German Overengineeing is alive and well in the i8

"Battery Tender Unnecessary" (carac)
09/26/2014 at 15:02 • Filed to: None

The insane engineering and complexity of the i8 doesn't stop with its drivetrain and design. It extends to even the most simple aspects of the car such as opening the hood and refueling; the engineering of which is meant to save weight/keep customers from casually messing with the high voltage half of the car and from having fuel vapor be ignited by an errant spark, respectively. There's even three capacitors that provide up to four weeks of backup power to the doors, but if even those fail, you have a manual release that has multiple steps to prevent children from opening them while the vehicle is in motion.

The wait to pickup the i8 has been made a little easier with a steady stream of pictures and videos from my sales associate. Here he and the Tech (and most of the rest of the dealership) are shown some of the more obscure and undocumented service and backups engineered into the i8. For the record it's by far the best experience I've had with a dealer so far. I'm also extremely pleased to know the service tech has taken the time to learn about the minutia of servicing a car they might only get one or two of the first year.

It looks like they learned their lesson from when they would put access to the battery behind an electronically operated door.

DISCUSSION (100)

505Turbeaux > Battery Tender Unnecessary
09/26/2014 at 15:06

that aux door pop looks terribly underengineered. I am locked in my car! I am going to think about this and not just pull on the damn lever! Oh Shit its broken! PAAAAANIC!

bob and john > Battery Tender Unnecessary
09/26/2014 at 15:09

the hood thing seems stupid...would it have been THAT hard to put in 2 hood stops, on either side?

but I digress. awesome car, How many hours until pickup?

Battery Tender Unnecessary > bob and john
09/26/2014 at 15:11

I think it's that difficult so that customers don't try and mess with the high voltage part of the drivetrain, since technically the electric part requires next to no routine maintenance.

bob and john > Battery Tender Unnecessary
09/26/2014 at 15:14

ehh, its a valid point.

Wait, so does this mean this car has no trunk at all? or just a VERY small one on top of the motor in the rear?

Battery Tender Unnecessary > bob and john
09/26/2014 at 15:18

there's a parcel shelf above the engine and a luggage compartment behind it between the engine and rear bumper, guy in Europe was able to get a ton of beer back there.

Hermann > Battery Tender Unnecessary
09/26/2014 at 15:24

I understand people shouldn't be messing with the electrics under the hood. But this means I can't fill the window washer reservoir alone?

PushToStart > Battery Tender Unnecessary
09/26/2014 at 15:25

That's awesome, I love seeing those little things that are kind of "owner secrets". Beautiful car, congratulations.

Scary__goongala! > Battery Tender Unnecessary
09/26/2014 at 15:26

Somehow I didn't realize these had vertically opening doors. neat

bob and john > Battery Tender Unnecessary
09/26/2014 at 15:26

Excellent.

Now, to finish university, and wait for these things to depreciate enough so that I can afford one.

desertdog5051 > Battery Tender Unnecessary
09/26/2014 at 15:31

They are certainly taking great pains to Murphy-proof that high voltage system.

Battery Tender Unnecessary > desertdog5051
09/26/2014 at 15:34

Yeah, keeping electrical as far away from fuel as possible. Pressure sealed gas tank to prevent vapors. Not messing around.

Vicente Esteve > Battery Tender Unnecessary
09/26/2014 at 15:42

Thats awesome. Being with helpful people on such an important buy. If it was like your experience in every dealership and with every car, people would actually enjoy going to the place and talk to salesman.

extraspecialbitter > Battery Tender Unnecessary
09/26/2014 at 16:02

I'm gonna have a hell of a time when mine comes in.....

I... I can't afford one...

JGrabowMSt > 505Turbeaux
09/26/2014 at 16:04

That's what I was thinking. I'm surprised it wasn't some pull type thing like the hood..

Although, I have to disagree on one little bit. That was certainly overengineered, not underengineered. It could have been so much simpler.

Tohru > Battery Tender Unnecessary
09/26/2014 at 16:17

Man, a lot of this stuff seems badly-engineered. An emergency door lever that, by working it the way it intuitively works, snaps it off? A hood so fragile you can't open it by yourself or prop it open?

Battery Tender Unnecessary > Tohru
09/26/2014 at 16:24

It's to keep kids from simply pulling up and opening the door while in motion.

Tohru > Battery Tender Unnecessary
09/26/2014 at 16:41

... Which would be remedied by having the lever be lockable by the driver. They should've made the lever beefier too. Shame that kind of stuff wasn't available...

