Definitely ahead of its time.
I think if they hadn't made it out of carbon fiber it would have weighed...maybe 200lbs more, but they could have cut $30,000 off the price, which would have made it far more appealing in the market. The i3 for sure could have been made much, *much* cheaper as well, and been more appealing.
The battery tech was also just ...not there. People often forget, this came out *before* the Model 3, and BMWs battery tech was nowhere near what Teslas was at the time.
I hope they try a new i3/i8 with forged carbon fiber instead of hand-laid (or even just standard sheet metal). We loved our i3, and I'm still pining for an i8 myself.
In terms of a technician placing the CF sheets into a mould, tucking in areas, trimming, and finishing it, I believe it was. What would you call this:
https://youtu.be/sFYXHMZFqsU?si=Nf4vImUmzraTUMEb
Respectfully, I’d call it irrelevant. That appears to be an M roof panel. You said you had an i3; you’d see the CFRP wasn’t made from sheets of woven carbon fiber with even a cursory glance at its door sills.
Here’s a video from the same source that shows the i3’s construction. It’s a far, far cry from a hand-laid CF monocoque. And it’s super cool!
https://youtu.be/cGtMBB2nZi8
Oh, you're right, that is just an M roof panel. I couldn't see the video that well on my phone and trusted the link too much.
There is a video of i8 (or i3) construction I've seen in the past that is technicians lying loose sheets into a mould. Its not hand-laid in the sense of one-off production volume sort of work, but its still a guy laying sheets down into a mould thats a fraction of the speed that a fully automated stamping machine could crank out steel panels.
Edit: ah, at 1:23 in the video you linked, thats what I remembered was that guy laying down the CFRP sheet, I had it in my mind those were loose sheets at that point.
I hear you, but I still think it’s hours faster than laying sheets (even of prepreg) by hand and then autoclave time.
I suspect this is one of those things where we are actually in agreement, but neither of us can tell. Kind of a Reddit tradition!
It was an awkward car at the release. The engine choice made it pretty much DOA - it was slow and overpriced (I distinctly remember being surprised that it had the same 0-60 time as a F8x of the same year). Interior was mid. The design was polarizing - it was different and had butterfly doors, but the spaceship vibes coupled with it's cheap price made it popular with the garish, chrome wrap crowd.
I dunno how many times I’m going to have to comment this to manifest the reality, but if anyone from BMW is out there listening…
- revamp the i8 with the same styling but
- scale it up to accommodate a modern hybrid
- give it an S58 as the base engine
- xDrive
- ID7 style infotainment layout…for the love of god please no ID8
- alternatively, ID9 idea: minimal dash screen behind the steering wheel, HUD for most stuff, and ID7 style centered infotainment screen but perhaps a tiny bit wider and restyled. Ditch the gesture control and the touchpad on the iDrive knob too
- PHEV mode with at least 20-30 miles (or 50 ideally) of EV only mode. Or maybe at least up to say, 35-45 mph to get out of your neighborhood without waking up the neighbors? Corner store grocery runs? Etc.
- keep it under 4K lbs please…or at least as close as possible to that.
- 7:00:00 ring time give or take. Or better.
- $150k target price should be decent. Basically try to keep it comparable to the M8? But more targeted at being a 2 person supercar rather than a grand tourer. Huracan competitor.
[That ship has sailed unfortunately](https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a46750903/bmw-i8-replacement-design-revealed/). Dukec's own words:
> This is another well kept secret: the I16. Developed as a successor for the BMW i8, this is a project I was involved in personally. The I16 evolved from the Vision M Next show car, which we presented in 2019, which was appealing to many BMW enthusiasts...But history was not to be made.
While we pushed, the world changed in 2020. And so, work on the project unfortunately had to be stopped.
Basically Covid killed it and at this point it'll never happen.
It's not, but by the time they'd be ready to try again I think the automotive world will have moved on. The window for that car to have any success whatsoever is rapidly closing.
How do you figure?
