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Image credits: © G-Power.
2011 G-Power M3 SK II news, pictures, and information | ||
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2011 Nardo High-Speed Test: The 570-HP G-POWER M3 SK II reaches a top speed of 333.29 km/h (207.10 mph)
The high-speed test of 'auto motor and sport' in Nardo in southern Italy is the ultimate challenge for all vehicle manufacturers. High temperatures and the fastest automobile race track in the world that knows only one load condition: full throttle. The 12.3 km-long route is basically a circle wîth a diameter of 4 km and an elevated roadway that is reminiscent of a steep curve. In practice, this results in an infinite straight line for miles of continuous full load driving, an operating condition that puts utmost load on the engine. Add uncomfortably high ambient temperatures and it simply doesn't get any more challenging.This abusive environment naturally separates automotive wheat from the chaff, because only those tuners who have carefully shepherded their design from development to production will survive the extreme loads in the 'auto motor und sport' high-speed test in Nardo wîth no major engine damage. In addition, pushing the system to the top-speed limits in the real-world provides merciless feedback on the achieved performance improvements. Many tuners instead post performance numbers based solely on short-term dynomometer testing which are subject to many variables, and thus opens the door to abuse. It is certainly difficult to determine whether performance gains will hold up in the real world if such tests are the only ones performed.
G-POWER embraces the challenge wîth enthusiasm; this is the third time in 2011 that G-POWER has conducted a High Speed Test. It is an excellent chance to demonstrate the impressive, real-world performance of our supercharger systems and showcase the superior quality of G-POWER products.
Beginning wîth CAD development based on standards and on through prototyping and the selection of OEM-quality components, G-POWER continues its commitment to excellence through strenuous test drives and hot-country trials in the Únited Arab Emirates to ensure exceptionally high quality, reliability and durability. G-POWER is the only BMW tuner in the world to leverage the skills of our technology partner, AVL, during the development work. AVL technologies allow the combustion pressure in the combustion chamber to be determined precisely. Thanks to this equipment, the development engineers are able to develop software for the engine control unit that maintains the maximum combustion pressure of a BMW M3 supercharged wîth the G-POWER 'Sporty Drive' supercharger system to a level comparable wîth the production engine. Thus, there is no evidence of overuse. The ASA supercharger used in the system reflects the robustness and stability of BMW in every respect. ASA superchargers are used not only in the ALPINA B5S, B6S and B7, but also in the ALPINA B6 GT3. In the factory race cars ALPINA campaigned for racing in the 'Green Hell' - the 24 hour race at the Nürburgring – ASA impressively demonstrated its reliability and quality over more than 3,500 km. The exclusive use of components of OEM quality is a fundamental part of the G-POWER philosophy and basis for the superior quality and durability of the G-POWER supercharger systems.
 | Vital Stats |
| Engine : 8-cylinder Power: 570 hp Torque: 417 ft-lbs | |
7-speed Manual | |
G-POWER drove the BMW M3 test vehicle on its own wheels from Bavarian Autenzell into the southern Italian Nardo well equipped wîth bestsellers from the G-POWER product line: G-POWER SILVERSTONE wheels wîth MICHELIN Pilot Super Sport road tires designed to handle the high-speed testing, G-POWER GM3 RS coilover suspension, and, last but not least, the G-POWER SK II „Sporty Drive' supercharger system. Aerodynamic add-ons for front and rear completed the package of equipment used in Nardo. Thus prepared, and after a 1,500 km journey wîth Christian Stöber, Vice President and Technical Director at G-POWER, at the helm of the 'standard' M3 G-POWER SK II, the car achieved a top speed of exactly 333.29 km/h on Sunday, May 22nd. It is believed that wîth a taller gear, the vehicle could have topped 340 km/h. Thanks to a video recording, you can witness this moment „live'. Only two cars wîth 900hp and 1000hp were faster at this event.
The subsequently performed acceleration measurements confirmed the G-POWER M3 SK II has top marks here as well: For the standard sprint from 0-100 km/h and 0-200 km/h, values of 4.4 s* and 12.9 s* were observed.
