Photo: beyond.ca
Just last week we were telling you that new reports are claiming BMW started work on a hardcore version of the i8. Back then, since the source was from the UK and not the most trustworthy out there either, we were rather reluctant to believe it. However, in a recent interview for Dutch publication Autovisie, the head of the M division confirmed the rumors.
That’s a big deal, and the guys from Holland are known for their reliable sources and accurate reporting. According to them, Franciscus van Meel, the new head of the M division, had a sit down with one of their reporters and said that a version of the plug-in hybrid car with over 400 HP is being worked on as we speak.
What we did find peculiar was that they quoted the same 1.5-liter 3-cylinder turbocharged unit from the current model to be used in the upcoming iteration with an output of around 300 HP. That would make the B38 mill the engine with the highest specific output in the world at 200 HP/liter.
If there’s anyone that can pull it off, it’s BMW. Coupled with the electric motors on-board turbo lag wouldn’t be an issue and even reliability problems might take a longer time to appear. Don’t get us wrong, when you squeeze that much power out of an engine, issues are bound to happen.
From this point of view, the previous report claiming that a 2-liter engine would be their weapon of choice seemed to make a lot more sense. Getting 300 HP and even more than that is a feat that has been done before, without too much of a struggle.
Another interesting tidbit coming in is that van Meel claims the M division will have no part in the development of the car. The reason for this is that they didn’t have a say in the original development of the i8 and they couldn’t simply step in now to make it better. It’s not the way they work.
To top everything off, the man wasn’t afraid to tell us that a Spyder version is still under consideration, denying previous rumors that it had been completely abandoned. Unfortunately, no clear decision hasn’t been made yet.
What we did find peculiar was that they quoted the same 1.5-liter 3-cylinder turbocharged unit from the current model to be used in the upcoming iteration with an output of around 300 HP. That would make the B38 mill the engine with the highest specific output in the world at 200 HP/liter.
If there’s anyone that can pull it off, it’s BMW. Coupled with the electric motors on-board turbo lag wouldn’t be an issue and even reliability problems might take a longer time to appear. Don’t get us wrong, when you squeeze that much power out of an engine, issues are bound to happen.
From this point of view, the previous report claiming that a 2-liter engine would be their weapon of choice seemed to make a lot more sense. Getting 300 HP and even more than that is a feat that has been done before, without too much of a struggle.
Another interesting tidbit coming in is that van Meel claims the M division will have no part in the development of the car. The reason for this is that they didn’t have a say in the original development of the i8 and they couldn’t simply step in now to make it better. It’s not the way they work.
To top everything off, the man wasn’t afraid to tell us that a Spyder version is still under consideration, denying previous rumors that it had been completely abandoned. Unfortunately, no clear decision hasn’t been made yet.
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