Photo Rendering: BMW Z9 to take on the Audi R8

nice. are all future bmws gonna be almost identical in design to the cs but different only in shape though? at least bmw finally got their face right this time.

i am also still waiting for the redesigned 8 series or better yet, the m8

That looks more like competition for the SL than the R8. I don't think BMW could measure up to the R8 or 911, so they're better off going after Mercedes.

I agree. BMW has always wanted to compete with the SL. Recent statement by BMW execs state their not interested in building a super car.

That's an idiodic thing to say. BMW has outengineered both Audi and Mercedes since, well, since forever. Audi has been playing catchup to BMW for years, still is. For agrument sake, for every one "engineering marvel" Audi has produced, BMW can name five, and many years prior.

and they couldn't measure up why exactly? I'm sure people said the same thing about Audi 5 years ago measuring up to the 911, or even about Audi versus BMW in general, now they have the R8. BMW couldn't do that why?

As for the SL competitor instead of R8 competitor, BMW has already indicated they're doing both. They've wanted a piece of the SL for years, and the only reason they haven't had a 911-class car is that there was an agreement between Audi, MB, and BMW not to compete against the 911, which was a German icon and the only thing holding Porsche up, which was struggling back then. My how times have changed, now Porsche is the most profitable car company, Audi has broken the agreement, and you can definitely expect 911-class cars from BMW and Benz.

LOL, I was kidding. But honestly, this does look like an SL competitor rather than a supercar GT. It would be sweet if they revived the M1 name to be a new mid-engined supercar that could REALLY compete with the R8. The more competition, the better. The more supercars, the better.

It does look like an SL competitor alright, but it looks even more like a lazy photoshop of the CS concept.

Although I'm not a BMW fan, but I really like this new front end, I hope they do keep it and get rid of the ugly current one on their 6 and 7 series.

" BMW Z9 to take on the Audi R8 "

A front engined, RWD touring car to be a direct competitor to a Mid-engined semi-track car?

Where do I sign up to get paid for sh*t comparos like this one.

its funny since bmw is way behind on the prominent grills present on mercedes and audi amnongs other cars. audi seems to have been the trendsetter here with mercedes in the big grill department after rolls and bentley. bmw had no clue what to do with that iddy bitty, weak grille for the past several years especially considering the lower air dam. finally realized they could be combined in redesign. lol.

the m3 hump on the hood is plain gay.

Simply hot.

It's a CS, Z9 & 6-series all photo-shopped into one.

I would like to see bmw smooth out the kidney grill a s little bit, and it fine with me. I think this car will be like the Mercedes SL, a Grand tourer , the mid engined Audi R8 is a sports car more like Porsche 911, Acura NSX.

BMW wins on name alone. R8 is a debadged, downgraded Lambo.

well, in fairness a "debadged downgraded Lambo" is a pretty good place to start when building a sports car. If someone handed you the shell of a Ferrari and said "ok, reskin it with a slick exterior, stick a great engine and interior in it, and sell it for 1/2 the price" I think you'd probably have a pretty decent sports car.

LOL! Yeah, and you know how amazing the R8 is? It actually drives BETTER than the Gallardo on which it's based. I can't wait for the V10. Why buy the Lamborghini when you can get a 500-550hp R8 for $40K less, and it looks better?

It could be the look of the new 6 series?

BMW once had a supercar in Ferrari class the M1, that was back in the 1978 i guess, way before Audi thougt on a R8, so sure BMW can build a supercar.
But does we need another supercar?

How many in here even drive BMWs, MBs og Audis Lexus? i guess not many but we like to talk about what is best but have never driven any funny to think about.

Where BMW failed misarebly at that, Audi already succeeded.

Failed miserably? What are you talking about? The M1 is credited with being the world's first user-friendly supercar. It was included in Sports Car Internationals top 10 sports cars of the 1970's.

The R8 is actually a sort of spiritual successor to the M1 in that it has a similar combination of values and a similar intent of targeting the Porsche 911

And the M1 was one of the biggest flops in BMW history.

I have two Audis, and my wife has a Lexus. My son will be "inheriting" one of the Audis, and I'll probably get an S5 coupe for the winter to complement my S4 Cabriolet. The S4 Cabriolet may be replaced by an M3.

It flopped because it was way over-prices, you could get a Ferrari at that time for a good nit less.

It was still a great car though, and far better built than Ferrari's of that time.

People calm down!

last time I checked the R8 was a redesigned Gallardo so what did "Audi" do other than rape its subsidiary of technology to build the guts of their new supercar. I give them credit for the body design but Audi gets no credit in my opinion for engineering a mid engined supercar.

AUTO_UNION beat me to it. Audi is responsible for the Gallardo; it's their V10 and their technology.

Audi owns Lanborghini, they're using the technology they engineered for Lambo in ono of their own cars.

Only 15% is taken over from the already Audi designed Gallardo.

vman1013 :
Audi engineered gallardo.