For negative acceleration, G-POWER offers a high-performance brake system in the program. Powerful disc brakes wîth 396 mm diameter at the front axle and 380 mm at the rear axle in conjunction wîth 6-piston and 4-piston calipers allow decellerations beyond 1.0g. Of course, G-POWER customers are provided wîth the choice of rotor material: both steel brake discs and ceramic alternatives (which are about 50% lighter) are available. After this eventful weekend, Mr. Stöber happily returned the G-POWER M3 SK II Autenzell by driving it back personally. He spent just over four days and just over 3,000 km behind the wheel of the 570hp M3 G-POWER SK II and commented that the experience was 'one of my best business trips ever...'Source - G-Power
The story of an exception: the BMW M3 is 25.
The anticipation began in August 1985. That summer Germany's automobile magazines built up their readers' expectations for the fastest 3 Series BMW of all times. The key data revealed a sports car that would punch way above its class: 200 hp, top speed in excess of 230 km/h, sprint from a standing start to 100 km/h inside 6.7 seconds. However, the story was that 'the most dynamic BMW 3 Series drivers' would have to wait until mid-1986. The pundits were right on that count. But one prediction missed the mark by a mile: anyone who 'wants to be in the A Team needs to be turbocharged under the bonnet'. Not true.The BMW M3 became the most successful touring car in motor-sport history. The M3 project was launched just a few months earlier. Production of the M1 mid-engine sports car had already been discontinued for some time and BMW CEO Eberhard Kuenheim commissioned a design for a successor, almost as an aside, according to legend. After one of his regular visits to Motorsport GmbH in Munich's Preußenstraße he said, almost as he was leaving: 'Mr. Rosche, we need a sporty engine for the 3 Series.' His aspiration was in good hands. Motorsport GmbH wîth its managing director of technical development Paul Rosche had demonstrated its expertise wîth the legendary 5 Series saloons driven by M engines as well as developing the Formula 1 turbo engine that powered Brazilian Nelson Piquet to win the World Championship in the Brabham BMW in 1983.
The new 3 Series engine had something in common wîth this: the crankcase. It originated from volume production and actually formed the basis for the two-litre engine wîth four cylinders. Four cylinders meant less weight and high torque, an ideal platform for a sports engine in the projected displacement class. Naturally enough, the series four-cylinder engine was much too tame for a sports engine. A comprehensive power boost was called for in order to turn the plucky daily workhorse into an athletic and sporty power unit. The BMW design engineers increased the displacement to 2.3 litres and applied a formulation that had already achieved significant successes over a period of many years: four-valve engineering. There was also another reason for the decision to opt for a four-cylinder engine and not adopt the six-cylinder engine introduced in the BMW 3 Series. The longer crankshaft in the big engine started to vibrate much earlier than the shorter four-cylinder shaft. The design engineers therefore designed the crankshaft drive of the BMW M3 wîth sufficient torsional stability to achieve 10,000 revolutions a minute and more. By comparison wîth the four-cylinder engine installed in the series vehicles, this represented an increase of more than 60 percent. The rated speed for the road version of the BMW M3 was still significantly below the critical range at 6,750/min and therefore offered sufficient scope for further developments.
Paul Rosche recalls: 'We started work immediately. One advantage was that the big six-cylinder engine originally had the same cylinder gap as the four-cylinder engine. We therefore cut two combustion chambers off the four-cylinder head of the M88 and bolted a panel over the hole on the rear side.' This meant that the new four-cylinder engine had a second forebear. The six-cylinder engine that had initially created a sensation in the M1 and had meanwhile transformed the M635CSi into one of the fastest coupés in the world. Paul Rosche: 'Whether you believe it or not – we had created an outstanding four-cylinder engine for the 3 Series within the space of two weeks. Únder the development name S14, this engine was to generate headlines in sport and in volume production over the years to come. One Sunday, I drove to von Kuenheim's flat and gave him the car for a test drive. When he came back he said: ‘Good, I like it.' And that's how the M3 came into being.'Source - BMWThe Champion in Touring Car Racing. 25 years ago the BMW M3 started its unique series of victories.
