At this year’s EICMA trade show in Milan, BMW Motorrad showed a peak at what it is calling “the most exclusive model in its history,” the BMW HP4 RACE. The prototype had a carbon fiber main frame and carbon fiber rims. It is expected to go into production during the second half of 2017.
No further details were provided. The only information from Stephan Schaller, President BMW Motorrad, related to the frame and wheels: “The HP4 RACE will feature the full carbon fiber main frame and carbon fiber rims as shown here. We will reveal more about this model next spring.”
Well, it is also certain that the BMW HP4 RACE will be manufactured by hand in a limited series. In 2015, the BMW Group sold nearly 137,000 motorcycles worldwide.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
