Kevlar
05-02-2009, 05:40 AM
Prototype images shown.
“The BMW engineers want to test the absolute limits of the X5.” This was how the press release explained the BMW X5 Le Mans experimental vehicle which was presented to an amazed public at the Auto Salon in Geneva in 2000.
And in order to test the limits the engineers went to the racing shelf and took out the V12 engine of the BMW’s Le Mans winner of 1999, which they installed in what was largely a standard BMW X5. The result is over 700 bhp and 720 Nm of torque at 5,000 revolutions per minute. With an acceleration of 4.7 seconds for the sprint from zero to 100 km/h and a top speed of 278 km/h, the prototype broke through all the boundaries that were conceivable for a Sports Activity Vehicle at the time.
In order to ensure that this huge concentration of power could be put on the road reasonably safely, the body over the 20-inch rims was lowered by 3 centimetres. 315/35 or 275/40 tyres were used for the front axle, depending on the purpose in question, and 315/35 tyres were mounted on the rear axle. The axle load distribution was virtually perfect at 51:49% (front/rear).
The car’s exterior appearance is defined by the enormous air intake needs of the 12-cylinder engine – not only is the front bumper virtually no more than a single air opening, but the bonnet was also modified to include generously sized air outlet openings - according to the "form follows function" principle. As befits a show car, there is plenty of gleaming aluminium inside the X5. Passengers are provided with a safe hold on four single, body-contoured seats. So much the better. Pursuing the idea of testing the limits, the X5 Le Mans experimental vehicle went onto the Nürburgring Nordschleife in June 2001 to beat the clock.
“Striezel” Stuck drove the valuable unique specimen in an almost inconceivable 7,49.92 minutes round the 20.8 kilometre “Green Hell”. Along the straights, the speedometer even climbed to a sensational 311 km/h. By comparison: the BMW 320i completed the circuit in 7.37 minutes in the Super Touring Car Cup, and a sports car such as the BMW Z8 with 400 bhp took 8.16 minutes for the same distance.
The record lap of the BMW X5 Le Mans experimental vehicle was an event for the automobile history books and another BMW legend on the Nordschleife. Now BMW has opened a new chapter with the high-performance models BMW X5 M and BMW X6 M.
More... (http://www.bmwusa.com/standard/content/experience/newsfeed/post/2009/05/01/BMW-X5-Le-Mans-The-vision-of-the-new-BMW-X5-M.aspx)
“The BMW engineers want to test the absolute limits of the X5.” This was how the press release explained the BMW X5 Le Mans experimental vehicle which was presented to an amazed public at the Auto Salon in Geneva in 2000.
And in order to test the limits the engineers went to the racing shelf and took out the V12 engine of the BMW’s Le Mans winner of 1999, which they installed in what was largely a standard BMW X5. The result is over 700 bhp and 720 Nm of torque at 5,000 revolutions per minute. With an acceleration of 4.7 seconds for the sprint from zero to 100 km/h and a top speed of 278 km/h, the prototype broke through all the boundaries that were conceivable for a Sports Activity Vehicle at the time.
In order to ensure that this huge concentration of power could be put on the road reasonably safely, the body over the 20-inch rims was lowered by 3 centimetres. 315/35 or 275/40 tyres were used for the front axle, depending on the purpose in question, and 315/35 tyres were mounted on the rear axle. The axle load distribution was virtually perfect at 51:49% (front/rear).
The car’s exterior appearance is defined by the enormous air intake needs of the 12-cylinder engine – not only is the front bumper virtually no more than a single air opening, but the bonnet was also modified to include generously sized air outlet openings - according to the "form follows function" principle. As befits a show car, there is plenty of gleaming aluminium inside the X5. Passengers are provided with a safe hold on four single, body-contoured seats. So much the better. Pursuing the idea of testing the limits, the X5 Le Mans experimental vehicle went onto the Nürburgring Nordschleife in June 2001 to beat the clock.
“Striezel” Stuck drove the valuable unique specimen in an almost inconceivable 7,49.92 minutes round the 20.8 kilometre “Green Hell”. Along the straights, the speedometer even climbed to a sensational 311 km/h. By comparison: the BMW 320i completed the circuit in 7.37 minutes in the Super Touring Car Cup, and a sports car such as the BMW Z8 with 400 bhp took 8.16 minutes for the same distance.
The record lap of the BMW X5 Le Mans experimental vehicle was an event for the automobile history books and another BMW legend on the Nordschleife. Now BMW has opened a new chapter with the high-performance models BMW X5 M and BMW X6 M.
More... (http://www.bmwusa.com/standard/content/experience/newsfeed/post/2009/05/01/BMW-X5-Le-Mans-The-vision-of-the-new-BMW-X5-M.aspx)