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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BMW M projects that didn't make it

Noah Joseph — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 19:31:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Performance, BMW, Design/Style

BMW M Projects - Click above for massive high-res image gallery

BMW's M division comes up with some pretty crazy ideas - things like M3 pickups and M5 cabrios. Even the X6 M could be safely defined as 'radical.' And while some make it into production, there are plenty other awesome projects that never see the light of day.

While giving us a preview of the new M5 Concept, the Bavarian skunkworks division also showcased a few of those stillborn projects. One of them was a CSL version of the recently-departed M6 coupe, unburdened of 220 pounds of excess weight, given a power boost and fitted with active aerodynamics and an electronically deployed rear spoiler. But while the prototype was reportedly fully developed, the beancounters in Munich ultimately passed on its production.

The same fate reportedly befell an M8 prototype that would have slotted in above the 850 CSi. That particular coupe that was available packed with a 375-horsepower V12, but the never-was M8 was blessed with a lofty 550 hp from its 12-cylinder engine. After the M8 project was canceled, the engine was retasked for use in another supercar: the McLaren F1.

Another variant of that high-revving V12 - originally bound for Le Mans duty - was also placed in a first-gen X5 prototype with a six-speed manual, 700 horsepower and a 186-mile-per-hour top end. Another rear-drive X5 prototype developed by the M division was in attendance and, naturally, never reached production, along with an M-ified 318ti (hot), E46 M3 wagon (hotter), E39 M5 wagon (hottest) and one horribly overwrought red roadster (above) with a clear connection to the Z1 and Z3 convertible. And as for the E92-based M3 pickup; it was built as a replacement for beheaded and bedded E30 the M crew developed way-back-when to haul parts.

Finally, last year, BMW toyed with shoehorning the V12 engine into the outgoing M5 to replace its V10 and celebrate the model's 25th anniversary (it was first introduced in 1985), but found the engine bay just a little too tight for the Le Mans-based engine. Sigh.

You can check out all the stillborn Ms in our galleries below.

Gallery: BMW M Projects

BMW M projects that didn't make it originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 19:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The BMW M8 that never was...

Sam Abuelsamid — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 16:32:00 EST

Filed under: BMW

Unlike Mercedes-Benz which produces AMG badged versions of just about every model in its lineup, BMW has maintained greater exclusivity with the M badge. Until last year's launch of the X6 M and X5 M, there have only been four M models (not counting the M1), but one M got as far as prototyping and testing, but never produced: The M8.

Powered by a 550 horsepower version of BMW's original M70 V12 engine, the M8 was meant to challenge the Ferrari 456 GT. However, following testing of the single prototype, BMW canceled the program and built the 375 hp 850CSi instead. The M8 prototype was long thought to have been crushed, but it turns out that it was stashed away in a corner and turned up in the BMW museum in Munich. Check out the BMW Blog for more shots.

[Source: BMW Blog]

The BMW M8 that never was... originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 02 Jul 2010 16:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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REPORT: More details on BMW's rumored M1(s)

Jonny Lieberman — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 18:22:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Coupe, Performance, Europe, BMW

BMW 1 Series Tii Concept - click above for high-res image gallery

Audi has the mid-engined R8 (now available with a 525-horsepower V10). Mercedes-Benz now has the AMG SLS (with more power than the R8 - 563 horses). BMW has... a 500-horsepower V10 in a 4,000 pounds M6. Not exactly competitive in the supercar department these days. Well, according to everyone's favorite British Buff Book (EVO), BMW will be releasing a new supercar. Probably something resembling a mashup between the M1 Homage Concept and the Vision EfficientDynamics Hybrid Concept. However, it might not be called M1. Or, it might be.

Here's the thing - BMW is also believed to be working on a buffed out, super version of the 135i (based on the Tii Concept) that semi-logically could be called the M1. Check out the supposed stats on this little puppy: a reworked twin-turbo 3.0-liter motor good for 400 hp and 370 lb-ft of torque, a 150 pound weight reduction, seven-speed dual-clutch tranny, the M3's suspension and torque-vectoring rear end. Where do we sign up?

The issue is that some people within BMW feel the semi-sacred M1 moniker should be reserved only for a car that replaces the 1978 M1, the first car BMW's Motorsports Division ever made (even if Lamborghini played a roll). They do have a point, as among us gearhead types the M1 is a pretty reverential piece of machinery. However, what would you call an M-caliber 1 Series?

Autoblog's advice is this: nothing's sacred. Call the hopped-up 135i the M1. No one cares except for a few old timers within BMW and a few fanatics on the outside. Besides, the aforementioned old timers have sat idly by as the fabled M Division has arguably diluted its once lofty rep by releasing the X5 M and X6 M. It's all water (and money) under the bridge anyhow. And by freeing themselves from this false dilemma (because really, who cares?), BMW is free to name the new supercar the M8.

Failing that, just name the mighty 1 Series the Tii (confusing almost everyone) and reserve M1 for a proper supercar. We don't really mind, as long as both cars go on sale. And no matter the name, it sounds like the range-topping 1 Series should see the light of day in 2011 and the new supercar - which will pair BMW's 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 with two electric motors - should come online around 2012. Color us excited.

Gallery: BMW Concept 1 Series tii

Gallery: BMW M1 Hommage

Gallery: Frankfurt 2009: BMW Vision EfficientDynamics

[Source: EVO]

REPORT: More details on BMW's rumored M1(s) originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 08 Dec 2009 18:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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REPORT: BMW builds E34 M5 Convertible, keeps it secret for 20 long years

Jonny Lieberman — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:57:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Convertible, Performance, Europe, BMW

BMW E34 M5 Convertible - Click above image for high-res gallery

Amongst M Division cognoscenti there rages an eternal debate concerning what's the best ever BMW M car. To the casual Bavarian-enthusiast the answer is quite simple: E39 M5. However, strong cases can be made for both the E30 M3 and the OG E28 M5, which featured the M1's race-bred 3.5-liter straight-six. In fact, there's a whole subculture of folks that feel a car's not really a BMW (let alone an M) without an inline-six. With that said, the E34 M5 is a pretty compelling candidate for best ever M car, as is the M1. Oddly, no one ever advocates in favor of the E60 M5. Moving on...

Think about it now -- the E34 M5 is the last of the totally hand built M cars. Sometimes one worker made an entire car, though usually the cars were built by specific teams. In fact, BMW test engineers could tell which person (or people) had built each individual car. That's pretty nifty. Only thing is, all those doors. And that roof! Who needs it? Sadly, it was only with the introduction of the E63 M6 that the big M cars got back to just two doors and a drop top. Or was it?

Turns out that back in the late '80s BMW built a convertible E34 M5 and they've kept it under lock and key for the past 20 years until showing it to a select group of journalists during a 25 years of M5 celebration. Based of the E34 chassis, the convertible version featured lengthened doors and was actually all set to go into production.

But then, just one week before its introduction at Geneva (they'd booked space for the car and everything), BMW pulled the plug and canceled the M5 convertible, fearing demand for non-M5 convertibles would cut into the highly profitable 3 Series convertible sales. Too bad, as this thing looks sweet. Also, if BMW pulls the long-rumored-though-(maybe)-never-built M8 out from some dark corner of the storage bin, well, we'll be pretty upset. Yet thrilled at the same time.

Gallery: BMW E34 M5 Convertible

[Source: Autocar]

REPORT: BMW builds E34 M5 Convertible, keeps it secret for 20 long years originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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