Cookie Consent by Free Privacy Policy website The turbo pioneers return to their roots - The new BMW DTM engine, as compared to its 1969 forefather
aprile 27, 2019 - BMW Motorsport

The turbo pioneers return to their roots - The new BMW DTM engine, as compared to its 1969 forefather

Comunicato Stampa disponibile solo in lingua originale. 

Press release available only in original language. 

Munich. BMW Turbo Power is a success story in motorsport – and has been for 50 years. In 1969, BMW won the European Touring Car Championship with Dieter Quester (AUT) and the BMW 2002 TI, doing pioneering work and writing history in the process. The first BMW Turbo in motor #racing – the M121 – provided the necessary drive. After many more BMW Turbo engines in the 50 years since then, the newly-developed Class 1 regulation-compliant BMW P48 engine will make its debut in the BMW M4 DTM when this season’s DTM kicks off at Hockenheim (GER) at the start of May. Times may have changed, but the outstanding properties of the engine have remained the same. 

Despite the 50 years that lie between them, the two high-performance engines have a number of similarities: both are straight, four-cylinder engines with a two-litre capacity and a turbo charger. In both the BMW M121 and the P48, the sensitive engine components must be protected by a heat shield from the heat emitted by the turbo charger. A mechanical injection pump supplies the engine with fuel in both cases.

More than twice as much power with far less consumption and a much longer service life.

The pressure with which the combustion air is supplied to the engine, can hardly be compared any more. With 0.98 bar of pressure, the first generation of turbo race engine achieved approx. 280 hp at 6,500 rpm. The exhaust fan was theoretically capable of developing a boost pressure of 1.76 bar. However, the pressure in the cylinder would have been so great, that the cylinder head would have lifted off. Nowadays, boost pressures of up to 2.5 bar are possible with more than 600 hp. The crankcase and cylinder head were manufactured in a special sand-casting procedure in the BMW Landshut foundry.

Further information in the press release to download