Bimmer Owners' Club

When the BMW M8 GTE broke cover last year, it was celebrated for its innovative design that embraced both the motorsport and road car heritage of BMW, while making a clear statement of modernity. Speaking in an interview, Michael Scully, Head of Design BMW Motorsport, and the man behind the aesthetics of the latest Le Mans challenger, explains how the BMW M8 GTE’s looks came to life Mr. Scully, the BMW M8 GTE has been built to compete in the toughest endurance races around the globe. Why do you think the look of the car is important? Michael Scully: “When a car like the BMW M8 GTE debuts publically before a flagship production car such as the BMW 8 Series, the continuity of performance and design character are of heightened importance because the race car plays such an active role in helping to shape and communicate the essence of the new BMW 8 Series. Race cars are typically known to be functionally-driven objects, and I love when a vehicle is so focused: they have an innate, authentic expression of what they do. That visual communication is more subjective than a stopwatch however and as a designer, I’m interested in both the absolute performance of the vehicle and what character its shape and graphics communicate. Having synergies between those elements is sometimes highly challenging, but it’s also what I find most rewarding in design.” As a designer, does this balance of function and emotion bring compromise or structure? Scully: “It’s a two-way street. The criteria of functional requirements help structure the design process and give us something to respond to. Trying to find innovative, clever solutions in response to that framework is, for me, what being a designer is all about. Without those constraints, the creative process could be considered to be solely an artistic thing: essentially producing sculpture, for example. Uniting the essential BMW design DNA with the functional and regulatory requirements in the development process is for me, where the creative dynamic really begins.” In which way does design show the character of a car? And what is the character of the BMW M8 GTE? Scully: “I think we have created a focused, determined expression with the BMW M8 GTE. The car has a formidable presence, and this is partly due to its essential proportions sourced from the production car: It has the classic two-box proportion with long hood, and visual emphasis of mass on the rear wheels which make it, fundamentally, a sports car. As we added nearly 100mm to each side of the car, and with its explicit aerodynamic elements, the car overtly conveys its intent to win races. At the front of the car, we’ve taken the opportunity to pronounce the internal ducting of the kidneys with a bold colour application, and celebrate the purpose-driven aerodynamic shapes. Combined with the intense, forward-focused headlights and endurance racing-specific corner lights, the car has a highly determined expression… something that I feel is relevant to the purpose of the car.” Your grandfather was an influential architecture historian. Do you think this is a coincidence or do you believe you can inherit the language of shape and design? Scully: “My Granddad taught me that there is added significance when a building or an object acknowledges its context, and that designing in a situational vacuum is fruitless. An object can add positively to the human experience if conceived with an awareness of its surroundings. Sometimes this connection can be accomplished by directly referencing that environment; for example a house on a mountain range with the roofline gesturing to the mountains’ specific slopes, or sometimes by blatantly disavowing the existing surroundings to provoke a larger dialog. Both can be valuable depending on the specific instance, but making those deeper connections is a designer’s onus. I think that’s where I learned about finding relevance, meaning, and impact in an object or image.” So, if the mountain range is the context for the building, the circuit is the context for the race car? Scully: “Exactly. The context of a race car is the competitive arena. I’m captivated by objects that are built for competition use because they look, and are, so purposeful. As a result, they happen to send a very clear, visceral message of their intent. For the BMW M8 GTE to be relevant in this context, modern, bold, and impactful shapes and graphics were in order, and I think the car succeeds in carrying those attributes forward to the world’s stage.” What are the other challenges for a car race designer? Scully: “At BMW Design we use precise lines in conjunction with nuanced surfaces to achieve an interplay between the two, and lend a visual structure to the shape of the car. The regulations for the BMW M8 GTE however, forbid any kind of crisp lines being added to the surfaces; in fact, they require a minimum of a 50mm radius to any surface addition in many areas. This tends to necessitate very clunky, albeit legal shapes. With this project, we were continuously looking for ways of maintaining the integrity, richness, and precision of the BMW 8 Series production car design, while also abiding by the regulations, and achieving our aerodynamic and packaging targets. One of the ways we have accomplished this is with inlets and outlets for the air in the bodywork: they perform critical functions, and also give a precision and structure back to the shape that could otherwise get a bit heavy.” How did the relationship with your BMW 8 Series colleagues work? Scully: “BMW Design’s leadership has obviously had a very active hand in the BMW 8 Series, and that also includes the GTE variant. Additionally, the exterior designer of the BMW Concept 8 Series is a good friend and co-worker of mine: understanding where he was coming from thematically was really helpful in maintaining continuity between the cars. We also had the chance to directly exchange ideas for the GTE, so in that sense, it was a natural extension of the BMW 8 Series lineage. I see race cars and production cars at the BMW Group as having a two-way relationship: A lot of manufacturers promote how their race cars inform their production cars, and we do that too, but at BMW our production and concept cars also inform our race cars. And I think that’s what gives an authenticity to each of them.” Do you have an example of that two-way relationship? Scully: “On the mirrors of the BMW M8 GTE, I was striving throughout the development process to get the iconic BMW ‘M hook’ that points back towards the centreline of the car integrated into the main housing of the mirror. It’s an element of our M production cars that really resonates with BMW purists. From my initial sketch with an underslung, cantilevered support, and in iterative collaboration with the aerodynamicists, we found some notable functional benefits from the shape of the mirror, particularly in the highly sculpted base: it’s something that really does positively affect the aerodynamic flow regime down the side of the car. So with the mirrors, we have a relationship where the race car’s functionality is improved, but the fundamental design vocabulary and direction is inspired from the production cars.” What are your favourite parts of the BMW M8 GTE and why? Scully: “As I mentioned, I’m proud of the mirrors because they have an embedded aerodynamic function, carry the M iconography, and have a modern, purposeful expression. I also really like the front kidneys with their exposed interior surfaces for the specific care and feeding requirements of the race car. The kidneys evoke the history of BMW with the forward-leaning shark nose, and by opening them up with exposed internals, we reference that heritage in an entirely modern way.” To sum it all up: Where does the BMW M8 GTE rank compared to the other BMW race cars you have worked on? Scully: “The BMW M8 GTE is truly distilled down to its essence. It is an efficient, competitive machine. It has a highly defined purpose, and a distinct, dynamic persona. For me, it’s the most elemental, determined car that we have ever built.”

