Not too long ago we were telling you that the i8 was reportedly clocked around the Hockenheim at 1 minute 15 seconds by the guys from Sport Auto Germany. Now, we have that run on video, to put rumors at rest.
Plenty of people said that it couldn’t be possible or that there must be some foul-play at work here but, as it turns out, there was no reason to start such drama. The guys simply took the plug-in hybrid from BMW and pushed it to the limit on the German course.
Christian Gebhart was the journalist behind the wheel and, as you’re about to see, he was really pushing it. That’s basically what he had to do to achieve such a good time, one that's comparable to his own results achieved with a Porsche Boxster (1:14.9) and an Alfa Romeo 4C (1:14) on the same track.
Looking over the cars that have been clocked at slower times, we should mention the BMW M135i xDrive (1:15.30), the MINI JCW GP (1:16.30) and even the Megane RS 265 Trophy (1:16.40). That’s more than an impressive performance.
That’s because the i8 is not a proper, conventional sports car but rather BMW’s attempt at showing us what awaits in the future without compromising the environment.
It’s not wearing the M badge but it has the potential to do so, judging by the specs. There’s an electric motor powering the front axle, making 131 HP and 250 Nm (184 lb-ft) of torque combined with a 3-cylinder 1.5-liter turbocharged engine fitted on the rear axle, making 231 HP and 320 Nm (236 lb-ft) of torque.
The car actually has two gearboxes, an automatic 6-speed unit for the internal combustion engine and one with two speeds for the electric motor. And yet, they work together flawlessly to deliver the combined 362 HP and 570 Nm (420 lb-ft) of torque to all four corners of the car.
So, what we’re watching here is an all-wheel drive, plug-in hybrid BMW made of carbon fiber, plastic and aluminum, with a 1.5-liter 3-cylinder engine, being faster than a BMW E46 M3 on the Hockenheim Ring.
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