BMW may have a new Mercedes SL roadster competitor ( Update-New Z8 ? )
#32
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Very very angry. Damn. Theres a super car coming too?? R10. Never heard much about that. ![Thumb Up](https://www.clublexus.com/forums/images/smilies/thumbsup.gif)
Thats one thing BMW really has never done. Make a supercar that would compete with a Lambo Murci, Ferrari 599 GTB, Enzo etc. Supercars like that. That would be incredible if this R10 or whatever they plan to call it turns out to be something of that nature.
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Thats one thing BMW really has never done. Make a supercar that would compete with a Lambo Murci, Ferrari 599 GTB, Enzo etc. Supercars like that. That would be incredible if this R10 or whatever they plan to call it turns out to be something of that nature.
Last edited by magneto112; 04-18-06 at 07:53 AM.
#33
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Originally Posted by magneto112
Very very angry. Damn. Theres a super car coming too?? M10. Never heard much about that. ![Thumb Up](https://www.clublexus.com/forums/images/smilies/thumbsup.gif)
Thats one thing BMW really has never done. Make a supercar that would compete with a Lambo Murci, Ferrari 599 GTB, Enzo etc. Supercars like that. That would be incredible if this M10 or whatever they plan to call it turns out to be something of that nature.
![Thumb Up](https://www.clublexus.com/forums/images/smilies/thumbsup.gif)
Thats one thing BMW really has never done. Make a supercar that would compete with a Lambo Murci, Ferrari 599 GTB, Enzo etc. Supercars like that. That would be incredible if this M10 or whatever they plan to call it turns out to be something of that nature.
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Z8 successor aims for lower price, volume production
By GREG KABLE
This looks a lot like a BMW M5, but closer examination and reports from the field indicate that hidden under this test mule is a prototype Z6 chassis.
BMW is plotting a return to the high-end sports car market with a dramatically styled coupe and roadster aimed at providing the German carmaker with a rival to the hugely successful Mercedes-Benz SL.
Dubbed Z6, Munich’s latest flagship sports car is conceived as a follow-up to the high-priced and ultra-low-volume Z8, which saw production of just 5703 cars between 1999 and 2003. Z6 will be priced below the $130,000 Z8, and insiders say it will be produced in “considerable volumes.” The car will be built in Germany and will be a high-tech showcase for many of BMW’s latest innovations.
“It is not just a flash in the pan,” a source told AutoWeek at the launch of the Z4 M Coupe. “We’re looking at establishing a whole new model line.”
At least one full-size model of the new car reportedly exists at BMW’s research and development center in Munich, though the final design is still up in the air. The car will form part of a rumored three-strong Z-car lineup including a new entry-level Z2 and a successor to today’s Z4.
The two-seater is already developed to an advanced stage and enjoys strong support from the BMW board.
“A go-ahead is likely, provided BMW can find the necessary engineering capacity,” said the source.
Z6 will be about the same size as the existing 6 Series and will borrow mechanical components from both the 6 Series and the 5 Series. But while the 6 Series was conceived as a luxurious 2+2 GT, the Z6 is envisioned as a pure sports car.
Original reports suggested the Z6 may boast a mid-engine design, but BMW appears to have settled on a traditional front-engine format. The aim, according to one high-ranking insider, is to create a car that combines BMW’s traditional strengths of top-level performance, handling and quality with a raft of new innovations, including lightweight construction to provide it with strong levels of performance but also class-leading levels of economy and low-emission levels.
An M5 powertrain formed the basis of the Z8 supercar; look for lots of M5 and 6 Series hardware under the Z6 sports car.
Keen to avoid the criticism leveled at the Z8, with a design influenced by BMW’s legendary 507, the Z6 boasts a contemporary design with cues from the Z4. The highlight of the new sports car is its high-tech structure—a combination of aluminum space frame and steel unibody construction. BMW is planning to take this technique, pioneered on the 5 Series and 6 Series, one step further in a move aimed at bringing the Z6 to market at less than 3300 pounds.
