With the XM Label Red, its most powerful production vehicle ever, BMW wanted to try and take down the SUV record at Pikes Peak this year. To make it happen, it had to go faster than the Lamborghini Urus, which completed the hill climb last year in 10 minutes and 32 seconds. However, it didn’t go as planned as the run ended sooner than expected. Driven by Performance Chief Driving Instructor Matt Mullins, the dedicated M model left the tarmac after a turn, smashing into a tree.
Following what surely must have been a brutal impact, the 738-horsepower SUV rolled over before landing on its wheels. Shocking footage of the crash has now been released as part of the “BMW Presents: Peak Power” documentary for which there’s already a sequel planned. At the end of the day, all that matters is Matt Mullins escaped without any injuries. In the aftermath of the accident, we can see him hugging his family, letting them know he’s okay.
We’re pleasantly surprised to see BMW had the courage to release the dramatic footage. The entire 23-minute documentary is definitely worth watching, and we’ll be keeping an eye on part 2 coming out tomorrow, November 2. Hopefully, we’ll learn more about the promised attempt to race again and take down the record. By the way, the German marque says it technically wanted to break the record for the fastest hybrid SUV during the 101st edition of the “Race to the Clouds” held in Colorado Springs.
When the accident happened back in June, BMW issued a statement: “Unfortunately, our hopes for a record run with the BMW XM today ended with a race incident. Driver Matt Mullins is disappointed but unhurt. The focus now is on repairing the vehicle and planning for another record attempt later this summer.”
BMW never properly introduced the XM Label Red prepped for Pikes Peak as all we got were a handful of pictures on social media. This lengthy video gives us the opportunity to get acquainted with the ultra-powerful SUV, which was transformed into a stripped-down single-seater. Suffice it to say, that full roll cage did its job.
It wasn’t entirely a bad day for BMW as Pikes Peak veteran Rhys Millen set a personal best for production cars with an M8.
Source: BMW