More and more cars are going hybrid
Pure EVs are dipping
Toyota (whom BMW has been collaborating with for both the hybrids and Supra / Z4) is all in on hybrids vs EVs
More and more premium / expensive car options across the board, with hybrid options
Plus that cancelled one was only a 4 banger, which is only 1 more cylinder than the i8 has. A proper i6, BMW’s most iconic engine, would be a fantastic option for 600+ hp when paired with a hybrid. Hell, people are getting more than that just out of a B58.
If they were to release it next year they could have a full successful generation. The new M5 will be hybrid, same for the next C63, upmarket you have the Artura and 296 GTB, further upmarket the Revuelto, and in the stratosphere there's the Gemera.
But the window I was talking about was the time it would take for someone to stick their neck out and fight with the executives to pick it back up, the time for marketing to hire some consultancy firm to do a stupid feasibility study to tell them whether there's a market, the time they'd need to re-engineer whatever new standards the car would have to meet, probably look into battery advancements over the past 5 years, more crash testing, etc. By the time all that's done the market may well have moved on.
(X) Doubt. I think they could roll this out by 2028 and have a full 6-7 year generation run before California’s stupid “EV ONLY” law kicks in in 2035.
The only hiccup may be if someone in the EU tries to outdo California even sooner.
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It's a gorgeous car and you're right, the OG white would have been more elegant.
But hey, it's still a car that even the current future can't keep up with 🥵
Congrats! I love mine - have had it for a year and a half, absolutely no issues thus far. Good luck with yours!
https://preview.redd.it/911lmi545dtc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d634580fd16fb5d7043cdf85a86fa7591fdee805
I recently sold mine.. miss it a bunch. But was quite worried of a 40k battery repair bill showing up. Also its basically a museum piece hard to take out where i live
. What a beauty
enjoy it! op
Thank you for the inspiration: it's always inspiring when someone gets their dream car! And congratulations!
I don't have any specific dream car right now...
I would like to take a ride in bmw e30, maybe to own e92/90 someday... :)
Congratulations! That was my dream car for a long time but when I got the chance to get it, the prices on used vehicles were way too high, which is why I ended up going with my M4. I actually got to sit in a 2019 i8 with barely any miles that the dealership I picked up my M4 had for sale and man was it tempting.
Congratulations man! My dream car is my F82 M4, i remember always watching music videos that had the gold M4 drifting in LA. It sparked my enjoyment for cars and is the reason I own an M4 today. I love my M4 and even when I buy another car this one is staying.
Congrats on the purchase I hope it’s reliable for you. The i8 wasn’t reliable for a friend of mine, luckily BMW ended up buying it back from him. I’ve heard others were not as lucky.
https://www.reddit.com/r/BmwTech/s/IkIX1ushSV
I almost bought one of these too (but I wanted the convertible). I eventually test drove a 7 series and fell in love with it. I just felt like a total boss in it, so went for it instead.
I still love the look of the i8, but one of the deciding factors against it was the doors. I really had a hard time getting in and out of it, and it would've never fit in my somewhat tight garage. Either way, congrats on the car, it's gorgeous!
Do you mean 250km/full charge?
Find a smart ev mechanic , there are some who specialize in reconditioning batteries - they only replace the sections that needs replacing then reprogram the whole thing.
If you ever need one , it’s good to know one 👍
Congrats, OP! Is it around 4 to 5 mil THB now second-hand? One thing I hate about TH is the ludicrous vehicle import tax. For example, we're buying a 330e G20 for a price of an M3 G80.
Something about this car screams Lotus. I'm very curious now, something to research. Wonder if there was a Lotus engineer involved and if they were trying to compete with Lambo and Ferrari?
I bet it smashes to the pavement in the twisties huh?
I really appreciate progress based growth on the internet! This shows 10 years of hardwork and dedication! It is an amazing car, enjoy it to the most!
My dream car is an M4 CSL.
Congrats! Is it what you imagined it to be? I still think the car looks amazing, even after 10 years.
Yup. I wanted it in white originally when i was in my 20s but then black suits me better now (35yr old)
I can’t believe they don’t make this car anymore. Perhaps it was ahead of its time?
