Photo: SB-Medien
Looking suspiciously ready to go into production, the BMW i8 Spyder has once again been spied, this time at the Nurburgring track.
In fact, the roofless i8 has been ready for a long time, and the new top seems well screwed together. So we think the point of all this testing is not to ensure durability but to try and make a driver's car.
When the car was last seen, it had "Bruno" written on the body next to the Canadian flag, which is a way for the Bavarian automaker to show that its DTM race car driver is behind the wheel. That stuff will undoubtedly go into the press release!
I don't think you've noticed, but the sportscar market has taken a few turns recently. If you want an expensive convertible, Porsche now sells the 718 Boxster with a 4-cylinder turbo engine. There's also a high chance that the next 911 will finally deliver on the hybrid promise.
Considering the i8 is frequently compared to the Porsche 911, we figure the Spyder version has a good chance of getting some attention.
We're in 2017, and the i8 program has been going on since... forever. As you might or might not remember, the EfficientDynamics Concept came out way back in 2009.
Compared to that, the i8 Spyder does things differently, with a new targa-top made out of fabric material. The Spyder uses a frameless window design instead of the coupe’s fully framed side glass. So it's possible (read likely) that it will do without the fixed-roof sibling’s fancy butterfly doors.
On the powertrain front, this model is meant to coincide with the mid-life facelift of the i8 which is rumored to include a power boost of about 10%. We'll have to wait until the Geneva Motor Show and see if that comes more from the electric motors or the 1.5-liter turbo engine. But the Spyder should be heavier and slower, at least by a bit.
When the car was last seen, it had "Bruno" written on the body next to the Canadian flag, which is a way for the Bavarian automaker to show that its DTM race car driver is behind the wheel. That stuff will undoubtedly go into the press release!
I don't think you've noticed, but the sportscar market has taken a few turns recently. If you want an expensive convertible, Porsche now sells the 718 Boxster with a 4-cylinder turbo engine. There's also a high chance that the next 911 will finally deliver on the hybrid promise.
Considering the i8 is frequently compared to the Porsche 911, we figure the Spyder version has a good chance of getting some attention.
We're in 2017, and the i8 program has been going on since... forever. As you might or might not remember, the EfficientDynamics Concept came out way back in 2009.
Compared to that, the i8 Spyder does things differently, with a new targa-top made out of fabric material. The Spyder uses a frameless window design instead of the coupe’s fully framed side glass. So it's possible (read likely) that it will do without the fixed-roof sibling’s fancy butterfly doors.
On the powertrain front, this model is meant to coincide with the mid-life facelift of the i8 which is rumored to include a power boost of about 10%. We'll have to wait until the Geneva Motor Show and see if that comes more from the electric motors or the 1.5-liter turbo engine. But the Spyder should be heavier and slower, at least by a bit.
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