Kinja'd!!!

Jonathan Harper > Battery Tender Unnecessary
09/26/2014 at 18:48

Awesome. I was supposed to drive one today but it got pushed back to Monday.

Can. Not. Wait.

burpbeepburp > Battery Tender Unnecessary
09/26/2014 at 20:03

My God the engineering brilliance! The engineering hubis, that lever has almost 120 DEGREES OF MOTION!!!!!! When will anyone else catch up with this level of sophistication?

For Sweden > Hermann
09/26/2014 at 20:04

Is that what the round white reservoir was?

ScreenShot > Battery Tender Unnecessary
09/26/2014 at 20:06

The hood operation seems under , not over engineered.

For Sweden > Battery Tender Unnecessary
09/26/2014 at 20:10

It looked like the wiper fluid tank is under the front hood, is that the case?

wkiernan > Battery Tender Unnecessary
09/26/2014 at 20:11

This is NOT good engineering. This sucks!

Christian > Battery Tender Unnecessary
09/26/2014 at 20:13

When I think of German over engineering, I think of a W201, W126 and W124 Mercedes-Benz, usually with a diesel motor in it. This car seems so plasticy and flimsy.

wkiernan > Battery Tender Unnecessary
09/26/2014 at 20:16

If a competent engineer had designed it - say, the guy who designed the door locks for the Toyota Corolla - it would have the safety catch but it would not be so dismally fragile. This is like some half-assed thing you'd see on a TVR or a Bristol, except it's coming from an ultramodern R&D department with a thousand times more money to spend on getting details like this right; evidently they can't be bothered.

Bad72AMX > Battery Tender Unnecessary
09/26/2014 at 20:16

So what happens when the windows are up and the electrical system malfunctions? I didn't see a mechanical override that was accessable from the exterior?

PerspexAvenger > For Sweden
09/26/2014 at 20:20

I figured it was a pressure/expansion vessel myself, for... uh, brakes, or cooling, or warp drive, or something.

jsmizira > For Sweden
09/26/2014 at 20:20

that reservoir seems more like a pressurized cooling system overflow maybe for the front electric motor.

Battery Tender Unnecessary > Bad72AMX
09/26/2014 at 20:22

In the service manuals there's a backup-backup electric charging port release from the outside of the car. You plug up power and electrics are restored.

Dervdevil > wkiernan
09/26/2014 at 20:35

I can't understand how they discovered that it broke regularly during testing and still didn't bother to redesign it. Also it's fine to have an easily accessible combustion engine with rapidly spinning parts that are exposed in a conventunal car but they felt the need to "intentionally" make the (I presume) sealed electric system under this bonnet difficult to access. I get the pressurised fuel system but the other 2 reek of laziness/poor design. Maybe if they weren't too busy filling every niche in the market somebody might have had the time to think these through properly.

IcemanMP4 > Battery Tender Unnecessary
09/26/2014 at 20:40

I don't think he is arguing the double action, just that it shouldn't break so easily if you don't do the double action. They could've made the assembly more robust.

Everything they talked about in the video felt like it was designed by a Formula SAE team two weeks before competition. There is no reason for that in a production car in 2014. I'm sure they wanted to save a lot of weight, but common sense should prevail at some point.

White-o > Battery Tender Unnecessary
09/26/2014 at 20:43

Is the outside door handle...touch...popper thing...mechanical or is it like a pressure sensitive-detect your hand and open the door for you type of thing?
Because if so, the emergency door release seems pretty useless, being INSIDE the car and all. You have to open the door to pop the hood and change the battery.

If the outside door handle stops operating if the battery is dead, how the hell do you get into the car to fix it?

Mary, Mary, Knotty Pine > Battery Tender Unnecessary
09/26/2014 at 20:55

Any kid that can reach that latch will open the door faster than you can.

tttoooaaasssttt > Tohru
09/26/2014 at 20:57

Next thing you know we're gonna get phones that bend in your pocket...

bad joke I know.

Mary, Mary, Knotty Pine > Battery Tender Unnecessary
09/26/2014 at 21:00

How much does it cost to replace that hood? Because, you know you're going to be replacing it.

SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) > JGrabowMSt
09/26/2014 at 21:25

I think it's so a kid wouldn't accidentally open it, or so it wouldn't get caught on your sleeve or something along those lines and pop the door open while you're driving. It does seem a little overly complicated, but I see where they were coming from.

