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BMW made a modular engine design with the E60 M5. It could be cut down for a 4 litre V8 (as they did) for the M3. Why not make a 3 litre V6 with it with 300bhp. Then tie it to a properly lightened car.
Then tie it to a properly lightened car.
genuine question. can a modern consumer saloon car be light anymore?
I mean stripped out racers are one thing (lotus elise, I'm looking at you) but looking at even a fast medium size car, say BMW M3, C63 AMG, Audi RS4 etc. can they ever be much less than 1500 kg's?
dave
Yes, if you remove the fancy sound systems, the electical bucket seats and fix manual adjustment seats, and all the luxuries that come on the standard cars. Think of the 911 GT3 approach, and I bet it could be done.
[1] I am not an engine designer, all this comes from my hazy knowledge of engine design piced up form reading the web
Its still very nose heavy however.
Completely aside and unrelated to this thread I know BMW will go the turbo route with the M cars. This IIRC is a shame, those that have had a BMW on here, will recall how nice the N/A engines were on full song. Why not make the cars lighter instead, and that doesn;t just mean some carbon fibre on the dash.
My guess as to why V12 are being phased out is cost against volume sold and emissions requirements.
A 12 cylinder engine of modular design uses 50% more fuel to overcome friction as opposed to an 8 cylinder.
With a little bit of Brabus help the V12 will fit in the E, CLS and C class. It's not that big.
I always thought the VAG units with their narrow V angles were almost like an inline 6 in overall length?There's certainly packaging advantages in a W12 format over a V12. The VAG W12 in the Bentley comes as something of a shock when you see it in real life, it's so short.
The piston format of the W16 in the Bug is neatly shown in this video
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ziDh6...E8127747E&index=8&playnext=2&playnext_from=PL
The disadvantage is the W16 noise is rather agricultural.
I always thought the VAG units with their narrow V angles were almost like an inline 6 in overall length?
They are engineered like a straight 6 so have a single cylinderhead, 7 main bearings and individual crank throws for each piston. The engine itself is more of a stagerred inline 6 than a true vee engine from an engineering perspective.
The W12 will be similar, built essentially of two banks of narrow angle VR6's but a larger conventional vee angle between the two banks of 6 (if that makes sense ), so in overall length isn't all that much shorter than a traditional V12.
I always thought the VAG units with their narrow V angles were almost like an inline 6 in overall length?
They are engineered like a straight 6 so have a single cylinderhead, 7 main bearings and individual crank throws for each piston. The engine itself is more of a stagerred inline 6 than a true vee engine from an engineering perspective.
The W12 will be similar, built essentially of two banks of narrow angle VR6's but a larger conventional vee angle between the two banks of 6 (if that makes sense ), so in overall length isn't all that much shorter than a traditional V12.
well, that didn't take long... not just one bit of heresy, but two! a turbo-charged M engine... in an SUV?
X6 M prototype video
dave
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