#just going to rework inches and miles into something new I said

[caiminnent]

keep me (on fire) [kylux, rated T]

PROMPT(S): headache/migraine (@badthingshappenbingo, 13/25) & kylux advent on Twitter

SUMMARY: Armitage knew, when he agreed to follow his temporary co-lead Ben back to his tiny flat that first time, that whatever might occur between them would have a natural deadline. He's got no right to desire something more permanent.

None at all.

FANDOM: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy

TAGS: Friends With Benefits To Lovers, Mutual Pining, Hangover, Getting Together, Insecurity, Armitage Hux Has Feelings, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting

2.2K || ALSO ON AO3

He slowly comes to with a solid warmth crushing him half into a soft bed—two familiar things that aren’t supposed to be anywhere near each other.

He jolts awake.

For his part, Ben only rolls over from on top of him with a mumble and starts (or goes back to) snoring—like there’s nothing wrong in this picture. Like it is every day that he rubs himself all over Armitage’s not bumpy mattress and slobbers all over Armitage’s not rock-hard pillows and—and—

Oh stars, he brought Ben home.

Home. The most private of his personal spaces. The one-and-only-one-man’s land. Not even Phasma has been in his flat before; something dire must have happened for Ben to be given the privilege. Whatever that might be. He vaguely remembers sharing a taxi back from the New Year’s Eve party, an arm around his waist keeping him upright, warm breath next to his ear—

Fuck, even thinking hurts. The oblivion of sleep tempts him, the warmth of the bed pulling him in deep. He wants nothing more than to curl under the sheets until his brain stops trying to burst out of his skull and the universe is set to rights again.

Unfortunately, it isn’t all that’s about to burst.

He pushes himself up and out of the bed with a low grunt, a shiver passing through him in the winter chill. Not eager to bumble about for his housecoat, he throws on the first extra layer he can grab off the floor—namely, Ben’s giant jumper. Ben won’t need it under Armitage’s plush duvet.

Outside of the dark cave that is his bedroom, the hallway is lit with that eerie, foggy glow of dawn. These hours don’t find him awake often anymore. Resent as he may the loss of authority that came with a co-lead, having Ben to help shoulder the burdens and irritations of a high-profile project has made for a simpler, calmer life. In the safety of his thoughts, he can admit that once Starkiller is completed and Ben returns to the Coruscant branch where he belongs, their office will feel immensely empty.

He goes about freshening up almost lazily, brushing his teeth until his mouth stops tasting like he licked the floors of First Order clean. His stomach is churning, his headache—pulsing to the same rhythm as the ringing in his ears—reminding him how old he is getting for the scene. To hell with trusting Ben; he is sticking to his wine and the occasional two fingers of whiskey from now on.

It will be weeks before he can even think about having another drink, though.

Next stop: the kitchen. Taking two painkillers, dry, he sits at the kitchen table with a glass of water, sipping at it as the worst of his light-headedness abates. The room brightens around him, slowly and without mercy, a deep ache settling onto his bones as he remains in the same spot too long. His eyes close on their own accord once or twice—his chin dropping onto his chest jerks him awake again.

He isn’t avoiding sleep, exactly; it’s more that he is bloody dreading returning to the bedroom. Ridiculous, he is well aware. This was hardly the first time he’s woken up next to Ben; that it happened—presumably—without sex first or in Armitage’s flat, where Armitage can’t get dressed in the dark and slip out while Ben sleeps on, shouldn’t change anything.

Still, it feels too awkward—too intimate—now. If he returns to the bedroom, he is going to wake up in Ben’s arms, to Ben’s soft smile and mussed hair, and get ideas. Ideas that will haunt him every time he slides under and out of these same covers alone. The calendar already hangs over his head; does he truly need to torture himself further?

Besides, he made his bed, didn’t he? He knew, when he agreed to follow Ben back to his tiny flat that first time, that whatever might occur between them would have a natural deadline—in fact, that was a selling point back then. What right has he got now to sit here and pity himself?

Appalled, he drags himself up and over to the counter. Sleep is obviously off the table; he might as well make himself useful and put the coffee on. It should help with whatever part of his leftover headache is due to caffeine withdrawal.

Except that he can’t, he realises after everything is primed for it, since his coffee maker tends to screech like a hell beast and Ben is still asleep.

Hells. How can one man complicate another’s life so much solely by existing?

“You okay?”

Heart lurching, Armitage pushes away from the counter as if burned. Ben is standing just outside the kitchen with a hand on the doorframe, half-blended into the shadows in his customary black. His bed hair looks as horrible as Armitage imagined, although his lips are curled into a frown, lines visible between his brows.

A cruel, twisted little part of Armitage is glad to see Ben perturbed. It means he isn’t the only one.

“Yes,” Armitage responds belatedly, trying to rearrange his limbs into a semblance of comfortable, if not relaxed. He is still wearing Ben’s jumper, fuck. “Yes, of course. Just—making coffee.”

Ben hums, glancing down at the empty mug on the counter. “Is there enough for two?”

Armitage takes another mug out of the overhead cabinet in answer. Ben brushes against his back on the way to Armitage’s abandoned seat.

They don’t speak as the coffee maker runs—couldn’t hope to, over the sound of it. While companionable silence has never truly existed between them, they hadn’t had this sort of tension tainting the air since the first couple of months after Ben’s arrival, back when Armitage was still unwilling to cede any amount of control over their project. A feeling not unlike foreboding fills him, his limbs heavy with dread.

A crack runs down Ben’s mug—a shallow line on the outside, harmless beyond appearances. Filling them both, he passes Ben the intact one, leaning back against the counter with his hands hiding the defect.

Ben gulps down a good third of the scalding liquid as if dying of thirst before putting it down. Armitage’s throat burns in sympathy.

“Nice place you have here,” Ben says with a slight rasp to his tone, gesturing around with his free hand. “Very… austere.”

