Sleek and futuristic, the BMW i8 Spyder features “an aluminium chassis with a lithium-ion battery buttered along its length, keeping the centre of gravity nice and low and achieving a 50:50 weight distribution; it’s got the same plug-in powertrain as the coupe, too – a petro-electro melange of 129bhp electric motor driving the front wheels and three-cylinder turbo petrol engine sending 220bhp to the rears (that’s 349bhp in all).” Click here for more pictures. Continue reading for a video.

All together, it makes 406lb ft of torque, which gets it from 0-62mph in 5.0 seconds and a tethered top speed of 155mph. And it’s claimed it can do 20 miles of FWD on the battery alone. Unlike the 100mpg coupe, the convertible only claims a piffling 94mpg, but charge time on a domestic socket is impressive; BMW says it would be “less than two hours”. It’ll do 19 miles on EV power alone, and the batteries are charged up when you coast, cruise and stop.

[via TopGear]

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