I sense a question mark hanging around us. “What is that doing here?” the land seems to ask. The land in question is Rajasthan, a state that celebrates culture, puts heritage on a pedestal and cherishes tradition as a way of life. So, here, we have brought the past-be-damned, bring-on-the-electrified-future supercar, BMW’s i8. Our route, a superb two-lane affair, sweeps past soft sand dunes as it ribbons into the vast brown magnificence of the Thar desert. As I turn my attention back on to the road, I hope that it can get the BMW i8 talking, and to tell us not only where we are going, but what we are taking along with us.
Green & Red?
With the i8, BMW is sticking a green thumb at the traditional concept of supercars. Sure, the carbonfibre-this, aluminium-that, lightweight-this and cutting edge-that is the stuff expected of all supercars. However, in keeping with the changing times, the i8, as you all know, is a hybrid. Crucially though, it isn’t the Ferrari, Porsche, McLaren type of hybrid where an electric motor plays slick sidekick to a burly V6, V8 or V12. The i8 has, wait for it, a three-cylinder 1.5-litre petrol engine and is boosted by a turbocharger. Along with the electric motor on the front axle, the grand total, by supercar standards, is a rather modest 357bhp.
Modest? Through the eyes of the world outside, I’m sure not. In this shade of black, the i8 is decidedly stealthy and sinister. So when its low and slinky form materialises in the distance and then streaks past into the brown and lonely desert, any onlookers are understandably dazed. But apparitions don’t emanate a rumble, do they? So once they realise that they haven’t taken leave of their senses, they swarm in.
People try to flag us down and when that fails to stop us, they try to squeeze us off the road. Every time we stop to take a photo, to adjust the cameras or to grab a bottle of water, crowds gather to get a closer look and take pictures with the i8. We are followed by echoes of “One selfie!”, “Mission Impossible” and, of course, “What’s the mileage?” A few, thankfully, even ask us “How fast does it go?”
Our healthy reserve of patience runs out quickly and in sheer exasperation, we resort to shooing people away just so we can get our work done. Clearly, when it comes to visual drama, the i8 is pure supercar. The true joy of the supercar, though, is uncorked as we head further down NH114 towards Pokhran.