Rather than using aluminum for the front end only, engineers are investigating using the material for the middle section as well. This should help to achieve a desired 50:50 front-to-rear weight distribution.
Unlike the Z8, which was sold exclusively with a 5.0-liter, 400-hp V8, Z6 will come with a range of engines. Sources suggest the lineup will likely kick off with the new 3.0-liter, twin-turbocharged inline six-cylinder, with a range-topping version packing Munich’s secret 4.4-liter, twin-turbocharged V8 and an updated version of the M5’s 5.0-liter V10.
Channeling drive to the rear wheels will be a new double-clutch sequential
manual gearbox. BMW’s Z1 (top), built from 1988 to 1991, featured doors that dropped into the sill; Z3 (center) followed in 1995, replaced by Z4 (bottom) in the 2003 model year.
Z PROGRESSION
BMW’s Z1 (top), built from 1988 to 1991, featured doors that dropped into the sill; Z3 (center) followed in 1995, replaced by Z4 (bottom) in the 2003 model year.
source : autoweek
By GREG KABLE
This looks a lot like a BMW M5, but closer examination and reports from the field indicate that hidden under this test mule is a prototype Z6 chassis.
BMW is plotting a return to the high-end sports car market with a dramatically styled coupe and roadster aimed at providing the German carmaker with a rival to the hugely successful Mercedes-Benz SL.
Dubbed Z6, Munich’s latest flagship sports car is conceived as a follow-up to the high-priced and ultra-low-volume Z8, which saw production of just 5703 cars between 1999 and 2003. Z6 will be priced below the $130,000 Z8, and insiders say it will be produced in “considerable volumes.” The car will be built in Germany and will be a high-tech showcase for many of BMW’s latest innovations.
“It is not just a flash in the pan,” a source told AutoWeek at the launch of the Z4 M Coupe. “We’re looking at establishing a whole new model line.”
At least one full-size model of the new car reportedly exists at BMW’s research and development center in Munich, though the final design is still up in the air. The car will form part of a rumored three-strong Z-car lineup including a new entry-level Z2 and a successor to today’s Z4.
The two-seater is already developed to an advanced stage and enjoys strong support from the BMW board.
“A go-ahead is likely, provided BMW can find the necessary engineering capacity,” said the source.
Z6 will be about the same size as the existing 6 Series and will borrow mechanical components from both the 6 Series and the 5 Series. But while the 6 Series was conceived as a luxurious 2+2 GT, the Z6 is envisioned as a pure sports car.
Original reports suggested the Z6 may boast a mid-engine design, but BMW appears to have settled on a traditional front-engine format. The aim, according to one high-ranking insider, is to create a car that combines BMW’s traditional strengths of top-level performance, handling and quality with a raft of new innovations, including lightweight construction to provide it with strong levels of performance but also class-leading levels of economy and low-emission levels.
An M5 powertrain formed the basis of the Z8 supercar; look for lots of M5 and 6 Series hardware under the Z6 sports car.
Keen to avoid the criticism leveled at the Z8, with a design influenced by BMW’s legendary 507, the Z6 boasts a contemporary design with cues from the Z4. The highlight of the new sports car is its high-tech structure—a combination of aluminum space frame and steel unibody construction. BMW is planning to take this technique, pioneered on the 5 Series and 6 Series, one step further in a move aimed at bringing the Z6 to market at less than 3300 pounds.
Rather than using aluminum for the front end only, engineers are investigating using the material for the middle section as well. This should help to achieve a desired 50:50 front-to-rear weight distribution.
Unlike the Z8, which was sold exclusively with a 5.0-liter, 400-hp V8, Z6 will come with a range of engines. Sources suggest the lineup will likely kick off with the new 3.0-liter, twin-turbocharged inline six-cylinder, with a range-topping version packing Munich’s secret 4.4-liter, twin-turbocharged V8 and an updated version of the M5’s 5.0-liter V10.
