2004 BMW H2R Record Car back in action: Hydrogen-powered 6.0L V12 Engine Sound!

If you ask me why I keep coming back to the Festival of Speed every year I'd show you this video. No, I don't mean this odd looking BMW is the reason but so are all those concept cars, curious one-offs and forgotten vehicles that pop up every year at Goodwood. And you can also see them in motion.
The BMW in this video, called H2R, is one of those vehicles that you would think to see parked in some technical museum, gathering dust. Instead BMW classic recently restored the car and took it to the 2023 Festival of Speed alongside the new BMW iX5 Hydrogen. I would have loved to get more driving footage but unfortunately that's all I have.
Back in 2004 BMW developed the H2R in only 10 months as an experimental vehicle to test and show the capabilities of a hydrogen-powered car. The car went on to set no fewer than nine records for hydrogen vehicles in France at the Miramas Proving Grounds.
Also known as the Hydrogen Record Car, it had a remarkably low drag coefficient of just 0.21 and was relatively lightweight given its size, tipping the scales at 1,560 kg (3,440 pounds) with a driver, which wasn’t too bad for a vehicle stretching at a massive 5.40 meters. BMW was able to achieve the curb weight by using carbon fiber reinforced plastic for the body panels and an aluminum space frame structure.
The H2R was originally designed to run on gasoline, but BMW decided to switch to hydrogen in order to demonstrate its potential. At the heart of the BMW H2R lies a modified 6.0-liter V12 engine, the same one used in the BMW 760i of those years. The V12 was then specifically engineered to run on hydrogen fuel where one of the main modifications included adapting a fuel injection system capable of handling hydrogen, featuring integrated injection valves within the intake manifolds. The engine produces 232 hp and 386 Nm of torque, allowing the H2R to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 6 seconds and reach a top speed of 302.4 km/h (187.62 mph).
The H2R doesn't run on fuel cell technology but the liquid hydrogen is directly burnt in the combustion chamber, stored in a cryogenic tank within a carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) safety cell. Recently replaced with the one of the iX5 Hydrogen during the restoration phase, the tank maintains the hydrogen at a frigid -253 degrees Celsius, ensuring it remains in a liquid state. Specific adjustments were made to the V12 including a specific air-cooling feature for each cylinder to prevent premature ignition of the subsequent hydrogen/air mixture during combustion, due to the elevated temperature resulting from hydrogen combustion.
Of course, the H2R never made it past the prototype stage, but it was the fruit of over 25 years of experimentation, setting also the tone for future hydrogen-powered BMWs. A couple of years later BMW introduced the Hydrogen 7, the world's first hydrogen-powered production vehicle based on the 760Li and which was using the same 6.0-liter V12 engine developed for the H2R. However, it has been modified to also allow for the combustion of hydrogen as well as petrol, making it a bivalent engine, due to the scarcity of hydrogen refueling stations.
Watch it driving on the Goodwood's hillclimb course!
#BMWH2R #BMWHydrogenCar #HydrogenV12
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I have to thank my friends and youtubers ‪@Italiansupercarvideo‬, ‪@MattyB727‬ and ‪@NM2255‬ for the amazing collaboration done during the event. Don't forget to subscribe to their channels!!
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- Camcorders: Canon Legria HF G30 & GX10 + Canon DM-100 Microphone, Sony AX-53 + Audio Technica Microphone, Sony FDR AX700 with Audio-Technica Microphone
- Event: Festival of Speed 2023
- Where: Goodwood, England
Link To My Channel: / 19bozzy92
THANKS FOR WATCHING AND SUBSCRIBE!!!

[@zoobi27]

This is better than the electrical engine whine noise. glory and long live to combusting engine

[@tomfarrell1933]

6 litre v12, 232hp…

[@ferrarikingdom]

@@tomfarrell1933it's a e66 BMW 760 engine modified. Even on regular petrol doesn't make much power . This was an era were bmws most powerful non m cars were 300 hp

[@juanitoblogs6574]

​@@tomfarrell1933and?

[@Terraceview]

@@juanitoblogs6574 Gen Z only cares about numbers.

