So there we were at the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance, ogling a new, preproduction metallic black (or really dark charcoal gray) 2011 BMW 550i, and our BMW pal said, "Hey, like to take it for a drive?" Got any more stupid questions? Gimmee that keyfob, Please. Scott Evans already for you, so we'll focus on the actual piece in hand and the driving experience. The exterior design is ultrafresh and looks like a modern BMW without some of the overdetailing from which many of them have suffered. It's better balanced-looking than the outgoing 5 Series, but would never be mistaken for anything else. Underhood is the new, 400-horse, twin-turbocharged V-8, backed by ZF's new, and super high-tech, eight-speed automatic transmission.

This car isn't quick; it's genuinely fast, and smooth. We criticized this engine in the new 7 Series for a less than even acceleration curve and slightly jerky throttle response, but no such problem here. Perhaps BMW has evened out the engine's power delivery, or maybe the new trans calibrates the problem away. But the biturbo V-8's got power everywhere on the tach and is easy to drive slowly and smoothly and really gets with the program when you've got your toes into it. There's no turbo lag or jerkiness, just smooth power from a relatively low rpm, as there's meaningful boost available at low rpm. This powertrain makes that silky, turbinelike whirr we've come to expect from BMW V-8s, and it doesn't disappoint. While the result is exceptional, one wonders if this much expensive turbocharger hardware is needed or warranted to produce 400 horsepower. There are other V-8s that make as much power without all the technical complexity. Whatever, it sure works. As is typical of today's ZF automatic transmissions, this eight-speeder shifts smoothly without being mushy, and always seem to be in the right gear want a different one, just order up- or downshifts via the steering wheel paddle-shifter, or the throttle.