Armitage snorts. “You mean unlived-in.” He appreciates Ben’s attempt at tact; but he is under no illusions about the state of his home. The bedroom is where he sleeps and the kitchen is where he spends his waking hours while here; the rest of the flat might as well not exist.

“It’s a little sparse,” Ben admits. “Doesn’t look like you spend a lot of time here.”

It isn’t a question and Armitage doesn’t bother responding. Ben already knows the hours he keeps at the office—they leave together often enough for dinner and other after-hours activities.

Has he got enough food for breakfast for two?

Folding his arms over the table, “I thought you would come back to bed,” Ben says, an odd hesitation colouring the words. Something about the lines of his shoulders, drawn in deep as if trying to hide into himself, makes Armitage’s heart burn. “You were gone a long time.”

How long has Ben been awake? How long has Armitage, for that matter? “I couldn’t sleep,” he lies. “I didn’t want to disturb you with my tossing and turning.”

A corner of Ben’s lips ticks up. “I could help you sleep,” he says, an amused glint playing in his eyes. “Now that we’re sober.”

About that.

“Maybe later,” Armitage hedges, hiding behind his own coffee. It tastes as bitter and dark as his mood. “What happened last night anyway? I’m… missing a few details.” Most of the night, more accurately. Sharing a cocktail table with Ben; two rounds of some bright red concoction Ben swore he would enjoy; the shots; the foolish, foolish desire to impress Ben, who drank like alcohol disappeared in his body…

The bits and pieces he does recall after that point, he’d much rather not have.

“Not much happened. We had some drinks, we talked…” Ben shrugs a shoulder, stiff and jerky. “You got drunk faster than I expected; but you didn’t embarrass yourself or anything, if that’s what you’re asking,” he adds, sending him a quick smile. “You’re a pretty composed drunk, actually. I’m envious.”

That isn’t how Armitage remembers it.

“You said you wanted to go home, so I got you home. I was just gonna help you into something comfortable and leave, honest; but you asked me to stay.” Ben runs his teeth over his bottom lip. “I did.”

That much Armitage could piece together himself. Ben knows how Armitage safeguards his privacy; he wouldn’t have intruded upon it unasked. “And?” Ben frowns in confusion—as if Armitage doesn’t know him enough to tell when he is faking it. He pins Ben with his General Hux stare. “What aren’t you telling me, Ben?”

Flickers of emotions pass through Ben’s face—anger and despair and resignation before it settles on a careful blankness that trembles with all it’s trying to cover. “You said—you asked me to stay forever.”

Blood freezes in Armitage’s veins.

“And you know I’m a fuckin�� idiot,” Ben continues, running a hand through his hair. “And I was a little drunk myself, so I didn’t realise it was the drink talking.” He sends a cautious glance at Armitage. “I promised to stay.”

Forever.

Armitage must be a fucking idiot as well, because his heart soars at the sound of that.

He shakes his head to dispel the wistfulness threatening to blur his vision. “Well, we’d both been drinking. People say things they don’t mean while drunk.” Ben said as much himself. “I won’t hold you to your drunken rambling.”

“That’s just it, though,” Ben says quietly. His expression is difficult to make out; but the look in his eyes—soft and intense—makes Armitage feel paper-thin and seen-through, as if Ben can read every silly thought passing through his head. “I meant every word.”

A fist grips his throat.

He takes a deep, deep breath, his lungs sitting wrong in his chest. In Ben’s guarded tone is a question he doesn’t know how to answer. The thing about their arrangement—it works, because it is casual. Even Armitage can’t ruin something casual—even if it hasn’t been that way for him for quite some time. Even if he gets the occasional, fleeting impression that it might not be for Ben, either. With the days ticking by fast, trying for anything serious would have been like building a house on quicksand.

If he truly asks Ben to stay with him, forever, and Ben listens—they can’t keep it casual after that. That is uncharted territory. What if they start a—a relationship and they can’t make it work? What if Armitage fucks up? What if Ben hates him for it?

What if he becomes Ben’s biggest regret, too?

His palms burn sweetly—he grips the warm mug harder to keep from scratching at them. “I thought you hated Arkanis,” he says, disgusted with how feeble his voice comes out. “Would you uproot your whole life to live here?” Because Armitage asked it of him?

“It has its charms,” Ben says with a crooked smile. “And I uprooted my life when I joined Snoke’s company—got nothing tying me to the Core Worlds anymore. Arkanis is as good a country to live as any.”

Armitage begs to differ. “Would Snoke even let you off your leash permanently?” he asks, half-joking. Snoke’s reliance on his protégé is an open secret; Armitage can’t imagine he would be thrilled to have Armitage steal Ben away.

Ben’s expression smooths over again.

Ice slides down Armitage’s spine. “Ben?”

Ben shifts on his seat, rubbing at his stubble. “Snoke offered me a position here,” he practically confesses, not meeting his eyes. “He wants to build a weapons design department. Separate from engineering. If I said yes, you and I would be working alongside each other as heads of our offices.”

Armitage’s guts unknot. When Snoke mentioned it, he thought Snoke was going to throw three incompetent fools under a new name just to shut Armitage up about it. Under Ben’s lead, a design department would thrive. “What did you say?”

“Nothing yet. Wanted to talk to you first.” Ben flashes him a wild grin that rides the line between excited and panicked. “I mean, it would suck if I accepted the job and you were looking forward to having me gone after Starkiller, y’know?”

Yes, Armitage knows the feeling very well. The part that doesn’t fit is hearing it from Ben’s lips—Ben, who tends to exude an aura of confidence so thick, Armitage feels emboldened merely by standing next to him. Ben, who is quick to anger and quicker to smile; but never, ever to doubt himself.

Ben, who is watching him like his life hangs on Armitage’s next word.

Warmth that doesn’t belong in winter rising in him, Armitage smiles. “You should take the job,” he says, broken pieces slotting into place in his mind’s eye. Not the only one indeed. “Arkanis is a sight to see in the spring.”

