Paul Tan on the Automotive Industry
BMW Web TV brings us a video featuring Timo Gobel, head of development for the new E89 BMW Z4 Roadster, and other members of the Z4′s development team. We get to see the first prototype of the new retractable hard top Z4 roadster that was made a full 2 years before production, and what kind of tests it goes through before the next stage of prototyping, and various other stages of the prototyping process.
Please enjoy the video after the jump.
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The last application of the venerable S54B22 in a BMW car was the BMW Z4 M, which featured the motor in a slightly detuned form as compared to the one that made its debut in the E46 BMW M3. The M3′s S54B32 made 343hp at a screeching 7,900rpm and 365Nm of torque at 4,900rpm while in the Z4 M, this was reduced to 315hp at 7,900rpm and 340Nm at 4,900rpm.
When you look at the S54B32 engine code, it tells you that the engine is a Sport engine from the 54 engine family (S54), is fuelled by Benzine (B), and is 3.2 litres in displacement (32). It uses a cast iron block (to withstand the high pressures), graphite-coated cast aluminium pistons, high 11.5:1 compression, double VANOS, electric throttle operation and one throttle per cylinder.
It won the International Engine of the Year award for the year 2001, together with the Best New Engine award. The engine also took the 3.0 litre to 4.0 litre engine honour from 2001 to 2006.
The S54 will not be used in any BMW application anymore, and in its place is the new N54 twin-turbocharged engine, which makes 326hp in its latest application, the F01 BMW 740i. The two turbochargers are run in parallel, unlike BMW’s twin-turbodiesel which has a sequential arrangement with two turbochargers of different size.
The N54′s peak horsepower output is lower than the S54′s highest rated horsepower but the N54 offers so much more torque – between 400Nm to 450Nm depending on whether it’s in a 1/3-Series or the new F01 7-Series. The torque is also accessible across a much wider range, making it a much more practical engine for daily driving. Thus the “successor” in terms of engine at least to the Z4 M is the new Z4 sDrive35i, but we all know there’s going to be something more exciting when the new Z4 M comes out.
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An image of the next generation F10 BMW 5-Series has popped up onto the internet, and fans of the 5 will be glad to know that the kidney grilles aren’t as excessively huge as the ones on the F01 7-Series.
You can’t really tell the details of how the headlamps will look like from here but an outline of the shape can be seen, which shows it shares a family resemblance to the ones on the 7-Series.
Recent BMW launches have shown product lines that are 100% forced induction until the new Z4 recently, but don’t expect the new 5 to be 100% forced induction as there is a demand for models like the 523i and the 525i especially in this region, and BMW does not have a small turbocharged engine… yet.
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2010 BMW 5-series (F10) Artist’s Impression
BMW F10 5-Series
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There’s no BMW M7, well not at the moment anyway, but for those who want a higher performance 7-Series, something more than the V12-powered 760Li have always been able to buy an Alpina B7. For the E65/E66, Alpina took a 4.4 litre v8 and supercharged it to produce 500 horsepower and 700Nm of torque, which eclipses the 760Li’s 445hp and 600Nm figures. It was also 150kg lighter.
Not much is known about the new F01 Alpina B7 other than the sketch above which was just released. Since the new 7-Series already uses a twin turbocharged V8, it’ll probably involve some form of increase in boost pressure as the 4.4 litre V8 engine in the 750Li is already force inducted. We could also very well see an Alpina D7 to accompany the petrol-powered version, since Alpina has been toying around with BMW’s new powerful diesels alot lately.
We won’t see this baby at the Detroit show in January 2009. Expect it to be unveiled only later in the year at shows such as Geneva or Frankfurt.
Does it make sense to have such a thing as an “official” spy video? Well, Mazda did it with their Mazda 3 hatchback not too long ago so I guess BMW didn’t want to feel left out! Here is an “official” spy video of the BMW X5 M prototype tearing up a test track, and a BMW M GmbH executive attempting to convince us how a large SUV fits in the BMW M line-up. Well, whatever’s going into the BMW X5 M will be a preview for the powertrain that’s going to be chucked into the next generation F10 BMW M5′s engine bay, so even people who have no interest in really fast SUVs should pay attention to this upcoming model. Check the video out after the jump.
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A prototype of BMW’s upcoming new BMW Isetta city car has been spotted on test in our very own backyard in Petaling Jaya! This white BMW Isetta was traveling without much camouflage at all and was escorted by a white E60 BMW 5-Series.
Haha, I’m just kidding. I should’ve saved this for April Fool’s Day 2009 but I just couldn’t resist it. As you probably know it’s a Perodua Myvi (Toyota Passo or Daihatsu Boon to international readers) fitted with the popular “E60 M-Sport” conversion.
It doesn’t take a genius to know that Shuanghuan Automobile ripped off the design of BMW’s X3 (tail lamps) and first generation X5 SUVs when it styled the Shuanghuan CEO. Even the name is similiar to the X5′s “the boss is back” tagline when it was launched in Malaysia.
But apparently a court in Milan, Italy couldn’t see that, and rejected BMW’s claim that the Chinese SUV infringed its copyright. BMW won a similiar case on its home grounds in Munich in July this year.
Those who are lucky enough to own the latest BMW M3 in either sedan or coupe form but are rather displeased at how un-premium their backbox and tailpipes look (especially the sedan where the backbox is unshielded from sight and displayed quite prominently) can now opt for the Vorsteiner M3 Titanium Exhaust.
There are a few benefits to fitting this exhaust system. Immediate effects can be felt via shaving 16.8kg off the car’s total weight because the Vorsteiner system is lighter than the factory system, as well as adding 14 horsepower and 18Nm of torque to the engine’s output.
Vorsteiner promises an “F1-like” exhaust tone with no interior drone. A Vorsteiner BMW M3 titanium exhaust can be identified via its logo laser-etched on the tops as well as a serial number stamped for authenticity. The 90mm exhaust tips can optionally be had with a blue-torched look, which is shown above.
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This is perhaps the best and absolutely the most fun way to create “abstract” art, for a motorhead at least. Simply take a new E89 BMW Z4 Roadster and put it on an ice rink with tyres that have paint on them, and go wild!
Have a look at the video after the jump.
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BMW will stun American visitors at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show with the new E89 BMW Z4 Roadster, but for the vast majority of us here that will have no chance to attend the show, we’ll get to check out the German “Z car” right here on this site, complete with loads of photos and videos after the jump.
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