Happy Labor Day weekend to all ..
Re-post of some info I posted on this subject the last time it came up
BMW info here:
http://www.bmw4life.com/nikasil.htmSome of the first patents on this technology (AKA: Alusil) were from work
done by GM/Reynolds with a Reynolds 390 Silicon alloy (etched).
Nikasil, was used as I recall, on early Porsche 911/917 race cars and
manufactured for them by; Mahle. Which was a thin-film coating type technology (As
BMW later used too).
Later 911/928 cars (and Ferrari) migrated to the Reynolds 390
silicon-and-aluminum alloy design, manufactured by 'KS'
Who manufactures many V-Aluminium blocks today including Audi.
KS Aluminium-Technologie AG (ATAG):
http://www.rheinmetall.com/index.php?fid=2046&lang=3A more scholarly look at the technologies can be read here:
http://www.ncccoat.com/PDF/MercuryNCCSAEtechnicalpapers.pdf 
