Latest news with #E39
The Drive
08-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Drive
The E39 BMW 5 Series Could've Looked Much Different, Early Sketches Show
If you were to poll a group of BMW enthusiasts about the best-looking 5 Series of all time, the E39 generation would likely snag the most votes. I would cast mine for the original E12-gen car that was co-created by the two legendary designers, Paul Bracq and Marcello Gandini, but what do I know? There's no sense arguing against the claim that the E39 5 Series was a beautiful sedan, one that's aged like wine three decades on. However, it almost had a very different look, one that would have been far more futuristic at the time. BMW Classic just shared some different, but ultimately rejected, design sketches for the E39 5 Series, penned by Joji Nagashima. Nagashima would eventually go on to create the finalized E39 design we've come to know and love. But it's interesting to see what his original vision for BMW's fourth-generation 5er was long before it went on sale. BMW Classic via Instagram Nagashima's original design—the white sedan at the top of the page, dated 1989—was vastly different from the one we eventually got. It was far more streamlined and had a bubbly, wraparound front end reminiscent of Italdesign's gorgeous Nazca M12 and C2 supercar concepts that followed. It wasn't quite as pretty as the Nazcas, and frankly reminds me a bit too much of the first-generation Dodge Intrepid, but there's an '80s-futurism to it that I find interesting. I also dig the big disc wheels. As we move to the sketch of the burgundy car, we can see shades of the eventual production model begin to appear. The kidneys, for example, are similar, as is the squinty nature of both the grilles and headlights being the same height across the front end. And while the hood lines are far curvier in this artwork, you can see how Nagashima eventually got to the finalized design. View this post on Instagram A post shared by BMW Classic (@bmwclassic) At the time of the first sketch, the E39's predecessor, the E34 5 Series, was only two years into production, with its ultra-boxy silhouette. So, what we're seeing from '89 was already radically different than anything BMW had previously made. Back then, BMW's design language was sharp and wedgy, but the company's artists were already looking well into the future. Chris Bangle is largely credited for BMW's drastic aesthetic departure of the mid-to-late '90s and early 2000s, for better or worse, but he didn't become chief of the brand's design department until 1992, three years after Nagashima drew up this swoopy sketch. I wonder if the E39 would still be considered the classic it is today if this look had been chosen instead. Got tips? Send 'em to tips@ Nico DeMattia is a staff writer at The Drive. He started writing about cars on his own blog to express his opinions when no one else would publish them back in 2015, and eventually turned it into a full-time career.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Yahoo
Norway is building the world's longest and deepest subsea road beneath its fjords
Norway is building the world's longest and deepest underwater tunnel, one of Europe's most ambitious engineering projects which is hoped will boost the country's transport links and infrastructure. Running under the country's fjords, the record-breaking Rogaland fixed link - or Rogfast - will be about 26.7 km long and 390 m at the deepest point under the sea. Once completed in 2033, the tunnel link will reduce the travelling time between two of Norway's largest cities, Stavanger and Bergen, by 40 minutes. Related Fehmarn Belt Link: Do the benefits of the world's longest underwater tunnel outweigh the damage? The Rogfast project, whose construction is nearing the halfway point, is part of the main European E39 highway, which runs along the west coast of the Nordic country. Linking cities like Kristiansand, Stavanger, Haugesund and Bergen, it will also replace ferry crossings and make travel smoother, according to the Norwegian roads authority which is behind the project. "Stavanger is the fourth-largest city in Norway, and Bergen is the second largest, so we hope that it's possible that this project will be able to reduce travelling time for workers as well when they are travelling to either Stavanger or Bergen on a daily basis," Oddvar Kaarmo, project manager of the Rogfast project at the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, told Euronews Next. One of the key design features of the new subsea highway is around the midway point where a spur connects the island of Kvitsøy, Norway's smallest municipality, to the main tunnel in the rock beneath it. The Rogfast tunnel will feature two lanes of traffic in each direction. Under Kvitsøy, the lanes meet via two roundabouts that are being built 260 m below sea level. "We have produced roundabouts in the tunnels before. But this might be one of the earliest constructions where we have this cross-section area with two roundabouts in the tunnel. As far as I know, I haven't seen two roundabouts in a cross-section area in a tunnel before," Kaarmo said. The two roundabouts under the island will allow traffic to flow even when one of the lanes is closed. "If something happens and we have to shut down a part of the tunnel, we can still run the tunnel by using one pipeline and traffic in each direction in one pipeline," he added. The twin tube structure is also a safety measure. "If a lorry or a truck [catches] fire in front of you and you are not able to turn around and drive out, you can just seek these green doors with exit signs… and you will be able to walk to the other pipeline of the tunnel. And we have this camera system that [allows us to] know exactly where you are. And we can pick you up and take you out of the tunnels," Kaarmo told Euronews Next. Related Finland wants to build a bridge across the Baltic Sea to Sweden for better connections to Europe The Rogfast project, which is being built in parts at a cost of 25 billion Norwegian Krone (€2 billion), is currently half completed after ground was broken in 2018. "In the north side, about 65 per cent of the tunnel is produced and then it's just the production of the tunnel like the drilling and blasting. And at the south end at Randaberg, it's about 45 percent [complete]," Kaarmo said. Unlike the Fehmarn belt fixed link currently under construction between Germany and Denmark that uses modular building method, Rogfast is being blasted and drilled straight through solid bedrock, a method Norway uses to ensure stability and durability under water pressure. "You are travelling through solid rock. We have this distance between the roof