Who wants to buy a 12 cylinder hydrogen combustion-chamber engine made by BMW?

Ja, I guess it won't be a volume-seller as it might be case with a similiar engine with just 2 or 4 cylinders. I just wonder, where they are supposed to testdrive their masterpiece. Any ideas or guesses?

No matter what, it's always a prototype that emerges first. As its name tells, I think. When this type has passed all critical tests and scores full points in all criteria, then all others follow.
Isn't that so? It's only natural, and I am afraid that applies for everybody, industrywise, of course.

They might as well join the hybrid race or make a good diesel engine for the 7-series. Hydrogen sounds like a good concept but will people buy in, probably not. At least not until it's more mainstream and people have more knowledge of that technology. People won't pay more money for something they know nothing about. Hybrid's been around enough and in the mainstream brands like Honda and Toyota so it's more trusted. Like in any car, faulty technology is no technology at all. IF a luxury car has hybrid, diesel, or hydrogen tech in it and it's faulty it only makes the car appear worse. I've said it before, technology does not make a car luxurious.

Ummm...they do.

Honda is developing the hydrogen fuel-cell FCX sedan for private sale, with an expected 2008 release. It has already been driven by a few magazines, and looks just like a sleeker, larger Civic.

Is that not "mainstream" enough for you?

A Peugeot LeMans racer with a BMW 12-cyl. trying to take on the Audi R10? Interesting.

True. Le Mans has done nothing for Audi's image that wasn't already established, specially in North America.

That was actually the CLK-CLR that flipped. Not the GTR.

I didnt mean to sound like a jerk if I did. I just think it's important to distinguish the difference. They were different cars. One was an utter failure while the other was the winningist car in GT1 history. I would kill to own a street version of the CLK-GTR. Too bad I dont have nearly $2 million to blow on a car.

Don't count on BMW rejoining Le Mans any time soon... (The Sailor on 03/13/2007 at 5:02:42 PM)

Sorry, but this phrase seems almost completely wrong to me. Look what I found in my window:
BMW Motorrad Werksteam startet in Le Mans auf Metzeler. The article itself can be found here:
http://www.mynetmoto.com/news_details.cfm/moto_news/338/affiliate/ .
It's Germanic so here's a short summary and kind of free translation:
BMW joins the Moto GP starting at 24 heures moto in Le Mans

BMW Motorbikes Team and Metzler start at Le Mans

"24 heures moto", the legendary 24 hours motorbike race in Le Mans, France, starts on April, 21st 2007. Everything will seem common regarding recent years on that day, with one historical exception: After 50 yrs of absence in single street race competition a BMW Motorrad company team joins the entry list. (...)

Since this is about motorbikes and not about cars, The Sailor is just almost completely wrong.

Mit freundlichen Grüßen / Kind regards / Cordiali saluti

Exactly, for the price of a Prius you can get a 2.0 tdi Passat! And the Toyota, with it's lightweight materials, doesn't feel nearly as high quality.
I looked at a Yaris and a Lupo and the Lupo felt so much more solid and high quality, I ended up buying it.

When Europeans see a hybrid, they think gasoline, and stick with their diesels. Europe will have to wait until someone can build a diesel-hybrid before they latch on to the hybrid train. Also, it's no deep dark secret that hybrids are more efficient in city/urban settings. Of course you shouldn't buy one if you live on the autobahn...

A diesel hybrid would be brilliant. People kkep thinking I'm denouncing hybrids as useless, but I'm not. Today's hybrids aren't as good as they could be, and the Prius runs on specialist tyres with specialist materials. A normal, diesel hatchback makes a lot more sense for veyr many more people. Added to the fact that fewer people in Europe drive in city centres, hybrids make little sense. It's nearly always quicker to catch the Tube in London than it is to drive.

Where is the info?

BTW, Audi races in Le Mans (ALMS as well) because that is where the RELEVANT technology is. Audi used FSI (direct injection with the turbocharger) on the R8 that won all of those races. Almost immediately Audi put FSI (with and without) turbos on all of its cars. Then, Pontiac, Mazda, BMW, Lexus and many others came out with similar technology. BUT THEY ALL came out after AUDI and a year or two later. Now Audi is racing the R10 to make the best diesels on the market. Audi has already relied on the R10 TDI technology to give the V12/V6 TDIs 2,000 bar injection pressure. Everyone else is still stuck @ 1,600. Therefore Audi has the best diesels available because of the R10.

BTW, did anyone noticed that Porsche's engines in their sport cars and SUVs are already hybrids? They're supposed to work with an 10% ethanol-enriched fuel mixture and are capable of fusing a 25% mixture into energy in the Cayenne's engine. I don't have any sources at hand, but I could imagine that they have a very good reason for doing it. I guess the goal is to built an engine that will burn everything that comes across and only emits hot air and maybe likkle water ... or so. Sounds like the DeLorean in "Back To The Future". (kind of SciFi-movie, back in the eighties)

oh lord have mercy!
did anyone notice. without the "d". I am sorry, there are always some typos ...