This past year has been a great one for Roundel Weekly! We've shared our first impressions of the highly-anticipated M2, and we covered BMW's 100th anniversary and our own Celebrate BMW events from Monterey, California. So what were our Top 10 Roundel Weekly stories of 2016?
#10 - Reluctantly Back As A Formula 1 Fan, by Satch Carlson
I must say that the last few weeks of Formula 1 racing, especially the races in Azerbaijan and Silverstone, have interrupted my Sunday work schedule. Unlike fanatical fans of Formula 1 racing, I do not get up at Oh-Dark-Thirty to watch the races live; instead, I record the qualifying sessions and the races so that I can skip ahead through the boring parts.
This means that I can watch the qualifying sessions in about ten minutes flat.
Read the full story ⇒ www.bmwcca.org/roundel/reluctantly-back-formula-1-fan
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#9 - Jerry Seinfeld Drives A 2002tii In Latest Comedian In Cars Getting Coffee
We all know Jerry Seinfeld from his wildly popular "show about nothing," Seinfeld. Well, he's continued that tradition with his new show, Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee. The basic premise of this show is exactly what you'd think: Jerry picks up some of his fellow comedians in an interesting car, and they go get coffee. The whole time, the comedians do what they do best, make us laugh. Some people are just born to be funny.
Read the full story ⇒ https://www.bmwcca.org/news/jerry-seinfeld-drives-2002tii-latest-comedian-cars-getting-coffee
#8 - Roundel Weekly Editor Nate Risch Buys Another M3—And Starts A Collection, by Nate Risch
I rarely make an irrational decision. You can find me at the grocery store analyzing the price per ounce of peanut butter, just to make sure I am actually getting the best deal. That’s why I surprised myself when I decided that I needed a second car—this one just for fun!
Read the full story ⇒ https://www.bmwcca.org/news/roundel-weekly-editor-nate-risch-buys-another-m3%E2%80%94and-starts-collection
#7 - A Jolly Good Reason To Join Amazon Prime, by Scott Blazey
They could have called it The Great Escape, representing the abrupt emigration of the three presenters of the British Broadcasting Corporation’s (BBC) hugely popular car show: Top Gear. Instead, Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May have titled their new car program The Grand Tour.
Read the full story ⇒ https://www.bmwcca.org/roundel/jolly-good-reason-join-amazon-prime
#6 - Size Matters In Cars As Well, by Andrew Murphy
A few short years ago, I found myself behind the wheel of the monstrous Competition Package-equipped M5. The über-sedan came with an impressive boost to 575 horsepower—the highest output of any production BMW—and that raw, angry power of the turbocharged V8 was only brought into check by the massive sixteen-inch ceramic brakes tucked just behind the Michelin-wrapped twenty-inch wheels. The Competition Package was the ultimate version of the Ultimate Driving Machine.
None of that mattered, though.
Read the full story ⇒ https://www.bmwcca.org/roundel/size-matters-cars-well
#5 - BMW Unveils The New 5 Series Sedan, by Scott Blazey
Finally, after dozens of spy photos and months of rumors, BMW has taken the wraps off the seventh-generation 5 Series sedan. The new G30 5 Series is clearly a design evolved from its F10 predecessor, with an unmistakable family resemblance to the latest Seven.
Read the full story ⇒ https://www.bmwcca.org/news/bmw-unveils-new-5-series-sedan
#4 - The Ultimate Evacuation Machine, by Andrew Murphy
Lately, I have been unhappy about my ownership experience with my 330i Touring. As I write this, it is just shy of the 150,000-mile milestone, and it has twice left me stranded—once with a bad battery terminal, and another time with a bad starter motor. Many would say that I might expect to be stranded by a ten-year-old car that is nearing the end of its useful life. In any case, despite proactive maintenance, I found myself watching the Barrique Red wagon being carted off on a flatbed, which left a pit in my stomach as I worried about future repair bills.
Read the full story ⇒ https://www.bmwcca.org/roundel/ultimate-evacuation-machine
#3 - When Bad Things Happen To Good Cars, by Scott Blazey
This month marks my 40th anniversary as a BMW car-owner. For those 40 years, the BMWs that I have been fortunate enough to own have been excellent, and by excellent I mean fun and reliable—and excellent.
On March 1, 1976, I picked up my brand-new Chamonix White (with blue interior) 2002 at the BMW Motor Gross dealership in Bad Windsheim, Germany. Technically, I guess that made it European delivery, but there was no BMW Welt in Munich in those days. In fact, the four-cylinder BMW headquarters building then was only a couple of years old.
Read the full story ⇒ https://www.bmwcca.org/roundel/when-bad-things-happen-good-cars
#2 - Why I Can't Test-Drive A New BMW M2, by Scott Blazey
BMW officially launched the new M2 coupe at the North American International Auto Show. It is everything I think a BMW M car should be—and that’s why I can’t test-drive it.
BMW touts it as the spiritual successor to the 2002 and the direct descendant of the M3 line. The car’s immediate predecessor is the BMW 1 Series M coupe. The M2’s looks and specifications convince me that BMW has captured the soul of the M sport coupe—but the only way to know for certain would be to drive it.
Which I can’t do.
Read the full story ⇒ https://www.bmwcca.org/roundel/why-i-can%E2%80%99t-test-drive-new-bmw-m2
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#1 - The M2 Is Exactly The Drivin' Fool You Hoped It Would Be, by Satch Carlson
Oh sweet god in the tumbleweeds, I’ve gone and drunk the Kool-Aid: I love this car. If the M2 isn’t the best damn all-around track rat and street-show-off BMW since the E30 M3—yes, including the 1 Series M coupe, its most direct ancestor—then there is no order in the universe.
You seriously need this bad ride.
Read the full story ⇒ https://www.bmwcca.org/roundel/m2-exactly-drivin%E2%80%99-fool-you-hoped-it-would-be
Fan's Choice Award - The Hack Mechanic, by Rob Siegel
Though the Hack Mechanic is a recurring article in Roundel Weekly, it's continuously one of the top stories each week. If we were to list his stories on this countdown, there would be little room for others, so we just made him the Fan's Choice Award for 2016. Whether it be stories about 2002s, his Suburban, or a Vixen RV, Rob knows how to write a good story that draws us in.
Read the Hack Mechanic's top story ⇒ https://www.bmwcca.org/roundel/when-wheel-came-car
These were our top Roundel Weekly stories for 2016, and boy are we excited to see what 2017 brings! If you aren't receiving Roundel Weekly in your email inbox on Tuesday afternoons, be sure to check the box to receive them in the Manage Account section on the BMW CCA website.—Nate Risch, Roundel Weekly Editor
