One such speculative mock-up was ItalDesign’s Nazca M12 of 1991 featuring a mid-mounted V12 and BMW’s ubiquitous rear wheel drive. The Italian design house also presented a race-spec version of the car called the Nazca C2 at the 1992 Tokyo Motor Show, followed by a Spyder model in 1993.
Now, twenty years later, Dutch designer Sabino Leerentveld has resurrected the Nazca C2 in the form of this rather slick homage.
Read more »
Read more »
The collector who originally imported it to the U.S. sold it three years later and the current owner bought it last November. At that point the car had clocked up 9,002 miles (14,487 km) but wasn’t running.
However, this ultra-rare 7-Series, boasting an interesting green paintjob, tan cloth interior, manual sunroof, roof rack, alloy wheels and automatic transmission, wasn’t in a disastrous condition. A quick service brought it back to life and onto the road and, according to the seller, it has a Massachusetts December 2011 inspection sticker and was driven for only 40 extra miles (64 km).
Read more »
"There was a widespread desire to put the car on the road, and the realisation of this desire is moving considerably closer," the Bavarian firm said in a statement. And by this, BMW means it will have the Vision ED on the road and ready for sale in 2013.
"By developing a sports car based on the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics concept study for serial production, the Munich-based premium automobile manufacturer underscores its position as a global leader in the production of sporty vehicles with exemplary efficiency," said BMW.
The actual 2012 M6 should make its appearance either alongside or shortly after next year's presentation of the production F12 6-Series Coupe and Convertible models.
As we've repeatedly mentioned, the new M6 says 'bye-bye' to the previous model's naturally-aspirated 507HP 5.0-liter V10, and 'hallo' to a downsized, twin-turbocharged V8 sourced from the X5 M and X6 M crossovers, with power being delivered to the rear axle through the Bavarian firm's seven-speed twin-clutch transmission.
We don't have any numbers (yet), but it is believed that in the M6, the re-tuned V8 will deliver more than the 555HP and 680Nm or 501-lbs/ft of peak torque it does on the X5 M and X6 M models.
Via: E90Post , Photo: Gerald Alvarez / Alpince325ci
Here's the skinny: Bangle is out, Van Hooydonk is in (as the Bavarian firm's design boss, as Van Hooydonk was responsible for the exterior of the previous 6er). Phil has already given you his 'Two Dents' on the concept based on the pre-show photos. Now here's my take on the live pictures:
The front there-quarters remind me of an aging actress who has recently had a facelift: her lips have been pulled long and thin, her eyes bulge out of the sockets and her ears are drawn back. The rear three-quarter, on the other hand, is a little too much like the current 3-series coupe.
Many of our readers were very vocal with their opinions on our last post. So our question is this: what do you think of BMW's Concept 6 Series Coupe now that you've seen the live pictures? Is it better, or worse? Tell us in the comments section below.
By Tristan Hankins
_______________________________GALLERY_______________________________
The two new promotional videos walk us around the exterior as well as the interior of the Bavarian GT. Despite being billed as a concept, the production version of the 6-Series Coupe, which is expected to arrive in showrooms next year, will only get some minor styling changes such as more subtle tail pipe and exterior mirror designs. Scroll down to watch both videos.
Those who expected the new BMW 6-Series to look like a two-door version of the misleadingly named Concept Gran Coupe sports sedan showed on the sidelines of the Beijing Show back in April, may pat themselves in the back.
In a nutshell, out goes the controversial styling of the Bangle-era 6-Series and in comes Adrian van Hooydonk's (the new BMW design Chief) sleeker and more elegant but also far less adventurous design lines.
While retaining the 1-Series Coupe's rear-wheel drive layout, BMW ditched the standard model's internal-combustion engine adding a new synchronous electric motor specially developed for this vehicle that's integrated in the rear axle. The motor produces an output of 125kW or 170hp and a maximum torque of 250Nm or 184 lb-ft.
The electrical energy that powers the motor is stored in a pair of lithium-ion battery packs developed jointly by BMW and SB LiMotive. The battery packs occupy the space that would normally be taken up by the conventional drivetrain and fuel tank in vehicles powered by a combustion engine.
Despite the various weight-saving measures, the Concept ActiveE tips the scales at a hefty 1,800 kg or about 3,970 pounds.
BMW predicts that the all-electric 1-Series can accelerate from zero to 60km/h (37mph) in less than 4.5 seconds and from zero to 100km/h (62mph) in less than 9 seconds, while the car's maximum speed is electronically limited to about 145 km/h or 90 mph.
Like the MINI E, BMW says that the real-world range is expected to be around 160 kilometers or 100 miles on a single charge, depending on conditions.
The car's lithium-ion batteries can be recharged by a conventional power outlet at public charging stations or at a special wall box. On the European grid, BMW says that the battery pack can be fully charged at a high-current power outlet (50 ampere) in as little as three hours, while in North America, using a high-current (32 ampere continuous) residential wall box, the charge time is expected to be around 4.5 hours.
The all-electric 1-Series Coupe remains a four-seater, however, the car's boot capacity has been reduced to 200 liters due to the electric tidbits.
Design-wise, the Concept ActiveE is distinguished by the Liquid White metallic finish as well as the special logos and graphic elements derived from printed circuits in Electric Blue on the hood, doors, roof and trunk lid.
The coupe also gets specific light-alloy wheel wheels, a specially trimmed interior and revised instrument panel and central display that have been enhanced to include display items specific to electric drive.
