BMW is eager produce a new flagship M-branded coupe, or at least that’s how it would seem if reports of a purported new luxury road racer in the works at Munich prove to be accurate. Even better, the company is also close to settling on resurrecting the M8 name for it.
BMWBLOG cites anonymous sources close to the matter that the new M car will break cover some time around 2019. While some have hoped that BMW produce a proper mid-engine supercar to truly succeed the M1, the M8’s flagship status will likely be shaped into a hefty front-engine GT.
In the same way that BMW have rolled out their current line-up of two-door coupes such as the 4 Series and 6 Series, the new M8 will be spawned from a less volatile 8 Series. Naturally, this will be followed up by a Convertible and four-door Gran Coupe version.
There’s some history to the M8 nameplate, which is why it carries more weight compared to the typical prospective future car. Between 1989 to 1999, the 8 Series was their GT flagship at that time, a luxurious two door that could come armed with a 5.7-litre V12 under the bonnet.
During this period, BMW toyed with the idea of creating a truly high-performance version of the 8 Series - but a properly demonic E31 M8 never really materialised and it was unknown if the automaker was even seriously considering it until a few years ago when the secret prototype was brought into the light of day.
Extrapolating the possible trajectory of a 2019 M8 using BMW’s present-day roadmap is possible, but do take it with a grain of salt. Should the news be confirmed, there won’t likely be a spot for the 6 Series to exist, ending a run that lasted only 2 generations.
BMW will likely their new OKL platform with carbon fibre reinforced polymer in the future M8’s construction. Since it will be similar in size to today’s M6, the entire 8 Series range could mirror the 5 Series’ engine and powertrain spread like it does currently (in the 6 Series).
The 4.4-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine, lifted from the upcoming F90 M5 is almost certainly a favourite to be slotted under the M8’s bonnet, it would be interesting if BMW also made the N74 6.6-litre bi-turbo V12 from the 7 Series also available somehow as the previous 8 Series (and M8 prototype) featured such an engine.
An official announcement and near-production concept car should be on the cards for a 2018 debut should a 2019 launch be expected.
For more on BMW vehicles, including pricing and specifications, check out our Showroom.
