BMW 328 Hommage

Concorso d’Eleganza at Villa d’Este, BMW unleashed its lovely 328 Hommage on the world as a tribute to its legendary 1936 328, the car that still holds the fastest average speed ever achieved at theMille Miglia. This week, they’ve pumped out a video of the car in motion, disguised as a behind-the-scenes look at its California photo shoot. As you might expect, the video just serves confirm our earlier conclusion: this car has some beautiful details.

For those who need a refresher course, here’s how the numbers break down: The 328 Hommage tips the scales at just over 1,700 pounds thanks to the use of carbon fiber-reinforced plastics. Pushing that scant poundage around is BMW’s venerated inline six, backed up by a mystery transmission.

Super yacht with garage

As near as we can tell, the single biggest issue with the average run-of-the-mill yacht is the distinct lack of storage. No, not so much storage for your clothing or personal goods… we’re talking about a garage for that favorite supercar of yours, of course. Strand Craft has taken the issue to heart with its latest design, the 122 Super Yacht.

STRAND CRAFT is preparing to launch the extravagant 122 , a high performance streamlined 38 metre Open super yacht, with an amazing Art Deco interior that can be greatly personalized. Interior includes four double and very large staterooms, heads, reception and salon areas and of course comfortable crew cabins. There are 52″ LED TV´s and Bang Olufson sounds systems in all rooms.

The most stunning feature on this yacht is a special handcrafted supercar (Tender) powered by a 880hp twin turbo V12 engine with topspeed 375kmh can be housed in as a tender in the stern garage.

With a total of over 14.000 horsepower this amazing yacht brakes speeds over 50 knots.

Audi A9 concept

As a concept, it’s full of features like self-repairing panels and a pushbutton that changes the exterior color, but we have to admit we’re digging those electroluminescent, spoked wheels.

BMW Mille Miglia Concept Coupe

The BMW Concept Coupe Mille Miglia 2006 evokes the lines of the classic BMW 328 Mille Miglia Touring Coupe, which won the Mille Miglia in 1940. The Touring Coupe reasserted its mastery of the classic road race in 2004, when it claimed victory in the Mille Miglia storica – the reincarnation of the event for historic racing cars.

The carbon fiber bodywork of the Concept Coupe is a modern aerodynamic interpretation of the aluminum-bodied Touring Coupe, and wraps around the capable chassis and drivetrain of the BMW Z4 M Coupe.

The  Mille Miglia Concept Coupe is a pure styling exercise – BMW has no plans for a production version.

The BMW press release follows the jump, with lots of pictures of this unique car.

1937 BMW 328 Mille Miglia to highlight RM’s Monaco auction

Built for the five years before WWII, BMW’s sleek 328 roadster is coveted for both its beauty and rarity. Fewer than five hundred were made, and the car featured an advanced tube frame chassis, independent front suspension and a 2.0-liter inline-6 producing 80 horsepower. That might not sound like much, but the 328 weighed just 1830 pounds and could top 100 mph.

The car you see here is a one-off 328 roadster built specifically to race in the 1940 Mille Miglia. In an effort to improve the car’s performance, BMW designer Wilhelm Mayrhofer created an especially lightweight and aerodynamic body welded to the tube frame, allowing the engine and drivetrain to sit lower for a better center of gravity. Its design influence can be felt even today, specifically with the 2006 BMW Mille Miglia Concept Coupe.

Seized by the Russians after WWII, the 328 Mille Miglia Büegelfalte spent several years in Eastern Europe, although it was in BMW’s care for many years as well. The current owner purchased the car in 2001, and is now offering it for sale at RM’s Monaco auction on May 1. Hit the jump for more details on the car or browse through the beautiful high-res gallery below.

Audi and NVIDIA bring 3D acceleration, Google Earth to the dashboard masses

Audi and NVIDIA are touting both systems’ ability to enable a rich user experience while minimizing driver distractions. That’s great in and of itself, but we were more interested in how the upgraded system performed. The 3G MMI experience is buttery smooth, whether scrolling around the Strip from above or zooming out to get a satellite view of the nation. The default view is an isometric perspective that, up-close, includes 3D representations of buildings. Back it up a bit and the buildings go flat and the terrain and coloring take center stage.

