A road going BMW 135i will take on the best motor racing has to offer at this year’s Australian Grand Prix when it takes part in the Ultimate Speed Comparison. The 225kW1 Series Coupé driven by motoring hack Paul Gover will race against Greg Murphy in a race prepped V8 Supercar and Christian Klien in a BMW Sauber F1 machine.
The 135i will be fitted with parts from the BMW Performance range, including lightweight alloys, “uprated” brakes and a few cosmetic goodies, as well. Despite being described as “road going” you can see from the image above that the car is fitted with a roll cage. This doesn’t preclude it from road registration, of course, but it’s clearly not in showroom spec. The car will also be adorned with special livery and the iconic “tii” badging made famous by the spritual predecessor of the 135i, the BMW 2002 tii.
There’s plenty of opportunities for race goers to see this comparison with five exhibition races scheduled, including two on Thursday and one each on the remaining three days of the Grand Prix carnival. Each race will be a one lap dash with handicapping used to give each car a chance to win. Such events are usually quite popular and it will be interesting to see the final outcome.
More details below.
BMW 135i Coupé Takes on the Big Guns at Australian Grand Prix
The heralded BMW 135i Coupé is set to take on the muscle of Albert Park at this year’s 2009 Australian Grand Prix.
A specially equipped 135i Coupé, bearing the famed tii livery and featuring BMW Performance gear, will take part in the Ultimate Speed Comparison.
A race between a V8 Supercar, fully prepared BMW Sauber Formula 1 car and road going BMW 135i Coupé, the Ultimate Speed Comparison is a crowd favourite which pits three high performance forms of motoring against each other in a one lap race to the finish line.
The Ultimate Speed Comparison is held on five separate occasions during the race weekend. The event is run with a timed handicap, giving each car a chance at taking line honours.
The BMW 135i Coupé is fitted with a number of performance and cosmetic upgrades from the BMW Performance stable, which is renowned for a range of exclusive and dynamic sports accessories.
A full BMW Performance aerodynamic package, road holding suspension set up, cross drilled and weight saving brake package and BMW Performance 18†light-alloy wheels are fitted to the car.
Carbon fibre mirror covers and carbon fibre look bonnet with integrated roof and boot sports stripes, further accentuate the sporting character of this unique vehicle.
The 135i Coupé bears ‘tii’ decals front and rear to highlight the fascination of motorsport and heritage of the BMW brand.
Inspired by the famous BMW 02 model introduced in 1966, which in its time was acknowledged as the epitome of supreme agility and thrilling driving, the BMW 135i is also distinguished by its compact dimensions, low weight and perfect balance front-to-rear.
A powerful 6-cylinder twin turbo engine, generating 225 kW ensures the car can reach 100km/h in just 5.3 seconds. Top speed is electronically limited to 250km/h.
The pilot for the BMW 135i at this year’s Ultimate Speed Comparison will be motoring journalist Paul Gover, who took the BMW M Coupé through its paces at last year’s event.
Christian Klien will be at the helm of the BMW Sauber F1 race car, while Greg Murphy will take on both BMW’s in his V8 Supercar.
BMW has taken part in the Ultimate Speed Comparison since its inception.
“BMW is pleased to support this fantastic spectacle,†says Tom Noble, General Manager Marketing, BMW Group Australia.
“The Ultimate Speed Comparison has proven to be a particularly popular segment on the Grand Prix schedule and perfectly embodies ‘The Ultimate Driving Machine’ claim,†he says.
Over its short time in the market, the BMW 135i Coupé has claimed a number of coveted awards, such as the 2008 Drive Car of the Year (Best Sports Car over $60,000) and Australia’s Best Cars, Best Sports Car 2008 taking on the likes of many exotic high performance sports vehicles.
Unlike the F1 car or V8 Supercar, Australians can purchase the BMW 135i including the BMW Performance parts fitted.
A comprehensive range of BMW Performance components is available exclusively through the BMW dealer network.
All BMW Performance components reflect the BMW brand in their technology, design, quality and safety.
8 replies on “BMW 135i v V8 Supercar v BMW Sauber F1”
“uprated†brakes … thank god for that 😉
Actually Paul, this “uprated brakes” differs from the OE stuff in just the colour of the caliper! It’s rediculous. I should just give them my 135i and show them how much quicker it is than their own. 😛
Yes, this is why I put “uprated” in the quote marks. Although they do have slotted rotors, but word on the street suggests the actual caliper is the same as standard equipment.
Not the original… try hard wannabe.
You should see where they got the cage done and get one done too Wayne. When are you going to head to the track in it next…?
McTodd, I’m going to be at Winton on Tuesday and Sandown on Sat. Wanna come along? I was actually thinking the same about the cage and was going to ask my friend in BMW where they did the cage. I have spoken to Melbourne Performance Centre and Meridien about cage. Each seem to have a different view. Would be good to use someone who has done it before already!
Race 1 results are in…
1st – Greg Murphy (V8 Supercar)
2nd – Paul Gover (BMW 135i)
3rd – Christian Klien (BMW Sauber F1)
http://www.natsoft.com.au/cgi-bin/results.cgi?29/03/2009.APGP.D1
[…] Australian Grand Prix has been run and won. This means the Ultimate Speed Comparison exhibition races between a BMW135i, V8 Supercar and BMW Sauber F1 car have been […]
Ballsy to run the 135i
Don’t know why BMW did it cause I thought all the 135i’s were sold