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RDSport R54

Below is an enthusiast article written by the automotive experts at European Car. Of all the cars in BMW's closet, the 6 Series wears its new togs the best. It is the quintessential luxury sports coupe, both low-slung and aggressive. If fans of the Roundel wanted a hero, this is it.

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IntelliChoice Value Rating

The chart above shows the purchase price versus ownership cost for each car from a specific vehicle class. The cars with better than average ownership cost/purchase price correlations are the best values, and these best value cars are represented by the dots below the curve. (i.e. the cars that have a lower ownership cost compared to its purchase price.) Those cars, which are worse than average or poor values, appear above the curve.

One way to view the graph is to draw a vertical line through any purchase price. You may see several dots that fall on this line - each of which is a car with a similar purchase price. However, notice the difference in ownership costs of each car represented by the vertical position of the dot. Two cars with the same purchase price can have thousands of dollars difference in ownership costs. This is what separates "good value" cars from "poor value" cars.

What is a good car value?

A "good car value" is one whose cost to own and operate is less than expected. The lower the cost to own and operate a car compared to what is expected, the better the value of that car.

But how do we know a car's "expected cost"?

For each car in the class, IntelliChoice plots the car's purchase price against the total five-year cost to own and operate it as determined by IntelliChoice research. Each dot on the above chart represents a specific car. Generally, we find that as the purchase price of the car increases, the cost to own and operate that car increases. This is why the dots on the graph tend to rise upward and to the right. This phenomenon also makes intuitive sense - as the purchase price rises, financing costs tend to rise, as do insurance, depreciation, taxes, and most other car ownership costs.

This is an important concept. It's normal for car ownership costs to rise as purchase price rises. Therefore, we can't just establish one "average" ownership cost number for each class, since cars in the class have different purchase prices. (This is why the "Relative" shown on each chart is different for cars in the same car class.)

Using statistical techniques, IntelliChoice "connects the dots" to form a curve that defines, for this car class, the relationship between the car's purchase price and car's ownership costs. This curve is our "expected cost" curve. The curve defines, for any car in the class, the five-year ownership cost that we would expect to see at each possible purchase price. If every car in the class were an average value, then all the dots would fall exactly on the curve. However, it's rare that any dot is exactly on the curve. Some dots are a little higher or lower, and some are a lot higher or lower. The dots that are a little lower are better than average car values, while the dots that are a lot lower are excellent car values (A dot that is a lot lower than the curve has ownership costs much lower than expected for a car of its purchase price). Conversely, a dot a little higher than the curve is a poorer than average car value, while a dot that is much higher than the curve is a poor car value.

Value is a relative term, not an absolute term. It is performing better than the logical expectation.

So is a Mercedes-Benz E320 expensive to own and operate? Certainly in an absolute sense. Most other cars cost less. But, when its cost to own and operate is plotted against cars with comparable invoice prices, the E320 costs less. So the E320 is not expensive to own and operate - it is a good car value. The Mercedes does not have low ownership costs, but it has low ownership costs for its invoice price.

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Article From European Car Magazine

RDSport BMW R54 M3 - R54

RD Sport's version of BMW's M6 / Article provided by: European Car Magazine

Of all the cars in BMW's closet, the 6 Series wears its new togs the best. It is the quintessential luxury sports coupe, both low-slung and aggressive. If fans of the Roundel wanted a hero, this is it.

Federico Pavoncelli has been a BMW fan since he bought his first 320i more than 20 years ago. "The original owner said it had Recaros in it," he recalled. "I didn't even know what Recaros were." Despite his being fairly noobish, the BMW bug bit Pavoncelli hard. He had to make the car faster and look better. Problem was, no one had anything he liked. He had to make everything himself. Like many Italian designers, Pavoncelli is both gifted and somewhat unorganized. In speaking with him he occasionally drifts off as another project comes to mind. And given BMW's current product line, Pavoncelli will become even more distracted. He's got a big job ahead.

Looking at the R54 featured on these pages, it's obvious Pavoncelli and the crew at RD Sport were well focused. They've essentially built a unique version of BMW's vaunted M6, a car that promises to be both rare and exclusive. Should you need one of these, you might want to buy a 6 Series in Munich and drive it to Milan. Spend a week or two in the Dolomites, and upon returning, you'll be treated to a very different car.

Inside its machine shop, RD Sport disassembles the N series engine and enlarges the bore and stroke to accommodate new forged pistons with F1-type rings, a billet crank and exotic connecting rods. Exact dimensions are unique to the R54 and Pavoncelli keeps them secret. RD Sport then installs its sport cams and "breathes" on the valvetrain for greater efficiency. The motor is treated with stainless-steel tubular headers, metal matrix cats, an X-flow crossover pipe and custom silencers. RD Sport then re-maps the computer to best utilize the motor's new dimensions. Dyno testing showed a sizable improvement, with peaks of 496 bhp and 415 lb-ft of twist.

"We recorded a sustained 311 km/h on the autostrada," Pavoncelli said."Our aerodynamics do a pretty good job of keeping things grounded."

That the R54 is powerful is already proven. That it can do 193 mph is testament to the way it's shaped. It takes more than bhp to get safely get a car going this fast. The RD Sport aerodynamic package consists of a unique front airdam, side skirts and rear valance. The stuff is comprised of carbon-Kevlar with 100% carbon inlays. And while the parts are extremely strong, they are also flexible enough to take daily-driven beatings.

RD Sport also offers driveline conversions featuring limited-slip differentials, and a 3.41:1 rear axle. These can be augmented with a diff cooler plumbed into the rear valance. The RD Sport driveline kits are an intelligent way to wring more performance from a BMW. It's a shame more tuners don't pursue gearing mods, as they make use of what's already there.

The underpinnings are revised with RD Sport bits including springs and dampers, conspiring to lower the chassis nearly an inch. Brakes can be upgraded to include six-piston calipers and 15-inch vented and slotted discs. Running gear is comprised of 20-inch RS2 forged wheels and Michelin Pilot Sport 2 rubber.

Like the previous RD Sport cars we tested, the R54 has a unique character. If the M6 is a linebacker, the R54 is the wide receiver, both agile and quick. Although there are easier and less expensive ways to coax more power from the 6 Series engine (like supercharging), it is against RD Sport's philosophy. "We believe larger displacement is the best way to go for more performance," said Pavoncelli."We always have and always will." Each RD Sport car is placed within the company's database so if any issues arise, the crew knows the specifics.

"I got a call the other day from the owner of an RD K2.1 318ti," Pavoncelli said. "He was restoring it and needed a few parts. We had the entire build sheet on the computer."

The R54 is very much like the M6, so much so it begs the question, why not just buy one of those?

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