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2009 Frankfurt Auto Show: BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo



German automakers have elevated the crossing of traditional market segments into an art form, BMW arguably chief among them. Joining the X6 – a sort of cross between a sport-utility vehicle and a sports coupe – is the new 5 Series Gran Turismo, revealed in production trim to the public at the Frankfurt auto show.

Combining what BMW claims is the head room of the X5 and the legroom of the 7 Series in a more compact form, the 5 Series GT bridges the gap between a tall wagon and a short sport-ute. A strange concept, to be sure, but one which BMW appears to have pulled off with aplomb. Available with a range of engines starting with a 245hp diesel and topping out at the 407hp twin-turbo V8, the Gran Turismo is slated to replace the 5 Series Touring wagon variant in the American market in the near future, but you can see it now in our high-resolution image gallery below.

Rimowa: Luxury Cars Have Needs, Too!

Filed under: Gadgets, Journeys

Rimowa cases --the Cristal of luggage -- have more than 100 years of experience under their belts. Now that they've figured out that if you make high-dollar luggage, you should do it for high-dollar customers and their high-dollar cars.

To this end, Rimowa is now pimping made-to-measure car luggage sets. The cars they're targeting?  BMW (5 series and 7 series), Audi (A6 and A8), and Mercedes (E and S class).

The company claims that "each of the exclusive sets is perfectly tailored to the standard empty car boot of these models" ("boot" here clearly being an expensive way to say "trunk").

To which I say: '89 Tercel drivers, are you going to take this?!

[Image Rimowa]



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