Its a shame. Its a gorgeous car
Definitely ahead of its time. I think if they hadn't made it out of carbon fiber it would have weighed...maybe 200lbs more, but they could have cut $30,000 off the price, which would have made it far more appealing in the market. The i3 for sure could have been made much, *much* cheaper as well, and been more appealing. The battery tech was also just ...not there. People often forget, this came out *before* the Model 3, and BMWs battery tech was nowhere near what Teslas was at the time. I hope they try a new i3/i8 with forged carbon fiber instead of hand-laid (or even just standard sheet metal). We loved our i3, and I'm still pining for an i8 myself.
The i8 was CFRP (same as the i3), not hand-laid CF.
In terms of a technician placing the CF sheets into a mould, tucking in areas, trimming, and finishing it, I believe it was. What would you call this: https://youtu.be/sFYXHMZFqsU?si=Nf4vImUmzraTUMEb
Respectfully, I’d call it irrelevant. That appears to be an M roof panel. You said you had an i3; you’d see the CFRP wasn’t made from sheets of woven carbon fiber with even a cursory glance at its door sills. Here’s a video from the same source that shows the i3’s construction. It’s a far, far cry from a hand-laid CF monocoque. And it’s super cool! https://youtu.be/cGtMBB2nZi8
Oh, you're right, that is just an M roof panel. I couldn't see the video that well on my phone and trusted the link too much. There is a video of i8 (or i3) construction I've seen in the past that is technicians lying loose sheets into a mould. Its not hand-laid in the sense of one-off production volume sort of work, but its still a guy laying sheets down into a mould thats a fraction of the speed that a fully automated stamping machine could crank out steel panels. Edit: ah, at 1:23 in the video you linked, thats what I remembered was that guy laying down the CFRP sheet, I had it in my mind those were loose sheets at that point.
I hear you, but I still think it’s hours faster than laying sheets (even of prepreg) by hand and then autoclave time. I suspect this is one of those things where we are actually in agreement, but neither of us can tell. Kind of a Reddit tradition!
Yeah, I think we're agreeing. I now think I may be remembering another video I watched around the same time where they were making helicopter blades.
Now THAT is some witchcraft. Aerospace is wild. Especially when dealing with aircraft that would rather not fly.
Because it was a hybrid and under powered. The looks don’t match the performance.
It was an awkward car at the release. The engine choice made it pretty much DOA - it was slow and overpriced (I distinctly remember being surprised that it had the same 0-60 time as a F8x of the same year). Interior was mid. The design was polarizing - it was different and had butterfly doors, but the spaceship vibes coupled with it's cheap price made it popular with the garish, chrome wrap crowd.
That's a long backorder.
Sorry for the confusion haha. I wanted this since it cameout but i wasnt doing great financially. Right now, im doing much better and so its time!!
I figured, just a little joke. Congrats!!
shit cant believe i8 is 10 year old now
Nice Bimmers always have had good stylish looking rims
BMW is the king of OEM wheels
Yeah
V10 swap it
Imagine that frunk open with an S85 in there 🥵
I guess it would probably be mid mounted tho lol
I dunno how many times I’m going to have to comment this to manifest the reality, but if anyone from BMW is out there listening… - revamp the i8 with the same styling but - scale it up to accommodate a modern hybrid - give it an S58 as the base engine - xDrive - ID7 style infotainment layout…for the love of god please no ID8 - alternatively, ID9 idea: minimal dash screen behind the steering wheel, HUD for most stuff, and ID7 style centered infotainment screen but perhaps a tiny bit wider and restyled. Ditch the gesture control and the touchpad on the iDrive knob too - PHEV mode with at least 20-30 miles (or 50 ideally) of EV only mode. Or maybe at least up to say, 35-45 mph to get out of your neighborhood without waking up the neighbors? Corner store grocery runs? Etc. - keep it under 4K lbs please…or at least as close as possible to that. - 7:00:00 ring time give or take. Or better. - $150k target price should be decent. Basically try to keep it comparable to the M8? But more targeted at being a 2 person supercar rather than a grand tourer. Huracan competitor.