[@juanitoblogs6574]

@@Terraceview yeah

[@AndreiTupolev]

Note also that it still sounds like a proper engine

[@jareknowak8712]

It is regular engine (with minor changes), the fuel is unusual. It still can run on normal gas also.

[@IKKAIWINS]

Wow, that's quite the sight to behold. Goodwood and its "odd" cars never disappoint in this regard

[@ActionMacaque]

Odd, spectacular, spectacularly odd, or oddly spectacular? I don't know - but I can tell that its V12 sounds really good!

[@avalanche450]

I love these peculiar concept cars. It’s interesting to see each manufacturers past or future visions in action. I never knew BMW tried experimenting with hydrogen in the first place! 0:43

[@snail415]

Drives me insane that BMW can’t make a production car that sounds a fraction as good as this thing. Subdued, complex, characterful. Every M out sounds like a perennial wet fart. I hope this concept car trickles-down some goodness in the years ahead.

[@CupsofCopus]

Great Video Bozzy! Wondered what this weird thing was supposed to be! Considering it's Hydrogen powered it does sound pretty good! Hopefully this is the future of the ICE and not fully electric! :D

[@19Bozzy92]

Thanks as usual my friend! We'll see what the future has in store for us

[@JackWebb713]

I love hearing the rain with the engine and tire noise.

[@MainMite06]

When I saw this on Car & Driver magazine in the 00s as a kid, I thought it was H2 electric!

[@ferringsylveon219]

It looks like the Z4 ate too much McDonald's

[@jareknowak8712]

Too much big-macs and a whole Citroen DS cabrio :D

[@Allan_aka_RocKITEman]

*Great video...👍*

[@jordanbrown7403]

Clever move bmw having a old hydrogen ice car followed by new fuel cell car 🙂

[@Dethmeister]

Just think, 20 years ago this was just an experimental concept vehicle. Now everyone is driving hydrogen-powered silver slabs. We are truly living in the future!

[@oscarzt1652]

sounds good for a 230hp V12

[@DjDenKot]

+

[@partysodown]

I havent seen the hydrogen/german combo since the Hindenburg!

[@ag6371]

This should be the future of cars

[@DjDenKot]

great

[@PixelVogue]

James May would probably love this 😂

[@kotak4420]

do we have more hydrogen fuel powered ICE examples? i don't really have anything against EV apart from the lack of pleasant sounds but this is clearly a much better alternative to petrol ICEs...

[@19Bozzy92]

Not many examples unfortunately and most of them are from the past, like the BMW Hydrogen 7 or the Mazda RX-8 Hydrogen. Nowadays with the evolution of fuel cells it's more obvious for a manufacturer to develop a hydrogen vehicle based on this technology rather than a hydrogen-powered ICE. With fuel cells you have a more efficient use of hydrogen, resulting in twice the power and lower fuel consumption compared to a hydrogen ICE with the same amount of fuel. Downside: zero sounds 😢Like the iX5 following the H2R in this video... The only company which currently seems to be experimenting with both solutions is Toyota. Their Mirai relies on hydrogen fuel cells but in the meantime they are testing their 1.6-litre, three-cylinder ICE to run on hydrogen and they are currently developing it on a series of vehicle such as the Corolla Cross, GR Corolla and the GR Yaris (which was at Goodwood this year too). I remember they also announced an interesting 5.0-liter V8 engine developed in partnership with Yamaha a couple of years ago but I don't know if it was more for a marketing purpose or they were pretty serious about that project. We'll see

[@kotak4420]

​​​@@19Bozzy92very saddening 😢... for the V8, yeah we'll see. Thanks for the awesome video!

[@phretsCM]

It's so weird but I had to see it lol

[@tristangillis7365]

I wanted to be disappointed by the lack of sound, but what a cool piece of engineering.

