BMW i8

A Glimpse of the Future

Before the Unveil

Before the Unveil

BMW has been with us for the many decades with an incredible line of achievements and stories. From aero plane propellers to providing the monstrous engine to the McLaren F1 and now heading into the future of hybrid technology with the brand new BMW i8 which in today’s era is a very intriguing topic today for us petrolheads.

During the Unveiling Night with the Supercars

It is intoxicating to see a very futuristic hybrid sports car being featured and coming to life especially after seeing its concept being featured in Tom Cruise’s Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol film and it has obviously drew a lot of attention.  Ever since I got the news that the i8 is going to be unveiled to the public in my hometown I have waiting for months for the car’s arrival at my local BMW showroom and finally on June 11th I got a call from BMW that it is finally here. At that period I was having my finals but I decided to take a break and take a look at this futuristic hybrid. Sadly that day, I only spent about 15 minutes with my friend, Eric, to witness the i8 because it was really dirty from the shipping and it was going to be put away for the Saturday unveiling night which I wasn’t able to attend.

Fortunately that night, Eric was able to and he has kindly shared his pictures of the night event of the unveiling as well as the attendance of the Supercar Club.

Some quick facts and numbers: 231 horsepower from a considerably and surprisingly small 1.5 liter turbocharged 3-in-line engine, 131 horsepower from the electric motor combined to produce a total 362 horsepower under a six speed automatic Steptronic Automatic transmission.

After the exams on Monday 15th June, I managed to return to the showroom to have a more in depth view of the BMW i8.

First impressions, I think this car looks incredibly good. It’s not just the about the futuristic design but it doesn’t feel too plain nor too excess of that sporty-racy feel, it’s just exquisite and the amazing thing is the design still makes it feel like a BMW despite several new features like the swan-wing doors, the sharp shark-nose grill, the new angel-eyed headlights, the unique chassis design and more of carbon fiber.

Swan-wing doors as any uplifting doors aren’t the easiest things in the world to get in or out of the car especially for very clumsy people with big buttocks like me. Inside the i8, it is all typical BMW, neat and well-organized but personally I wish of the interior was to have more exotic materials carbon fiber. The back seats you can consider them to be very unnecessary unless you have both legless and armless passengers to access them. In addition, the i8 would not be the best of shopping carts, over 150 liters of boot space; just several small bags will make do.

What BMW has done here yet again is another bold move and a rather brilliant one. To be frank, a Toyota Prius is fair enough I have always been skeptical about hybrid technology for sportscars/supercars. I am still one of those dinosaurs with the ideas of the bigger the engine and more the cylinders the better, I think at one point it is still something we petolheads are still obsessed with and I will still standby that but looking at the i8 it is like a message – “Move On!”.

I am not so sure about the other speed titan hybrids like the McLaren P1, the Porsche 918 Spyder and the Ferrari LaFerrari since I have only seen them through my screens and but the i8 has a league of its own and it has convincingly shown us an optimistic future where petrol as we all know is hitting its high scarcity point and it is here to prove that the hunger of speed isn’t over yet. I can understand it does not have the insanity and maybe loudness from V8s, V12s and other thirsty engines but yet again it is time to move on since we still are chasing the obsession of speed. Since I haven’t got the opportunity to test drive it I think I’ll stop here.

I think one of the biggest issues with this car is its hefty RM1.18 million price tag. The BMW i8 sure isn’t built to be your everyday car and there are many other cars in the market you can spend for less or more for a “better value” with more power, practicality and perhaps performance. But if you have extra money lying to afford one sure why not? With a futuristic design this fantastic which draws hundreds to thousands pairs of eyes, with performances which I have heard were positive from those who have driven it and a symbol of the future of speed, personally, even I think it’s worth it provided yet again you afford buying and maintaining the car which is the next question. This is more of a car you drive on your weekends and have fun. It’s definitely an eye-opener and a lot of potential the BMW i8 possesses.

Special thanks to BMW Regas Premium Auto for making all this possible and Eric Sim for the photos.

Ride Or Die

I write this post for three reasons. One: Paul Walker. Two: Fast & Furious 7 is here. Three: A Hypercar being featured in the film.

The reviews have shown really positive reviews and I absolutely agree with them. Unlike the previous Fast and Furious 6 which I found it to be a rather disappointing, this one really was spot on: Fast, adrenaline –rush, loads and loads of actions, explosions and thousands of horsepower. What you will see in this film is that every character has their own share of stories, feelings and emotions and the beautiful thing is that you just feel them. I would agree some of them actions are a little farfetched but what action movie doesn’t, the main thing is that it isn’t too ridiculous. This movie has something new. Not only is there the humour and the actions and the fast cars but also the valuable thought of appreciating the people you love and in this case what our heroes call “family” which instils you. I am proud to have the director who is born in the same hometown as I do, James Wan, to direct this epic franchise. One thing I have noticed is amazing skills and talent of filmography, I haven’t seen such unique skills in a long time, just keep your eyes open and see it for yourself. And in the memories of Paul walker, they have done it so beautifully in the film, it actually gave me the tears. Another film that really keeps my eyes opened since Kingsman: The Secret Service. It is a movie worth watching over and over and again and again and be placed into a collection like a movie nut like me. I love it.