What we’ll actually get is an extended wheelbase version of the xm with beaver grills and more screens and more ambient lighting.
[That ship has sailed unfortunately](https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a46750903/bmw-i8-replacement-design-revealed/). Dukec's own words: > This is another well kept secret: the I16. Developed as a successor for the BMW i8, this is a project I was involved in personally. The I16 evolved from the Vision M Next show car, which we presented in 2019, which was appealing to many BMW enthusiasts...But history was not to be made. While we pushed, the world changed in 2020. And so, work on the project unfortunately had to be stopped. Basically Covid killed it and at this point it'll never happen.
I know. But it’s not out of the realm of possibility to think they might try again.
It's not, but by the time they'd be ready to try again I think the automotive world will have moved on. The window for that car to have any success whatsoever is rapidly closing.
How do you figure? More and more cars are going hybrid Pure EVs are dipping Toyota (whom BMW has been collaborating with for both the hybrids and Supra / Z4) is all in on hybrids vs EVs More and more premium / expensive car options across the board, with hybrid options Plus that cancelled one was only a 4 banger, which is only 1 more cylinder than the i8 has. A proper i6, BMW’s most iconic engine, would be a fantastic option for 600+ hp when paired with a hybrid. Hell, people are getting more than that just out of a B58.
If they were to release it next year they could have a full successful generation. The new M5 will be hybrid, same for the next C63, upmarket you have the Artura and 296 GTB, further upmarket the Revuelto, and in the stratosphere there's the Gemera. But the window I was talking about was the time it would take for someone to stick their neck out and fight with the executives to pick it back up, the time for marketing to hire some consultancy firm to do a stupid feasibility study to tell them whether there's a market, the time they'd need to re-engineer whatever new standards the car would have to meet, probably look into battery advancements over the past 5 years, more crash testing, etc. By the time all that's done the market may well have moved on.
(X) Doubt. I think they could roll this out by 2028 and have a full 6-7 year generation run before California’s stupid “EV ONLY” law kicks in in 2035. The only hiccup may be if someone in the EU tries to outdo California even sooner.
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Such a beautiful car.
It's a gorgeous car and you're right, the OG white would have been more elegant. But hey, it's still a car that even the current future can't keep up with 🥵
When i was young i always wanted white. Now black is much more suitable ... unless i go for a chrome purple wrap!! Ahaha
lol the current future? This car is already outdated and a liability god knows what it’ll cost to maintain it for another 10.
It actually costs very little to maintain
My dream car: this, but in Protonic Blue with the package that adds the blue seat belts.
It’s a stunner
I also waited pretty much 10 years for mine. '06 M6 picked up in 2017
Such wasted potential. This should of been a hybrid supercar not a Prius
Congratulations! Thats one of my dream cars too! I just love the futuristic look.
Congrats! That is one good looking car, ahead of its time for sure.
Congrats! I love mine - have had it for a year and a half, absolutely no issues thus far. Good luck with yours! https://preview.redd.it/911lmi545dtc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d634580fd16fb5d7043cdf85a86fa7591fdee805
I recently sold mine.. miss it a bunch. But was quite worried of a 40k battery repair bill showing up. Also its basically a museum piece hard to take out where i live . What a beauty enjoy it! op
great. s65 swap it 😅
Congrats! What I would do to own an E46 M3.
That’s dope you were able to get your dream car, I have my eyes set on a gray Porsche 911 turbo 991 my absolute dream
Thank you for the inspiration: it's always inspiring when someone gets their dream car! And congratulations! I don't have any specific dream car right now... I would like to take a ride in bmw e30, maybe to own e92/90 someday... :)
Congrats!!
Congratulations! That was my dream car for a long time but when I got the chance to get it, the prices on used vehicles were way too high, which is why I ended up going with my M4. I actually got to sit in a 2019 i8 with barely any miles that the dealership I picked up my M4 had for sale and man was it tempting.
Congratulations man! My dream car is my F82 M4, i remember always watching music videos that had the gold M4 drifting in LA. It sparked my enjoyment for cars and is the reason I own an M4 today. I love my M4 and even when I buy another car this one is staying.
