BMW M4 - "Ultimate Racetrack" on Aircraft Carrier

[Alpine F31]

Originally Posted by AlexN

1:01-1:04
They forgot to photoshop the driver in the car..

Ha ha!

Great catch! They were probably concentrating so hard on lining up the rear tires with the edge of the "ship" that they forgot to put the driver in! Still, it's the most awesome shot in the the video!

Very nice CGI and I'm really glad they used a manual car! "Regular" brakes too!

[T.Maas]

Oh my god some fast and the furious type sh*t I like it

[///M3Owner]

That's a dope add

[Falafel Combo]

CGI! Cool!

[ORIGIN M.]

Reality aside I loved it !!!

[ELPhilly]

Originally Posted by watson335i

I've driven an M4 and it does not sound anything like that. But I will say this... that driver has some serious B*llz to do that . BTW- M4 on order!

The thing is, you're not gonna be able to really hear the engine unless you're pushing the engine. It sounds well behaved at cruising speeds, but comes alive when you're on the gas and the RPMs go beyond average city/suburban driving. For the record, I hit about 160mph when the ring instructor commented.

[Plano]

Originally Posted by bradleyland

Hate to spoil the fun, but the whole "racetrack on a carrier" thing isn't real. The video is a composite:

* Footage of a real M4 (in some cases; other times even the car is CGI)
* Footage of a real aircraft carrier
* CGI layering of the racetrack and sometimes the car

How do I know? Cost of production, and historical precedent.

Cost of production: This production would have cost more than most blockbuster films if they had actually obtained (rented or otherwise) an aircraft carrier and constructed an actual track on top, then filmed this at sea.

Historical precedent: BMW is known to use CGI in their advertisements in the past (as is every manufacturer).



The choice of transmission was clearly made for dramatic purposes. Watching someone slam through gears is a lot more exciting than watching them slap paddles.

There's no maneuver conducted here that couldn't be done with the DCT transmission. The opposite really; DCT makes it easier to do a lot of this stuff because you can downshift mid-turn without lifting.

I had an at-length discussion with one of the BMW Performance Center drivers about this exact topic (he used to drift professionally). He said that the only option taken off the table with the DCT is a clutch-kick drift initiation, which he said wasn't a huge loss because of the flexibility of the S65. He was just as likely to use the handbrake or just flick it in hard and left-foot brake if he needed more rotation.

For anyone who hasn't been there, when you do Performance Center Delivery, there's an opportunity to ride along on a "hot lap" in an E90 M3 (at least that's what they used to use). It's more like a drift lap though. The drivers are definitely driving for fun, not for speed. All the cars are DCT optioned, because they burn through clutches too fast in the 6MT (according to the Q&A session we had).

I mentioned taking the delivery at the bmw performance center. Can't wait!

[BuckSM]

Originally Posted by neo871

OMG! Is this real?!

Lol! Can you imagine the project cost of it all? Renting/leasing a carrier, building a track, the operating cost of getting it out to the middle of nowhere, and the filming crew...

[BuckSM]

Originally Posted by Alpine F31

Ha ha!

Great catch! They were probably concentrating so hard on lining up the rear tires with the edge of the "ship" that they forgot to put the driver in! Still, it's the most awesome shot in the the video!

Very nice CGI and I'm really glad they used a manual car! "Regular" brakes too!

It seemed like there was a driver with a helmet in there, also can be seen at 1:04

[01ON19]

Originally Posted by nalinax

It seemed like there was a driver with a helmet in there, also can be seen at 1:04

And life jacket?

[RMNB]

Originally Posted by ELPhilly

The thing is, you're not gonna be able to really hear the engine unless you're pushing the engine. It sounds well behaved at cruising speeds, but comes alive when you're on the gas and the RPMs go beyond average city/suburban driving. For the record, I hit about 160mph when the ring instructor commented.

Love it !

[Tonifyd]

the shifting sounds reminds me of the fast and the furious.... secretly wishing it really sounded like that when I shift.

[chong0]

manual e-brake? does the m4 have one?

[Nebraska330xi]

Originally Posted by bradleyland

Yes, BMW bought an aircraft carrier, and converted it to a giant bespoke race track so they could get away from spy photographers. That's why you can't buy an M4 under MSRP yet. Aircraft carriers aren't cheap. Also, the unicorn urine they use in the new metallic paints is super-rare, so there's that.

This.

[m5 guy]

Nucking futs!

