2009 M3 on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Rinspeed issues its Budii call for Geneva [w/video]

Of all the concepts prepared every year for the Geneva Motor Show, those made by Rinspeed are typically the most outlandish and forward-thinking. And this is the latest from Frank Rinderknecht and company. Though Rinspeed's been known to build entirely original vehicles from the ground up, it tends to base its creations on production models: Following the Tesla-based XchangE from last year, the Smart-based Dock+Go of 2012, the Fiat-based E2 from 2009 and the Lotus-based sQuba in 2007, the new Budii concept is based on the BMW i3. That means, of course, that it's powered by electricity, but the technology demonstrator is focused more on autonomous driving tech. The Budii incorporates a periscopic camera and laser scanner to map the terrain and the road ahead from above, and a drive-by-wire steering system that allows the steering wheel on an articulated column to be passed between driver and passenger or tucked out of the way to let the electronics take over. Once unburdened of the task of driving, the occupants can enjoy the proliferation of touchscreens, the "wellness shower" (whatever that is) installed in the headliner, the automatic watch-winder on the steering column and the interior accoutrements furnished by Mansory. The whole thing rides on a lowered suspension with 19-inch Borbet alloys, with a rainbow Knight Rider-style grille in the nose. But to appreciate the full scope of the consortium of suppliers that collaborated with Rinspeed to bring the Budii to life, you'll want to delve into the press release after the video below and scope out the dozens of high-resolution images in the slideshow above. 2015 Geneva Motor Show: Rinspeed "Budii" redefines human-machine interaction Reach out to robots The vision of autonomous driving will soon become reality and will fundamentally change the interaction of man and automobiles. While the research centers of the automotive industry are still feverishly working on the technical solutions, progressive thinkers such as the Swiss idea factory Rinspeed are already giving concrete thought to how automated private transport will transform the car and the man-machine system. Besides fundamental conceptual changes, this will also have to involve issues of ethics and society. In the past, the robots in the factories of this world merely assembled cars for people. In the new "Budii" concept car from Swiss automotive visionary Frank M.

BMW patents strange three-cylinder pushrod engines, perhaps for cruiser motorcycle

For decades BMW's motorcycles were easily identified by the two opposed cylinders sticking out of each side of the bike. While you can still find this layout on some of its products, these days the company also uses a variety of other layouts, depending on the model line. Based on European patents, there might even be a Bimmer in the ranks eventually with an absolutely bizarre-looking W3 configuration. BMW actually has two separate patents on these W3 designs, and both of them have the goal of cramming three cylinders into the space of a traditional V-twin. The first splays the cylinder out into a fan shape with pushrods operating the valves. The description submitted to the World Intellectual Property Organization describes the solution as, "The embodiment according to the invention represents an as of yet unknown type of W-3 reciprocating piston internal combustion engine having cylinder angles which can be largely freely sized." The other solution is more of a modification to the traditional V-twin. Two of the cylinders share a crankpin, but the third has its own and is positioned inside the angle of the V. It's a very odd-looking engine. With BMW's assertion that these designs are meant to fit in place of a traditional V-twin, Jalopnik speculates that they could be for a future cruiser from the company, and that would make sense. While brand offers a line of sport tourers with the K1600 line, it doesn't have something more classic to take on the likes of the Ducati Diavel. Creating such a weird engine would probably grab early interest from riders.

Hamann M6 Gran Coupe is all flared and shiny

Oh, Hamann. After rolling out the ridiculously pink Mystère at this year's Geneva Motor Show, the tuning company has worked its mirror-finishing magic on the BMW M6 Gran Coupe, debuting this, the aptly named "Mirror" at the Frankfurt Motor Show. It sure is shiny, and a full 40 millimeters wider than the standard M6 GC.
Hamann says that the, um, "tailor-made suit" exterior treatment is made up of a new front bumper spoiler with large air intakes, side skirts, a new rear spoiler, and wing extensions out back. And the end result is... well, let's just call it noticeable. The special BMW rides on unique 21-inch wheels and sits a full 25 millimeters closer to the ground, as well.
As far as we can tell, Hamann hasn't upgraded the M6's 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 at all, though there's a new sport exhaust system that "depending on the application area, either noisily announce its presence or purr sportily." Sounds like it's as loud as its newfound appearance.