The hood on the other hand... That's a little much. I understand why they wouldn't want customers messing around with the electronic portion of the car but there has to be a more elegant solution.

SupraGTE > Battery Tender Unnecessary
09/26/2014 at 21:30

The high voltage systems on the BMW's are set up in a way that keeps high current lines away from fuel lines, but not necessarily because its dangerous. Keep in mind that the high voltage batteries live inside the body but right above the fuel tanks. THe high voltage lines also run along the underside of the body beside the fuel tank.

The redundancies and interlock are designed in such a way that any puncture of the insulation results in the high voltage circuit being disconnected electrically from the rest of the car. Simply damaging the sheathing on the orange high voltage wires will open circuit the high voltage system. It happens literally faster than than the spark would jump from the wire to the body.

As far as the pressurized fuel tank, all modern cars that conform to CARB or modern emissions standards have a pressure tight fuel tank. Thats the reason that leaving your fuel cap loose will trip the check engine warning light. The tanks are pressurized and checked over a duration of time for a drop in pressure. If there is even a small piece of dirt on the gas cap seal, it'll set a fault. This is setup to prevent evaporative emissions.

Source: I'm a BMW Master Technician with Hybrid Certification. Unfortunately our dealership is not an "i dealer". I have however played with one and they ARE super cool ;)

SupraGTE > Battery Tender Unnecessary
09/26/2014 at 21:30

Source: I'm a BMW Master Technician with Hybrid Certification. Unfortunately our dealership is not an "i dealer". I have however played with one and they ARE super cool ;)

greenagain > Tohru
09/26/2014 at 21:30

Two people needed, and specific instructions on closing the hood too.
Up to a minute wait to open the fuel door.
What a fine piece of engineering.

greenagain > Bad72AMX
09/26/2014 at 21:35

No, the fireman will just smash the $ 2,800 piece of door glass.

JGrabowMSt > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O)
09/26/2014 at 21:36

Well, that door is pretty high for that to be any form of arm rest...at least as far as I can tell. I'm sure BTU will give us plenty of updates once he gets to take it home.

SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) > JGrabowMSt
09/26/2014 at 21:40

That's a good point...

I feel like a tall person might be able to get his or her arm up there comfortably, but still, you're right.

Watching the video again, that latch is also pretty far back. I doubt accidentally catching it with your sleeve would be a big issue.

bratkitty > Tohru
09/26/2014 at 21:46

I would not want to be in that car when an emergency egress is necessary.

William M. Denson > Battery Tender Unnecessary
09/26/2014 at 21:51

Start working at home with Google! It's by-far the best job I've had. Last Wednesday I got a brand new BMW since getting a check for $6474 this - 4 weeks past. I began this 8-months ago and immediately was bringing home at least $77 per hour. I work through this link, go to tech tab for work detail

———————————> www.jobs700.com

gear332 > Tohru
09/26/2014 at 21:57

I'm with you on this one! I'm glad Tesla lets me open my own hood. I'm also glad there's a ton of storage under there!

Ben Carufel > Battery Tender Unnecessary
09/26/2014 at 22:01

Ahh, typical bitter old salesman...

"You know what, if I'm going to be charging $150,000 to break something, I'm not even going to sell this car..."

Welcome to high tech. Get used to it...don't be a stodgy, bitter person about it. It is what it is, and your livelihood depends on it, so...

Learn It, Know It, Live It.

JGrabowMSt > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O)
09/26/2014 at 22:04

Being an engineer (of sorts) myself, I see things that someone else has painstakingly put hundreds of hours into, and then find a way to make it work way simpler, and with half the parts.

I think that whole manual door clip could be just a steel cable release just like the hood release is. If it were, that would mean you could fit a simpler lock on it as well, and save a lot of weight (how much does a steel cable weigh compared to their contraption?).

The worst part was the tech admitting that that manual release is the most broken part by other techs who are in training with the i8. That alone should have been reason enough to try something that's actually intuitive.

Dr. Strangegun > SupraGTE
09/26/2014 at 22:14

So they what, pressurized the insulation on the HV line with an inert gas and used that pressure to mechanically push contacts together? Seems the simplest way.... so likely not.

Dr. Strangegun > Battery Tender Unnecessary
09/26/2014 at 22:15

electrics are restored *if*.....*IF* they're functional.

Battery Tender Unnecessary > SupraGTE
09/26/2014 at 22:31

Then engineering a good that hard to get to and keep open is even more redundant :)

ssonsk > JGrabowMSt
09/26/2014 at 22:32

I could see that being a lot better than having a locking type lever. They could put one under the dash on each side like a hood prop and that way it doesn't have to have a lock.