[PABrian]

Originally Posted by AlexN

1:01-1:04
They forgot to photoshop the driver in the car..

Originally Posted by Alpine F31

Ha ha!

Great catch! They were probably concentrating so hard on lining up the rear tires with the edge of the "ship" that they forgot to put the driver in! Still, it's the most awesome shot in the the video!

Very nice CGI and I'm really glad they used a manual car! "Regular" brakes too!

Take a second look, there actually is a driver in the car for those scenes!

Also, having driven an M3 a few times now, the car sounds in this video do sound odd. I feel as though at heart they are definitely from the M3/4, but they might have been recorded from a part of the car that we're just not used to hearing, and as others have pointed out, edited in such a way as to make it sound like what BMW wants you to hear.

Regardless, awesome video!

[Andy92]

Originally Posted by bradleyland

Yes, BMW bought an aircraft carrier, and converted it to a giant bespoke race track so they could get away from spy photographers. That's why you can't buy an M4 under MSRP yet. Aircraft carriers aren't cheap. Also, the unicorn urine they use in the new metallic paints is super-rare, so there's that.

Hahahaha ze Germans are coming!

[GBPackerfan1963]

Originally Posted by bradleyland

Hate to spoil the fun, but the whole "racetrack on a carrier" thing isn't real. The video is a composite:

* Footage of a real M4 (in some cases; other times even the car is CGI)
* Footage of a real aircraft carrier
* CGI layering of the racetrack and sometimes the car

How do I know? Cost of production, and historical precedent.

Cost of production: This production would have cost more than most blockbuster films if they had actually obtained (rented or otherwise) an aircraft carrier and constructed an actual track on top, then filmed this at sea.

Historical precedent: BMW is known to use CGI in their advertisements in the past (as is every manufacturer).



The choice of transmission was clearly made for dramatic purposes. Watching someone slam through gears is a lot more exciting than watching them slap paddles.

There's no maneuver conducted here that couldn't be done with the DCT transmission. The opposite really; DCT makes it easier to do a lot of this stuff because you can downshift mid-turn without lifting.

I had an at-length discussion with one of the BMW Performance Center drivers about this exact topic (he used to drift professionally). He said that the only option taken off the table with the DCT is a clutch-kick drift initiation, which he said wasn't a huge loss because of the flexibility of the S65. He was just as likely to use the handbrake or just flick it in hard and left-foot brake if he needed more rotation.

For anyone who hasn't been there, when you do Performance Center Delivery, there's an opportunity to ride along on a "hot lap" in an E90 M3 (at least that's what they used to use). It's more like a drift lap though. The drivers are definitely driving for fun, not for speed. All the cars are DCT optioned, because they burn through clutches too fast in the 6MT (according to the Q&A session we had).

WTF? Why do you have to piss on everyones Post Toasties with all your technical shit? Now, get your ass off the Internet and go back to MIT.

[CmdllbF11]

Damn. Knew I wouldn't be the first to post this...how ultimate is the handbrake turn into the apex at the bow! Excellent driving.

[Judah]

Originally Posted by bradleyland

The sound has definitely been "enhanced" in post production sound engineering.

* I can hear some reverb with tight delay and rapid decay.
* It sounds like they've pumped some of the lower frequencies (<50Hz).
* There's an augmentation track with some high-pitched whine (resembles a turbo whine)

None of these are egregious (IMO) however, as exhaust sounds are notoriously difficult to reproduce through speakers and headphones. You "feel" exhaust as much as you hear it. If they got the character right, that's exactly what you need to "experience" the exhaust through a video.

So far, we have one person supporting the viewpoint that the audio sounds like the car, and one that disagrees. I've not heard the S55 in person, but the M235i (N55) I test drove sounded pretty damn good. I'd be amazed if the S55 sounded worse.

In addition, after taking delivery, member Dondula wrote a post saying his/her M4 sounds "almost" like a Ferrari.
Dondula took a lot of slack for that statement. I would think that only those who have spent a considerable amount of time behind the wheel would know.

[bradleyland]

Originally Posted by GBPackerfan1963

WTF? Why do you have to piss on everyones Post Toasties with all your technical shit? Now, get your ass off the Internet and go back to MIT.

I'm a real blast to watch a movie with too

[CmdllbF11]

Originally Posted by GBPackerfan1963

WTF? Why do you have to piss on everyones Post Toasties with all your technical shit? Now, get your ass off the Internet and go back to MIT.