The press release defines it as "The first BMW two-seater for Nordschleife fans and international customer teams.", and this BMW Z4M Motor Racing Kit is surely impressive.
It's designed for racing in the German Endurance Championship in in the Nürburgring 24-Hour Race. The engine is the classi 3.2 6 cylinders inline tuned by the Motorsport division to output 400 bhp.
The racing kit can ordered starting from may for a mere 250,000 €.
Source: © eurocarblog.com
Nothing like a BMW press conference to suck the life out of a cool car.
We've come to expect it, but at least there was a reason to suffer through the executive sales drivel. The new M coupe looks even better in person than in pictures. BMW doesn't seem quite so sure, as BMW chariman Helmut Pahnke admitted the M Coupe's status as a halo car. Halo status usually means meager sales expectations. It may be true, but every journalist at the unveiling was looking forward to lining up a test drive, and we expect there will be more than a few customers doing the same.
Source: © blogs.edmunds.com by Ed
The carbon fiber and epoxy material used in the inner rear deck of the $150,000 Ford GT may find its way into other low-volume Ford Motor Co. models, a Ford engineer says.
The GT's clamshell inner panel "has performed flawlessly throughout engineering development and in production, with no issues whatsoever," says Fred Goodnow, program design, engineering and launch manager on the high-performance Ford GT.
He adds, "As a result of the success of the GT clamshell inner panel, we would definitely consider this material in future applications."
But there are drawbacks.
"The limiting factor on carbon fiber usage is the cost," Goodnow says.
"The business case would have to support its usage in any specific application."
Also, he says, the cycle time to make the panel, compared with injection molding, prevents it from being used on higher-volume vehicles.
Engineers drew on carbon fiber's benefits in designing the midengine GT and equally distributing weight for optimal balance and precise handling.
The GT's V-8 engine produces 550 hp.
The GT's clamshell inner panel measures about 4Ѕ feet by 6Ѕ feet. The one-piece, 14-pound composite lid resolved tight-tolerance, weight and complexity issues when compared with another inner lid idea that used four or five pieces of individually stamped aluminum.
The GT's decklid assembly consists of the stiff inner structure and an exterior superplastic-formed aluminum skin.
Sparta Composites, of San Diego, makes the carbon-fiber component, and a Mayflower Vehicle Systems Inc. plant in Norwalk, Ohio, hems the inner lid and aluminum skin. Saleen Inc.'s special vehicle operation in Troy, Mich., handles painting and final assembly.
Source: © autoweek.com by Roger Renstrom
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