Photo: BMW
Ahead of last weekend’s Formula E Grand Prix in Monaco, German carmaker BMW revealed a new safety car for the competition, the specially-tweaked BMW i8 Roadster. The car is the second to be presented in safety car guise for the competition after the coupe i8 shown in February.
In itself, the roadster is the first open top car to be used for such a purpose globally, and to be up for the task some modifications had to be made.
First, the vehicle was fitted with a massive rear wing, designed to generate additional downforce. M carbon ceramic brakes, an FIA-approved roll bar, and a front splitter have also been added.
To act as a safety car, the i8 has to be visible, so a light bar had to be fitted. Because of the challenges posed by the open top configuration of the car, the light bar has been mounted above the rear wing.
To ensure proper communication with interested parties on the track, a comms and a GP antenna were fitted, as well as a rear-view camera.
The car wears an evolution of the livery displayed on the coupe, with blue and purple colors chosen to contrast with orange and green accents. Orange and green are also the colors used for the lights system on the car.
No modifications were made to the car’s powertrain.
Robert Irlinger, Formula E founder, said in a statement that he is “very grateful to the FIA and Formula E” for allowing the use of a roadster as a safety car, “something which differentiates it from anything we’ve seen before.”
Formula E is a competition dedicated to electric cars that took off a few years ago. The current season has the highest number of teams, eleven, competing for the title, including big names of the auto industry like Audi, BMW, Nissan and Jaguar.
First, the vehicle was fitted with a massive rear wing, designed to generate additional downforce. M carbon ceramic brakes, an FIA-approved roll bar, and a front splitter have also been added.
To act as a safety car, the i8 has to be visible, so a light bar had to be fitted. Because of the challenges posed by the open top configuration of the car, the light bar has been mounted above the rear wing.
To ensure proper communication with interested parties on the track, a comms and a GP antenna were fitted, as well as a rear-view camera.
The car wears an evolution of the livery displayed on the coupe, with blue and purple colors chosen to contrast with orange and green accents. Orange and green are also the colors used for the lights system on the car.
No modifications were made to the car’s powertrain.
Robert Irlinger, Formula E founder, said in a statement that he is “very grateful to the FIA and Formula E” for allowing the use of a roadster as a safety car, “something which differentiates it from anything we’ve seen before.”
Formula E is a competition dedicated to electric cars that took off a few years ago. The current season has the highest number of teams, eleven, competing for the title, including big names of the auto industry like Audi, BMW, Nissan and Jaguar.
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