BMW i8
The BMW i8 is one of the newer autos on this list of iconic sports cars. It is a plug-in hybrid from BMW and part of the company’s Project i electric fleet. Project i is actually being marketed in the form of BMW i, a sub-brand. The BMW i8 arrived for the 2015 model year with production starting in 2014.
The very first BMW i8, the 2015 model year, used a 7.1-kWh lithium-ion battery pack for a range of 23 miles on just electric power according to the New European Driving Cycle or an EV-mode range of 15 miles according to the EPA. The i8 is able to reach 62 mph in just 4.4 seconds. The top speed is electronically limited at 155 miles per hour, but without that limit, it could likely go even faster. Not only is this a powerful and fun sports car, but the EPA rates it at 76 MPGe combined.
The road to the BMW i8 began with the BMW i3 that launched the sub-brand of BMW i in late 2013. The i8 then arrived in Germany in June of 2014. BMW plans to continue expanding the lineup of i models. Despite not arriving until the 2015 model year, the first concept car for it appeared in 2009 during the International Motor Show Germany as a turbodiesel. This Vision EfficientDynamics auto was actually a 3-cylinder turbo-diesel and plug-in hybrid with two electric motors. It had a very lightweight chassis, thanks to aluminum construction. The drag coefficient was 0.22.
In 2010, the Vision EfficientDynamics concept’s mass production was announced starting in 2013. This is also when we were told it would be called the i8. The version of the i8 with gas power debuted at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show, still as a concept. The engine was still similar, delivering a combined output of 349 horsepower and 406 pound-feet. It was followed by an i8 Concept Spyder in 2012. Finally, the prototype made its debut during the 2013 International Motor Show Germany. This version was aerodynamically-optimized and had a passenger cell made of carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic for a lightweight.
The i8 is the first production model from BMW to run on a 3-cylinder gas engine. It also uses a hybrid synchronous electric motor. Since its debut, BMW has made some minor improvements to the i8. The 2019 BMW i8, for example, added a new convertible model and expanded both the EV range and the power.