Nissan V2G vehicle is a grid-friendly concept

Assuming that we’ll have electrified highways by the year 2030, Nissan has popped up an on-grid vehicle dubbed “V2G” (Vehicle–to-Grid) that will offer safe, sustainable as well as brisk commutation. The compliant vehicle is not only safe and swift, but it also features dynamic styling and quality production at a very low price. One can’t ask for more than that. The electric vehicle allowing endless opportunities for modification can also be transformed from a low-cost to a luxury vehicle for the rich and trendy.

BMW SIMPLE concept

BMW has been rumored as of late to be pursuing everything from a so-called “0 Series” range of cars to a revival of its Isetta microcar brand, but the Bavarian automaker remains essentially mum on plans to diversify into the microcar market. Stoking the fires, however, is the new Simple concept, a leaning trike that is geared toward the “professional commuter” – that is, an urban dweller who travels alone.

From the start, the SIMPLE (which stands for: “Sustainable and Innovative Mobility Product for Low Energy consumption”) was designed to minimize resources both in use and in production. The leaning concept is tall as a 5 Series, yet shorter than a Mini Cooper, and it offers seating space similar to that of a 3 Series coupe.

That tidy footprint and a slick drag coefficient of just 0.18 means that the Simple figures to be around 450 kilograms (under 1,000 pounds), so it only needs a small internal-combustion engine and an electric motor to power it. BMW says the Simple is capable of hitting 100 km/h – 62 mph – in under ten seconds and it tops out at over 200 km/h (124 mph), yet it needs a miserly 2 liters of gas over 100 km (62 miles), or around 118 mpg.

This isn’t the first time BMW has investigated thrifty trikes – it actually began working on its CLEVER (“Compact Low Emission Vehicle for Urban Transport”) concept back in 2002 in conjunction with the Berlin’s Technical University, a project that took the form of a compressed natural gas trike with a CVT.

While there are no plans for production of either the SIMPLE or the CLEVER, BMW’s expertise in motorcycles and its increasingly prominent Efficient Dynamics initiative doesn’t have us ruling out a similar vehicle sometime down the road. In the meantime, you’ll have to make the pilgrimage to the BMW Museum to check out BMW’s SIMPLE and CLEVER contraptions.

BMW Lovos concept

Pforzheim University graduate Anne Forschner had a good time coming up with her BMW Lovos concept, which can alternatively look either like a frightened porcupine or svelte salmon, depending on its needs at the time.

The exterior of the Lovos – which somewhat ironically stands for Lifestyle of Voluntary Simplicity – is theoretically constructed from just one fully exchangeable part that recurs 260 times. Each exterior piece is covered in solar photovoltaic cells and can hinge on a substructure underneath to follow the sun or act as individual airbrakes. We can only assume the concept would be powered by electricity, as it makes our hairs stand up on end.

BMW designs furniture collection for public urban transport

BMW Designworks created a 7-piece selection of furniture for public transport spaces called “metro 40.”

The seven pieces are broken down into categories: connect, rest, ride, collect, hi glo, lo glo, and show. Together, they cover everything you’d generally need to do at a bus stop: sit down, get under cover, lock up a bike, throw things away, and see things.

The point of the pieces is to enhance “the overall perception of inner cities with high traffic density and to convey a personal atmosphere to these particular areas.”

BMW Vision EfficientDynamics concept

The speculation about the concept’s powertrain has gone in several directions, almost all of which were correct. The new concept is a plug-in hybrid with a three-cylinder turbo-diesel engine. Conceived with the idea of melding the performance of a M3 with exceptionally low fuel consumption, BMW claims a 0-62 mph time of 4.8 seconds while scoring 62.6 mpg (U.S.) on the E.U. combined test cycle.

There has been considerable speculation that future BMWs will go to smaller engines including a three-cylinder. The concept uses a 1.5-liter turbodiesel that is essentially half of the fabulous 3.0-liter found in the 335d. The triple is rated at a hefty 163 hp with peak torque of 214 lb-ft. The engine is paired with a six-speed DCT derived from the unit used in the M3 and Z4.