I will be very honest that I am not a huge fan of the Lykan Hypersport and I don’t think I will despite the fact that it is one of the most expensive cars in the world (US$3.4 million), there are only seven of them, there are diamonds in its front lights and it has some attractive performance figures. I’ll still thinking to the more famous brands like Ferrari, Lamborghini, Koenigsegg, Bugatti...the lot.

I would like to give thanks to Al-ain Class Motors in Dubai for displaying this Lykan Hypersports in during my visit.

I am pretty sure Paul Walker would be proud of this film. We will miss you and you hold a very special place in our hearts always. RIP to a legend.

The Legend Lives On.

Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Super Trofeo Stradale

Pride taken to a better, faster and more aggressive level.

It is quite sad the Gallardo production now, which has been with us for about 10 years, has came to an end at 2013 and was succeeded at the helm by the new Lamborghini Huracan model. Its production may have ended but the Gallardo will not be easily forgotten. Personally, the Gallardo in my eyes is one of the best looking supercars of all time and perhaps even more flamboyancy than its new successor the Huracan. The Gallardo is one true unique car in many aspects especially when it comes to its natural aspirated V10 engine. One of the reasons why I find them unique is also because V10 engines are harder to come by unlike V8s and V12s. We do get V10 engines like the Porsche Carrera GT, the Lexus LFA, the Viper and of course the Audi R8 but the numbers draw fewer as the time flies by like BMW who has pulled their V10 engines away from their M Power cars, like the M5, to V8s.

Being Lamborghini and with the Gallardo being an enormous success they have brought the Gallardo into a huge variety of cars into the lighter and more powerful Superleggera, to the rear wheel drive Balboni (usually Gallardos are all wheel drive)  to limited edition paintjobs like the Singapore and Malaysia limited editions. As the time drew closer to the end of Gallardo production, out comes another limited edition. With only 150 units, the Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Super Trofeo Stradale is basically a more limited version of the Gallardo Superleggera with some enhancing performances.

I was fortunate enough to encounter one of the 150 “Stradales” on my trip to Dubai at the Dubai Mall. Intrigued by such a large crowd taking pictures I knew it was going to be something special. It was obviously hard to see what it was with such an enormous crowd and an obstructing traffic from afar but as I drew closer to it I noticed it was a vibrant red Gallardo with a massive wing and I said to myself  filled with disbelieve “It can’t be right?” Surely enough I wasn’t deceived by my eyes, it was. While slowly examining the car with my brother and avoiding the crowds from obstructing I laughed to myself and said “Typical Lamborghini, always drawing the eyes of many.” I guess this is always one of the best features of a Lamborghini is always being an attention seeker and creating wild fantasies in many minds of the young or the elderly to own one hence the Gallardo as I said before is one of the best looking in the supercar world.

The first few noticeable features of this car were the beautifully vibrant “Rosso Mars” paint, a lot more carbon fibre works especially at the diffusers, engine cover and, of course, that massive rear wing which I think is the most distinctive aspect of the Super Trofeo which brought to my attention it is adjustable. With the tough lightweight construction, a mid-mounted 562 bhp 5.2 litre naturally aspirated V10 powerhouse and a more sophisticated aero dynamism from the front the rear you know immediately this beast was built to fly on the straights and handle with impeccable precisions. While visiting the colossal mall I was so glad this car stayed from noon to the night, it gave me more time to pay attention to the car while taking a rest from the tiring walks. Exploring further into the car’s arsenal of speed and handling you have more carbon fibre throughout , forged wheels with bolts which I believe to be made of titanium in the addition to weight saving, red brake callipers and thumbs-up Pirelli P Zero Corsa tyres. Peaking through the windows you will observe a simple but sporty interior of mostly alcantara from the racing seats to the dashboard with touches of red accents on the seats and lower dashboards and contrasting red stitching.

 

Yet being a Lamborghini with its raw power and quad exhausts you know in your heart nothing can go wrong with its monstrous noise of revving, acceleration and downshifts which instils you. One of things I always admire about Lamborghini and their limited enhanced models like this Super Trofeo Stradale is they always make sure they are distinctive to the eyes of the car enthusiasts, it is true they have sacrificed a lot on the comfort and practicality in the pursue of extreme driving pleasure and I agree what they are doing is right. This is what this lightweight monster is all about because if you are asking for comfort and practicality I think it would be better to look into another car. Another incredible thing about this car is the aero dynamism and that rear wing. It gives the Gallardo, besides better performances, a more aggressive looking car. My Dad himself admitted that this car was one of the best cars he had seen in the trip even though there are other cars more expensive, rarer and faster than this one.

This car marks as one of the last chapters to the Gallardo family, the Gallardo production has ended,  but it will never be forgotten in the hearts of the world’s car lovers especially the purists. It began well and it ended well.