Good question....let's trace... (archive)

BMW was developing the E23 into a super-luxo cruiser (bruiser?) in the late 70s. The reason? M-B and their 450SEL 6.9 (later the W126 500SEL). BMW needed to top the 735i. They stuffed a 4.5 liter V8 and V12 prototype engines (as well as playing with different displacements) into the E23 to test the waters. In the end, they went with a turbo charged engine for main reason of fuel consumption and costs associated with tooling a new V8/V12. BMW was also "saving" the V12 for the E32 (development of which started in 1981ish believe it or not). BTW, that V12 was effectively just two M20s stuck together. :-) Or at least derived from there...

Anyway, this begets the question, where to get the turbo from? Well, luckily for BMW, their Motorsport department had already screwed around with turbos on the 2002, which went into production, and on the CSLs, which were racing or prototypes only. (We will discount the 1972 "Turbo" concept for now.) With the Motorsports Department's work, BMW's engineers developed the 3.2, and later 3.4 liter turbos for the 745i.

So, technically speaking, the engine can be traced back to the racing CSLs and the 2002 Turbo. Or at least the technology and research provided by those cars went, more or less directly, into the 745i.

Comments?

Chris Graff
www.m535i.org

Follow Ups:

What about the F1 turbo influence?.... RussC 01:39 4/05/2002 (3)
- F1 Development was after the 745i's... Chris Graff 02:19 4/05/2002 (2)
  - Re: F1 Development was after the 745i's... Neil Deshpande 17:02 4/06/2002 (1)
    - Re: F1 Development was after the 745i's... RussC 21:49 4/06/2002 (0)

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