“We knew the platform would bring additional size and weight,” says Sven Esch, M Division’s project dynamics manager, “and we had to decide early on if we should fight with that weight every time. step, sacrificing a lot in order to deliver the lowest number possible; or accepting it and working with it, and just using the best technology available to us to maximize the car’s performance across the board.
“In the end, it was an easy decision. Along the way you have to accept many compromises and in many ways you know the car you are developing could offer more. On the other hand, you get a lot of benefits in a stronger, faster, more advanced, composed and complete product, with only one compromise. »
In a way, it feels a bit like an escape, doesn’t it; because the weight surely imposes penalties throughout a car? Well, not to the key people in this case, obviously. And BMW M is clearly not lacking in confidence in the end result. “You can decide for yourself,” continues Esch, pointing to an empty pit lane at the Saltzburgring circuit. “But we think those extra few pounds are a minor factor.”
BMW clearly isn’t quite ready to communicate exactly what the new M2 weighs (our man would say it’s a figure somewhere between that of the old M2 at 1575kg and an M4 coupe at 1725- ); but they’ll admit where the majority of its M division’s mechanicals come from – its axles, chassis braces, gearboxes, active-locking rear differential and “S58” turbocharged six-cylinder engine. “That weight decision meant we could take as many components as we wanted from the M3 and M4 for this car; and that’s really what we did, because we know how good they are,” Esch admits. .
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Source: www.autocar.co.uk
This notice was published: 2022-06-12 23:01:24
