Monday 16th March 2015

BMW reveals 'CSL Homage Livery'...

... and X5 xDrive40e plug-in hybrid. Guess what's coming to the UK

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It's probably correct to begin with the X5, given it's the road car that you will be available in the UK. We'll come to the very cool racing cars shortly...

Purists look away now...

The X5 xDrive40e is BMW's first non-i plug-in hybrid. Got it? It uses the 245hp, 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo and a 113hp electric motor, combining to make 313hp in total. Overall torque is rated at 332lb ft but of course the important stats with a plug-in hybrid are the efficiency numbers: 85.6 claimed combined mpg, 77g/km and 19 miles on electric power only. The X5 also comes with BMW's very clever 360-degrees electric support package. Coming to a creche car park near you by the end of the year.

Anyway, enough of that. BMW racing cars. This weekend's Sebring 12 Hours marks 40 years since the first BMW motorsport victory in America. Indeed its four decades since BMW began racing in America, with all factory racing postponed in 1974 due to the energy crisis. Back in 1975 the #25 IMSA 3.0 CSL of Brian Redman and Allan Moffat won at Sebring after retirement at Daytona, with Redman driving for more than seven hours as 'Moffat could not match his speed.' That's from the BMW press release...

... to here, perhaps!

To mark the occasion, the pair of Z4 GTLMs racing this weekend will be painted in a 'CSL Homage Livery.' And don't they just look fabulous? The blue, purple and red stripes on white paint work just as well in 2015 as they did in 1975. The Z4 will also carry the 'Bavarian Motor Works' windscreen sticker, used on early BMW racers in the US as 'British Motor Works' was the commonly understood meaning.

BMW USA creating a new livery for a racing car is not the most significant news story you will read this week. But it looks so damn cool, and proves that BMW remains more than just diesel crossovers and, erm, hybrid SUVs. Don't forget there's an M6 GT3 on the way as well.

 

 

[marlons69]

"It uses the 245hp, 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo and a 113hp electric motor, combining to make 313hp in total."

Really? How does that work then?

[rsox87]

marlons69 said:

"It uses the 245hp, 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo and a 113hp electric motor, combining to make 313hp in total."

Really? How does that work then?

The motors will deliver peak power in different places - if the ICE makes peak power of 245bhp at 6,000rpm and the electric motor makes peak power of 113bhp at 9,000rpm (rpm figures for both are guessed!), then the combined powertrain will never be able to put out 245 + 113 = 358bhp. What's happening is that when the ICE is putting out 245bhp, the electric motor is making 68bhp, hence peak power is 245 + 68 = 313bhp. Beyond 6,000rpm, the ICE will be making less power, so even though the electric motor will be making more, the peak won't exceed 313bhp.

[Krikkit]

marlons69 said:

"It uses the 245hp, 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo and a 113hp electric motor, combining to make 313hp in total."

Really? How does that work then?

Presumably peak engine power doesn't come at peak motor power, so the max combination is 313hp.

[E30Addict]

POTW?

[Debaser]

marlons69 said:

"It uses the 245hp, 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo and a 113hp electric motor, combining to make 313hp in total."

Really? How does that work then?

Peak power from the engine is at a different speed to peak power from the motor.

[lasvegas1966]

ooooooh that racing z4's noise, glorious

[unsprung]

In addition to the livery, could we have some CSL design on a contemporary body-in-white? The lithe A- and C-pillars of the original cars, for example.

[coppice]

How can the firm which made something as perfect looking as the CSL (which I saw race in period ) also produce such a ghastly, tasteless and thuggish nightmare as the X6? Who the hell buys these things - and why ?

[Mermaid]

70's & into early 80's(?) great era for the original CSL, followed by the all conquering E30 M3

Distinctive livery of the time, it seems. Here is a Brumos Porsche

[jakeb]

Looks fabulous (not the x5) but I dont like to point out that the light blue of the stripe is the wrong shade........

[chris116]

E30Addict said:

POTW?

[Turbobanana]

Sorry, but who thought BMW stood for 'British Motor Works'? Really?
Back on topic - the livery looks great, on either car (prefer the CSL though).

[dinkel]

[soad]

E30Addict said:

POTW?

Nice arse.

[Mermaid]

& also shows the centre upright on the E9 CSL rear spoiler - this was not featured on the standard batmobiles or the European touring cars

Edited by Mermaid on Tuesday 17th March 11:45

[dinkel]

Lovely screamers.