First BMW i8 for US to be auctioned at Pebble Beach

The first BMW i8 – BMW’s hybrid supercar – for the US market is to be auctioned off at Gooding and Co’s sale at the 2014 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

Photo Frozen Grey BMW i8 for Pebble Beach

The Frozen Grey BMW i8 for Pebble Beach

The other end of the scale from BMW’s i3 City Car is the BMW i8 Supercar and, despite its modest 1.5 litre range-extender engine for its electric propulsion it seems to offer proper borderline supercar performance.

With just an estimated 500 BMW i8s heading for the US this year, BMW has decided it would be a bit of a wheeze to produce a one-off i8 for the US market to plonk in Gooding and Co’s auction at Pebble Beach in August to give one lucky American buyer the chance to jump the queue for the i8 and inject some funds in to Pebble.

So they’ve created a special i8 for Pebble which comes with a Frozen Grey Metallic paint job and a titivated interior with Dalbergia Brown Leather upholstery that’s been dyed using plant extracts – all very ‘Green’ – with BMW i Blue for the stitching and highlights.

BMW are putting this i8 up for grab at Gooding and Co’s auction at Pebble with proceeds going to the Pebble Beach Company Foundation and the Concours d’Elegance.

In the States, the BMW i8 starts at $137,700, but Gooding are hoping to get somewhere between $150-200k for the privilege of being the first i8 owner in the USA.