Carbsrgood4u > SupraGTE
09/26/2014 at 22:40

any comment on the astounding number of N62 turbo failures I see at work?

JGrabowMSt > ssonsk
09/26/2014 at 22:44

In the end, I'm sure the engineers made their decision for a reason, whether any of us agree or not. I have confidence that they'll learn from this.

VashVashVashVash > Tohru
09/26/2014 at 22:45

Don't forget the fuel door that opens when its damn good and ready, and not a second before.

The car is really cool, but more so than most newer bmw's not meant to be driven more than 250 meters away from the dealership. Just stay in that circle, and everything will be awesome.

VashVashVashVash > wkiernan
09/26/2014 at 22:46

Maybe it makes it more exclusive

hike > 505Turbeaux
09/26/2014 at 23:16

I feel like it should be a simple floor lever like on the Corvette, but maybe the carbon frame didn't allow for something mechanical to be placed there.

blobfish-bill > Battery Tender Unnecessary
09/26/2014 at 23:19

over engineering or just go with the first idea because it's rushed so there's workarounds built into everything. Simplicity requires more time and forethought.

blobfish-bill > Battery Tender Unnecessary
09/26/2014 at 23:19

over engineering or just go with the first idea because it's rushed so there's workarounds built into everything. Simplicity requires more time and forethought.

hike > SupraGTE
09/26/2014 at 23:20

Curious question, why does this car have to do anything different with the fuel cap that releases pressure as compared to any normal capped or capless system? The guy in the video made it sound like you had to press a button inside to allow it to release pressure, or at least that's how I understood it.

Dr.Kamiya > Battery Tender Unnecessary
09/26/2014 at 23:24

My god it's full of cheat codes!

TheAutoRules > Battery Tender Unnecessary
09/26/2014 at 23:37

Thanks for posting this. It's great to get a close-up look at some of the little things in this car. Any little bit of technical or service info is great. The likelihood of any of us working on one of these is nil, but it's still interesting.

Buckus > Battery Tender Unnecessary
09/26/2014 at 23:51

Cool car, but man, can Germans over-engineer parts or what? I had a GTI and even that had some over-engineered pieces.

Bad72AMX > Battery Tender Unnecessary
09/26/2014 at 23:57

But that only helps in the event of discharge, not malfunction. And it's a BMW, there will be electrical malfunction.

AdmiralAkbar > For Sweden
09/27/2014 at 01:32

I'm guessing that the average BMW owner doesn't fill their own wiper fluid.

Josh G > Battery Tender Unnecessary
09/27/2014 at 02:12

http://bmwi.bimmerpost.com/forums/showthr…

Kinja'd!!!

dijione > Battery Tender Unnecessary
09/27/2014 at 02:47

Congrats, it's beautiful, regardless of the stupid hood mechanism. Nice interior and rim choice as well.

I'll be curious of the depreciation though as this short video guarantees me one thing: it will be the biggest bitch to buy used. Especially here in eastern europe with the incompetent dealerships network and very little experience ...

Anyway, I can't buy it new and I am not planning to used, but its absolutely gorgeous!!

wtfscienceyo > Tohru
09/27/2014 at 03:26

its a toy that stimulates the intellect. You get to show your friends the workings of your new gadget. "Let ME show YOU how it works!" you say, affectedly. Something about Germans and elitism...I can't put my white-gloved finger on it...it escapes me, oy vey!

wtfscienceyo > Hermann
09/27/2014 at 03:37

hah, that wasn't windshield washing fluid. to clean the windshield you just peel off a film similar to the self-healing paint infiniti uses. Think screen protector for your iphone but regenerative. This is the future.

wtfscienceyo > Ben Carufel
09/27/2014 at 03:45

you know what, even with your comment's contextual clues, I STILL can't figure out what the guy was meaning. Is the SALESMAN being charged $150,000 license fee to sell i-cars? is HE charging $150,000 for a customer to break a lever? Is that like a BMW you-break-it-you-bought-it policy? Is he just stringing together words that reference a vague thought?

wtfscienceyo > Battery Tender Unnecessary
09/27/2014 at 03:53

The future my ass. The cool doors open MANUALLY . I want to press a button and they open and close electrically, with a fog machine and a *tssssss*. Vans since the early 2000's have had this feature, minus the fog, and they stop if a limb is in the way. I think even that goofy car where the doors retract under the car were electrical. cmon. This is exactly why the germans lose all the world wars. Fucking panzies.

thegregorius > Hermann
09/27/2014 at 04:30

This bugs me, like it did with the Audi A2. Yes, in the A2 there is access to the most common things, like filling up fluids, but in the end of the day, you're at a mercy of someone else's judgement. Someone at BMW (or Audi, or any other manufacturer) has set an arbitrary line for what is "reasonable" for the owner to do himself, and systems like this makes sure that the line isn't crossed.

