Graeme Lennox: An eco-friendly muscle car? The BMW i8 Roadster lets you hit warp speed and save the planet

An electric convertible might seem like a sci-fi fantasy, but BMW’s new sports hybrid brings the dream to life

Graeme Lennox

May 6 2018, 12:01am, The Sunday Times

• Transport
• Cars

With its tech and supercar styling, the i8 Roadster looks like a rich person’s plaything, but it can travel for more than 50km at up to 120kph in electric mode, making driving guilt freeUWE FISCHER

Fast-forward 50 years and the cars of the future may well be as tech-laden as BMW’s new hybrid supercar. It is doubtful they will be as easy on the eye though. A guilt-free sportscar for the well-of-heel or a boy’s toy for the Silicon Valley brotopia, whatever way you look at it, the i8 Roadster is 24-carat science-fiction in the here and now.

Making the sportscar of the future is no easy task, but lopping off its roof and expecting it to retain the same outstanding driving dynamics is a big ask. The challenge for BMW’s engineering team was to transform the stunning i8 Coupé into an equally good-looking ragtop without compromising on character or performance.