BMW has traveled to the annual Los Angeles Motor Show to introduce a new version of the electric i3 called Shadow Sport. Presented as a limited-edition model, the i3 Shadow Sport gets a murdered-out look outside, a handful of tweaks in the cabin, and a sport-tuned suspension.
The Shadow Sport stands out from the regular i3 thanks to a Fluid Black paint job with blue accents on the grille and above the rocker panels, 19-inch alloy wheels wrapped by all-season tires, and a power-sliding moon roof. All told, the Shadow Sport lives up to its name because it’s markedly more aggressive-looking than the regular i3, which usually features a more vivid two-tone paint job.
Pictures of the cabin haven’t been published yet but the Munich-based carmaker promises the Sport Shadow comes standard with a dark gray interior called Deka World in BMW-speak, and blue accents on the seats.
BMW hasn’t made any mechanical modifications, meaning the i3 Shadow Sport is equipped with a compact electric motor that generates 170 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of instant torque. Hooked up to a 22 kWh lithium-ion battery pack located right under the passenger compartment, the motor propels the i3 from zero to 60 mph in approximately seven seconds and on to a top speed of roughly 93 mph.
The battery-powered Bimmer is best suited to urban trips because the lithium-ion battery pack provides it with a maximum driving range of just 100 miles in ideal driving conditions. Notably, the limited-edition Shadow Sport model can’t be ordered with the 650cc gasoline-burning range extender that BMW offers as an option.
The 2016 BMW i3 Shadow Sport is on sale now across the United States with a base price of $47,400 before options and government incentives are factored in. To put that figure into perspective, the regular i3 starts at $42,400. Enthusiast website BMW Blog reports just 50 examples of the blacked-out i3 have been earmarked for the U.S. market.