I might have the same expertise as the mechanic in my local brand workshop (well, I don't, but I could have had). If my car breaks down and I own the car, I consider it to be my right to fix it if I can. If I try to fix it and break it due to incompetence, I'll have to face the consequences. But I'd never want anyone else to decide what I shouldn't attempt doing.

thegregorius > Tohru
09/27/2014 at 04:34

Looking at old German cars (from the 1960s), German over-engineering didn't necessarily mean more features. It meant constructing everything in such a manner that even if your car breaks down in the middle of the Mongolian desert and you let the local mechanic have a go at fixing it with pieces of string and a goat hide, he still won't be able to mess anything up.

This? This seems more like French over-engineering to me. That is, add features just because, make everything as complicated as humanly possible, and don't worry too much if there's no-one to oversee the design process and make sure that it all comes together.

Vracktal > Battery Tender Unnecessary
09/27/2014 at 05:01

I think I found the perfect hood decal for the I8

Kinja'd!!!

guinnessfanatic > Battery Tender Unnecessary
09/27/2014 at 06:12

Boy I desperately don't want one of these. That's just horrible. Merely accessing the thing has to to be done like it's a delicate snowflake. How is this going to do first time you hit the edge of some scraped pavement? Or a road alligator at 75mph? I hate what BMW is becoming....

Old-Busted-Hotness > Battery Tender Unnecessary
09/27/2014 at 07:27

Everything about this car looks like a giant pain in the ass.

Dy-no-mite Jay > Battery Tender Unnecessary
09/27/2014 at 07:32

The video doesn't seem to work any longer...

Sometimes I wonder if the German manufactures make more money on the sales of cars or the servicing that goes into them...

Battery Tender Unnecessary > Old-Busted-Hotness
09/27/2014 at 08:03

Paying for it is the biggest one, the majority of the rest I amazing and enjoyable (even the Enzo hood was kind of a pain due to how flimsy it was due to thin carbon fiber). I don't see it being feasible to keep it past the end of warranty, however.

MallardDuck > Battery Tender Unnecessary
09/27/2014 at 08:23

The Volt does the same thing.

Aaron Short - PROUD OF LEYLAND > Tohru
09/27/2014 at 09:04

I think the over complicated and weak manual door handles is to stop thieves and car jackers

DieHardDan > Battery Tender Unnecessary
09/27/2014 at 09:47

Ok, I was trying to find a nice way to comment on this and its just not coming to me at the moment. That is not over-engineering. Over engineering is when you design something to perform way above the specification required in the current application. Like an alternator that can put out 300 Amps when the max fully loaded all circuits draw of the car is 115 Amps. Or a transmission that can handle 800 lb ft of torque when the engine only makes 180. THAT is over engineering.

THIS. THIS is RETARDO-ENGINEERING! I'm sorry there's just no other way to put that. Creating a hood, that shouldn't be opened, but if done wrong can damage the hood or the front bumper. Stupid. You don't want people opening it. Make it a special screw driver that opens it, and fix the hinge so the car doesn't damage itself and require 2 mechanics to open. Morons.

That latch. I can't even begin to express my disappointment there. Honestly, that thing is designed for emergency situations, really? Its in plain sight first of all. People don't read or listen to directions, so its constantly going to get snapped off because nobody notices that stupid secondary under lever. WTF. Ugh. I can't imagine what other kinds of idiocy have gone into this car if the hood and doors are this messed up.

I was really looking forward to this car. Honestly especially the concept version just blew my mind and actually looked futuristic, while everything else I've seen coming along only managed retro-futuristic. I'm done... for now.

Mattbob > Battery Tender Unnecessary
09/27/2014 at 10:08

so, you can't check/fill your own fluids even?

Mike Murthy > desertdog5051
09/27/2014 at 10:32

ahem!