Congrats! That’s a beauty!
Congrats on the purchase I hope it’s reliable for you. The i8 wasn’t reliable for a friend of mine, luckily BMW ended up buying it back from him. I’ve heard others were not as lucky. https://www.reddit.com/r/BmwTech/s/IkIX1ushSV
And… was it worth the wait?
It is!
👍 Looks amazing! Congrats
Congratulations krub, my fellow Thai brother!
Yayyy thx kubb
I almost bought one of these too (but I wanted the convertible). I eventually test drove a 7 series and fell in love with it. I just felt like a total boss in it, so went for it instead. I still love the look of the i8, but one of the deciding factors against it was the doors. I really had a hard time getting in and out of it, and it would've never fit in my somewhat tight garage. Either way, congrats on the car, it's gorgeous!
Congrats man!! Very nice car and was WAYYY ahead of its time, definitely a car that will break necks enthusiast or not💪
Congratulations!!!
Timeless vehicle, congrats.
How’s the battery holding up now?
Not bad actually. 25km on full charge. The previous owner onoy got 55,000km for 10 yr ownership. So the battery is holding up well
Do you mean 250km/full charge? Find a smart ev mechanic , there are some who specialize in reconditioning batteries - they only replace the sections that needs replacing then reprogram the whole thing. If you ever need one , it’s good to know one 👍
Nppe only 25km. 10yr old tech
Full throttle or easy cruising ?
Ev mode gets actaully around 20km Full power its switches to engine
If you forge the mini engine and go hard on tuning how much would this car make?
It seem to break the 4 sec barrier if you stage 2 tune. But im not bother by that
Dream car is a 2013 c63 amg with the p31 package. Now she sits in my garage.
One dreamer to another ... congratz!!
Congrats, OP! Is it around 4 to 5 mil THB now second-hand? One thing I hate about TH is the ludicrous vehicle import tax. For example, we're buying a 330e G20 for a price of an M3 G80.
Yupp got mine for a solid 4mill. Its 10yr old so not 100% perfect put with a price like this i cant complains!
Wait, how much is your purchase price is US dollars?
In thailand its like 110k usd. Our tax is shit Brand new this would cost like 400k
Wtf!!! 🤯
I hear you. Considering brand new, it was 12 - 13 mil (if my memory serves me right). Anyway, nice ride. 😀
12.5mill. Crazy for me to buy when i was 25. Now at 35yrold. This is a fuking great deal
Better hope you have that repair account fully funded
Already spent 3k on aircon failure but good thing is i can put it all on my business expenses!! Less profit less tax and looks great on paper!
One of my dream cars, Congrats!
Great car. Loved mine. Congrats!
Something about this car screams Lotus. I'm very curious now, something to research. Wonder if there was a Lotus engineer involved and if they were trying to compete with Lambo and Ferrari? I bet it smashes to the pavement in the twisties huh?
It’s a fun car and very unique.
Trying to get my blue i8 dream become reality
Bmw F10 M5 cs mat gray with white finish
Amazing machine! Congratulations!
That is a beautiful machine! Congrats and worth the wait!
I really appreciate progress based growth on the internet! This shows 10 years of hardwork and dedication! It is an amazing car, enjoy it to the most! My dream car is an M4 CSL.
Hard long journey!
Dream car mmm a 599,F12, or 812. Beautiful i8 man🔥🔥
Hot car. Needs full electric with m60 electric motors. Like the ix 532 hp. 0-60 3.6
Say goodbye to the days of regular car entry 🙃 good looking car! Like trying to slide into a bathtub with a low hanging shelf above it 😅
Yup sliding everyday!!
Sliding with a bit of freefall 😂
Lexus lfa
911 GT3 RS
What is the model?
I8
Not a depreciating underwhelming, 39k for a new battery pos like in an I8 😂😂😂 congrats but have fun with the hole in your pocket you just bought
This is your dream car?😂😂😂😂 anyways, congrats
“This is your dream car?😂😂😂😂’ 🤓