All-new BMW 8 Series Coupe and Convertible

BMW Group Australia is proud to announce local pricing and specification for the all-new BMW 8 Series Coupe and Convertible range.

“The legendary BMW 8 series has made its return, and Australian markets will have access to two model variants this time – the all-new BMW 8 Series Coupe and Convertible,” said BMW Group Australia CEO, Vikram Pawah.

“The classic Coupe body caters to customers who are seeking that classic sporting feel, and the Convertible provides an option for those who enjoy a premium open-air grand touring experience.”

“With the latest technology, supreme performance and sophisticated interior design, both variants will set the benchmark within the luxury sports segment and are a clear statement of intent for BMW. These vehicles are a fantastic demonstration of modern day luxury without compromising performance and handling.”

BMW 8 Series Convertible and Coupe range pricing*

BMW M850i xDrive Coupe $272,900*

BMW M850i xDrive Convertible $281,900*

What lies beneath: the new 4.4-litre V8 engine

At the heart of the all-new BMW M850i xDrive Coupe and Convertible sits a 4.4-litre V8 twin turbocharged petrol engine.

An all-new aluminium alloy crankcase increases rigidity while wire-arc sprayed iron features within the cylinder bores to reduce frictional losses. Grafal-coated pistons and material updates to connecting rods, main bearings, head gaskets and chain drive system ensure strength and efficiency. A viscous damper on the crankshaft enhances smoothness.

Both turbochargers are larger than before and feature a twin-scroll design and are individually charge-cooled. Located inside the vee, they are positioned for immediacy of response.

The High Precision direct fuel injection is rated at 350 bar, while VALVETRONIC fully variable valve control and Double-VANOS variable camshaft timing work in conjunction with the turbochargers to deliver strong acceleration throughout the rev range.

This thoroughly modern V8 generates peak power of 390kW between 5,500rpm and 6,000rpm, with an M5 Competition-matching 750Nm of torque delivered from 1,800rpm and 4,600rpm.

As a result, the BMW M850i Coupe is able to achieve 0-100km/h in only 3.7 seconds, with a guttural soundtrack to match, thanks to the standard flap-controlled Sport Exhaust system.

Similarly powered, the BMW M850i Convertible completes the standard sprint in just 3.9 seconds.

These impressive outputs are delivered through the latest generation eight-speed Steptronic Sport automatic transmission. This is fitted with a wide-ratio gear set (ratio spread increased from 7.07 to 8.59) to ensure relaxed high speed driving and improved efficiency. For those times when ultimate control is demanded, shift paddles allow the driver to manage ratios as required.

SOURCE: BMW Australia media release

MV Agusta: Rubles to the rescue

As with any Italian opera, there is always one more scene to script and so it is with iconic Italian marque, MV Agusta. Since we last featured MV Agusta in World, Signore

Castiglioni has brought Russian finance on board through Timur Sardarov’s Black Ocean Investment Group to form a new entity, MV Agusta Holding.

This welcome cash influx has allowed the highly desirable, 94-year-old brand to focus on limited production, high-end machines and the stunning MV Agusta Brutale 1000 Serie Oro, unveiled to the public at the EICMA Show in Milan on November 4 last year, is one obvious result.

With just 300 units offered worldwide, this exquisite bike packs the 998cc inline four-cylinder powerplant derived from the company’s World Superbike Championship F4 RC racer. The naturally aspirated engine claims 155kW, making it the most powerful naked sports bike in the world, easily seeing off rivals such as BMW’s S 1000 R and KTM’s 1290 Super Duke R.

This new Brutale is adorned with stunning black, electronically-adjustable Öhlins forks and a competition TTX36 rear shock absorber. Stopping is courtesy Brembo Stylema brakes. Electronic wizardry includes an Inertial Measurement Unit which oversees traction, wheelie, launch and engine brake control. There’s ABS of course and MV’s bidirectional, clutchless quick-shift transmission. The whole works are gift-wrapped in a steel trellis frame decorated with gold aluminium side plates, a gold-painted swingarm and ultra-light carbon fibre rims.

