First BMW i8 for US to be auctioned at Pebble Beach

The Frozen Grey BMW i8 for Pebble Beach The other end of the scale from BMW’s i3 City Car is the BMW i8 Supercar and, despite its modest 1.5 litre range-extender engine for its electric propulsion it seems to offer proper borderline supercar performance. With just an estimated 500 BMW i8s heading for the US this year, BMW has decided it would be a bit of a wheeze to produce a one-off i8 for the US market to plonk in Gooding and Co’s auction at Pebble Beach in August to give one lucky American buyer the chance to jump the queue for the i8 and inject some funds in to Pebble. So they’ve created a special i8 for Pebble which comes with a Frozen Grey Metallic paint job and a titivated interior with Dalbergia Brown Leather upholstery that’s been dyed using plant extracts – all very ‘Green’ – with BMW i Blue for the stitching and highlights.

CHARITIES BENEFIT FROM BCA SALE

THE SALE of a special edition 'Limited Pink Passion' Smart FourTwo has raised hundreds of pounds for charity, BCA has reported. The used vehicle auction specialist held a special sale its Blackbushe centre with organisational help for car dealer Fred Andy. The event raised £500, with an additional £250 donation from BCA and £750 generated through further fund-raising by Mr Andy.

McLaren Automotive plans petrol-electric hybrid supercars

McLaren Automotive is planning a range of petrol-electric hybrid supercars, CAR can confirm today. Work is underway and McLaren will launch hybrid, electric-assisted sports cars in the next three years. We've uncovered a recruitment plan to assemble a team of hybrid engineers at the McLaren's Woking HQ in Surrey, England.