In August 1985, a rumour surfaced in motor magazine Auto-Deutschland which emanated from a new sports car. An A Group Car from BMW that was a thoroughbred racing car according to the rules but was also to be produced in a version licensed to drive on open roads for everyday use. Speculation about this dream car that could take to normal roads and was intended for the 'Most dynamic among BMW 3 Series drivers' was right on target. But the pundits missed the mark about the motor-sport car by a mile on one prediction: They were convinced that anyone who 'wants to be a key player in the A Team needs to be turbocharged under the bonnet'. Not true. The BMW M3 had a naturally aspirated engine. And it became the most successful touring car in the history of BMW.The M3 project was launched just a few months earlier. Production of the M1 mid-engine sports car had already been discontinued for some time and BMW CEO Eberhard Kuenheim commissioned a design for a successor, almost as an aside, according to legend. After one of his regular visits to Motorsport GmbH in Munich's Preußenstraße he said, almost as he was leaving: 'Mr. Rosche, we need a sporty engine for the 3 Series.' His aspiration was in good hands. Motorsport GmbH wîth its managing director of technical development Paul Rosche had demonstrated its expertise wîth the legendary 5 Series saloons driven by M engines as well as developing the Formula 1 turbo engine that powered Brazilian Nelson Piquet to win the World Championship in the Brabham BMW in 1983.
Power source: a four-cylinder engine wîth 2.3 litres displacement and four-valve engineering.
The new 3 Series engine had something in common wîth this: the crankcase. It originated from volume production and actually formed the basis for the two-litre engine wîth four cylinders. Four cylinders meant less weight and high torque, an ideal platform for a sports engine in the projected displacement class. Naturally enough, the series four-cylinder engine was much too tame for a sports engine. A comprehensive power boost was called for in order to turn the plucky daily workhorse into an athletic and sporty power unit. The BMW design engineers increased the displacement to 2.3 litres and applied a formulation that had already achieved significant successes over a period of many years: four-valve engineering. There was also another reason for the decision to opt for a four-cylinder engine and not adopt the six-cylinder engine introduced in the BMW 3 Series. The longer crankshaft in the big engine started to vibrate much earlier than the shorter four-cylinder shaft. The design engineers therefore designed the crankshaft drive of the BMW M3 wîth sufficient torsional stability to achieve 10,000 revolutions a minute and more. By comparison wîth the four-cylinder engine installed in the series vehicles, this represented an increase of more than 60 percent.Paul Rosche recalls: 'We started work immediately. One advantage was that the big six-cylinder engine originally had the same cylinder gap as the four-cylinder engine. We therefore cut two combustion chambers off the four-cylinder head of the M88 and bolted a panel over the hole on the rear side.' This meant that the new four-cylinder engine had a second forebear. The six-cylinder engine that had initially created a sensation in the M1 and had meanwhile transformed the M635CSi into one of the fastest coupés in the world. Paul Rosche: 'Whether you believe it or not – we had created an outstanding four-cylinder engine for the 3 Series within the space of two weeks. Únder the development name S14, this engine was to generate headlines in sport and in volume production over the years to come. One Sunday, I drove to von Kuenheim's flat and gave him the car for a test drive. When he came back he said: 'Good, I like it.' And that's how the M3 came into being.'
Contrary to the situation wîth the mid-engine sports car, the BMW M3 was not going to be crafted by hand in small batches. This car was to be produced as a mass-production automobile on an assembly line. It was destined to compete in near-production touring car motor sport, or more precisely as a Group A racing car, defined as a 'production car', of which at least 5,000 units have to be built within the space of twelve consecutive months in accordance wîth Annex J of the international automobile sport regulations.
300 hp for competitive racing.
However, many of them immediately disappeared again into garages and workshops to be given a new outfit. After all, the M3 had been designed as a racing car, and this was the time to prove that it really could 'race'. A World Touring Car Championship was held for the first time in 1987. And that was exactly what the M3 had been built for. But not quite in the guise in which it was seen on the streets. Instead of 200 hp, the 2.3 litre engine delivered up to 300 hp at 8,200 rpm in the racing version. This put it on a par wîth the BMW M635CSi. BMW didn't line up on the starting grid wîth its own team but supported a number of famous racing outfits like Schnitzer, Linder, Zackspeed and Bigazzi. Drivers like Markus Oestreich, Christian Danner, Roberto Ravaglia and Wilfried Vogt took the wheel, and Annette Meeuvissen and Mercedes Stermitz were the first women drivers.
