Let’s get one thing out of the way. This car will never happen. BMW will not build an i8 DTM racecar. There are no rumors, unsubstantiated reports, or typographic errors that would give anyone a reason to think such a thing. BMW already makes an i8 for the track, and it is the Formula E Safety Car, not a racecar.
BMW i8 fans might dream of an i8 racer, but there’s nothing any of them can do about it—unless they have a talent for digitally rendering automobile images, in which case, they can at least give form to their dream, if not substance.
One such very talented digital artist goes by the handle of rc82 workchop. On the artist’s Facebook page is the rendering of an i8 as it might appear if it were entered in the German Touring Car Masters race series. We’re not convinced that it would look exactly like this once BMW’s engineers and race shop finished with it, but it sure looks compelling in the picture.
Rendering dream cars and possible concept and production cars is a passion for many digital artists and, like rc82 workchop, some of them are truly gifted. They provide us enthusiasts something to stare at and dream about as we await a new model that we know is coming, but haven’t seen any spy shots yet. Sometimes, the digital artists are pretty close, sometimes not, and every once in a while their rendering ends up looking better than the real thing.
Since none of us will ever go DTM racing in a BMW i8—unless perhaps this cars shows up someday on Playstation or Xbox, this rendering is as close as we’ll ever get—which, when you get right down to it, is probably a good thing. Can you imagine the psychological trauma if you ever put this car into a wall?—Scott Blazey
[Pictures courtesy of rc82 workchop.]
