A driver hired by the UN to rescue a wounded war photographer from hostile territory drives through a hail of bullets in an attempt to get his charge safely to the border. Despite his efforts, on arrival, the driver finds that one of the bullets reached the photographer through the seats and has fatally wounded him. The driver continues on his journey to deliver the photographers dog tags to his elderly mother - the photographers dying wish.

This was the plot to one of a number of action-packed short films, produced by BMW exclusively for the internet and starring Clive Owen as the driver . In this particular film, a BMW X5 was the vehicle chosen to withstand such a pounding. A whole different story would have been told if they used BMW's Dixi 3/15PS! It's unlikely the photographer would have been found in time, let alone making it as far as the border!

The meaning of Dixi is 'I have spoken' and when used it usually translates to 'I have said all that I had to say'. Quite a statement and well deserved! Launched in 1928, the Dixi was the first of BMW's open topped cars. Built under license from Austin it was powered by a 743cc 4 cylinder engine producing 15hp with a top speed of 50mph. The first 100 Dixi's were supplied in kit form and were available with a range of different body shells. Not exactly dynamic but ground breaking stuff nonetheless. The Dixi is the vehicle responsible for seeing BMW through the difficult years of the Depression.

And further research has led us to today's offering of the latest convertible from BMW - the One Series. The world's first premium convertible in the compact segment incorporating all of BMW's reknowned economical assets without compromising on high performance. As expected, environmental concerns are taken into consideration with all of BMW's know how on minimizing emissions.

The roof of this gorgeous baby opens and closes in a tiny 22 seconds and at speeds of up to 25mph. With our ever increasing global warming becoming a factor in every day design considerations, sun reflective leather now comes as standard, reducing the interior surface temperature up to 20 degrees. This new technology is currently exclusive to BMW.

With aesthetics in mind, a sporty look has been aimed for with a re-designed front valance, re-profiled sill panels and a rear diffuser integrated into the bumper. A new design for the roof accompanies the new model. A fabric roof with tiny metallic anthracite fleck interwoven brings a new look. The in-built air conditioning sensors will respond accordingly with the roof down to act more on outside temperatures.

New safety measures have also been implicated with the new BMW in the form of two roll bars activated by sensors which register imminent danger and extend from behind the rear seats in a fraction of a second, protecting the occupants.

With all these innovative new additions, it's a shame BMW no longer produce their short films.

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About the Author

Expert BMW enthusiast Shaun Parker looks at the latest BMW Coupe released. To find out more please visit http://www.cooperbmw.co.uk/