IT'S one of the coolest looking supercars around - and one of the most successful too, with almost 5,500 models sold last year.

Now the white-hot BMW i8 has become burning red as well as being clean and green.

So feast your eyes on the new BMW i8 Protonic Red Edition, on sale from September for a princely £112,535.

With its clever hybrid drivetrain, the i8 boasts an output of a hefty 362bhp, can scorch from 0-62mph in just 4.4 seconds and also cover close to 22 miles in electric only mode.

It also takes BMW's EfficientDynamics philosophy to a new high, posting emissions of just 59g/km and a combined consumption figure of 113mpg in the process. Top speed is electronically limited to 155mph.

The new special edition i8, available for a limited period only, comes with exclusive paintwork in a Protonic Red finish with Frozen Grey metallic accents plus light-alloy wheels painted in Orbit Grey metallic with hubs in aluminium matt.

Inside there's red double-stitching and exclusive carbon fibre and ceramic trims.

The rear-wheel drive i8 was purposefully-designed as a plug-in-hybrid sports car with a turbocharged 1.5-litre petrol engine with BMW TwinPower Turbo technology and intelligent energy management.

Its second power source is a 96 kW/131bhp hybrid electric motor which sends its power to the front axle.

The battery can be recharged from a conventional household power socket, at a BMW i Wallbox or at a public charging station.

BMW AG board member Dr Ian Robertson said: "The success of the BMW i8 speaks for itself. It is already the world's most successful hybrid sports car and has comfortably exceeded our own expectations."