Autoblog

BMW M1 successor still on track, to be called M8

Jonathon Ramsey — Sat, 24 Nov 2012 12:03:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, BMW, Luxury

Automobile has taken a look into the medium-term future product plans of the German automakers, and one of the interesting nuggets is that BMW is still working on an M8. An updated BMW M1 has been a fantasy since the last of the 456 original M1s rolled off the line in 1981, and we're told that the coming M8 will finally be the proper successor.

Apparently there's still some conflict to be worked through: company CEO Norbert Reithofer isn't exactly sold on it, whereas M Division president Friedrich Nitschke "doesn't take no for an answer." If you'll remember, the 1 Series M Coupe had to leap the same hurdles, the BMW brass not smitten with the business-case numbers, but Kay Segler, M Division president at the time, pushed it through. And we saw how well that worked out.

BMW's M8 Is on the Way, Come Hell or High Water

Another German supercar in the making is the BMW M8. Previously known as the M1, this car is believed to be the halo model that BMW will pull out of the bag to celebrate its centenary in 2016. Chairman Norbert Reithofer, who is not known as a sports car aficionado, views this project with mixed feelings. Having recently decided that the next-generation 1- and 2-series will be built on a new front-/all-wheel-drive matrix, the big boss is reluctant to give a green light to a V-8-powered tarmac peeler.

But Friedrich Nitschke, who runs the M division, doesn't take no for an answer - even if it means tweaking the project so that the M8 can share the carbon-fiber-and-aluminum underpinnings of the super-frugal i8. This approach could kill two birds with one stone by creating significant economies of scale and by giving the 600-hp sports car a weight advantage over its more conventional rivals.

On a lesser scale, Reithofer has personally sealed the fate of the on-off-on Z2 roadster. Apparently the numbers did not work out, and there is not much time left for a compact, rear-wheel-drive platform, which will be mothballed in 2021. If a small, open-top BMW does materialize, it will be front-wheel drive and pooled with an open-top Mini. The Z4 will get a new lease on life, but since the segment is in free fall, the third-generation version needs to combine the existing folding hardtop with a redesigned body and interior.

BMW's M8 Is on the Way, Come Hell or High Water

Automobile posits that Nitschke could put the M8 on the same carbon fiber and aluminum platform as the BMW i8, saving money on the architecture and getting a head start on weight reduction. It's taken 30 years of dreaming to get us this close, and along the way and only recently we've seen concepts like the BMW M1 Hommage (above), and before that a rumored twin-turbo V10 with 625 horsepower, as well as a gentler, greener two-seat Z10 ED with a twin-turbo six cylinder and 400 hp. Just one year ago BMW told us, "We've discussed these possibilities. But ultimately, we didn't feel the need to make a very exclusive high-end supercar and we still don't." Let's hope that this time Nitschke can close the deal.

BMW M1 successor still on track, to be called M8 originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 24 Nov 2012 12:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Remember the BMW supercar that M Division wanted to build? Not gonna happen

Jonathon Ramsey — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 11:31:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, BMW, Luxury

For at least two years, BMW has been teasing the idea of making a supercar, the kind that would glare with laser headlights at the Audi R8 and say, "Yeah, I'm lookin' at you." Way back in early 2008, the car was rumored to be a twin-turbo V10 with 625 horsepower. A year later, it was going to be the gentler, greener two-seat Z10 ED with a twin-turbo six cylinder and 400 hp. A year later still, the 1.5-liter, three-cylinder, hybrid i8 inherited the green supercar mantle.

But just two months ago, the head of product development at BMW's M division said he wanted a car to fight the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, a pure M-car developed totally in-house (as was the case with the AMG). But an interview given by M's North American product manager Matthew Russell points to the door having closed on that when he said, "We've discussed these possibilities. But ultimately, we didn't feel the need to make a very exclusive high-end supercar and we still don't." So there.

Perhaps more importantly, in reference to the M3 and M5, Russell believes that M already makes supercars, albeit of a certain type: "we like to build two cars in one: this is what M does. Nobody offers that perfect combination of a driver's car and an executive car that you can use everyday. So technically, we already build supercars." As fellow Autoblog contributor Matt Davis noted, however, we're of the mind that while those are super cars, they're not supercars.

Click the link for the rest of Russell's thoughts, though not before sparing a moment to say auf wiedersehen to the M1 Hommage. It will always live on in our high-res image gallery...

Remember the BMW supercar that M Division wanted to build? Not gonna happen originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 20 Dec 2011 11:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VIDEO: BMW Design Director on M1 Hommage Concept

John Neff — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 14:28:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Coupe, Videos, Supercars, BMW, Misc. Auto Shows

Click above image to view video after the jump

Truth be told, the Autoblog team is split on whether or not we like the M1 Hommage Concept that was unveiled at the Concorso d'Eleganza at Villa d'Este this past weekend. Some of us claim that it's genius baked in a car-shaped pan, while the rest would rather stare at flame surfacing, Chris Bangle's ignominious contribution to automotive design, until their eyes start bleeding. Regardless, it creates discussion, and to facilitate the talk we have BMW Design Director Adrian van Hooydonk on camera after the jump talking about the car and its inspiration, the original M1.

Though the video after the jump is over eight minutes long, you'll want to watch it all the way through to catch footage of the original M1 that was used for the photo shoot being thrashed on-track.

Gallery: BMW M1 Hommage

[Source: BMW]

Continue reading VIDEO: BMW Design Director on M1 Hommage Concept

VIDEO: BMW Design Director on M1 Hommage Concept originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 29 Apr 2008 14:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Modern Retro: BMW M1 Hommage officially revealed

Alex Nunez — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 08:23:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Performance, Europe, Supercars, BMW, Misc. Auto Shows

Click above for a high-res gallery of the BMW M1 Hommage

BMW's supercar icon, the M1, blew out the candles at the Concorso d'Eleganza at Villa d'Este this weekend. In honor of the car's thirtieth birthday, BMW rolled out the new BMW M1 Hommage, a concept/design study that pays tribute to the original M1 and shows what could be possible if BMW were to produce a new mid-engined sports car. Follow the jump for the breakdown.

Gallery: BMW M1 Hommage

[Source: BMW]

Continue reading Modern Retro: BMW M1 Hommage officially revealed

Modern Retro: BMW M1 Hommage officially revealed originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 27 Apr 2008 08:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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