The history of the BMW i8 will be a fascinating one to read. Because, in the beginning, it looked to be the answer to all our prayers: a mid-engined, 170mph, BMW sports car, with the clever hybrid tech to facilitate double-digit CO2 figures and triple-digit mpg. Cake collected and consumed. Carbon construction meant it was reasonably light, BMW's bravery meant it looked just as good - if not better - than the concept, and the 23 mile electric range was usable for most commutes.
But now the i8 is no more, the very last one having rolled off the production line earlier this week. With it not only goes one of BMW's best-looking cars in years, but also the maker's commitment to carbon tubs (technology also used in the i3) and, most likely, the sort of gumption that gives ambitious projects like this the green light.
Because, however you cut it, the i8 only qualifies as a limited success. Perhaps it'll turn out like the Audi A2, something innovative and bold that's only truly appreciated after its time on sale. A more detailed explanation is on offer in the PH Carbituary for the i8, but a few comments on PH stories sum it up well in addition: the i8 was compromised. It wasn't quite good enough to drive to be a great sports car, and it lacked the practicality to be something really useful every day. The powertrain wasn't all that inspiring for £100,000 either, and there was insufficient electric range to use it regularly as an EV. That BMW appears to see its sports cars in future resembling those like the Vision M Next says a lot about the i8; EV technology has moved so quickly - likewise the sports car market - that the i8 has managed to be both ahead of its time and backward looking in one lifecycle.
Anyway, be that as it may, it remains impossible to drive an i8 and not tell the world about it, be it on social media or actually face to face - it's just one of those cars you want to talk about. And the Roadster upped the ante further, keeping those amazing doors with the removable roof and improving the i8 in key areas, with a tad more power and range. It was a more exciting i8 for precious little sacrifice, and the one to have - what might have been if it had arrived earlier in the i8's production run.
Like the Coupe, the Roadster's slightly conflicted brief (and high list price) has played havoc with residuals. What the end of production might do for it is unclear. But right now it means that an example like this, for sale at a BMW dealer with just 125 recorded miles, costs £69,000. At launch the car was £124,645 - a BMW press car we drove retailed at £135k. Even allowing for its less than perfect execution of a wildly ambitious brief, the i8 has more than enough ability, intrigue and style to warrant that sort of price. A Porsche 911 might surpass the i8 as an all-round package, but a 992 Cabrio with delivery mileage will be 50 per cent more again. The BMW looks little short of a bargain, all things being relative.
It's hard to say how much further the value is likely to fall, with coupes having already reached £40,000 and not showing much sign of letting up. The Roadster should prove rarer given its shorter time on sale, and being the more glamorous sibling might help a little. Nobody is going to call an i8 a safe place for your money, however. Which, given everything, seems a shame. The i8 ought to be remembered as a bold, innovative, original and desirable take on the hybrid sports car, the kind of which we hadn't seen before and probably won't again. With deals like this on the table, it's in danger of being remembered for everything other than its laudable intentions. That said, if the sun is shining where you are and the numbers add up, there really is no experience quite like it.
SPECIFICATION | BMW i8 ROADSTER
Engine: 1,499cc 3-cyl turbo plus lithium-ion battery pack and electric motor
Transmission: Six-speed automatic, four-wheel drive
Power (hp): 374 (combustion engine 231@5,800rpm, electric motor 143@4,800rpm)
Torque (lb ft): 420 (combustion engine 236@3,700rpm, electric motor 184@0rpm)
MPG: 141.2 (NEDC combined)
CO2: 46g/km
Year registered: 2019
Recorded mileage: 125
Price new: £124,645 (before options)
Yours for: £69,000
1 / 4