FRANKFURT MOTOR SHOW: BMW i8 leaked

BMW’s answer to the Porsche 911 has surfaced in final production form, just days before its world debut at the Frankfurt motor show next Tuesday (September 10).

These first two official images of the production i8, including its showroom-ready interior, were originally published by Russian website autowp.ru a day after BMW released a teaser video earlier this week.

They a show a car that maintains the overall proportions of the concept coupe first shown in 2009, but loses details like the transparent (but still upward-opening) doors and psychedelic paint – although there are still blue highlights around the bumpers and the wacky side skirts.

The blue theme continues inside, which is seen here for the first time and reveals a blue-themed digital speedo and energy meter under a see-through instrument binnacle, a new-look three-spoke steering wheel and a sweeping dashboard featuring a large diagonal swathe and dominant centre colour touch-screen – also with a blue theme.

As we reported when we drove the i8 prototype last month, final durability testing of the radical all-wheel-drive petrol-electric hybrid supercar is continuing in the lead-up to the i8’s global release in early 2015.

Expected to be priced well above $200,000 to compete directly with the Porsche 911, the i8 combines a 97kW/250Nm version of the i3 city-car’s electric motor (driving the front wheels) with a rear-mounted turbocharged 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol engine that sends up to 170kW to the rear wheels.

Final performance statistics are yet to be revealed, but combined output of the two power units is 266kW and 570Nm of torque -- almost half of which is on tap instantly, which should result in 0-100km/h acceleration in around 4.5 seconds, bettering the current M3.

The i8 is capable of covering up to 35km in pure electric mode and more than 500km between refills of its 42-litre petrol tank, resulting in a nominal fuel economy figure of around 2.5L/100km

At 4689mm long, 1942mm wide at the mirrors and 1293mm high, the i8 wears an aluminium bonnet and outer skin for its carbon-framed doors, while the roof is carbon-fibre and the bumpers are plastic.

Underneath all this is an all-aluminium central tunnel that carries the lithium-ion battery and houses the carbon-fibre ‘Life Module’ body, plus aluminium subframes at both ends to carry the engines and suspension.

There’s a more responsive version of the X3’s electro-mechanical steering, five-link rear suspension and a multi-mode suspension damping including Sport, Comfort and ECO PRO modes.

The i8 rides on 195/50 R20 front wheels and 215/45 R20 rears, though BMW expects most people to opt for the larger 215/45s and 245/40s seen on the prototype.

Despite all this technology, the i8 weighs less than 1490kg (about 35kg less than the smaller Z4) and will be the world's most aerodynamically efficient sports car, with a drag coefficient of just 0.26Cd.

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