Adding fuel to recent reports that BMW would not continue developing the two-mode hybrid system that will debut soon in the X6, the concept uses a new strong hybrid system. The new system is a further development of the mild hybrid that is debuting in the ActiveHybrid 7. As in the 7, a more powerful 33-hp electric motor is sandwiched between the engine and transmission. A second 80-hp motor provides drive to the front axle. The total net output of the drive system is 356 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque.

Making use of electric motors requires some electrical energy system. Here BMW’s new concept has an arrangement similar to the Chevrolet Volt using a lithium–polymer battery pack running down the center tunnel of the car. Also similar to the Volt, the pack has a usable capacity of 8.6 kWh. However, the total capacity is just 10.8 kWh. BMW claims the pack used in the concept can use 80% of its capacity, considerably more than the 50% that the Volt uses. The upside is that the pack weighs just 187 pounds. When plugged into a standard European 220 V / 16 A outlet, the battery can be charged in just 2.5 hours.

BMW Future Duo-Wheel Transport: Halbo

It’s got a BMW stamp on it. It’s tiny and it’s got a front wheel motor combined with a sphere form rear wheel.

The target user for this vehicle is a “vibrant eco-minded young individual.” Speed on! It’s half the size of the “regular high end motorcycle,” and it’s full name is Halb Organismus.

Designer: Pierre Yohanes Lubis

Maserati, Architectural Digest celebrate best real & concept garages

In a contest Maserati held with Architectural Digest, the home of the trident went looking for the best homes for those cars — not the actual houses, but the garages that house their creations. Entries came in two categories, Existing and Concept, and were judged on “noted architectural element, uniqueness and individuality.”

The winning existing garage could barely be considered a garage — more like a living room where you park your car. The winning concept garage has three turntables that can place cars in three different positions depending on whether you’re coming, showing off, or going. You can read the press release after jump and check out the stunning high-res images of the winners’ designs below.

BMW’s Energy-Efficient Production Plant

In a perfect world we’d all be getting back to our zero energy, prefabricated homes by foot, bike or public transport, but on a planet where cars won’t be disappearing anytime soon, it’s nice to know that some car companies are trying to reduce their carbon footprint when producing new vehicles. In 2003 BMW set out a design competition for a new building and distribution center located in Munich, Germany. The results were more than grand; not only is the new BMW Welt aesthetically pleasing with its sinuous curves and gleaming façade, but it was also consciously designed to save energy in its production of cars through efficient solar heating and natural ventilation systems.

The BMW Welt was designed by architects Coop Himmelb[l]au in five thematic blocks: Hall, Premiere, Forum, Tower, and Double Cone, where areas have been reserved for car production, exhibition space, restaurants, shops, and even a business center. Coop Himmelb[l]au, not unfamiliar with designing large and complex spaces, developed a totally integrated and ecologically friendly air system combining both low and high tech methods to create optimal air circulation.

The multifunctional Hall, which sits as the centre point of the complex, was designed as a solar-heated, naturally ventilated sub-climatic area, removing the normal requirements for building heating and ventilation. Instead, a natural air supply is generated by thermal currents, wind pressure and turbulences when air accumulates in the area of the façade and roof projection. Air intake and outflow take place through automatically controlled and strategically placed vents providing the Hall with all its air needs.

The system proves to be especially beneficial to the Premiere section where BMW Welt produces its cars, and which directly opens up to the Hall. Because of the intensive exhaust gases that are released during the delivery process, and the subsequent energy heavy regulation typically required for air cleanup, the system was further fine-tuned to adjust the volume of air intake and outflow and to extract the exhaust fumes directly and pump in fresh air. A considerable feat given that BMW assumes a turnover of about 40 cars per hour, for a total of 250 cars per day.

On top of all this, the Forum, Tower and Double Cone are definitively public spaces, and have specially incorporated air systems to meet the comfort needs of their occupants while utilizing natural ventilation when possible.

