[Paul-Bracq-BMW]

     Featured on BIMMERPOST.com

Announced by McLaren today:

Press Release:

McLAREN AUTOMOTIVE COLLABORATES ON FUTURE COMBUSTION TECHNOLOGY

31 Jan 2017

McLaren Automotive has announced a strategic project to design and develop technology for the next generation of powertrains. Working with a number of partners including BMW Group, the project will develop new combustion technology that will deliver a higher output per capacity than currently possible. It also aims to further facilitate CO2 reductions while simultaneously increasing engine output. The technology is destined for application in future McLaren engines.

The project, supported and part-funded by UK Government through the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC), will also improve the UK's development and production capabilities of low-CO2 internal combustion engine technology. The project will be led by McLaren Automotive but involves a total of six partners. McLaren Automotive will work with its existing engine manufacturing partner, Ricardo, and BMW Group while Grainger and Worrall will deliver complex, lightweight casting technology. Lentus Composites will contribute knowledge in specialist composite structures. Completing the syndicate is the University of Bath who bring their advanced research and development capabilities in internal combustion engine systems efficiency.

Commenting on the collaboration, Chief Executive Officer of McLaren Automotive, Mike Flewitt, said: This is an exciting project that plays to the strengths of all partners. McLaren Automotive has an exceptional reputation for building the world's finest engines, as showcased by our M838T and its previous category wins in the International Engine of the Year awards. We will continue to independently design and build our own engines, and the benefits of this project will help us accelerate the development of our next generation of powertrain, as confirmed in our recently-announced Track22 business plan.

How exciting!!

The last time BMW and McLaren teamed up for an engine it turned out pretty legendary: http://cars.mclaren.com/F1-the-story

[MightyMouseTech]

I hope Freevalve is part of this! Probably the single biggest improvement possible for power/fuel economy and emissions since the unibody chassis.

[plankton99]

didn't the founder of Dinan join McLaren?

[phoenixbmwlife]

Awesomeness! Make a super car also.

[Woodengun]

Hybrid turbo, turbulent jet ignition and freevalve all in a single powerplant.

Won't happen but would be nice.

[BoosTonian]

Oh boy

[EvenKeel]

Originally Posted by plankton99

didn't the founder of Dinan join McLaren?

No, he left for Ganassi Racing.

[MightyMouseTech]

Originally Posted by Woodengun

Hybrid turbo, turbulent jet ignition and freevalve all in a single powerplant.

Won't happen but would be nice.

Turbulent Jet? Is that like the new Mazda engine with homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI).

So long spark plugs!

http://gas2.org/2017/01/16/next-mazd...no-sparkplugs/

Combine this with Freevalve.

No cams, timing belt or chain, no ignition system, no accessory belt. An engine could be half the size!

[sdshah]

Originally Posted by EvenKeel

No, he left for Ganassi Racing.

"The technology is destined for application in future McLaren engines."

Awesome so no real context for cars that are under 250k or any BMW... Meanwhile we get recycled engines or Toyota partnerships

[goj]

Supercar coming for BMW!? We can only hope..

[YungDro]

thread closed....

[vinny84]

I think this is for the next i8, given McLaren would share some of its P1 technology. We can only hope.

[noro]

Originally Posted by YungDro

Make A Supercar Bmw

+1 .. I was discussing this with friends the other day how even the non performance oriented manufacturers now have super cars while BMW has none.

..if someone says the i8 I will lose my mind...

[melvyn]

Could it be for a new M8, if it is , the M6 will be ditched

[fortressmaximus]

Awesome.

[Law]

Originally Posted by Paul-Bracq-BMW

The last time BMW and McLaren teamed up for an engine it turned out pretty legendary: http://cars.mclaren.com/F1-the-story

I like how McLaren's own link on the "McLaren F1: The Story" makes no mention of BMW whatsoever.

In any case, this is exciting news but both McLaren and BMW have a lot to live-up to.
The S70/2 was a masterpiece and the golden days of Gordon Murray and Paul Rosche is long gone.
Interested to see how the talent of today compares to the passion of the days of yore.

[c63er]

Originally Posted by Law

I like how McLaren's own link on the "McLaren F1: The Story" makes no mention of BMW whatsoever.

In any case, this is exciting news but both McLaren and BMW have a lot to live-up to.
The S70/2 was a masterpiece and the golden days of Gordon Murray and Paul Rosche is long gone.
Interested to see how the talent of today compares to the passion of the days of yore.

Exciting indeed.

Let's hope this second coming works out as well as the first time and leads to some interesting products on the bmw side.

[RPiM5]

It's time for M to develop the engines I wanted them to build for the next generation of M cars:

3.0L Hot-V Twin Turbo V10 with output of at least 600hp, redline of 8,000rpm with a fuel consumption of no less than 24mpg and C02 output less than S63tu. This engine would be fitted to the M5, M6, and possibly M8.

2.0L Tri-Turbo Inline 6 with output of at least 460hp, redline of 8,000rpm, with a fuel consumption of no less than 28mpg and C02 emissiions less than S55. This engine would be fitted to M3, M4, and M2.

McLaren currently makes the highest redline Twin Turbo engine in production, which is an 8,500rpm redline.

I just want M to bring back good sounding engines with lots of character. Turbos on M cars work, but make them sound better!

[Law]

Originally Posted by c63er

Exciting indeed.

Let's hope this second coming works out as well as the first time and leads to some interesting products on the bmw side.

Agreed.
There is definitely a "trickle-down" effect when it comes to engineering something like this.

[c63er]

Originally Posted by RPiM5

It's time for M to develop the engines I wanted them to build for the next generation of M cars:

3.0L Hot-V Twin Turbo V10 with output of at least 600hp, redline of 8,000rpm with a fuel consumption of no less than 24mpg and C02 output less than S63tu. This engine would be fitted to the M5, M6, and possibly M8.

2.0L Tri-Turbo Inline 6 with output of at least 460hp, redline of 8,000rpm, with a fuel consumption of no less than 28mpg and C02 emissiions less than S55. This engine would be fitted to M3, M4, and M2.

McLaren currently makes the highest redline Twin Turbo engine in production, which is an 8,500rpm redline.

I just want M to bring back good sounding engines with lots of character. Turbos on M cars work, but make them sound better!

The thought of those two mythical engines just got me really excited.

If they could do that and reduce the physical sizes of all their cars by about 1/8th then I'll be back in two shakes.

[c63er]

Originally Posted by Law

Agreed.
There is definitely a "trickle-down" effect when it comes to engineering something like this.

The good ole days. You are making me cry with all these memories flooding in.

[mkoesel]

Well now.

Recent rumors suggest that McLaren is switching from their 3.8L M838T V8 to a 4.0L V8 (M840T?). Similarly, recent rumors suggest that BMW will be switching from their current 4.4L N63 V8 to a - you guessed it - 4.0L V8 (N64?).

Could BMW be leaning on McLaren to provide their next V8? It would make a good deal of sense since BMW has been absolutely mum on any possibility of adding a V8 to their own modular engine family. By outsourcing the development to McLaren, they get both the latest state of the art technology in high performance engines, and can avoid spreading their own resources over two different engine families (excepting the stalwart V12, but that may largely be in "maintenance mode" from here on out).

Certainly the lower end BMW versions of the engines would have output scaled down to fit their M*50i products, but perhaps we'll see the next generation M6 with a 650hp+ version of this V8, maybe even approaching 700hp in a Competition Package. Rumors do persist of a lighter 6 Series and M6 with less dependency on the 5 and 7 Series. This could all make for an exciting vehicle.