Roberto Ravaglia in the M3: first World Touring Car Champion.
The first race for the 1987 World Touring Car Championship started in Monza on 22 March 1987 – and ended wîth a sensation. All the M3 cars were excluded from the placings. The vehicles were checked under chaotic conditions and disqualified because of sheet-metal thicknesses that were allegedly contrary to the regulations. BMW appealed but the sports tribunal decided that the appeal had been lodged too late. There was no longer any talk of infringements of the rules. All the brouhaha naturally didn't have any effect on the result of the championship. At the end of the season, Roberto Ravaglia was standing on the podium as the first World Touring Car Champion. But that was only the pinnacle of the success list. Wilfried Vogt took the title of European Champion. Altfried Heger came in second – both driving a BMW M3. In 1987, the German Touring Car Championship (DTM) also went to the new BMW M3, wîth Eric van de Poele behind the wheel. Moreover, the most sporty 3 Series car was also winning competitions off the race track. An M3 crossed the finishing line in first place in the Corsica Rally and secured a victory for BMW after a gap of 14 years in a race for the World Rally Championship.24 Hour Race: M3 one-two victory on the Nürburgring.
In 1988, the BMW M3 continued the success story and took the national titles in France, England and Spain. In the following year came another victory in the German Touring Car Championship (DTM), this time wîth Roberto Ravaglia in the driver's seat, alongside wins at the national championships in Belgium, Holland, France, Italy, Finland, Spain, Sweden and Yugoslavia. Meanwhile, the displacement had been increased to 320 hp and the BMW M3 drove the competition into the ground. Belgian driver Marc Duez battled his way through the Monte Carlo Rally wîth an M3 and took eighth place as best driver in a car without a four-wheel drive. The sensational one-two victory in the 24-hour classic on the Nürburgring crowned this series of successes in 1989 wîth the driver combinations Pirro/Ravaglia/Giroix and Heger/Grohs/Manthey.
Playing wîth displacement: the right engine for each race.
The M3 had a commanding presence on the international touring car racing scene for five years. It became the most successful touring car of all times by winning the two champion's titles in the European Touring Car Championship and twice in the German Touring Car Championship. There were also numerous further victories and championship wins at international level. Depending on the competition rules, the four-valve engine had to be adapted to national regulations. For example, the capacity for England was limited to 2 litres while for Germany and France it was raised to 2.5 litres wîth effect from 1990. This enabled the four-cylinder to deliver up to 355 hp. In the version wîth the biggest capacity, the engineers of BMW M GmbH went up against the limits of what was feasible. In order to make full use of the 2.5 litre limit, they not only increased the stroke of the 2.3 litre unit from 84 to 87 millimetres, but also increased the cylinder bore from 94 millimetres to 95.5 millimetres. This reduced the width between the cylinders to just 4.5 millimetres. But success proved the development engineers right. The engines withstood the stresses and strains of touring-car racing even at maximum output without any problem.
1992: the first BMW M3 wîth a six-cylinder engine.
The year 1992 saw the birth of a completely new M3, this time wîth an advanced six-cylinder engine. Once again, Motorsport GmbH developed a version for competition in record time. In April 1993, the new M3 was due to line up at the start of the first race for the German Touring Car Championship (DTM). But due to discrepancies in the new regulations, BMW changed its strategy and instead set up a BMW M3 GTR in the striking design of a starting flag and entered the Warsteiner ADAC GT Cup organised by the German Automobile Association. The six-cylinder now generated 325 hp, the car weighed 1300 kilos in accordance wîth the regulations. A strong BMW team lined up at the start wîth Johnny Cecotto and Kris Nissen, and Cecotto ended up taking the championship at the end of the season. However, this was the end of the motor-sport chapter for this M3 GTR for the time being. Changes in the regulations meant that the potent 3 Series had no realistic changes of victory any more.
The BMW M3 GTR: the most powerful M3 ever.