[jonathanbelloblog]

The BMW M2 Competition Is a 2019 Automobile All-Star

Sometimes, you know a car is going to fare well at All-Stars just by watching our editors’ faces as they climb out of it. By midafternoon on day one at the track, as many of us got our first-ever taste of the new M2 Competition, the collective grin on Team Automobile’s mug stretched across the Antelope Valley from Willow Springs all the way to Palmdale. We still had days of driving to go, but already it was clear: BMW’s brilliant new M2 was a shoo-in.

“A return to form for the M Division,” contributor Jethro Bovingdon said. “I love pretty much everything about this car.” Fellow writer Basem Wasef agreed: “Immensely satisfying to drive, even back to back against the supercars.” Detroit editor Todd Lassa dubbed the M2 Competition “the BMW that best captures the spirit of the 2002 era more than anything in the marque’s stable.”

Few other performance coupes deserve such a gleaming coat of wax rhapsodic. The joy begins under the hood. Unlike last year’s M2, the new Competition does away with the 365-hp N55 3.0-liter turbo I-6 in favor of the S55 variant from the M3 and M4. Here it’s slightly detuned—to “only” 405 hp—but that bothered precisely no one. “I prefer the S55 in the M2 to the same basic engine in the M3/M4—probably due to the weight and feel of the M2,” contributing writer Marc Noordeloos said. “The S55 is miles better than the N55. It’s much happier to rev and feels like a proper, special engine.” Our test car was equipped with the optional seven-speed dual-clutch transmission (a six-speed manual is standard); so equipped, BMW claims, the Competition can sprint to 60 mph in just 4 seconds flat. Redline is a sizzling 7,600 rpm. Features editor Rory Jurnecka dubbed the exhaust note “fantastic at full throttle.”

The Competition may scorch the asphalt like a hot rod, but it dances like a member of the Joffrey Ballet. The ride is conspicuously taut—enough so that several of us wondered if it might become punishing away from the track and Southern California’s generally smooth roadways—but thanks to reworked springs and dampers and upgraded structural bracing up front, the suspension is even more playful and precise than the 2018 M2’s. “Pretty firm at low speed but has real fluency as you start to go a bit harder,” Bovingdon said. “Very little understeer, really strong midcorner grip, and all the adjustability you could ever want. Wonderful handling delicacy.” Resident hot shoe Andy Pilgrim concurred: “Lively rear end, with connected steering that allows consistent corner-entry rotation, apex scraping, and really quick exit speeds. Big smiles, top fun!”

Compared with the M2, the Competition’s kidney grille is wider and the front air intakes are enlarged. Inside the 19-inch wheels you’ll find beefier brakes, which provide superb stopping power and zero fade—though Noordeloos claimed they “don’t have the best feel” and the “pedal travel is long.”

You’ll spy four seats inside, but don’t expect to travel with three adult passengers for more than a few miles. In practice, this is a two-seater with a back seat for stuff, and there’s also a generously sized trunk. That said, you and your lucky copilot want for little; the Competition is modest in size but richly appointed. Both front M Sport seats have 14-way power adjustment—including power side bolsters. The iDrive infotainment system—which is intuitive to use and quick in response—includes an 8.8-inch high-res display, 3-D navigation maps, and a 200-gigabyte hard drive with 20 GB available for audio files. Standard features include keyless entry and start, front and rear park-distance control, a 360-watt Harman Kardon audio system with 12 speakers, and a leather-wrapped, three-spoke M Sport steering wheel. A $1,200 Executive package adds wireless phone charging and Wi-Fi, a heated steering wheel, and adaptive LED headlights. A moonroof is available à la carte for $1,050.

There’s probably no greater compliment for a test car than for auto critics to start picturing one in their own garages. The M2 Competition sparked more than a few buying fantasies among our crew. “Hilarious fun on the track, composed and entertaining on the road . . . in short, I want one,” Bovingdon said. Noordeloos admitted he’d “love to own an M2 Competition.”

Yet it was veteran scribe Steven Cole Smith who summed up the new BMW’s virtues best: “When a colleague asks what you’d improve on the M2 Competition and you can’t come up with an answer, they’ve done something right.”

2019 Automobile All-Stars The Winners | The Contenders | The Venues

2019 BMW M2 Competition Specifications

PRICE $59,895/ $64,545 (base/as tested) ENGINE 3.0L turbo DOHC 24-valve I-6; 405 hp 
@ 5,230–7,000 rpm, 406 lb-ft @ 2,350–5,230 rpm TRANSMISSION 7-speed dual-clutch automatic LAYOUT 2-door, 4-passenger, front-engine, RWD coupe EPA MILEAGE 18/25 mpg (city/hwy) L x W x H 176.2 x 73.0 x 55.5 in WHEELBASE 106.0 in WEIGHT 3,655 lb 0–60 MPH 4.0 sec TOP SPEED 155 mph (174 mph 
w/ M Driver’s Package)

The post The BMW M2 Competition Is a 2019 Automobile All-Star appeared first on Automobile Magazine.

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[eddiejpoplar]

The BMW M2 Competition Is a 2019 Automobile All-Star

Sometimes, you know a car is going to fare well at All-Stars just by watching our editors’ faces as they climb out of it. By midafternoon on day one at the track, as many of us got our first-ever taste of the new M2 Competition, the collective grin on Team Automobile’s mug stretched across the Antelope Valley from Willow Springs all the way to Palmdale. We still had days of driving to go, but already it was clear: BMW’s brilliant new M2 was a shoo-in.

“A return to form for the M Division,” contributor Jethro Bovingdon said. “I love pretty much everything about this car.” Fellow writer Basem Wasef agreed: “Immensely satisfying to drive, even back to back against the supercars.” Detroit editor Todd Lassa dubbed the M2 Competition “the BMW that best captures the spirit of the 2002 era more than anything in the marque’s stable.”

