BMW build the Monza track in the middle of Sahara for the BMW X5

BMW Italy decided to really go all out for the Italian launch of the X5, a team of 50 engineers, surveyors and workers spend two weeks in the Moroccan Sahara recreating the famous Monza circuit in the sand. Four bulldozers and just as many trucks dug out and moved over 3500 cubic meters (1200 tones) of earth to create the off-road circuit.

The track is a one to one recreation measuring 5793m just as the real thing in Grand Prix configuration, and includes all famous bends, Parabolica, Ascari the supersonic Lesmo right-hander and the Variante chicanes.

X5 crossed Europe in stages to finally reach the Monza Sahara, where it was welcome by a group of BMW R 1250 GS motorcycles so there is something there for everyone. The main point of it was to show-off the new off-road package which adapts the car for different off-road scenarios.And well create a fancy PR film, which they did, sadly BMW didn't reveal what lap-time the X5 managed around the sandy circuit.

What do you think? Would you take the X5 for a lap in the sand?

You can see the car tackle a whole lap here from roof mounted camera here:

There is also a rather fancy making off here:

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