A special MotoGP season gets underway for BMW M GmbH at the “Losail International Circuit” in Qatar this weekend (16th to 18th March): It is BMW M’s 20th season as “Official Car of MotoGP” A special MotoGP season gets underway for BMW M GmbH at the “Losail International Circuit” in Qatar this weekend (16th to 18th March): it is BMW M’s 20th season as “Official Car of MotoGP”. BMW and BMW M GmbH have been involved as partners of MotoGP organiser Dorna Sports since 1999. Activities are focussed on providing the safety car fleet. In the 2018 anniversary season, the fleet will be headed by the new BMW M5 MotoGP Safety Car. BMW M GmbH will provide a total of seven BMW M high-performance cars this year to ensure the safety of the race events. “I would like to take this opportunity to thank Dorna Sports for the faith they have shown in us for what is now two decades. Rarely do you come across such a long and successful partnership in sport, and we are proud of this special anniversary,” said Frank van Meel, President of BMW M GmbH. “When we partnered with MotoGP organiser Dorna Sports in 1999, our aspiration was to use all our expertise, innovative technology from motorsport and new ideas to serve safety in the MotoGP. That remains the case today. 20 years down the road, Dorna Sports still has a strong partner on board, in BMW M GmbH, for whom the safety of the riders takes top priority.” The fleet of safety and official cars has always consisted of the latest BMW M models, optimised for use on the racetrack. Celebrating the 20th anniversary, BMW M GmbH remains true with this philosophy and sets a real highlight with the new BMW M5 MotoGP Safety Car. The new course car is based on the high-performance sedan BMW M5 (combined consumption: 10.5 l/100 km; combined CO2 emissions: 241 g/km)*, which was showcased to the global public for the first time in August 2017. The BMW M5’s technical features ensure perfect handling, even at the limits of driving dynamics. These features include the newly-developed M-specific all-wheel drive M xDrive, which is being used in the BMW M5 for the first time. The 4.4-litre V8 engine with M TwinPower Turbo technology represents another significant increase in performance compared to previous models, with 441 kW/600 HP and maximum torque of 750 Nm in the production M5. Painstaking manual work at the BMW M Manufaktur in Garching converted the high-performance base car into the BMW M5 MotoGP Safety Car, preparing it to appear as the course car in MotoGP. In the 2018 season, the fleet of official MotoGP vehicles includes a total of seven different BMW M high-performance cars. Alongside the new BMW M5 MotoGP Safety Car the BMW M3 Safety Car will also be in action. BMW M GmbH will provide the Safety Officer and the Race Director with a BMW M4 Coupé Safety Car with water injection and a BMW M2 Safety Car. In addition, the BMW X5 M Medical Car will take to the track this season and a BMW M6 Gran Coupé Safety Car also stands ready to be in action. Two BMW S 1000 RR, which BMW Motorrad provides as safety bikes, complete the 2018 safety car fleet. Among the many other activities that make up BMW M GmbH’s commitment to MotoGP is the BMW M Award, which will be presented for the 16th time in 2018. This award is presented at the end of each MotoGP season to the rider with the best overall result in qualifying. The winner receives an exclusive BMW M car. The BMW M MotoGP Experience sees guests of BMW M GmbH experience an unforgettable race weekend. They are given an exclusive glimpse behind the scenes by BMW M MotoGP experts Loris Capirossi and Alex Hofmann. Furthermore, BMW M GmbH presents its latest models and products with on-site campaigns on selected Grand Prix weekends. CONSUMPTION AND EMISSION DATA: Combined consumption: 10.5 l/100 km; combined CO2 emissions: 241 g/km * Fuel consumption and CO2 emissions figures are provisional, based on the EU test cycle and may vary depending on the tyre format specified. *The fuel consumption and CO2 emissions figures shown were determined according to the European Regulation (EC) 715/2007 in the version applicable at the time of type approval. The figures refer to a vehicle with basic configuration in Germany and the range shown considers the different size of the selected wheels and tires. The CO2 efficiency specifications are determined according to Directive 1999/94/EC and the Pkw-EnVKV, and based (for classification) on the fuel consumption and CO2 values as per the NEDC cycle.