Few other performance coupes deserve such a gleaming coat of wax rhapsodic. The joy begins under the hood. Unlike last year’s M2, the new Competition does away with the 365-hp N55 3.0-liter turbo I-6 in favor of the S55 variant from the M3 and M4. Here it’s slightly detuned—to “only” 405 hp—but that bothered precisely no one. “I prefer the S55 in the M2 to the same basic engine in the M3/M4—probably due to the weight and feel of the M2,” contributing writer Marc Noordeloos said. “The S55 is miles better than the N55. It’s much happier to rev and feels like a proper, special engine.” Our test car was equipped with the optional seven-speed dual-clutch transmission (a six-speed manual is standard); so equipped, BMW claims, the Competition can sprint to 60 mph in just 4 seconds flat. Redline is a sizzling 7,600 rpm. Features editor Rory Jurnecka dubbed the exhaust note “fantastic at full throttle.”

The Competition may scorch the asphalt like a hot rod, but it dances like a member of the Joffrey Ballet. The ride is conspicuously taut—enough so that several of us wondered if it might become punishing away from the track and Southern California’s generally smooth roadways—but thanks to reworked springs and dampers and upgraded structural bracing up front, the suspension is even more playful and precise than the 2018 M2’s. “Pretty firm at low speed but has real fluency as you start to go a bit harder,” Bovingdon said. “Very little understeer, really strong midcorner grip, and all the adjustability you could ever want. Wonderful handling delicacy.” Resident hot shoe Andy Pilgrim concurred: “Lively rear end, with connected steering that allows consistent corner-entry rotation, apex scraping, and really quick exit speeds. Big smiles, top fun!”

Compared with the M2, the Competition’s kidney grille is wider and the front air intakes are enlarged. Inside the 19-inch wheels you’ll find beefier brakes, which provide superb stopping power and zero fade—though Noordeloos claimed they “don’t have the best feel” and the “pedal travel is long.”

You’ll spy four seats inside, but don’t expect to travel with three adult passengers for more than a few miles. In practice, this is a two-seater with a back seat for stuff, and there’s also a generously sized trunk. That said, you and your lucky copilot want for little; the Competition is modest in size but richly appointed. Both front M Sport seats have 14-way power adjustment—including power side bolsters. The iDrive infotainment system—which is intuitive to use and quick in response—includes an 8.8-inch high-res display, 3-D navigation maps, and a 200-gigabyte hard drive with 20 GB available for audio files. Standard features include keyless entry and start, front and rear park-distance control, a 360-watt Harman Kardon audio system with 12 speakers, and a leather-wrapped, three-spoke M Sport steering wheel. A $1,200 Executive package adds wireless phone charging and Wi-Fi, a heated steering wheel, and adaptive LED headlights. A moonroof is available à la carte for $1,050.

There’s probably no greater compliment for a test car than for auto critics to start picturing one in their own garages. The M2 Competition sparked more than a few buying fantasies among our crew. “Hilarious fun on the track, composed and entertaining on the road . . . in short, I want one,” Bovingdon said. Noordeloos admitted he’d “love to own an M2 Competition.”

Yet it was veteran scribe Steven Cole Smith who summed up the new BMW’s virtues best: “When a colleague asks what you’d improve on the M2 Competition and you can’t come up with an answer, they’ve done something right.”

2019 Automobile All-Stars The Winners | The Contenders | The Venues

2019 BMW M2 Competition Specifications

PRICE $59,895/ $64,545 (base/as tested) ENGINE 3.0L turbo DOHC 24-valve I-6; 405 hp 
@ 5,230–7,000 rpm, 406 lb-ft @ 2,350–5,230 rpm TRANSMISSION 7-speed dual-clutch automatic LAYOUT 2-door, 4-passenger, front-engine, RWD coupe EPA MILEAGE 18/25 mpg (city/hwy) L x W x H 176.2 x 73.0 x 55.5 in WHEELBASE 106.0 in WEIGHT 3,655 lb 0–60 MPH 4.0 sec TOP SPEED 155 mph (174 mph 
w/ M Driver’s Package)

The post The BMW M2 Competition Is a 2019 Automobile All-Star appeared first on Automobile Magazine.

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[jesusvasser]

The BMW M2 Competition Is a 2019 Automobile All-Star

Sometimes, you know a car is going to fare well at All-Stars just by watching our editors’ faces as they climb out of it. By midafternoon on day one at the track, as many of us got our first-ever taste of the new M2 Competition, the collective grin on Team Automobile’s mug stretched across the Antelope Valley from Willow Springs all the way to Palmdale. We still had days of driving to go, but already it was clear: BMW’s brilliant new M2 was a shoo-in.

“A return to form for the M Division,” contributor Jethro Bovingdon said. “I love pretty much everything about this car.” Fellow writer Basem Wasef agreed: “Immensely satisfying to drive, even back to back against the supercars.” Detroit editor Todd Lassa dubbed the M2 Competition “the BMW that best captures the spirit of the 2002 era more than anything in the marque’s stable.”

Few other performance coupes deserve such a gleaming coat of wax rhapsodic. The joy begins under the hood. Unlike last year’s M2, the new Competition does away with the 365-hp N55 3.0-liter turbo I-6 in favor of the S55 variant from the M3 and M4. Here it’s slightly detuned—to “only” 405 hp—but that bothered precisely no one. “I prefer the S55 in the M2 to the same basic engine in the M3/M4—probably due to the weight and feel of the M2,” contributing writer Marc Noordeloos said. “The S55 is miles better than the N55. It’s much happier to rev and feels like a proper, special engine.” Our test car was equipped with the optional seven-speed dual-clutch transmission (a six-speed manual is standard); so equipped, BMW claims, the Competition can sprint to 60 mph in just 4 seconds flat. Redline is a sizzling 7,600 rpm. Features editor Rory Jurnecka dubbed the exhaust note “fantastic at full throttle.”

