2013 BMW Sports Cars Coupe i8 Hybrid

2013 BMW Sports Cars Coupe i8 Hybrid

BMW is now concentrating on the development of the first cars to wear the “i” logo, hybrid range-extended and full-electric plug-in vehicles. 2013 BMW Sports Cars Coupe i8 Hybrid is based on the 2009’s Vision Efficient Dynamics concept model, undergoing cold weather tests in Northern Europe.

2013 BMW Sports Cars Coupe i8 Hybrid

BMW also unveiled a revised version of that model, called the Vision ConnectedDrive Concept, during this year’s 2011 Geneva Motor Show. The i8 plug-in hybrid sports car is scheduled to arrive in the market in 2013.

The 2013 BMW Sports Cars Coupe i8 Hybrid is one of two vehicles BMW has planned for its new green-minded “i” sub-brand. First to arrive will be the BMW i3, a compact 4-seat electric vehicle intended for urban driving. Further up the price and performance scale, the i8 will be powered by a hybrid system incorporating a small gasoline-powered engine—though the exact specifics and power output have not yet been released.

BMW has promised that the performance of the 2013 BMW Sports Cars Coupe i8 Hybrid will be in keeping with that of the brand’s other sports models. Other vehicles will then be added to the “i” lineup after the launch of the i3 and i8.

2013 BMW Sports Cars Coupe i8 Hybrid

Lightweight materials—like carbon fiber and aluminum—will make up a big part of the 2013 BMW Sports Cars Coupe i8 Hybrid’s structure. This should help to offset the weight of the lithium-ion battery pack and other high-tech hardware beneath the car’s skin. Regenerative braking and BMW’s stop-start system (which turns off the engine when the car is stopped, and then restarts it automatically when acceleration is needed) will almost certainly be included in the 2013 BMW Sports Cars Coupe i8 Hybrid.

2013 BMW Sports Cars Coupe i8 Hybrid

BMW R&D chief Klaus Draeger revealed that the diesel unit will be replaced with a gasoline engine in the production model but while the electric motors will remain. “We want to sell it all over the world. Diesel is only really relevant to Europe,” Draeger was quoted as saying.

2013 BMW Sports Cars Coupe i8 Hybrid

2013 Porsche Sports Cars 918 RSR Race Car

13-year-old WCF member and Porschephile, porschecarreragtmay6, has created some renderings of a Porsche 918 RSR race car. Based on the 918 Spyder concept, the pictures show a hardcore coupe, wearing some classic Porsche liveries, designed to compete in the GT1 class.

2013 Porsche Sports Cars 918 RSR Race Car

Although these renderings were created back in March, shortly after the 918 Spyder's surprise unveiling in Geneva, they provide a potential glimpse of a race spec 918 in the wake of recent reports that Porsche will field the 918 Spyder at the 24 Hours of Nurburgring in 2011.

The 2013 Porsche 918 RSR Race Car comes with 2 electric motors and a 500hp V8 from the “RS Spyder” LMP-2 car. The 918 RSR Race Car will drop the electric motors, but will retain the KERs and 500 hp V8. Since GT1 regulated no more than 600 hp, Porsche may remove air-restrictors from the engine to boost the output to 600hp.

As a refresher, the 918 Spyder concept featured a 368 kW (500 PS / 493 hp) V8 engine and three electric motors with a total of 160 kW (218 PS / 215 hp). Packing a combined 528 kW (718 PS / 708 hp), the Spyder sent power through a PDK dual-clutch gearbox (with an electric boost function) to an electric all-wheel drive system.

The 918 RSR model will race the same competitions as the classical 917 race car. It will drop the electric motors, but will retain the KERS and the 500hp V8. Since the GT1 regulates no more than 600hp, Porsche may remove air-restrictors from the engine to boost the output to 600hp. The "918 RSR" will be able to hit a top speed of 200mph and will make the 0 to 60 mph sprint in than 3.0 seconds.

It will feature a wider track, redesigned front and rear diffusers, as well as a fixed hard-top roof and a huge rear wing. The liveries on these images were created based off of the classic Porsche liveries and designed to compete in the GT1 class.

The Porsche 918 RSR Race Car will top in the 200mph range and will reach 62mph in less than 3.0 seconds, possibly 2.8 seconds. The weight will be around 1,240 kilos, 2,730 lbs.

The weight loss will comes from the loss of the batteries stripped interior and loss of amenities even more extensive use of carbon fiber and a reconstruction of body work.