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Manhart’s BMW i8 Gets a Sneak Preview

 A couple of BMW tuners tried their hand at creating a hardcore version of the recently launched i8 but most of them failed in various ways. Most of the time they went overboard with a model that isn’t meant to tear down tracks and scare the living daylight out of GT3 cars.
`Manhart BMW i8 4 photos
Photo: Manhart
BMW i8 by ManhartBMW i8 by ManhartBMW i8 by Manhart
Manhart, on the other hand, might’ve hit the jackpot. They just unveiled a preview of how a prospective i8 would look like in their opinion and it’s looking absolutely beautiful.

Original color palette replaces the BMW i Blue

BMW launched two cars as part of its i sub-brand offensive and along with them a new color, meant to represent the eco-friendly attitude the company has towards transportation. That color was called i Blue and can be seen in a variety of places around both the i8 and the i3.

Manhart, on the other hand, is known for its gold trademark color. Therefore, their take on the car had to make use of it. On top of accents being done in that color, they also used Sapphire Black to decorate the rest of the hybrid.

New look for the front bumper

Usually, when a tuner releases new aerodynamic parts for a car, they make it so that they have two purposes. On the one hand, they look cooler than the standard model and on the other, they improve the drag coefficient making the car run better. That’s in theory, at least.

However, since the i8 is a special car and the one with the lowest drag coefficient in BMW’s history, improving such aspects is really hard to do. For now we don’t have any official info on this matter but we can’t imagine how Manhart could’ve achieved it.

They did manage to change the car’s looks though, but we’re not particularly sure it’s for the best. Sure, that’s all a matter of taste after all.

Other tweaks include a new set of typical Manhart wheels with wider profiles and painted brake calipers. No news on engine tuning so far, though.
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