The Competition may scorch the asphalt like a hot rod, but it dances like a member of the Joffrey Ballet. The ride is conspicuously taut—enough so that several of us wondered if it might become punishing away from the track and Southern California’s generally smooth roadways—but thanks to reworked springs and dampers and upgraded structural bracing up front, the suspension is even more playful and precise than the 2018 M2’s. “Pretty firm at low speed but has real fluency as you start to go a bit harder,” Bovingdon said. “Very little understeer, really strong midcorner grip, and all the adjustability you could ever want. Wonderful handling delicacy.” Resident hot shoe Andy Pilgrim concurred: “Lively rear end, with connected steering that allows consistent corner-entry rotation, apex scraping, and really quick exit speeds. Big smiles, top fun!”

Compared with the M2, the Competition’s kidney grille is wider and the front air intakes are enlarged. Inside the 19-inch wheels you’ll find beefier brakes, which provide superb stopping power and zero fade—though Noordeloos claimed they “don’t have the best feel” and the “pedal travel is long.”

You’ll spy four seats inside, but don’t expect to travel with three adult passengers for more than a few miles. In practice, this is a two-seater with a back seat for stuff, and there’s also a generously sized trunk. That said, you and your lucky copilot want for little; the Competition is modest in size but richly appointed. Both front M Sport seats have 14-way power adjustment—including power side bolsters. The iDrive infotainment system—which is intuitive to use and quick in response—includes an 8.8-inch high-res display, 3-D navigation maps, and a 200-gigabyte hard drive with 20 GB available for audio files. Standard features include keyless entry and start, front and rear park-distance control, a 360-watt Harman Kardon audio system with 12 speakers, and a leather-wrapped, three-spoke M Sport steering wheel. A $1,200 Executive package adds wireless phone charging and Wi-Fi, a heated steering wheel, and adaptive LED headlights. A moonroof is available à la carte for $1,050.

There’s probably no greater compliment for a test car than for auto critics to start picturing one in their own garages. The M2 Competition sparked more than a few buying fantasies among our crew. “Hilarious fun on the track, composed and entertaining on the road . . . in short, I want one,” Bovingdon said. Noordeloos admitted he’d “love to own an M2 Competition.”

Yet it was veteran scribe Steven Cole Smith who summed up the new BMW’s virtues best: “When a colleague asks what you’d improve on the M2 Competition and you can’t come up with an answer, they’ve done something right.”

2019 Automobile All-Stars The Winners | The Contenders | The Venues

2019 BMW M2 Competition Specifications

PRICE $59,895/ $64,545 (base/as tested) ENGINE 3.0L turbo DOHC 24-valve I-6; 405 hp 
@ 5,230–7,000 rpm, 406 lb-ft @ 2,350–5,230 rpm TRANSMISSION 7-speed dual-clutch automatic LAYOUT 2-door, 4-passenger, front-engine, RWD coupe EPA MILEAGE 18/25 mpg (city/hwy) L x W x H 176.2 x 73.0 x 55.5 in WHEELBASE 106.0 in WEIGHT 3,655 lb 0–60 MPH 4.0 sec TOP SPEED 155 mph (174 mph 
w/ M Driver’s Package)

The post The BMW M2 Competition Is a 2019 Automobile All-Star appeared first on Automobile Magazine.

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[itsworn]

1969 Dodge Dart: Evolutionary Dart

This is the story of one man’s dream becoming reality. Like so many other enthusiasts, it’s a story of patience, vision, and taking advantage of those opportunities as they occur.

Clinton Grell, like so many of us, got the performance bug while in high school. His first experience came while helping his buddy pour a concrete slab for his garage. In that garage was a 1970 440cid 6-Pak Challenger. In exchange for his labor, the Challenger owner took Grell to the Mopar Nationals in Columbus in the summer of 1999.

That’s all it took to set the hook.

A peek under the rear bumper reveals just a taste of the sophisticated suspension components Grell added to get this Dart to plant its massive P315 rear Mickey Thompson Sportsman tires.

While it would’ve made sense for Grell to be an E-Body fan, Grell went another way and decided that he would build a late 1960s Dart since A-Bodies were more affordable than the more popular E- and B-Bodies. They also, due to their lighter weight, responded well to performance modifications. Throughout high school and college he set out mentally designing the perfect A-Body. It had to be a stroker small-block, and it had to be fast. Honing his skills through the customization of sport motorcycles, he graduated from two wheels to four shortly after getting married. Now a mechanical engineer by trade, but still restricted by a limited budget at the time, he decided to intensify the search for his elusive Dart project. It was an advertisement in Craigslist that was to turn things around.

“In November 2011, I came across a Craigslist ad for a 1969 Dart in Sedalia, Missouri. I called and spoke with owner Rex Morrill,” said Grell. “The way Rex talked about the car’s performance could make anyone feel total excitement about the car. This Dart was the culmination of all his years of racing and building cars. He told me that he’d built the car to ‘go fast and look good!’ and I believe that I had already made up my mind that I was going to buy the car regardless of what I found when I looked at it.”

Powering the Dart is a 417-cid small-block Mopar engine that puts it solidly in the 10-second quarter-mile club. The engine compression was set at 11:1 so that Grell can use his Dart for dragstrip or cruise night duty.

So Grell borrowed a pickup truck from his friend, Clay, and the two drove from his home in Wichita, Kansas, to Missouri. From his first ride in the car there were warning signs but Grell had stars in his eyes. A first warning sign should have been the combination of a high-horsepower 416-cid small-block engine (13.9:1 compression) and four-wheel drum brakes. On a testdrive down a deserted street near Morrill’s home, the take off pressed them both deep in their seats. Unfortunately, the landing wasn’t smooth, as the Dart nearly took out a stop sign and came to rest in a neighbor’s front yard. It was an inauspicious start to be certain, but regardless of the adventure, that Dart was coming home with Grell.

Said Grell, “Since I’ve owned the car, the Dart has had a total engine rebuild, two different transmissions, three sets of wheels, three different rear ends, three front ends, three torque converters, and three different steering boxes. It’s hard to believe that I’ve changed so many components multiple times and to think of all the frustrations I went through trying to find the perfect combination — not to mention the finances and willpower it took to see it through to the end.”

