BMW stops sale of new 7-series models in U.S. due to airbag issue

DETROIT -- BMW AG is recalling its new flagship 7-series luxury vehicle due to a potential airbag deployment issue, the company said today.

  

Airbags in 26,000 cars produced before Dec. 11, 2015 may have a defective airbag control module, the company said, adding that there have been no known cases of faulty deployments.

"It is purely a precautionary measure," a BMW spokesman said, adding that so far 47,000 vehicles of its new 7-series vehicles have been produced.

The supplier of the affected air bag parts to BMW was Continental AG.

In a filing posted today on the website of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, BMW said the recall will affect 6,110 vehicles in the U.S. market.

In the U.S., affected vehicles are from the 2016 model year including 740Li, 750Li, and 750 Lxi.

In Germany, 2,600 cars are impacted and in China 4,700 cars will be recalled, BMW said.

In the U.S., owners will receive letters in May about the recall. The fix, for which customers will not be charged, will take up to four hours at a dealership.

A source: www.autonews.com

A 550-HP Shelby Cobra Daytona Replica Is Surprisingly Civilized

The cars that wear Carroll Shelby's name, like the legendary Daytona Coupe, are not what you'd call "tame." You'd think, then, that a 550-horsepower continuation series Daytona Coupe built by Superformance would be undriveable on public road. In fact, the opposite is true.

The Smoking Tire's Matt Farah drove a Superformance Daytona Coupe with a 550-horse Roush 427 V8 breathing through sidepipes. It's got an aluminum space frame, independent rear suspension, and modern Wilwood brakes. It even has power windows and air conditioning.

It's silly fast, as you'd expect from a car that weighs a touch more than a third-generation Miata with 400 more horsepower, but it's not unmanageable. In fact, Farah says it'd make a great grand tourer. 

It's vintage, with just enough modern to make it usable.

A source: www.roadandtrack.com