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Written by Stephen Dobie
BMW has at last shown off the i8 Roadster. Its development has been lengthy and its teaser campaign a bit drawn out, but finally the production version is here. It"s been unveiled at the LA motor show and while its styling isn"t in the least bit surprising, you probably don"t want it to be: it looks every bit as desirable as an i8 drop-top ought to.It"s been revealed alongside an updated BMW i8 Coupe, whose mid-life facelift neatly arrives with the Roadster. The good news is it brings more of everything: improved battery technology means more energy, so the motor now produces 143bhp up 12bhp, taking the car"s total petrol and electric output to 374bhp. The electric-only range tops 30 miles now, too.The Roadster is very similar to the Coupe, using the same carbon-reinforced plastic core, whose rigid structure has maximised the size of the roof opening and negated the need for lots of extra strengthening. So the Roadster weighs just 60kg more than standard, at 1,595kg, while it retains the bold dihedral doors, albeit frameless versions.Its roof is a folding fabric item that whirs backwards or forwards in "almost silent hush", which is handy given the car"s powertrain tries to do the same thing. Opening or closing takes 16secs and can be done at up to 31mph, while the roof"s storage is designed to barely impede on luggage space. It folds in a Z-shape and is stored vertically, while some of the mechanism"s shapes have only been possible via 3D printing. Because the future.
Date written: 29 Nov 2017
More of this article on the Top gear website
ID: 10131
BMW has at last shown off the i8 Roadster. Its development has been lengthy and its teaser campaign a bit drawn out, but finally the production version is here. It"s been unveiled at the LA motor show and while its styling isn"t in the least bit surprising, you probably don"t want it to be: it looks every bit as desirable as an i8 drop-top ought to.It"s been revealed alongside an updated BMW i8 Coupe, whose mid-life facelift neatly arrives with the Roadster. The good news is it brings more of everything: improved battery technology means more energy, so the motor now produces 143bhp up 12bhp, taking the car"s total petrol and electric output to 374bhp. The electric-only range tops 30 miles now, too.The Roadster is very similar to the Coupe, using the same carbon-reinforced plastic core, whose rigid structure has maximised the size of the roof opening and negated the need for lots of extra strengthening. So the Roadster weighs just 60kg more than standard, at 1,595kg, while it retains the bold dihedral doors, albeit frameless versions.Its roof is a folding fabric item that whirs backwards or forwards in "almost silent hush", which is handy given the car"s powertrain tries to do the same thing. Opening or closing takes 16secs and can be done at up to 31mph, while the roof"s storage is designed to barely impede on luggage space. It folds in a Z-shape and is stored vertically, while some of the mechanism"s shapes have only been possible via 3D printing. Because the future.
Date written: 29 Nov 2017
More of this article on the Top gear website
ID: 10131