To feed the “big” small-block is an Edelbrock Victor W2 intake manifold and a Holley 950-cfm carburetor.

But those frustrations were broader than simply drivetrain and suspension deep. Upon his arrival home, Grell noticed bubbling under the paint in the rocker panels. Removal of the fuel cell and interior carpeting revealed a huge amount of rust not only in the flooring but in the rear crossmember, rear framerails, and inner quarter-panels. Taking care not to disturb the exterior paint, he cut out the rusted panels and replaced them with new. He repaired the framerails and installed a new rear crossmember from Auto Rust Technicians. He coated the underside of the car with POR15 and filled the frame with Eastwood internal frame coating.

From there, things were to evolve in a not so terrific way. To generalize, Grell has rebuilt most of the car, much of it due to rust and general corrosion. As noted he’s made an assortment of changes to the drivetrain, none more notable than the engine rebuild. Having diagnosed engine damage due to metallic flakes on the spark plug electrodes, the entire engine had to be rebuilt by Headway Engine Service (owner Stuart Goertzen) in nearby Buhler, Kansas.

The interior is all business with a set of Procar Pro-90 seats covered in black vinyl. The steering wheel is a grant Elite and for tunes – well you have to refer to that awesome powerplant underhood. The rollbar is designed to protect the occupants with a removable bar that allows entry to the rear seats.

Goertzen recommended dropping the compression down to a more manageable 11:1 compression after discussing Grell’s desire to run on 91-octane pump gasoline. Many of the original engine internals were reused, including the Eagle crankshaft, Edelbrock Victor W2 intake, Chrysler W2 hears, Harlan Sharp rockers, and splayed main caps. Taking the bore out to 4.035-inch and inserting new JE custom pistons and using the 55cc W2 hears made the compression at lot more manageable. Chad Speier at Speier Racing Heads completed the mild flow work getting the ports up to 300 cfm at 0.700-inch lift reworked the heads. REV custom valves were responsible for 5 cfm of additional flow all by themselves.

Today, the car’s best run, after all of Grell’s perseverance, is 10.49 seconds at 128 mph. While that was plenty gratifying, He never forgot about Morrill, that Dart’s original owner, who came down with cancer not long after Grell hauled the Dart down to Kansas. The two had stayed in touch over the years with Morrill clearly living vicariously as Grell told him of each change he had made to the car along the way.

Commanding the GM 200-R4 overdrive transmission is this Precision Performance Products Kwik-Shift II shifter bolted to a Racecraft shifter mount.

Grell finally hit his target of dipping into the 10-second range on his second pass resulting in a 10.994 run during an event in Tulsa. At the event, he videoed the landmark accomplishment and posted it on YouTube for Morrill to see, since he could no longer travel due to his health. Morrill was elated at the performance of the Dart. Said Grell, “I was happy to know that he was able to watch the car again before he passed. I think it was something he wanted to see before he went.”

Today, Grell continues to massage the Dart in a quest for even faster time slips. Yet he delights in taking the car on cruise nights with his family, the rollcage specially built by Holzman Race Cars to allow passengers into the rear seating. A labor of love, this Dart represents on man’s dedication to seeing a dream come true – one that he shares with all that will buckle up and take a ride.

This high-tech instrument panel is more sophisticated than you may think. After reworking the wiring system of the Dart, Grell installed SpeedHut, Evolution Series Programmable gauge system, which uses a GPS speedometer. This IP is far beyond the factory analog gauge package and the owner, Clinton Grell, fabricated the dashboard.

Concludes Grell, “Stuart [Goertzen] once told me that the engine builds that fought him the most usually turned out best in the end. I always kept that in the back of my head and when things got rough with one part of the build, that it would be all that much better in the end. Once it was back together, all those headaches seemed a lot less significant than when I was dealing with them in the moment. Without the tremendous support from my wife, help from friends, and the mass borrowing of tools that I needed along the way, the completion of the car wouldn’t have been possible.”

Fast Facts 1969 Dodge Dart Clinton Grell, Wichita, KS

The oversized radiator and twin electric cooling fans ensure that the “big” small-block runs cool regardless of the task.

ENGINE Type: 417-cid V-8 small-block Mopar engine Bore x stroke: 4.035 (bore) x 4.000 (stroke) Block: Factory OE block 0.030-inch over bore Rotating assembly: JE Reverse dome 266cc pistons, Eagle crankshaft, Eagle 6.123-inch connecting rods. Compression: 11:1 Cylinder heads: Mopar Performance W2 Cast Aluminum reworked/ported by Chris Speier, 2.055-inch REV intake valves Camshaft: Comp Cams Solid Roller – 0.645-inch lift intake and exhaust, 266-degrees duration intake, 272-degrees duration exhaust at 0.050-inch lift, Harland Sharp 1.5:1 roller rocker arms Induction: Edelbrock Victor W2 intake with Holley 950-cfm carburetor Oiling system: high-volume system Exhaust: TTI 1 7/8-inch primary tube headers with 3-inch collectors, Dynomax Ultraflow mufflers Ignition: Pertronix Billet Distributor with Modified MSD-6ALD ignition and Taylor 50 Plug wires Cooling: oversized radiator with electric cooling fans Engine built by: Headway Engine Service, Stuart Goertzen, Buhler, KS

DRIVETRAIN Transmission: GM 200-4R overdrive transmission built by Bergeron Racing Torque Converter: FTI lockup, 9.5-inch diameter, 4,500-stall speed Shifter: Racecraft shifter mount, Precision Performance Products Kwik-Shift II shifter Driveshaft: stock, factory restored to original Rearend: stock Chrysler 8.3/4 with 3:23: ratio with Sure-Grip

The manual braking system avoids the issue of configuring a power brake booster, which would require engine vacuum to operate. The front Wilwood brakes and rear disc system replace the factory drum brakes — which previously almost ended the Dart’s — and Grell’s life.

