BMW seems to be loaning out the B58 turbo-I6 to anyone that asks for it, these days. First it started out as a partnership with Toyota, for the new Supra, then BMW lent it to the folks at Morgan and now we’re learning that the upstart Land Rover Defender-Competitor, the Ineos “Projekt Grenadier” will also get the engine.
Ineos is a London-based chemical company whose CEO and founder Jim Ratcliffe came up with the idea to develop a proper Land Rover Defender successor. After learning that the old body-on-frame off-roader was going to be replaced with something more modern, Ratcliffe was a bit disappointed and decided to make something more in keeping with the original Defender’s spirit. What he came up with is currently known as the Projekt Grenadier and, judging by the spy photos, it looks like something you’d expect to take on the Defender; it’s big, boxy and tough looking. (We don’t own the spy photos but you can see them here)
Interestingly, we’ve also learned that the Defender-fighting Ineos will be powered by a BMW B58 engine. There’s no word on the power level of the engine and if it will follow the Morgan and (initially) the Supra by only putting out 335 horsepower. Either way, it’s a great engine and should help an upstart company put out a good product.
The Ineos Projekt Grenadier will be built by Magna Steyr in Austria, which is also where the BMW Z4 and Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen are built. So it seems as if this Ineos project is the real deal and not just some fly-by-night automotive startup.
Ironically, the Ineos will use a BMW engine to take on the Land Rover Defender, while BMW actually used to own Land Rover. In fact, there was a version of the ’90s Defender that was sold with a BMW M52 straight-six engine under the hood. There were also recent rumors that Land Rover was going to be using BMW engines in some of its cars in the near future. So the fact that BMW will be powering one of its new rivals is rather ironic.
[Source: Car Throttle]
