Next month marks the end of production for the BMW i8, the plug-in hybrid electric sports car that made its debut at Frankfurt in 2013. Seeing as it will be confined to the automaker’s history, BMW thought it best to surround the latest i8 with some of the brand’s most historic cars from its vaults in Germany.
According to BMW, the i8 sold 20,000 units and became the most successful sports car with electrified drive, reaching 50 per cent of the market segment in sales. Yes, the ‘electric sports car’ segment is somewhat limited, but we’ll give BMW this rather pedantic point.
Both the coupe and roadster versions of the i8 sport a 1.5-litre three-cylinder engine that powers the rear wheels, while an electric motor powered the front, all for a combined 374hp in its final iteration. It’s not blistering performance, but coupled with its futuristic styling and forward-opening gull-wing doors, it proved to be a spritely and stylish sports car. Whether you love it or hate it, it will have a rightful place in the brand’s museum alongside such legendary BMWs as the M1 and Z8; call it a future and futuristic classic, if you will.
In this time of strife, let’s thank BMW for giving us some beauty to enjoy, right when we need it the most!
*Images courtesy of BMW