CHASSIS Front suspension: HDK Coilover suspension with 2-inch drop spindles Rear suspension: Dana 60 with Richmond 4.56:1 gears, Summer Brothers axles Steering: Mustang II rack-and-pinion Front brakes: Wilwood 12.19-inch drilled and slotted disc with Wilwood calipers Rear brakes: drilled and slotted, unknown manufacturer Paint: Zach Noel of 20 by 20 Hot Rods Dashboard fabrication: Clinton Grell

WHEELS & TIRES Wheels: 17×4 (front) and 15×10 (rear) Billet Specialties Street Lite Tires: 26×6.00×17 Mickey Thompson Front Runners Tires (front) and 315/60-15 Sportsman Tires (rear)

Clinton Grell could hardly have imagined that someday he would own a Dart as cool as this. To get to this level however it took amazing levels of effort to resurrect this rusty A-Body into a 10.49-second quarter-mile performer.

This CSR electric water pump allows Grell to cool down the engine by circulating coolant even when the engine is off. These are very popular with racers who need to cool down the engine between runs.

The Dart’s original TTI headers were too far gone to be replaced. As is standard faire with Mopar guys, another set of TTI stainless steel headers were installed, featuring 1 7/8-inch primary tubing and 3-inch collectors. Electric cut-outs help please the cruise night crowd.

Steering has been upgraded with a Mustang II rack-and-pinion system. The biggest change, however, is the swap out of the factory torsion bars for an HDK coilover front suspension. The improvement in cornering, braking, and overall handling was dramatic, according to Grell.

Keeping in step, the Dana 60 rear end is supported by coilover suspension and ladder bars that plant the rear tires when the big small-block sends torque rearward.

When Grell first purchased the Dart, it was the removal of the original fuel cell that revealed the first of the rusty panels. Well those are all gone and replaced with factory-style sheetmetal and a new fuel cell and Aeromotive SS fuel pump.

The factory-style fiberglass hood was painted black and drafts air into the engine compartment thought this functional scoop.

The rake of the classic Dart is just perfect with narrow tires up front and big fatty’s in the rear. The awesome paint was applied by Zach Noel of 20 by 20 Hot Rods.

Narrow 17×4 Billet Specialties Street Lite wheels are wrapped with Mickey Thompson front runner tires up front.

In the rear, these huge 15×10 Mickey Thompson stick the landing and help the lightweight Dart to 128-mph plus quarter-mile speeds.

What self-respecting Dart would be caught dead without its deck graphic? This black stripe is a classic Mopar Muscle adornment found on all upscale high-performance Darts.

The chrome red paint sizzles in the late Kansas sky for this photo. Certainly the previous owner Rex Morrill could never had envisioned just how cool his classic Dart would become.

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[itsworn]

High School Sweetheart Dart GT

In the months leading up to his 17th birthday, Don Schwenker had his sights set on a second-hand Mustang. To that end, he and his father went to visit a used car dealership, Colletti’s in Babylon, New York. He didn’t find the Mustang he envisioned, but a Dodge Dart GT caught his father’s eye. “He said to me, ‘Buy this, it has a V-8 and you can go fast with it’,” remembers Schwenker. “My father gave me $100 to put down, and Mr. Coletti, the owner of the dealership, allowed me to pay it off $50 at a time. By November 15, 1975 it was mine!”

Schwenker paid a grand total of $454.25 for the Dart, which had 71,317 miles on the clock. Though bone-stock when acquired, it didn’t stay that way for long. While it would be decades before substantial modifications were made, like just about every other teenager in that era, Schwenker did what he could afford, dressing his ride up with Cragar mag wheels, Hooker headers, and air shocks.

A few years later, the Dart was hit pretty hard from behind and though his friends thought he should just scrap the wreck since it would have been easy to find and buy another one, Schwenker had already developed an attachment to the car and was determined to have it repaired. After getting it back from the body shop, he had his 340-cid engine rebuilt with new W-2 Dodge heads. Before even driving the car with the new engine however, he wanted to make some radical changes.

“It was a Saturday afternoon in 1980 when I watched the movie Mad Max, and saw the blower on the car he was driving. As soon as I heard the blower whining, I was hooked. Then, right after the movie ended, my friend pulled up in front of my house with his blown ’32 Ford coupe and yelled, “let’s go cruising.” After 5 minutes in his car I went home and called my brother, who had a 1970 340 he was getting ready to rebuild for his 1970 Cuda. I had $3,500 into my newly built motor and told him to give me his motor and $1,500, and he could have my motor. He said OK, and I had the engine rebuilt for a blower, and the blower has been on my car ever since.”

In 1989, Schwenker got the itch to make more changes to his Dart, starting with new quarter-panels and back-halfing the chassis, so he brought it to SuperPro Performance Chassis. SuperPro is owned by Tommy V, a master fabricator and welder with decades of experience. Tommy V knew the whereabouts of NOS quarter-panels, put Schwenker in touch with the seller, and that got the ball rolling.

After the quarters were installed, Schwenker presented SuperPro Performance with a huge challenge. “Don wanted a true Pro Street look,” Tommy V explains, “but he insisted that I not touch the new quarter-panels, and making it even harder, he wanted to retain the car’s original back seat!” Tommy V thought long and hard about how to fit super-meaty tires without altering the quarters or eliminating the back seat, and came up with a viable plan. He modified his time-tested four-link suspension system by redesigning the front mount brackets and then fabricated completely new framerails using .120-inch wall 3×2-inch steel tubing in order to extend the wheel base by a full 3 inches. He also disassembled the Dart’s original back seat and modified the springs and frames so they’d fit perfectly between the 42×24-inch wheeltubs he made. He even managed to squeeze a six-point rollbar into the car without impacting the back seat.

Once the fabrication work was done, Schwenker turned his Dart over to Anthony DeDomenico for a complete repaint. After massaging the body to perfection DeDomenico applied two-stage urethane in the car’s original shade of green. Evidencing just how good DeDomenico’s work is, the body and paint look every bit as fantastic today as they did 28 years ago.

