autoevolution
 

Manhart BMW i8 Races McLaren 12C, BMW 1M Coupe and a GT-R Among Others

So far, no tuner has managed to enhance the BMW i8 in drastic ways. Many have tried, but none has succeeded in their attempt to improve the numbers the i car brags about and puts down.
McLaren 12C vs BMW i8 1 photo
Photo: Screenshot from YouTube
To better understand what we mean, you need to dig deep into what the i8 stands for. The car was built as an exercise to show that having a clean car and an exciting experience behind the wheel can go hand in hand. In this regard, BMW made the sportscar as light as possible and then gave it a 1.5-liter 3-cylinder turbocharged engine to play with.

Next to that mill, they attached an electric motor and the two are now splitting the car’s axles in between themselves. The internal combustion unit is spinning the rear wheels, while the electric one takes care of the front axle. Together, they deliver 362 HP and 570 Nm (420 lb-ft) to the asphalt via a very complex all-wheel-drive system that uses two gearboxes and a total of 8 speeds (two for the electric motor and six for the conventional one).

That’s also what allows this car to reach 100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.4 seconds from a dead stop, a figure that explains how the Manhart i8 managed to keep up and beat some of the cars in the video below. Fret not, because the Manhart treatment was mostly cosmetic and no actual changes were made to the technical bits.

As you can see, the stock car is able to hang with some interesting names in the business. The BMW 1M Coupe didn’t stand a chance and it was mostly due to the lack of traction, but it wasn’t the same case with the Cayman S that came after it, since the Porsche gave the i8 a good run for its money.

Then came the turn of the McLaren 12C, a proper supercar that, not long ago, was the spearhead of the Woking-based company’s offering. The model was available in two versions and both of them used the 3.8-liter V8 twin-turbo engine so loved these days, initially making 600 HP. Later on, the cars received a small bump in power, being taken up to 625 HP. Depending on the power output (McLaren did offer complimentary upgrades to early buyers of the 12C, ed), the car could sprint to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.3 or 3.1 seconds.

That seems to be enough to put the i8 in danger, right? If not, the GT-R that shows up last in the video below should do the trick, right? After all, this is Godzilla we’re talking about, the one supercar that put all others to shame with its super-fast and complicated launch control sequence that allows you to reach triple digit speeds in 2.8 seconds. Click play to find out.

If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories