A pre-production version of BMW’s futuristic i8 hybrid sports coupe had an unfortunate encounter with the guardrails on the German Autobahn recently. Reports originating from Germany state that, a 30-year old BMW engineer was behind the wheel of the 362 PS (357hp) sports car when it crashed.
Local Police Chief Nicholas Bishop told German online magazine Merkur that he suspects the driver was going “a little bit too fast”, adding that the i8 first smashed into the median barrier, then flew across the road before coming to a stop on the other side.
While the i8 will have a list price of €126,000 in Germany when it goes on sale later this year (equal to $170,900 but BMW has confirmed U.S. pricing at $135,700), due to the expensive testing equipment fitted to the pre-production model, the value of the specific car is expected to be in excess of €200,000 ($271,000).
The i8 combines a 1.5-liter 3-cylinder twin-turbocharged petrol engine developing 228hp (231 PS) and 236 lb-ft (320 Nm) of torque driving rear wheels via a 6-speed automatic gearbox and a synchronous electric motor developing 129hp (96kW) and 184 lb-ft (250 Nm) turning the front wheels via a two-stage automatic transmission. It hits 100km/h (62mph) in 4.4 seconds and has a top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph).
Story References: Merkur via BMWBlog
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