At BMW M we must over-deliver

At BMW M we must over-deliver — Inquisition BMW M division’s Dirk Hacker. Is BMW M division’s head of engineering, Dirk Hacker, in the right job? Oh yes

The CAR inquisition

DIRK HACKER HEAD OF ENGINEERING, BMW M DIVISION

‘I consider myself lucky every day – this job is never boring,’ claims M division engineering boss Dirk Hacker, his mile-wide smile suggesting he’s not lying through his teeth to deliver a nice corporate soundbite. That Hacker is where he was always meant to be can’t be in much doubt. His first car was a BMW, an E36 325i, and he still has it. He joined Bayerische Motorenwerke in 1988 and never left, progressing from chassis and stability control systems through complete vehicle engineering to M division, which he joined in 2015, just in time to work on the new-generation M3/M4 and, latterly, the CS version of the M5 F90 (see page). A pig in scheisse? Oh yes. ‘I have a big emotion for BMW, so I’m very happy I am able to do this as a profession.’ No doubt key to his job happiness is the variety. As well as flying a desk, setting lofty targets and scrutinising CAD screens, there’s plenty of driving in the mix, including regular ’Ring lappery.

‘I love these kind of circuits; Spa, the Nürburgring, Mugello, Laguna Seca… When I was younger, I raced for two years in a series on the Nordschleife, on motorcycles, 400km or 20 laps at a time.’ That intimate circuit knowledge now comes in handy as Hacker signs off machines like the preposterously rapid new M5 CS, a car whose three main chassis settings – Comfort, Sport and Sport+ – correspond, in his head at least, directly with ‘road’, ‘Nordschleife’ and ‘circuit’ use.

‘The CS is about increased performance through drivability,’ explains Hacker. ‘With the 3.0sec 0-62mph time [0.3sec faster than the M5 Comp] we are close to a supercar, but as well as increasing the performance we have also made the car more neutral, linear and consistent. For us it is important that a normal customer is able to go nearly as fast as our experts.’ While the M5 CS enjoys a raft of chassis and hardware modifications, from a lower ride height to revised damping rates, there are also tweaks to its stability control systems, a Hacker specialism. Put it to him that this area of automotive development – where hardware meets software meets funloving/ fallible human being at the wheel – is one of the most interesting in all automotive engineering and he lights up.

‘Absolutely. And these systems are not just a matter of safety – they’re also about joy and emotion [Ferrari’s Side Slip Control, anyone?]. If it all fits together well then you will be safer, yes, but you will also have a lot of fun. To get to a good level of coherence between the driver, the car and all the functional systems – I think this is a specifically M philosophy.’ Hacker’s beloved E36 325i weighs 1330kg. While 70kg lighter than the M5 Competition, the M5 CS is a near-two-tonne car.

Can that be right for a car wearing an M badge?

‘I can understand the view that an M car should be light. But a lot of the weight comes from global legal requirements. For more sportiness, the best way is to reduce the weight as low as possible. But we must fulfil all the regulations, today’s vehicles are physically bigger, and we must install many technical features to get the acceptance of customers. But I’m with you that these conflicting requirements are not easy to handle.’

Then there’s the small matter of the shift to electric power (BMW M has been developing an all-electric M5 for some time), inevitably via hybrids first. More weight, surely?

‘There is big pressure on performance engines in terms of emissions,’ says Hacker. ‘Take the M5 CS. If you want much more power then we have to go into the hardware. But we don’t know what the emissions regulations in the future will be. These things change almost day by day, so for the next big step we’ll need a different mechanical solution, and perhaps something else as well…

‘In the future we will have to get more electrification into the car. The next step, which isn’t far away, is more performance via electrification, first with a hybrid and then total electrification. But the customers will always prefer a lighter car. When is the right time? With our cars the expectation is very high. And when we build an electrified M car, either as a hybrid or as a battery-electric vehicle, it has to work as an M car.

‘There is always pressure. Not just from the press and from customers but also internally. There was pressure when we did the first all-wheel-drive M car. There will be pressure when we deliver the first hybrid M car. But you make the decision to do it and from there you just handle it. You do your very best and you strive to offer a car that’s amazing, that over-delivers on expectation – that is what M stands for.’

Six questions only we would ask

Tell us about your first car

‘An E36 325i, in 1992. I still have it. Perhaps I’ll modify it for ice racing in the young timers class – the car is eligible.’

What is your proudest achievement?

‘My job. As an engineer, if you start at BMW and you have emotion for racing, this is the best job you could wish for.’

Tell us about a time you screwed up…

‘I wish I’d pushed harder with my racing. Why? Because I’m interested in that, and now I’ve missed that opportunity.’

What’s the best thing you’ve ever done in a car?

‘Driving at Mugello, I would say. When we launched the M2 in Laguna also. I love these tracks – they are not synthetic.’

Supercar or classic?

‘Both? I love classics, but every time you think there is no next step, the supercar always shows you that there it is.’

Curveball… how much power did the McLaren F1’s BMW V12 engine make?

‘630hp?’ (It’s 627bhp, versus 626bhp for the new M5 CS.)