two digits of the name of this model do not represent the displacement of the engine as the 318i is powered by a straight-four 2.0-litre (and not 1.8L as you'd assume) petrol engine.

This power unit produces a maximum output of 143HP at 6,000 rpm and peak torque of 190 Nm or 140 lb-ft at 4,250rpm. Coupled to a six-speed manual gearbox, the four-pot accelerates the 318i Coupe from a standstill to 100 km/h (62mph) in 9.1 seconds and the 318i Convertible in 10.3 seconds. Top speed in each case is 210 km/h or 130 mph.

In the EU test cycle the 318i Coupé averages 6.3 lt/100 km (equal to 37.3 mpg US) and achieves a CO2 rating of 146 g/km. The respective figures for the 318i Convertible are 6.6 lt (35.7 mpg US) and 154 g/km of CO2.

2011 BMW 3-Series Coupe & Convertible Photo Gallery

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