Photo: Stefan Baldauf/SB-Medien
Fine-tuning a vehicle on the Nurburgring is pretty fun at first glance, but don’t forget it’s also a daunting task. As the headline implies, BMW didn’t have too much luck with a yet-to-be-detailed test mule of the M850i with a straight-six.
Even though an aluminum radiator is clearly visible up front, BMW disguised the rear deck and outfitted air vents instead of quarter windows to this prototype. As fate would have it, the Bavarian automaker denied any speculation in regard to a mid-engine supercar that would succeed the M1 or the i8.
BMW let it slip to Auto Motor und Sport that it’s actually testing components without going into further detail. The six-cylinder turbo engine, however, is rumored to be hybridizied to some extent although it’s impossible to tell from these photos. And what a selection of photographs, showing the car in this sorry state!
The accident happened at the Pflanzgarten at the 17-kilometer mark of the Nordschleife, which used to be the site of gardens and crop fields of the Earls of Nurburg. As you can tell, both the driver and passenger sides are damaged, presumably from the guardrails. The front left wheel also appears to be completely shot as a consequence of suspension damage, rendering the test mule undriveable.
The Industry Pool lapping session was stopped for a few minutes while the marshals cleaned up the debris and towed the 8 Series away. What comes as a bit of a surprise is that a black cover is hiding the interior and rear end of the vehicle, leaving the front fascia and fenders out in the open. This may be a coincidence, but on the other hand, BMW may be trying to hide something from prying eyes.
The carparazzi report that the test driver walked away from the crash without a scratch, and at the end of the day, that’s all that matters. A broken test mule can be repaired or replaced altogether while a few broken bones are much harder to heal.
BMW let it slip to Auto Motor und Sport that it’s actually testing components without going into further detail. The six-cylinder turbo engine, however, is rumored to be hybridizied to some extent although it’s impossible to tell from these photos. And what a selection of photographs, showing the car in this sorry state!
The accident happened at the Pflanzgarten at the 17-kilometer mark of the Nordschleife, which used to be the site of gardens and crop fields of the Earls of Nurburg. As you can tell, both the driver and passenger sides are damaged, presumably from the guardrails. The front left wheel also appears to be completely shot as a consequence of suspension damage, rendering the test mule undriveable.
The Industry Pool lapping session was stopped for a few minutes while the marshals cleaned up the debris and towed the 8 Series away. What comes as a bit of a surprise is that a black cover is hiding the interior and rear end of the vehicle, leaving the front fascia and fenders out in the open. This may be a coincidence, but on the other hand, BMW may be trying to hide something from prying eyes.
The carparazzi report that the test driver walked away from the crash without a scratch, and at the end of the day, that’s all that matters. A broken test mule can be repaired or replaced altogether while a few broken bones are much harder to heal.
Google News