2011 X5 50i V8 M Sport-third Seat-technology-premium-sound Pkg.we Finance on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Pininfarina Battista hypercar's output specified at 1,873 horsepower

Even in a galaxy far, far away, the Pininfarina Battista would stand out. After a delay of about three years, the official specifications of the all-electric hypercar have been revealed: Full power is rated at 1,873 horsepower, outputting 1,697 foot-pounds of torque. Sixty-two miles per hour arrives in 1.86 seconds, with 124 mph coming in 4.75 seconds. 217 mph is the estimated top speed. (The Rimac Nevera recently hit 258.) The 120kWh battery pack should enable a range of about 280 miles from a single charge. A pair of electric motors are mounted to each axle, each motor powering a specific wheel and giving the Battista full torque vectoring capability. Pricing — and this is one of those cars that, if one has to ask, just move on — is about $2.2 million, which places it in the territory of the Bugatti Chiron. For those customers considering an upsell, a limited “anniversario” edition will comprise five of the expected 150-unit build run. It differs from the standard version by some cosmetic alterations, which lifts the price by some $70,000-plus. 0r you could buy a BMW M3 as a chase car. The two-seater Battista is named for Battista “Pinin” Farina, who founded Carrozzeria Pininfarina in 1930. A lot of its battery, carbon-fiber chassis and motor components come from Rimac, the nascent Croatian electric supercar maker that recently paired with Porsche to take over Bugatti.  Many more details about the carÂ’s development, several photos and our driving impressions can be found in this Autoblog post from August.   Auto News By the Numbers Green BMW Bugatti Green Automakers Green Driving Coupe Performance Supercars Pininfarina Battista

BMW hires Ferrari chief engineer Fedeli

There's going to be a little bit more Prancing Horse in some future BMWs because the Bavarian brand is hiring Ferrari chief engineer Roberto Fedeli to join the company in November. Fedeli's new position is still somewhat of a mystery though, and he reportedly might be lending his talents to the high performance M division or possibly even Rolls-Royce. When asked by Automotive News Europe, BMW said that it "currently can't say what his role will be."
Regardless of his new job, Fedeli was a big get for BMW because of his strong résumé. He has been with Ferrari since 1988 and led the engineering for the famous Italian automaker's vehicles since 2007. Fedeli tendered his resignation in September at around the same time that chairman Luca di Montezemolo announced his decision to leave the company. However, Ferrari told ANE that there was no connection between the two events.

BMW M235i Racing restores our faith in 'M'

Based on the upcoming BMW 2 Series and aimed at amateur and semi-professional racers, the 2014 BMW M235i Racing is a stripped-down, race-spec coupe ready to take on the Nürburgring in the VLN Endurance Championship race series against cars from Audi, Porsche and Toyota.
Obvious in the image above (click to enlarge), BMW has given the M235i Racing the wide-body treatment with a track that has been stretched by 3.5 inches. Under the hood, the 3.0-liter turbocharged inline six-cylinder receives a power boost from a stock 322 horsepower up slightly to 333 hp, while other modifications include a full FIA roll cage, a racing fuel tank and a limited slip rear differential.
The M235i Racing replaces the M3 GT4 as BMW's factory racer, and it will be priced at 59,500 euros (close to $80,000), which is about as affordable as a factory-prepped racecar can get. The full press release is posted below, but we can't wait to see this car in action next year.