in the tunnel to the bottom to the sea. Our regulations demand 50 m. So you're travelling at the sea bottom. We have subsea road tunnels which have that construction. And the new tunnel between Germany and Denmark, there they are laying down cases and put the cases together and they do not go under the bottom like we do in Norway," Kaamor said. "In Norway, we produce tunnels quite cheap, if you compare it to a bridge for instance. And we have about 40 subsea road tunnels in Norway, and we are familiar with the construction. So normally it's easier and cheaper to build a subsea road tunnel than a bridge to the same island," he added. The Rogfast fixed link is scheduled to be completed by summer 2033. "It will help the producer of seafood production to reach the market in a better way without ferries," Kaarmo said. Related Sweden is building the world's first permanent electrified road for EVs to charge while driving "It will see working travellers, industry, and probably also tourism. Because the west coast of Norway is a part of Norway that tourists often seek. For instance, Bergen. We have lots of tourists in Bergen. And when we have this road project which will allow us to travel to Bergen in a shorter time, most likely, the tourists will also get eyes for this part of Norway even more than today," he noted. The Norwegian roads authority estimates 13,000 journeys will be every day for the new tunnel by 2053. For more on this story, watch the video in the media player above.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Yahoo
Norway is building the world's longest and deepest subsea road beneath its fjords
Norway is building the world's longest and deepest underwater tunnel, one of Europe's most ambitious engineering projects which is hoped will boost the country's transport links and infrastructure. Running under the country's fjords, the record-breaking Rogaland fixed link - or Rogfast - will be about 26.7 km long and 390 m at the deepest point under the sea. Once completed in 2033, the tunnel link will reduce the travelling time between two of Norway's largest cities, Stavanger and Bergen, by 40 minutes. Related Fehmarn Belt Link: Do the benefits of the world's longest underwater tunnel outweigh the damage? The Rogfast project, whose construction is nearing the halfway point, is part of the main European E39 highway, which runs along the west coast of the Nordic country. Linking cities like Kristiansand, Stavanger, Haugesund and Bergen, it will also replace ferry crossings and make travel smoother, according to the Norwegian roads authority which is behind the project. "Stavanger is the fourth-largest city in Norway, and Bergen is the second largest, so we hope that it's possible that this project will be able to reduce travelling time for workers as well when they are travelling to either Stavanger or Bergen on a daily basis," Oddvar Kaarmo, project manager of the Rogfast project at the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, told Euronews Next. One of the key design features of the new subsea highway is around the midway point where a spur connects the island of Kvitsøy, Norway's smallest municipality, to the main tunnel in the rock beneath it. The Rogfast tunnel will feature two lanes of traffic in each direction. Under Kvitsøy, the lanes meet via two roundabouts that are being built 260 m below sea level. "We have produced roundabouts in the tunnels before. But this might be one of the earliest constructions where we have this cross-section area with two roundabouts in the tunnel. As far as I know, I haven't seen two roundabouts in a cross-section area in a tunnel before," Kaarmo said. The two roundabouts under the island will allow traffic to flow even when one of the lanes is closed. "If something happens and we have to shut down a part of the tunnel, we can still run the tunnel by using one pipeline and traffic in each direction in one pipeline," he added. The twin tube structure is also a safety measure. "If a lorry or a truck [catches] fire in front of you and you are not able to turn around and drive out, you can just seek these green doors with exit signs… and you will be able to walk to the other pipeline of the tunnel. And we have this camera system that [allows us to] know exactly where you are. And we can pick you up and take you out of the tunnels," Kaarmo told Euronews Next. Related Finland wants to build a bridge across the Baltic Sea to Sweden for better connections to Europe The Rogfast project, which is being built in parts at a cost of 25 billion Norwegian Krone (€2 billion), is currently half completed after ground was broken in 2018. "In the north side, about 65 per cent of the tunnel is produced and then it's just the production of the tunnel like the drilling and blasting. And at the south end at Randaberg, it's about 45 percent [complete]," Kaarmo said. Unlike the Fehmarn belt fixed link currently under construction between Germany and Denmark that uses modular building method, Rogfast is being blasted and drilled straight through solid bedrock, a method Norway uses to ensure stability and durability under water pressure. "You are travelling through solid rock. We have this distance between the roof in the tunnel to the bottom to the sea. Our regulations demand 50 m. So you're travelling at the sea bottom. We have subsea road tunnels which have that construction. And the new tunnel between Germany and Denmark, there they are laying down cases and put the cases together and they do not go under the bottom like we do in Norway," Kaamor said. "In Norway, we produce tunnels quite cheap, if you compare it to a bridge for instance. And we have about 40 subsea road tunnels in Norway, and we are familiar with the construction. So normally it's easier and cheaper to build a subsea road tunnel than a bridge to the same island," he added. The Rogfast fixed link is scheduled to be completed by summer 2033. "It will help the producer of seafood production to reach the market in a better way without ferries," Kaarmo said. Related Sweden is building the world's first permanent electrified road for EVs to charge while driving "It will see working travellers, industry, and probably also tourism. Because the west coast of Norway is a part of Norway that tourists often seek. For instance, Bergen. We have lots of tourists in Bergen. And when we have this road project which will allow us to travel to Bergen in a shorter time, most likely, the tourists will also get eyes for this part of Norway even more than today," he noted. The Norwegian roads authority estimates 13,000 journeys will be every day for the new tunnel by 2053. For more on this story, watch the video in the media player above.