With the back half of the chassis, bodywork, and paint all done Schwenker drove and thoroughly enjoyed his high school hot rod for another 25 years before getting the urge to bring it to the next level. Once again, he turned to SuperPro Performance Chassis. Tommy V installed a complete Reilly MotorSports front end that included tubular control arms, Viking coilovers, and a Mustang II–style rack-and-pinion. Combined with the custom four-link rear, the car’s overall ride height is now lowered by a full 3 inches. Tommy V also fabricated a new, 10-point rollbar setup from 304 stainless. Kevin Storms at S&L Metal polished the bars to a chrome-like finish, and Tommy V completed the polishing after all welding was finished.

For stopping power that far surpasses this Dart’s factory braking system, Tommy V turned to Wilwood. Up front, six-piston Dynalite calipers forged from solid billets of aluminum squeeze 12-inch drilled and slotted rotors. At the rear, four-piston Dynalite calipers grip 11.5-inch slotted and drilled rotors.

While updating and upgrading so many other parts of the car, Schwenker decided to build a new, more powerful engine. Since he wanted to retain a blower, he entrusted the work to forced induction specialist Andy Jensen at Jensen’s Engine Technologies in Nescopeck, Pennsylvania. Though there’s no denying the magical allure of a big-block, Schwenker was focused on preserving the original feel of his Dart, so opted to stick with a 340-cid engine. Jensen started with the block that came out of Schwenker’s brother’s Barracuda back in 1980, but converted it to four-bolt mains for increased strength and durability. To complete the bottom end, he used a factory-forged crank supplemented by a host of high-quality aftermarket internals, including forged Crower rods and forged JE pistons. For increased breathing and reduced weight, Jensen went with Edelbrock Performer RPM aluminum cylinder heads in place of the factory’s cast-iron heads.

A Big & Ugly hat caps the BDS 6-71 blower and Indy manifold setup atop the engine. BDS pulleys spin the blower fast enough to generate 12.2 psi of boost and a Big Stuff 3 EFI combined with Hilborn injection deliver the needed fuel. The Hilborn setup uses a total of 16 injectors, with eight on top of the blower, where the fuel spray helps cool the rotors, and eight mounted into the Indy manifold. Tommy V took care of the engine’s electrical needs and fabricated throttle linkage using ¼-inch diameter, .065-inch wall stainless tubing drilled and tapped for 10-32 rod ends from FK Rod Ends.

Wiring-meister Larry Feynman extensively reworked the Dart’s factory harnesses to make sure all electrical components get the juice they need. A plethora of electrical items, including the MSD ignition coil and box, MAP sensor, and various relays mount on an aluminum panel that Tommy V made to install out of sight under the dash. The blown and injected engine sends its twist to the Moser 9-inch rear end via a beefed-up 727 TorqueFlite. The transmission was built by Tommy Derych, a Mopar fanatic as well as a master transmission technician.

Since completing the car about two years ago, Schwenker continues to do what he’s been doing throughout the 43 years he’s owned it, which is to say he enjoys driving it at every opportunity. “This was my first car,” he reflects, “and that is, of course, very special. It’s been a part of my whole family, something that I’ve shared with my parents, Marie and Don Sr., my wife and daughters, and my brothers Tommy and Fred. And beyond that, it’s also been a big part of my friendships with all of my car buddies, including Tony Palmieri, Anthony DeDomenico, Victor Leal, and Tommy V. All of these guys have been a huge help along the way, and I owe them all special thanks!”

Fast Facts

1968 Dodge Dart GT Don Schwenker, Long Island, NY

ENGINE Type: V-8 Bore x stroke: 4.07 (bore) x 3.31 (stroke) inches Block: stock cast iron Rotating assembly: stock 340 forged crank, Crower forged steel connecting rods, JE forged aluminum pistons Compression: 8.0:1 Cylinder heads: Edelbrock Performer RPM Camshaft: Hydraulic roller camshaft Machine work: Jensen’s Engine Technologies (Nescopeck, PA) Induction: Indy Cylinder Heads intake manifold, Enderle Big & Ugly injector hat, Hilborn fuel injection Oiling system: stock oil pump and oil pan Exhaust: SuperPro Performance Chassis custom exhaust, including long-tube headers and 3.5-inch oval pipes made from 304 stainless steel, SpinTech custom mufflers Ignition: MSD Pro-Billet distributor, MSD Blaster 2 coil, MSD 6AL-2 ignition box Cooling: Griffin aluminum radiator, SPAL electric fan Fuel: SuperPro Performance custom 23-gallon fuel cell, Aeromotive in-tank pump Engine built by: Jensen’s Engine Technologies (Nescopeck, PA)

DRIVETRAIN Transmission: 727 TorqueFlite three-speed automatic with manual valve body built by Tommy Derych (Long Island, NY) Converter: ProTorque 9-inch torque converter, 3,500-stall Shifter: B&M Pro Ratchet Driveshaft: 4-inch aluminum driveshaft Rear End: Moser Engineering chrome-moly sheetmetal housing narrowed by Tommy V at SuperPro Performance Chassis, 9-inch centersection with Wavetrac limited-slip differential and 4.30:1 ring-and-pinion, Moser 35-spline axles

CHASSIS Front suspension: Reilly Motorsports AlterKtion coilover system, Viking twin-tube, double-adjustable coilovers, 1.25-inch antiroll bar Rear suspension: SuperPro Performance Chassis four-link and custom framerails, QA1 adjustable coilovers Steering: custom valved Reilly MotorSports manual rack-and-pinion, Flaming River tilt column Front brakes: Wilwood six-piston 12-inch drilled and slotted disc Rear brakes: Wilwood four-piston 11.5-inch drilled and slotted disc

WHEELS & TIRES Wheels: 15×4 (front), 15×5 (rear) Team III E-T Fueler Front Tires: 165/80R15 Nankang CX-668 radials Rear Tires: 31×18.00R15LT Mickey Thompson Sportsman S/R

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