At time of writing, a few were still available. The price? Don't expect change from AU$75,000

As published in WORLD Magazine - Autumn 2019

Bimota: Maestro Tamburini’s ‘Grand Vision’ blurred

More Italian Motodrama




Such is the Bimota saga, which began with the brand’s formation in 1973 when, like a recital from the three tenors, Valerio Bianchi, Giuseppe Morri, and Massimo Tamburini came together to form a marque derived from the first two letters from each of their names: Bi-Mo-Ta.

Initially, the titanic trio worked on heavily customising the top bikes from leading Japanese makes and gradually moved to Ducati and BMW for the current crop of space-age machines.

But Bimota hit a major speed bump when their native-designed ‘V Due’ engine was recalled at the same time as they lost their Superbike sponsor, forcing the company into its first closure in 2003. Since then, the marque has been owned by prominent Scientologists, Marco Chiancianesi and Daniele Longoni who closed the factory in 2017 and moved all the components to Switzerland, or so it is said.

First presented at Milan’s EICMA in 2016, the Tesi 3D RaceCafé (pic above) employs Ducati’s air-cooled 803cc V-twin engine currently seen in the Ducati Scrambler and is limited to 150 units worldwide. The radical appearance is thanks to a distinctive Omega-type frame and its peculiar, hub-steering front suspension with mono-damper Öhlins. The whole package weighs a mere 162kg.

All that tribulation aside, a determined investor can still obtain a late model Tesi 3D on the collector market for around AU$50,000. New ones, although theoretically possible, are difficult to import, so be cautious.

When Bimota will play its grand finale, no one knows. But for now, at least, the value of these rare and desirable technical masterpieces remains solid.



As published in WORLD Magazine - Autumn 2019

Mercedes-Benz classic 300 SL

The 300 SL, be it Roadster or Gullwing – is one of the most recognisable models in the history of Mercedes-Benz.

First introduced with trademark ‘Gullwing’ doors, and often considered as the first real ‘supercar’, the 300 SL proved hugely popular and so was later developed as an open roadster.

a 1960 Roadster, previously owned by German industrialist, Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach, of the Krupp steel dynasty

The evolution of the 300 SL began with imported car impresario, Max Hoffman. When Mercedes-Benz won the Carrera Panamericana (a border-to-border road race across Mexico, held from 1950-1954) in 1952 with a W 194 300 SL coupé, Hoffman seized the moment to approach the marque with a radical idea: take the racing-derived tube frame W194, with its high performance 3-litre engine, and create a road-going sports car aimed at the upper end of the aspiring US sports car market.

Mercedes-Benz, still valiantly trying to shake off the devastation of the war and the weak European market, took him up on the idea, and the 300 SL was born.

This historic 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing sold for more than a million dollars at Sotheby's

Improvements to the 300 SL's usability were made throughout, yet it was still clear that this model was derived from a racing car. As aerodynamics played an important role in the car's speed, the Mercedes-Benz engineers would place horizontal "eyebrows" over the wheel openings to reduce drag. With fully independent suspension, a close-ratio gearbox with straight cut gears and the first direct fuel injection system with four-stroke engine ever offered in a production automobile, the 300 SL was a technological tour-de-force. When introduced in coupé form to the US market at the 1954 New York Auto Show, it became an instant sensation.

The Mercedes-Benz Museum charts the entire history of the world’s oldest car manufacturer. A total of 1,500 exhibits are featured in the museum, including 160 vehicles.

Ford Mustang shines on debut

The Ford Performance Mustang Supercar has completed its first full weekend of racing in the 2019 Virgin Australia Supercars Championship with a successful showing at the Superloop Adelaide 500. Ushering in a new era for Ford and Ford Performance in Australia, Mustang teams Shell V-Power Racing, Tickford Racing and 23Red Racing all showed strong performances, with Mustang claiming its maiden victory and the lap record at the famed Adelaide street circuit.