Citizens of Spartanburg, South Carolina, can take pride in having one outstanding BMW convertible, the BMW M Roadster, assembled in their county. With its engines imported from Germany, the M Roadster was produced as the performance model of the convertibles BMW Z3 and Z4 between 1992 and 2002, and later again in 2006. The BMW M Roadster could be distinguished from its stable mates by slight variations in rear and front bumpers, grilles, mirrors, boot and rear wings.

Many internal components of the M Roadster were also beefed up with several taken from the BMW E36 M3 Evo and the E30 M3, such the brakes and suspension. The BMW M Roadster has also its platform based on the BMW E36’s design. The car sports wider tires and wheels, as well as flared wheel arches, enabling the vehicle to run a wider track to complement its increased power. The M Roadster likewise boasts of pioneering a quad exhaust that has become one of the signatures of the BMW M/Motorsport division.

Estimated Price Range for Used BMW M Roadster: $5,500-$96,000
Estimated MPG for BMW M Roadster: 19 City/26 Hwy
Below are Pre-Owned BMW M Roadster from Ebay and 3 of the top used-car sites on the web:

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Used BMW M Roadster on Yahoo Autos	Used BMW M Roadster on AOL Autos
Used BMW M Roadster on Autotrader

BMW M Roadster Review

BMW M Roadster Accelerating

The colorful history of Willys-Overland Motor Company all began in the 1900s. John North Willys bought the Overland Automotive Division of Standard Wheel Company, which he renamed Willys-Overland Motor Company.

As war unfolded in Europe in the 1930s, the US Military hankered for a lightweight, four-wheel-drive, general-purpose vehicle. In the later part of 1940, Willys was one of the companies that obtained a contract to build “jeeps,” and went on to produce hundreds of thousands of units from 1941 to 1945. The jeeps were reliable, rugged and robust. In 1949, Willys Wagons – the grand daddy of modern-day sport utility vehicles become available.

Willys-Overland registered for a trademark for the word jeep after World War II. Motors eventually bought out Willys-Overland and changed the name to Willys Motor Company. In 1963, Willys reverted back to Kaiser-jeep Corporation. The company became known as American Motors Corporation in 1970, and in 1987, the jeep trademark was acquired by Chrysler Corporation, which was passed on to DaimlerChrysler AG following the buyout of Chryslers in 1998.

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Say the brand name Suzuki and one immediately thinks of motorcycles. Suzuki’s business, however, spans a wide array of motor vehicles. Founded in 1887 by Michio Suzuki, who hailed from a small, central seacoast village in Japan, the Suzuki company originally concentrated on the textile loom business. When the business prospered, Suzuki turned his sights on an industry that would provide another important necessity – an affordable and reliable means of transport.

Suzuki lost no time in developing a prototype vehicle. However, manufacturing was stalled by the war. It was Michio Suzuki’s son, Shunzo, who later on designed a unique motor that could be attached to a bicycle. It was an ingenious idea that set the stage for further research in motorcycle engineering.

The Suzuki company eventually became officially known as Suzuki Motor Co., Ltd. By 1955, the first lightweight mass-production automobile called “Suzulight” was born.

Succeeding generations concentrated on expanding the business. Recent years have seen the arrival of Suzuki product breakthroughs – including sport utility vehicles.

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From wheelbarrows for mining to military wagons to electric cars – these were the main businesses ventured into by the Studebaker brothers – Clem, Henry, J.M., Peter and Jacob.

Studebaker introduced an electric car in 1902, which was followed by the gasoline-powered Studebakers in 1904, which were marketed under the name Studebaker-Garford. Seven years later, Studebaker decided to merge with the Everitt-Metzker-Flanders Company of Detroit to form the Studebaker Corporation. Automobiles under the EMF and Flanders names were sold until 1913. Studebaker introduced the first gasoline powered automobiles in 1913. Production of wagons continued until1920.

In 1927, Studebaker introduced a small car designed for the European market, and purchased luxury automaker Pierce-Arrow. Tough times followed, yet the company survived.

Studebaker and Packard merged in 1954, a time when all the American “independent” car companies were on the brink of decline, and some of the top car makers were having a price war. Studebaker Corporation eventually bid adieu to the automobile business in 1966.

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Compact and fuel-efficient cars were in the drawing boards back in 1972. Johann Tomforde, project leader for future transportation systems at Mercedes-Benz, devised a two-seater urban vehicle that would be 2.5 meters long. In 1981, such a project gained ground and in 1990, the Vision A 93 prototype leading to the Mercedes A Class; and the Mercedes City Car, an electric otherwise known as the Micro Compact Car (MCC) measuring 2.5 meters, were born.

In time, a company called Smart, a joint venture between Daimler-Benz and Swiss watchmaker Swatch, was formed. The year 1993 was a milestone for it ushered the creation of the Micro Compact Car. With Mercedes Benz providing engineering expertise and build quality and Swatch the unique design philosophy, it was an unbeatable tandem. It resulted to the two-passenger Smart City-Coupe, a vehicle that was ideal for the European urban environment. It could park perpendicular in a parallel-parking spot.

More innovations followed and in recent years, new-generation compact cars that are not only fuel efficient but fun to drive too evolved and stand out from the pack.

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