The previous high-profile association McLaren had with BMW was way back in the early 1990s when project lead for the F1 supercar Gordon Murray tapped the Munich automaker’s M Division to create a bespoke 6.1-litre V12 powerplant for their soon-to-be fastest car in the world.
Now, though, according to a report by Autocar UK, the two companies are about to collaborate again to create a new generation of engines that share common technology that will deliver higher specific output while reducing CO2 emissions.
Both McLaren and BMW have confirmed independently that the fruits of this collaboration will make their way into the engines that will power their road cars of the near future, as early as 2020 according to the spokespeople.
The project also involves to a lesser degree McLaren’s current powertrain manufacturing partner Ricardo along with Grainger and Worrall to deliver state of the art machining and casting for these new breed of internal combustion engines. Additional funding for the ongoing project will be supplied by the UK Government through the Advanced Propulsion Centre.
Specifically, the Group estimates that the initial outlay would require £28m (AU$46m), with half of that being supplied by the British government. Mike Flewitt, head of McLaren Automotive, 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.”
Meanwhile, a spokesperson from BMW told the UK publication: “We are pleased to be part of this project, which plays to the strengths of all partners. McLaren Automotive and BMW Group have exceptional reputations for building the world’s finest engines. In the project, the partners will develop together new combustion technology,”
“The further development of low CO2 combustion technology is important for the BMW Group as part of our Efficient Dynamics Strategy. The low CO2 combustion technology which will result from this joint project is destined for application in BMW Group engines in the future.”
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