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4 Attachment(s)
BMW X5 Le Mans Concept
[B]BMW X5 LeMans Breaks The 8-Minute Record [/B]
[I]06/28/2001 [/I]
Munich/Nurburg, Germany. June 28, 2001. BMW is always good for causing a sensation as far as the time for completing a lap at the Nurburgring is concerned not only on the occasion of the European Grand Prix: only a few days before this event the racing driver Hans-Joachim Stuck driving the X5 LeMans completed the 20.8 km northern circuit of the Nurburgring in 7.49,92 minutes, which is an incredible result. In the straight he reached a top speed of 311 km/h. The X5 LeMans concept car is mostly based on the series-production X5 and demonstrates the BMW Sports Activity Vehicle's enormous potential in terms of technology.
So far it has been considered to be impossible for a Sports Activity Vehicle to break the magic 8-minute record in the so-called "Green Hell". The time it took the X5 LeMans to complete the loop has so far been expected only from specially tuned racing cars or thoroughbred sport coupes. By comparison: the BMW 320i completed the famous circuit in the Eifel area at the Super Touring Car Championship in 7.37 minutes. Under perfect conditions it takes a modern BMW sports car like the Z8, that delivers 400 bhp, 8.16 minutes to do this distance.
The X5 Le Mans concept car has been modified only slightly compared to the series-production version. It is powered by the V12 engine of the prize-winning car in Le Mans in 1999, which produces more than 700 bhp and a torque of 720 Nm. The suspension has been lowered by 30 millimetres. The external dimensions basically correspond to those of the series-production X5. Inside the comfortable standard seats have been replaced by four sporty bucket seats. Aluminium is predominant all around.
The idea behind the concept car is of technological origin: the BMW engineers wanted to find out in practice and demonstrate the X5's absolute limits. It was a pleasant side-effect that it turned out to be a very attractive showpiece that already caused a great stir at the Geneva Motor Show in 2000.
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3 Attachment(s)
BMW X5 Le Mans Concept #2
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i saw the thread name and said wtf..
its strange, i dont like the look, but damn-i wouldnt complain if i had one
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:eek: Holy crap! The SUV world has gone to hell... Porsche makes one and now BMW wants to name one LeMans. Help.
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I actually would LOVE having it, because at the moment I have a real need for something with storage space, and I definitely wouldn't mind having 700bhp on hand!
However once I don't need a larger car with space, I'd swap the engine into my truck, and have a bit of tire-shredding fun :)
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It's not only a stupid ugly vehicle, but they named it LeMans fer Gawd's sake. That name should be for sports cars, not SUVs.
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in the age of when mercedes wont call a shovel a shovel but a soil relocation device...
SUV fits in with that eh? atleast its actually sporty...
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How can a twoton Teuton be considered sporty?
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[QUOTE=IBrake4Rainbows]How can a twoton Teuton be considered sporty?[/QUOTE]
When it can break the 8-minute mark on the Ring, maybe?
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[QUOTE=Dino Scuderia]:eek: Holy crap! The SUV world has gone to hell... Porsche makes one and now BMW wants to name one LeMans. Help.[/QUOTE]
Calm down. Did you not notice that this was introduced as a concept in 2000? It's not for production. They just use it for shows and drive it at exhibitions (like Goodwood).
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[QUOTE=Matt]Calm down. Did you not notice that this was introduced as a concept in 2000? It's not for production. They just use it for shows and drive it at exhibitions (like Goodwood).[/QUOTE]
Yeah, but still it's a slam to the great 24 hour race.
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[QUOTE=Dino Scuderia]Yeah, but still it's a slam to the great 24 hour race.[/QUOTE]
Without using the argument, "It's an SUV" (which is a cop-out), explain that.
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[QUOTE=Matt]Without using the argument, "It's an SUV" (which is a cop-out), explain that.[/QUOTE]
That is the argument. Doesn't take anything away from the vehicle though, busting 8 minutes at the 'ring speaks for itself.
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"It's an SUV" is a pointless argument.