BMW 320si WTCC - 2007 WTCC Champion Andy Priaulx

I've never expected to fall in love with BMW race cars before I started collecting 1/43 scaled diecast. In the old days, (in between early and mid 90s - where public internet accessibility nearly non-existence at that time), like those naive schoolboy, I used to laugh at those BMW and Mercedes, I said to my younger brother "can these big body cars compete with those smaller and better aerodynamic developed JDM like Evo, Impreza, Civic, Integra Type R?". Therefore, the rich BMW motor sports heritage were visually non-existence in my mind. 

I'd changed my perception with BMW once Mclaren F1 was released... That massive V12 engine had set the Benchmark for the Super car manufacturer to beat. Then I began to recognize BMW not only builds excellent luxury cars, but their race machines are equally impressive. 


So when I first watched the FIA WTCC on a motor sports TV programme. I slowly begin to get hook with the BMW saloon car too. I saw Andy Priaulx won his third consecutive FIA World Touring Car Championship with the BMW 320si in style. Then I told myself, hey that 320si were fast and nobody can beat them in three FIA WTCC seasons.

Therefore when Minichamps announced to release the #1 320si two years ago, I quickly grabbed one before they were gone for good. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2008 BMW Sauber F1.08 Formula 1

Well, I guess everybody knows about BMW involvement in Formula 1 racing. So no exception to their F1.08 car. In my opinion, the F1.08 cars are the best looking among those F1 cars that ever developed by BMW, not to mention their descent result in 2008 season. I like the extra bull like horns in particular. Too bad, I can't find a descent priced Robert Kubica car, so need to settle down with the nick heidfeld instead.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BMW V12 LMR

As usual, I'll start off the M Power theme by introducing something classical, the BMW V12 LMR.

Like the Mclaren F1 GTR, the BMW V12 LMR carries the same S70/2 engine that gave the F1 GTR it's debut LM victory in 1995. 

Some quick facts about the BMW V12 LM prototype:

The BMW V12 LMR was a Le Mans Prototype built for sports car racing from 1999 to 2000. The car was built through an alliance between BMW Motorsport and WilliamsF1, and was the successor to the failed BMW V12 LM of 1998. It is famous for being BMW's only overall victor of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Immediately following the 1998 24 Hours of Le Mans in which both BMW V12 LMs had failed to finish due to mechanical difficulties and a slow pace caused by aerodynamic inefficiencies, BMW Motorsport made the decision to radically revamp their sportscar project and quickly replace the V12 LM with a new car for 1999, the V12 LMR.

The V12 LMR would retain only the basic structures of the V12 LM, while all of the car's bodywork was redone from scratch. The cooling ducts, a major problem on the V12 LM, were moved to the top of the car instead of from the bottom where it had suffered from ambient track heat. Among the more radical design features was the use of a small rollhoop located only behind the driver's seat, instead of a wide rollhoop which covered the entire cockpit. This was done through using a loophole in the ACO's Le Mans prototype regulations. This allowed for less drag as well as less obstruction for the air to the rear wing. A total of four new chassis were built by WilliamsF1 in the United Kingdom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

M3 GTR

One of a awesome race machine from BMW. The M3 GTR had a pretty records at the green hell...