BMW S.X. Concept

The S.X. concept by designer Iulian Bumbu of the Transportation Design Course in Milan, represents the next gen of luxury coupes from BMW.

The car looks like it could actually be possible, wearing design cues that echo the recently redone Z4. The renderings call to mind the recently scuttled Concept CS from BMW’s own pens, depicting a car that’s extra-wide, super-low, and ultra aggressive.

Audi Design Creates Grand Piano

In a permanent search for challenges, the Audi Design Studio Team in Munich turned its attention to redesigning a musical instrument which is not so closely related to the automotive industry: a grand piano. // <![CDATA[//

What could the team add to the classic large, curved sides, usually black, three-legged instrument?

That was exactly what stimulated the team’s creativity, mostly of its youngest members, who will benefit from this experience when they move on to car design.

“Generous surface areas ensure formal clarity; there are no decorative applications, the edges and lines are sharply drawn, the joints logically positioned. All these are important aspects of the Audi design,” says Designer Philip Schlesinger, who implemented the project at the Concept Design Studio in Munich.

Finally, the result was satisfying, as though many elements directly associated with the case of the piano were modified, the acoustics were unaffected. One of the most striking features is the lid, which extends without a break down to the base. From above, the lid is seen to be recessed into the main case. In the side view, the curve of the treble side is not interrupted by a joint line.

The underside of the case can rise moderately at the rear, away from the performer. This is an optical device, which “draws the observer’s attention subtly to the pianist,” Schlesinger explains. The keyboard has no wings at the ends. The cast frame is in grey instead of the usual bronze colour, and the felt damper strips in natural white instead of wine red.

The pianoforte manufacturer Bosendorfer was responsible on building the first Audi Design grand piano, placing its name above the centre of the keyboard, like on all pianos of the Vienna-based manufacturer. The piano, priced at 100,000 euros, will make its debut on July 16 2009 in the Audi Forum Ingolstadt, to celebrate Audi’s centenary.

Google phone designers plot for “The End of Driving” with autonomobile

Mike and Maaike’s Autonomobile

In Possible Future Scenario #317-B, San Francisco industrial design firm Mike and Maaike presents the atnmbl ( “autonomobile”). Less a car than an autonomous, seven-person mobile living room, the atnmbl is billed as a complete redesign of the car for those who believe that the ideal driving experience is not driving.

Essentially an all-wheel-drive Internet sitting room, the solar and electric atnmbl asks you where you want to go and then takes you there. Speed and acceleration are “irrelevant considerations,” time savings is the key – that is, unless you ask the atnmbl to take the scenic route. Since you’re not driving, you’ll need something to do during the trip, hence the Internet browsing screen and open-source software architecture to download apps, social networking capabilities, and… a bar.

Mike and Maaike don’t predict seeing the atnmbl until 2040, which gives you some time to enjoy having to leave your couch to go camping. As for such a thing actually materializing, coming from the folks who designed the Google Phone.

Summary of Features:
– fully electric powered plus solar assist
– driverless navigation via GPS, Lidar, radar, stereo camera, accelerometers
– wrap-around seating for 7
– voice recognition and remote for real-time control/ input
– large display for info, searches, browsing, communication
– open-source software with downloadable apps for carpool and carshare through social networking, pre-loaded trips, city tours, virtual drivers, etc.
– live trip info on mini display
– electric door, standing height entryway
– all wheel drive with motors in each wheel
– very few mechanical parts (drive by wire)
– bar

Transport TW – Magnet-powered vehicle

Car designer Harsha Vardhan has a different vision of tomorrow. While his vehicle calls for an electric engine, just like we see in cars now like the Prius or Volt, that engine drives magnetic fields, not wheels.

(The magnetic fields, of course, do eventually drive the wheels forward when the energy is transferred from over superconducting fluid that touches the rims.)

The result is, theoretically, a very smooth and quiet ride with a low environmental impact

Infiniti Essence concept to run the Goodwood Hillclimb

At the Geneva Motor Show in March, the gas-electric hybrid Essence made jaws drop with its commanding size, beautiful lines, and green-inspired 592-hp soul.

