Earlier this year, at a press conference held in Munich by the company’s current CEO, Mr. Harald Krueger, what seemed like a boring meeting about numbers turned into something completely different. It was back then that we learned that BMW is officially planning to build an i8 Spyder by 2018. Today, we’re getting to take a look at what seems to be the first ever prototype of the car.
Spotted near the Nurburgring initially and later on doing laps on the famous track, the car in the video below does indeed seem to be the open top version of the i8. Masking the roof cutouts with tape didn’t seem to work and we can clearly see some edges on both the roof and the support beams. How the folding of the roof will be done is still a mystery but judging by the name the car will have, we’re guessing you’re going to have to do it manually.
While it may seem like antique way of turning your car into a roadster, taking the top down yourself is the easiest, least complicated and least heavy choice you can go for. And, after all, the BMW i8 was built with weight saving in mind, being an eco-friendly car that can deliver thrills to the back of your neck in no time.
That being said, the powertrain is most likely to remain the same. The first upgrade the i8 might receive could happen well after 2020 when the car is slated to become fully electric and have some 700 HP at its disposal, if the rumors are true. As for the i8 Spyder, the same 1.5-liter 3-cylinder turbocharged engine will most likely be used together with an electric motor for a combined power level of 362 HP and 570 Nm (420 lb-ft) of torque.
