BMW 328 ‘Hommage’

No, you’re not seeing double, there really are two ‘m’s in the name of BMW’s latest styling exercise, a two-seater roadster debuting at Villa d’Este. A sort of ‘Hommage’ by name, ‘homage’ by nature, if you like, as the new car is dedicated to the famous BMW 328 which celebrates its 75th anniversary this year.

The Bavarian company is justly proud of its heritage, though BMW is stretching the point somewhat to describe its pre-War 328 as one “considered the most successful and best-looking sports car of the 1930s”. Alfa 8C or Bugatti Type 57, anyone? It was a very modern design, that’s true, with a beautifully engineered straight-six that saw racing service well in to the 1950s and in coupé form won the 1940 Mille Miglia – which lends the ‘MM’ to the new car’s name.

Villa d’Este, the world’s most exclusive concours d’elegance, coming just a week after the running of the modern retrospective Mille Miglia event, was the perfect venue for the striking design created by a team led by top designer Adrian van Hooydonk. “Carbon is the material of the future,” he said, and extensive use is made of what was once a space-age material but is now seen in greater quantities throughout the automobile industry.

Many styling cues from the 1930s original are reprised in the Hommage. It has a strikingly vertical and pronounced twin-kidney grille. The wheels are two-part with ‘cooling holes’, and the windscreen is asymmetric; split and curving its centre, with the focus on the driver.

Unpainted, the carbonfibre bodywork has natural-colour leather ‘straps’ as if tying the bonnet down. It also features round headlamps, each divided into four individual bulbs with a ‘cross’ effect imitating the plastic tape used on racing cars in the 30s, 40s and 50s. There are no doors.

Inside the cockpit, only round instruments can be seen, many having a retro ‘stop watch’ look and feel. The instrument panel is fitted with two iPhones located in special holders. These offer additional display functions for the driver and co-driver.

The concept is all about style and possible future trends for the innovative Bavarian company – little is known about the running gear apart from the engine being a 3.0-litre straight six. What else.

Photos: BMW

A Bull At The Gate: Mad Mike’s 26B-TT MX-5 Has Arrived

There are numerous reasons why people are drawn to drifting. The action element is undeniable of course, and the competition itself provides no shortage of excitement – especially when two evenly-matched drivers go head-to-head in a final battle. Then there’s the style aspect, which over the years has transcended down to street level with visual cues and direct links to the motorsport. But in bringing you this story on one of the most highly anticipated drift builds of recent times, it’s innovation that I want to talk about today.

Drifting is one of very few motorsports where creativity has few bounds. Sure, the rulebook dictates things that can and can’t be done, but for the most part, if you can dream it, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to run it.

Of course, you’ve got to build it first though, and if you’re talking about an ultra-competitive Formula Drift Pro spec machine, that’s going to take a lot of know-how, a lot of work, and enough funding to see it through.

There’s risks associated with doing something different of course, but in my mind, for the betterment of the professional side of the sport it’s good to have guys like Mad Mike Whiddett who are prepared to break tradition. And in the case of his latest and greatest creation, also test that fine line between genius and insanity.

If you’re a regular visitor to Speedhunters, or follow the exploits of the Kiwi drifter through his various social channels, I’m sure you’ll be familiar with his most ambitious drift car build to date.

It’s been a while since I first laid eyes on the stripped-down chassis that would form the basis for the project, but I remember the day well. It was the day I questioned if Mike had actually gone ‘Mad’.

As it turned out – and as always seems to be the case with Mike and his cars – the beginnings of this build involved a fair amount of chance.

Yes, he had always dreamed of slapping a high-horsepower rotary motor into Mazda’s iconic drop-top sportscar and going nuts, but prior to pulling the trigger on this build, it seemed more likely that Mike would make his return to the Formula Drift Pro Championship in 2015 behind the wheel of another RX-8.

The road to Le Mans: AAI Motorsports

Aux 24 Heures du Mans 2015, Michelin est partenaire de 20 teams que nous présentons jusqu’au début de la semaine mancelle. Le team taïwanais AAI Motorsports va découvrir les 24 Heures du Mans.

AAI Motorsports, c’est un réseau de 400 distributeurs spécialisés dans la vente de pièces et d’accessoires de tuning et de compétition dans le monde entier. C’est aussi une équipe de course basée à Taïwan depuis 1991 et dirigée par le pilote Jun-San Chen.

AAI Motorsports a participé à différentes épreuves en Asie avant de disputer deux courses en Blancpain Endurance Series en 2012 avec une McLaren MP4-12C. Mais c’est en Asian Le Mans Series que le team a récolté ses premiers grands succès.

AAI Motorsports avait terminé 2^e de la catégorie GTC en Asian Le Mans Series 2013. L’an passé, le team taïwanais a carrément engagé trois voitures, deux BMW Z4 en GTE et une Mercedes SLS AMG en GTC, et décroché deux invitations pour participer aux 24 Heures du Mans 2015 en catégorie LM GTE Am.

Deux invitations que le team de Taïwan a tenu à honorer. C’est donc avec deux Porsche/Michelin et le soutien technique et logistique de ProSpeed Competition (5 participations mancelles), qu’AAI Motorsports sera présent dans la Sarthe. Mike Parisy, Xavier Maassen, Gilles Vannelet et Alex Kapadia ont été recrutés pour épauler les Taïwanais Jun-San Chen et Han-Chen Chen.

We’ll be counting down the days to the 2015 Le Mans 24 Hours by presenting each of Michelin’s 20 partner teams at this year’s race. Their numbers include Le Mans rookies AAI Motorsports from Taiwan.AAI Motorsports is a network of 400 sales outlets which distribute tuning and motorsport parts and accessories worldwide. It is also the name of the Taiwan-based race team created in 1991 and run by ex-driver Jun-San Chen.AAI Motorsports took part in a variety of events in Asia before appearing in two Blancpain Endurance Series rounds in 2012 with a McLaren MP4-12C. Its first major successes came in the Asian Le Mans Series, however.AAI Motorsports came second in GTC in the 2013 ALMS. It then entered three cars (two BMW Z4s in GTE, plus a Mercedes SLS AMG in GTC) in the 2014 championship, earning two invitations to be part of the 2015 Le Mans 24 Hours in the LM GTE Am class.It didn’t want to turn down those invitations so it has entered two Michelin-equipped Porsches with the logistical and technical support of ProSpeed Competition (five previous Le Mans participations). Drivers Mike Parisy, Xavier Maassen, Gilles Vannelet and Alex Kapadia have been recruited to join Taiwan racers Jun-San Chen and Han-Chen Chen.

Cars entered for the 2015 Le Mans 24 Hours:

N°67 Porsche 997 GT3 RSR (LM GTE Am): Jun-San Chen / Alex Kapadia / Xavier Maassen

N°68 Porsche 911 RSR (LM GTE Am): Han-Chen Chen / Gilles Vannelet / Mike Parisy

Le Mans record:

First attempt

Superbikes......