[@atomicgamer1065]

A hydrogen powered combustion engine? Doesn't produce bad exhaust fumes and sounds fucking awesome! That right there is what I hope future cars run on, I mean I will miss gas engines but these sound just like them. But hey hydrogen combustion engines are a win win for everybody,

[@skarzz5196]

this hydrogen combustion technology will save the legendary v8, v10, v12 engines from dying out. imagine a mercedes s65 amg with a hydrogen v12 biturbo engine. zero emissions while keeping the legendary unique amg v12 sound

[@bimmerlife5452]

Sounds so good weirdest looking bmw ever made looks like animal in the front

[@playgt326]

BMW must makes a hypercar with that hydrogen V12 engine, with 971BHP 👌🏻, a new rival for the AMG 1, 918 Spyder and Delage D12 😋

[@TheGrinXpedia]

that hydrogen engine is nearly 20y old already, my man. BMW would need to make a new one from scratch to be able to compete with curtent hypercars

[@playgt326]

@@TheGrinXpedia Yes, i know, but not specific that V12 engine, i mean a new V12 engine that runs on hydrogen 👌🏻

[@AnonymousGuy05]

They easily could as Bmw M hybrid V8 of LmdH class already exists which is a hypercar for Wec, the question is would they make a modified road legal version of it with similar powertrain.

[@321-Gone]

Not a looker. Just think, this is the same company that made the Beautiful E46 at the same time. That thing looks straight out of the early 90's.

[@matcrespillo]

Proto Hypercar WEC, jeje

[@turboflacko946]

Ok I see the idea but this should have been re body before full run 😂

[@user-ei7hu6ve7m]

Sounds like a pagani huyra simplified

[@Kierenstanden-qz7eu]

So this shows you the tech was there but maybe they was told not to they would have had nearly 20 years .

[@Prodriver33]

What’s wrong with that X5? It’s belching smoke out the bottom of the engine

[@matti934]

Water?

[@19Bozzy92]

That iX5 Hydrogen is an EV car that relies on fuel cell technology to operate the vehicle. Using hydrogen as a fuel, the only byproducts are water, heat and, of course, electricity. And that water (in the form of steam) exits from the exhaust

[@GamerPro-nw5lf]

bmw n73 engine? engine bmw e65/e66 v12? rolls royce?

[@MenderSlen579]

Looks like a car made in automation and then ported to beamng drive.

[@throw-fz4br]

Man, if this was in America, the creator of the hydrogen engine would have mysteriously died (murdered)

[@jeandeaux2129]

Ha! The sportscar looks good, sounds good, prolly handles good----but couldn't lose the SUV.....

[@MrCornholios]

It has 285 HP not 232

[@19Bozzy92]

uhmm... Can you give me a reliable source for that figure? Because all of websites I used to collect some info on the car stated '232'. Even the official BMW press release from 2004 says the same: www.press.bmwgroup.com/united-kingdom/article/detail/T0020706EN_GB/the-bmw-h2r-record-car?language=en_GB

[@MrCornholios]

@@19Bozzy92 Google "bmw h2r". On the german wiki site and on the from BMW Group.

[@MrCornholios]

@@19Bozzy92 Sorry, cant post links here. On all german websites stands 285 PS. On english ones 232 HP. But its a german car soo, 285 could be right.

[@icoicocaballito]

no body said: beatifull

[@zgb420]

Nice boat

[@liamgray6017]

Now that's ridiculous 😂😂😂

[@Aciimov]

It looks sad

[@drgallajov]

.

[@joe125ful]

Very cool car!!! But 6.0L V12 produce 232Hp only????:):) Where precise Germans make mistake???

[@tescoshortage]

No mistakes made. It’s just that Hydrogen kinda sucks at making good power. 34:1 stoichiometric AFR doesn’t help, either.

[@aLeLiBiV]

Goofy ahh car

[@AndreiTupolev]

See, that's where the world's been conned by the electric fanatics; vastly expensive, elaborate and complicated fuel cell technology is SO much simpler and more cost-effective than simply burning hydrogen in an existing engine, isn't it. 🙄

[@joe125ful]

1:25 This angle is definition of uglynes:):)

[@armandrone9016]

Pode ser limpo energeticamente, mas é feio demais! Achten Sie mehr auf Design!!!

[@Zsword92]

Wtf is that

[@FishFind3000]

For a v12 it doesn’t sound that great

[@jouhajohnny]

trippin

[@WymiataczPlays]

It's very low-comp, you won't make asstons of power with hydrogen so it won't sound high strung. It makes 232hp on that fuel while making 450 stock in the 760i.

[@gustavoracing1736]

EV engines sucks...