BMW only returned to motor sport as a works team wîth a BMW M3 seven years later. In 2001, the first starting flag came down for the new BMW M3 GTR powered by a 450 hp V8 engine. The most powerful M3 ever set benchmarks in the GT class of the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) wîth its four-litre engine and raced in a quartet: Team BMW Motorsport entered two cars under the management of Charly Lamm and two other cars were raced by the American BMW Team PTG run by Tom Milner, who hailed originally from Germany. The coupé took seven victories in ten races, six of them were from pole positions. BMW works driver Jörg Müller won the driver's championship in the GT Class, BMW Motorsport won the team placings, and BMW became constructors' champion in the company's most important export market.
But the advanced BMW M3 GTR also caused a sensation in Europe. Two each of these eight-cylinder racing cars lined up at the start of the 24 Hour Race at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium and on the Nürburgring in 2004 and 2005.The result: In both years, BWM took a one-two victory on the Nürburgring, and class victory went to BMW in Spa in 2004.
In 2009, the next generation of the M3 started in the American Le Mans Series. The V8 engine was beefed up to 485 hp and entered the Twelve Hour Race at Sebring for the first time. The successes meant that the M3 was also raced in Europe in the following year. It lined up at the start of the 24 Hour Race on the Nürburgring, in Le Mans and in Spa-Francorchamps. The result: outright victory on the Nürburgring – for the 19th time – and class victory in Spa.
And the next winner will soon be on the starting line in 2012. BMW will be back at the German Touring Car Masters (DTM) wîth three teams and the new BMW M3 DTM.Source - BMW
| BMW TEAM RLL FINISHES THIRD AT ALMS MONTEREY; MÜLLER TAKES GT DRIVER POINTS LEAD | |
 | Woodcliff Lake, N.J. – May 11, 2013 . . . Dirk Müller and John Edwards, driving the No. 56 BMW Z4 GTE, scored a third place finish in today's four-hour American Le Mans Monterey race. A second consecutive podium finish for the No. 56 machine and a win for the No. 55 car at Long Beach in only the third race of the new program keeps BMW in second place in the GT class manufacturer point standings and moves Müller to the top of the GT class driver points. Müller started the car from the ...[Read more...] |
| BMW GROUP SALES REACH ALL-TIME HIGH IN MARCH | |
 | 191,269 vehicles delivered, an increase of 3.0% Year-to-date sales climb 5.3% to 448,200 vehicles Solid gains in Asia and the Americas Munich. The BMW Group sold more vehicles in March than in any other month in its history. The company sold a total of 191,269 BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce vehicles in the past month, exceeding the previous all-time high in March last year (185,741 units/+3.0%). The company also achieved a new high for the first three months: Retail volumes for the year to t...[Read more...] |
| CONCORSO D'ELEGANZA VILLA D'ESTE 2013 WILL TAKE PLACE FROM 24-26 MAY. | |
| Concorso di Motociclette to be held for the third time. Munich. The Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este is one of the world's most significant and tradition-laden beauty contests for automobiles. Under the patronage of the BMW Group, it has been held each May since 1999 in the grounds of the Grand Hotel Villa d'Este and Villa Erba in Cernobbio. In 2011 the Concorso d'Eleganza was joined for the first time by a motorcycle contest, already a great success in its 2012 edition. In...[Read more...] | |
| BMW GROUP U.S. REPORTS SEPTEMBER 2012 SALES | |
| • BMW brand up 4.9 percent year-to-date • MINI brand up 16.6 percent year-to-date, best September ever Woodcliff Lake, NJ – October 2, 2012… The BMW Group in the U.S. (BMW and MINI combined)reported September sales of 26,660 vehicles, an increase of 3.5 percent from the 25,749 vehicles sold in the same month a year ago. Year-to-date, BMW Group is up 7.1 percent on sales of 234,928 in the first nine months of 2012 compared to 219,314 in the same period in 2011. 'The...[Read more...] | |
| Champions Crowned at Lime Rock Park | |
 | While the setting for the Championship Weekend at Lime Rock Park may be bucolic, the hills today reverberated with the sounds of intense action from the 13th and final race of the 2012 GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series. The yellow flag was in regular use as, right out of pit row, the race started under a full course caution after the #70 SpeedSource Mazda RX-8 went off the course in turn one during the last parade lap. A stop and go pace followed for much of the first half of the race – a seco...[Read more...] |
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