“A company is like a human being. As long as it goes in for sports, it is fit, well-trained, full of enthusiasm and performance.” These were the words of Robert A. Lutz, BMW AG Board Member Sales, back in 1972. They were the words christening the youngest subsidiary of BMW AG at the time, BMW Motorsport GmbH. Today the company is called BMW M GmbH. But it is just as fit, well-trained, full of enthusiasm and performance as it was 40 years ago.

The early 1970s were the dawn of a new age for BMW: A new, young Board of Management under Eberhard von Kuenheim had set out to strategically power and pursue the ongoing success of the Company. This included the construction of a new head office – the legendary BMW Four-Cylinder – as well as the establishment of BMW’s own in-house Sports Division. Quoting Robert A. Lutz once again: “With sports always being a driving force at BMW, also while the Company was developing dynamically in the business world, it was only obvious at this point that we should concentrate and consolidate our activities in motor sport.”

Indeed, demand and untapped opportunities exceeded the potentials and capacities of the former Sports Department by far. The BMW 1800 TI and 2000 TI, as well as the entire 02 Series, were the most popular competition cars winning one race after the other. But BMW itself was able to meet only a fragment of the overall demand, the vast majority of cars being prepared, run and sold by tuning companies. Since the mid-1960s, BMW had also been involved in Formula 2 – and in the years to come hardly a team anywhere was able to enter this Formula successfully without BMW’s high-performance power units. Countless racing wins and European Championships by BMW dominated the scene.

The all new 2013 M6 coupe (F13) will take on safety car duties for MotoGP this season, becoming the latest BMW M model to do so after the M5 and 1M Safety Cars.

The MotoGP M6 safety car will debut at the 24 Hour Nurburgring race this weekend and will lead the M Festival M Corso parade event.

The first half of the MotoGP race season will continue seeing the use of the F10 M5 and 1M safety cars, but the F13 M6 coupe safety car will replace the 1M halfway through the race season. Expect the M6 safety car to receive similar modifications as the M5 and 1M - siren, Akrapovic exhaust system (whose name is seen on the M6 below) and aerodynamic enhancements (front carbon fiber spoiler, high rear wing, M Performance black kidney grilles, side gills, and mirrors, and gunmetal wheels. For stopping power, the M6 safety car will utilize the factory carbon ceramic brakes (seen in gold below).

More details and photos to come… for now here’s a teaser.

The X1 finally comes to the US market this summer (as a 2013 model year) and we bring you the full pricing and ordering info for the xDrive28i and xDrive35i models.

The sDrive28i RWD model starts at $30,650, the xDrive28i at $32,350 and the xDrive35i at $38,450 (before including the $895 destination and handling).

Production of the 2013 X1 will begin in July.

For more information on the 2013 X1, please see 2013 BMW X1 LCI and U.S. Models Information, Photos, Pricing

Here are the official ordering and pricing guides for the 2013 1 Series Coupe (E82) and Convertible (E88) [download PDFs below]. The pricing listed in the guide is effective July 2, 2012.

The 2013 128i and 135i models seen no change in price from the 2012 models (as of January).

The just announced 135is model starts at $43,250.

Production of the 2013 1 Series will begin in July.

For a list of the July production changes for the F30, see the following info: 2013 BMW 1 Series (E82/E88) July Production Changes (All)

Here are the official ordering and pricing guides for the 2013 6 Series coupe (F13) and convertible (F12) [download PDFs below]. The pricing listed in the guide is effective July 1, 2012.

For a list of the July production changes for the F12 and F13, see the following info: ALL 6 Series Changes from July Production

Here are the official ordering and pricing guides for the 2013 3 Series Sedan (F30) [download PDFs below]. The pricing listed in the guide is effective July 1, 2012.

The 2013 328i sedan sees an increase of $1600 and the 2013 335i sedan will cost $400 more than the 2012 models. The new models will include the 328i and 335i xDrive models. The 328i xDrive starts at $38,500 and the 335i xDrive is priced at $44,800.

Production of the 2013 3 Series will begin in July.

Much more information inside.

Here are the official pricing guides for the 2013 3 Series Coupe (E92) and Convertible (E93) [download PDFs inside].

The pricing listed in the guides are effective July 1, 2012.

Here are the official pricing guides for the 2013 3 Series Coupe (E92) and Convertible (E93) [download PDFs below].

The pricing listed in the guides are effective July 1, 2012. All models see a $200 price increase over the 2012 model year prices (as of September 2011). Production of the 2013 3 Series will begin in July.

BMW today announced an enhanced performance version of the 1 Series Coupe and Convertible called the BMW 135is. The 2013 135is Coupe and Convertible focus the qualities that made the 135i such a success amongst driving enthusiasts – with more performance, enhanced sound and dynamic design details. Both the new 135is Coupe and Convertible are scheduled to arrive in BMW Center showrooms this fall with retail pricing set at $44,145 and $48,845 respectively (including $895 destination and handling).

Both models are equipped with BMW’s award winning TwinPower Turbo 3.0-liter inline-6 engine (N55) featuring Valvetronic throttle-less intake technology, direct injection and a single twin-scroll turbocharger. For the 135is, the engine has been tuned to increase peak horsepower to 320 hp (+20 hp increase) and 317 lb-ft of torque (+17 lb.ft) while maintaining the same emissions level and MPG ratings of the 135i. A Performance exhaust system complements the increased engine performance and provides a sporty exhaust tone. The engine cooling system has been upgraded to match the additional performance output by adding a larger, and more powerful radiator fan and an auxiliary radiator.

Both BMW 135is models will be offered with either a standard 6-Speed manual transmission or an optional 7-Speed Double Clutch Transmission.

The 135is is equipped with sport suspension incorporating an aluminum double-pivot front suspension and a five-link fully independent rear suspension in lightweight steel.

BMW’s Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) also includes a Dynamic Traction Control (DTC) function that provides electronic intervention to prevent loss of vehicle control, but at a higher threshold before activation. This allows the driver to experience more spirited driving on dry roads and offers more flexibility when driving in more challenging conditions such as in snow. If the driver desires, both DSC and DTC can be disabled entirely. In addition to its duties as a safety system, the DSC system on the 135is is programmed specifically to enhance performance-oriented driving.

The differential in the 135is comes from a new generation of final drives optimized for running smoothness and fuel efficiency. Featuring double-helical ball bearings, the differential runs at an even lower operating temperature reached more quickly than before thanks to the reduction of fluid required in the differential. Electronic rear brake management is used to simulate a differential lock for stronger acceleration in turns and low-traction conditions.

The exterior of the new 135is Coupe / Convertible will be clearly identified by exclusive 18” wheels, unique high-gloss black kidney grill, black mirror caps and special exterior badges in additional to the standard M Sport Package components. Interior highlights include stainless steel pedals, special interior badges and optional black leather seats with blue stitching for the standard sport seats.

The BMW135is Coupe and Convertible are available to order now and are scheduled to arrive in BMW Center showrooms this fall.

BMWUSA.com has added the “Explore” M5 and M6 sections to its website. Along with the new sections chock full of M5/M6 media and information, the F10 M5 Build Your Own configurator has come back online (after a couple weeks outage) and the F13 M6 Coupe configurator is online for the first time.

Click below to enter the BMWUSA M portal.