Euronews
09-04-2025
- Business
- Euronews
Norway is building the world's longest and deepest subsea road beneath its fjords
ADVERTISEMENT Norway is building the world's longest and deepest underwater tunnel, one of Europe's most ambitious engineering projects which is hoped will boost the country's transport links and infrastructure. Running under the country's fjords, the record-breaking Rogaland fixed link - or Rogfast - will be about 26.7 km long and 390 m at the deepest point under the sea. Once completed in 2033, the tunnel link will reduce the travelling time between two of Norway's largest cities, Stavanger and Bergen, by 40 minutes. The Rogfast project, whose construction is nearing the halfway point, is part of the main European E39 highway, which runs along the west coast of the Nordic country. Linking cities like Kristiansand, Stavanger, Haugesund and Bergen, it will also replace ferry crossings and make travel smoother, according to the Norwegian roads authority which is behind the project. "Stavanger is the fourth-largest city in Norway, and Bergen is the second largest, so we hope that it's possible that this project will be able to reduce travelling time for workers as well when they are travelling to either Stavanger or Bergen on a daily basis," Oddvar Kaarmo, project manager of the Rogfast project at the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, told Euronews Next. An island roundabout One of the key design features of the new subsea highway is around the midway point where a spur connects the island of Kvitsøy, Norway's smallest municipality, to the main tunnel in the rock beneath it. The Rogfast tunnel will feature two lanes of traffic in each direction. Under Kvitsøy, the lanes meet via two roundabouts that are being built 260 m below sea level. "We have produced roundabouts in the tunnels before. But this might be one of the earliest constructions where we have this cross-section area with two roundabouts in the tunnel. As far as I know, I haven't seen two roundabouts in a cross-section area in a tunnel before," Kaarmo said. The two roundabouts under the island will allow traffic to flow even when one of the lanes is closed. "If something happens and we have to shut down a part of the tunnel, we can still run the tunnel by using one pipeline and traffic in each direction in one pipeline," he added. The twin tube structure is also a safety measure. "If a lorry or a truck [catches] fire in front of you and you are not able to turn around and drive out, you can just seek these green doors with exit signs… and you will be able to walk to the other pipeline of the tunnel. And we have this camera system that [allows us to] know exactly where you are. And we can pick you up and take you out of the tunnels," Kaarmo told Euronews Next. Norway's tunnel building finesse The Rogfast project, which is being built in parts at a cost of 25 billion Norwegian Krone (€2 billion), is currently half completed after ground was broken in 2018. "In the north side, about 65 per cent of the tunnel is produced and then it's just the production of the tunnel like the drilling and blasting. And at the south end at Randaberg, it's about 45 percent [complete]," Kaarmo said. ADVERTISEMENT Unlike the Fehmarn belt fixed link currently under construction between Germany and Denmark that uses modular building method, Rogfast is being blasted and drilled straight through solid bedrock, a method Norway uses to ensure stability and durability under water pressure. "You are travelling through solid rock. We have this distance between the roof in the tunnel to the bottom to the sea. Our regulations demand 50 m. So you're travelling at the sea bottom. We have subsea road tunnels which have that construction. And the new tunnel between Germany and Denmark, there they are laying down cases and put the cases together and they do not go under the bottom like we do in Norway," Kaamor said. "In Norway, we produce tunnels quite cheap, if you compare it to a bridge for instance. And we have about 40 subsea road tunnels in Norway, and we are familiar with the construction. So normally it's easier and cheaper to build a subsea road tunnel than a bridge to the same island," he added. The Rogfast fixed link is scheduled to be completed by summer 2033. ADVERTISEMENT "It will help the producer of seafood production to reach the market in a better way without ferries," Kaarmo said. "It will see working travellers, industry, and probably also tourism. Because the west coast of Norway is a part of Norway that tourists often seek. For instance, Bergen. We have lots of tourists in Bergen. And when we have this road project which will allow us to travel to Bergen in a shorter time, most likely, the tourists will also get eyes for this part of Norway even more than today," he noted. The Norwegian roads authority estimates 13,000 journeys will be every day for the new tunnel by 2053. For more on this story, watch the video in the media player above. ADVERTISEMENT