Unfortunately the Essence won’t make its way to production.

Infiniti’s voluptuous concept will make an appearance at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, where it’ll make the run the hill climb and be joined at the FoS-TECH pavilion by the world’s first right-hand-drive G37 convertible . While it’s more than a little disappointed that the Essence will never hit production, if the concept’s handsome design makes its way into other Infinitis, it’d be a good start.

BMW to introduce more powerful and efficient version of twin-turbo 3.0-liter diesel

BMW has just announced an upgraded version of its 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder diesel engine. The new version retains the same displacement, yet output for the European spec version is increased from 286 horsepower and 428 lb-ft of torque to 306 hp and 442 lb-ft. At the same time, fuel consumption and CO2 emissions are reduced by four percent compared to the previous version.

BMW has updated the fuel injection system to its latest generation common rail system. That means the injector pressure has been bumped from 1,600 BAR (23,000 psi) to 2,000 BAR (29,000 psi), allowing for even more precise metering of the fuel flow. The dual stage turbocharger system is now also more efficient. Since BMW only just introduced a version of the previous engine with U.S. legal after-treatment systems in late 2008, it seems unlikely that the U.S. will receive the upgrades in the near future.

M Concept evisions BMW’s future R8 fighter

the BMW M Concept is yet another example of an adept artist bringing his vision to the small screen.

Penned by Idries Noah, the M Concept was designed as BMW’s answer to the R8, packing a 540 hp 5.0-liter V10 mounted amidships and drawing inspiration from the Ferrari Dino, 250GTO and, of course, BMW’s own M1 Homage. According to Noah, many of the Concept’s elements were pulled from nature, particularly the sides, “where the wave is hollow when it breaks.” Rhetorical flourishes aside, we’re partial to the rear and side views, while the front end is more than a bit overwrought for a modern Bimmer.

VW 1.4-liter Twincharger wins 2009 International Engine of the Year

Volkswagen’s innovative 1.4-liter Twincharger engine has taken home top honors as the 2009 International Engine of the Year, beating out BMW’s powerful 3.0-liter direct-injected twin-turbo six-cylinder powerplant by just four points.

The Engie of the Year award is handed out based on the voting results of 65 motor scribes polled from all around the globe. Some 32 countries are represented in the jury.

To go along with its Engine of the Year award, VW’s supercharged and turbocharged mill also won the Green Engine of the Year trophy – beating out Honda’s 1.3-liter IMA hybrid powertrain in the process – and also took the nod in its 1.0-1.4-liter size class. Here’s a list of the rest of the award winners:

• Best New Engine – Porsche’s 3.8-liter 385bhp flat-six
• Best Performance Engine – Mercedes-AMG 6.2-liter V8
• Sub 1-liter – Toyota 1-liter three-cylinder
• 1.8-2.0L – Audi 2-liter TFSI
• 2.0L-2.5L – Mercedes-Benz Diesel 2.1-litre BlueEfficiency
• 2.5L-3.9L – BMW 3-liter DI Twin Turbo
• 3.0L-4.0L – BMW 4-liter V8
• Above 4.0L – Mercedes-AMG 6.2-liter V8

BMW S1000 RR Superbike to be priced close to Japanese bikes.

The street-going version of BMW’s upcoming S 1000 RR is scheduled to debut at the World Superbike race on May 29th at Miller Motorsports Park. That’s exciting news in and of itself, but we’re especially intrigued after hearing that the German manufacturer plans to price the premium machine within spitting distance of its Japanese rivals.

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Advertising War: BMW vs Audi in Santa Monica

Awesome advertising move by BMW in Santa Monica.

Very clever, BMW!

I’m sorry, but Audi totally set themselves up for that.

But which one is the king though? Will it be the BMW M3 Coupe or the Audi A4? Fair comparison? Probably not, but it’s all fun in the end.

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2010 Range Rover gets 12-inch ‘dual view’ touchscreen

The 2010 Range Rover is the first to feature ‘dual view’ infotainment touch
screen technology. The display allows the driver and passenger to view
completely different images simultaneously.

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