We know very little about this mystery BMW racecar—the company has released the photos without any
information whatsoever about the car or where it will race. But what the heck, we can speculate, can’t we?
Launched in late 2004, the 1-series is a front engine, rear wheel drive hatchback with a 50:50 weight distribution,
which makes it a natural candidate for the racetrack. BMW has touted the performance potential of the 1-series since
its introduction, and in September 2005 launched an M Sports Package for the car.
The “Diesel
Power” logo on the concept car’s hood is interesting. The 1-series hatchback’s top-line 120d diesel powerplant
puts out 163 hp and 250 ft.-lb. of torque, good for 0-100 km/h in 7.9 seconds, so the performance potential, while not
overwhelming, is sufficient to make a race version interesting. As far as I know, there isn’t (yet) a touring car
series or class dedicated to or favoring diesel engines, so this car is probably intended for a one-make, BMW-only
racing series – perhaps a lower-key touring car version of its Formula BMW series? (The 1 Series, of course…)
Certainly diesel-powered racecars are a hot item in Europe at the moment, with Audi’s launch of its R10 Le Mans
Prototype V12 turbodiesel.
End of wild speculation! We’ll just have to wait for the official press release
to find out what’s really going on with this intriguing car. More pics after the jump.
[Source: BMW
Motorsports, via Le Blog Auto]