Channeling drive to the rear wheels will be a new double-clutch sequential
manual gearbox. BMW’s Z1 (top), built from 1988 to 1991, featured doors that dropped into the sill; Z3 (center) followed in 1995, replaced by Z4 (bottom) in the 2003 model year.
Z PROGRESSION
BMW’s Z1 (top), built from 1988 to 1991, featured doors that dropped into the sill; Z3 (center) followed in 1995, replaced by Z4 (bottom) in the 2003 model year.
source : autoweek
#38
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Originally Posted by 4TehNguyen
i thought the 6 series already competed with the SL
and also the difference in price, the sl500 and 650i i think are pretty different in price right?
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Originally Posted by DASHOCKER
Well think of it like the clk55 drop top and the sl55 droptop for Mercedes. The last gen z8 was a rare beast. This new car won't hurt the m6.
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"We're thinking about it," is BMW R&D chief Burkhard Goschel's laconic answer every time someone mentions a replacement for the short-lived Z8. In fact, BMW has looked at three different proposals. A mid-engine Z10 lost out because the market for ultraexpensive supercars like the Mercedes-McLaren SLR and the Porsche Carrera GT is so thin. An ultralight Z6 was deemed too close to the next-generation Z4 and too hard-core to yield 15,000 annual sales. The leading contender is a new Z8-a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, two-seater with a retractable hard top-aimed squarely at the Mercedes-Benz SL.
Unlike the original Z8, the follow-up model skips aluminum construction in favor of a conventional unibody, sharing its front inner structure with the next Z4. Visual similarities between the two, however, would be negligible, as the Z8's wheelbase would be a foot longer. Part of the extra space is needed to accommodate the folding top, which may use variochromatic glass like that in the Ferrari Superamerica. With the top down, the low windshield and the snug cabin are shaped to provide a more intimate roadster sensation than in the SL, and the trunk will hold the requisite two golf bags.
We expect the core engine for the Z8 to be a new 4.4-liter turbo V-8 good for about 400 hp. The 300-hp, 3.0-liter turbo six also is an easy fit, as is the 500-hp, 5.0-liter V-10, which would make a compelling M version. If BMW wanted an SL600 rival, it could drop in its upcoming 6.3-liter V-12, which should make 600 hp. A dual-clutch gearbox will be the primary transmission for the flagship roadster. The provisional list of features includes active steering, active springs and dampers, active roll compensation, and adaptive cruise control. Also under consideration are a power-operated wind deflector and a neck warmer similar to the Air Scarf in the Mercedes-Benz SLK.
The board should make a final decision before the end of the year. If approved, the Z8 would go on sale in 2010, priced between $100,000 and $125,000.
source : automobilemag
Unlike the original Z8, the follow-up model skips aluminum construction in favor of a conventional unibody, sharing its front inner structure with the next Z4. Visual similarities between the two, however, would be negligible, as the Z8's wheelbase would be a foot longer. Part of the extra space is needed to accommodate the folding top, which may use variochromatic glass like that in the Ferrari Superamerica. With the top down, the low windshield and the snug cabin are shaped to provide a more intimate roadster sensation than in the SL, and the trunk will hold the requisite two golf bags.
We expect the core engine for the Z8 to be a new 4.4-liter turbo V-8 good for about 400 hp. The 300-hp, 3.0-liter turbo six also is an easy fit, as is the 500-hp, 5.0-liter V-10, which would make a compelling M version. If BMW wanted an SL600 rival, it could drop in its upcoming 6.3-liter V-12, which should make 600 hp. A dual-clutch gearbox will be the primary transmission for the flagship roadster. The provisional list of features includes active steering, active springs and dampers, active roll compensation, and adaptive cruise control. Also under consideration are a power-operated wind deflector and a neck warmer similar to the Air Scarf in the Mercedes-Benz SLK.
The board should make a final decision before the end of the year. If approved, the Z8 would go on sale in 2010, priced between $100,000 and $125,000.
source : automobilemag
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