DipodomysDeserti > bob and john
09/27/2014 at 10:33

A good rule of thumb is to never buy the top of the line BMW models used. They always rush the tech out, and it never holds up. Buying new is ok because you get the warranty.

bob and john > DipodomysDeserti
09/27/2014 at 10:34

yea, but if i get something like this, all of that Hybrid stuff is something out the moment it fails, and in goes something else. S55 anyone?

infinityedge > DieHardDan
09/27/2014 at 10:49

Not "over engineering" it was "German over engineering." Overly complex. Overly fragile. Designed to fail once the CPO warranty runs out.

LloydChiro > Ben Carufel
09/27/2014 at 10:53

That's interesting. I thought he said something else. I thought I heard him say, "If I break that hood, I wouldn't even tell the customer."

Tohru > Aaron Short - PROUD OF LEYLAND
09/27/2014 at 11:27

... but the manual release is only if you're in the car already.

puninhouser > Hermann
09/27/2014 at 11:29

it is disrespectful for the owner... we´ll sell you this but dont touch it. this shit is way too complicated for your non-german brain...

Tohru > thegregorius
09/27/2014 at 11:29

Right! Old German over-engineering made a car that was two steps away from being a Tiger tank. This is over-complication in my eyes.

sharoncdavidson > Battery Tender Unnecessary
09/27/2014 at 11:34

<<< Start working at home with Google! It's by-far the best job I've had. Last Wednesday I got a brand new BMW since getting a check for $6474 this - 4 weeks past. I began this 8-months ago and immediately was bringing home at least $77 per hour. I work through this link, go to tech tab for work detail

> www.jobs700.com

Detroit Velvet Smooth > desertdog5051
09/27/2014 at 12:31

Well we know how intelligent non BMW/car enthusiasts owners are...

titsinmymitts > Tohru
09/27/2014 at 13:15

Welcome to BMW.

DieHardDan > infinityedge
09/27/2014 at 14:26

Right in this case I guess that distinction does make a difference. Like why my CLS55 AMG has two fuel pumps. Its not that one doesn't provide enough fuel to for the motor, I think its literally two double the chances of failure and expensive repairs. Which by the way is exactly what happens. That model and the E55 AMG both had a recall because the fuel pump housings would crack and leak fuel under the rear seat any time you filled up. The dealer wanted, in their words, "... at least $2400" to fix it. I bought a new pump and replaced it myself for the price of the pump. But yes, I have seen this strange art of German over complicated and prone to failure design many times. I had an E46 M3 as well which also had some of these strange design elements. Like the hydraulic non-adjusting valves that had a shim that would eventually wear out. Then you had to valve shim replacement every 60k miles. Which of course the dealer charges an arm and a leg for...

Damasconian > 505Turbeaux
09/27/2014 at 16:29

Based on the initial reviews (especially Chris Harris) These will dropping in value very quickly. Ive spent the last four days at BMW Welt, and spoke to a few BMW employees that aren't thrilled with the reception it's received. I think it just placed 8 out of 10 cars tested on the best drivers car.

Save your money for a real BMW, not this failed design study.

Damasconian > DieHardDan
09/27/2014 at 16:31

Many reviewers agree. The drivers of these cars will be equal to hummer drivers in a few years.

SoManyBlueCars > Battery Tender Unnecessary
09/27/2014 at 17:49

And I was pissed that I have no dipstick in my M...

NG22 > Battery Tender Unnecessary
09/27/2014 at 17:56

Really beautiful car. Hope you enjoy it.

Autocar just reported BMW will build an i9 for its centennial in 2016. Not sure if you heard about it, but it's said to have a straight six instead of the three-pot, and more aggressive styling. I wish there was a hybrid delete option for the rumored i9, but it's unlikely. No word on if it would be a limited-edition model, or if it would be a production member of the i family like the i8.

But if it looked like the M1 Homage Concept, I wouldn't care if it had 75 horsepower and weighed 5000 pounds. That thing was stunning.

El Darto > Tohru
09/27/2014 at 18:05

The emergency door release lever is MUCH nice on Vettes.

DaytonaViperFirebirdLotus > Battery Tender Unnecessary
09/27/2014 at 19:27

HA your joking right? That makes 0 sense.

David Jatt > thegregorius
09/27/2014 at 20:07

Having owned an A2 I don't know what you're talking about. The engine bay would be familiar to anyone who has worked on VAG cars of that era. The whole sealed bonnet thing never happened. The easy access panel you allude to is there for your benefit because it's quicker than taking the whole unhinged bonnet off if you're just filling the washer fluid or topping off the oil.