[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Gli Anni 10 entreranno nella storia come l’inizio della fine del monopolio del motore endotermico nell’industria automobilistica. Tesla Motors è stato il vero game changerwhich forced all other car manufacturers to run for cover. BMW's response was definitely the most interestingThe creation of a new sub-brand marked with the letter 'i' where the Bavarian company's engineers could unleash their creativity.
The i3 city cross-over had already surprised the public with its revolutionary simplicity. For that strange feeling you get when you see it walking silently through the streets of a city centre. As if someone had made a mistake and put a show prototype on the street. One of those things that are always called 'concept something' and are only there to show off whose house has the longest reach, the know-how.
With the worldwide launch of the i8 in June 2014, the amount of gaping mouths and squinting eyes multiplied by 10. car design, as well as purely technical content, is the main responsible. The team led by Benoit Jacob has created the most striking, charming, sensual, refined four-wheeled object ever seen. Supported in addition by technology that allows super sports car performance with fuel consumption worthy of a mid-size saloon.
Benoit Jacobwhich after this creation rose to new planetary star of car designIn the interviews he gave, he often emphasised two concepts: the design of the car was determined by aerodynamics; the car designer today has immense possibilities given by new composite materials, which allow shapes and performance that were previously impossible.
Aerodynamics
The airflow does not bounce against the front of the car, braking it, but creeps between its folds, between the layers of the bodywork. On its journey inside the car, the air cools the engine compartment, cools the front brakes, then is channelled towards the rear, creating the ground effect, and finally finds its freedom again by passing under the fins above the rear lights. The result is a CX of 0.26.
Car design
The BMW i8 is an incredibly balanced mix of masculine and feminine aspects. The straight, angular lines of the bodywork are integrated into the curvaceous and elegant side volumes. The muscular performance of a super sports car is delivered simply and intuitively, thanks to state-of-the-art electronics. The body is higher than normalfor cars in this category. This means that even tall or robust people will not have to do the usual contortionists to climb into the passenger compartment. Air vents seem to be floating in their seat. It is not clear how they managed to do this. Seatbelts electric blue are either a sought-after detail or a tacky. Depending on your point of view and taste. The opening of doors with simultaneous double movement, upwards and turning outwards, is simply mesmerising. Definitely a car that remains imprinted at first glance, forever.
Motor technology
Propulsion is provided by two drive units: a electric motor with a power output of 131 hp and 250 nm; a endothermic petrol engine, 1,500 cm³three-cylinder turbocharged engine with a very high specific power output: 154 hp/litre. Six-speed automatic transmission. Top speed of 250 km/h and acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.4 seconds. The integration of endothermic engine (at the rear) and electric motor (at the front) sets a new standard in the industry. The torque curve appears to be drawn with a compass, the two drive units (endothermic at the rear and electric at the front) continue to push and push and push. Every power hole is promptly filled electrically, providing sensations that are aeronautical rather than automotive.
Note that electronicswhich completely controls the car every hundredth of a second, allows the use of much narrower tyre widths than other super sports cars (195 at the front and 215 at the rear) with obvious advantages in terms of fuel consumption.
Ah, we forgot, the selling price is 133,000 euros. About the same as the Audi R8, slightly more than a Maserati Quattroporte and about 60,000 euros less than the Aston Martin DB9 Coupé. Which is not bad for a car that is a genuine milestone in the history of car design.
Sources: Dezeen.com
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