Strong contender for best in show.
The Geneva motor show is broadly considered to be the premier annual automotive event, and many automakers reserve the very best projects they’ve got on the burner to show in Switzerland. It’s an all-out battle between the automakers to leave the press without words, and the general public with their jaws on the floor.
BMW has fielded a strong weapon to stand its ground. Dubbed the M8 GranCoupe concept, the Munich brand is very much showing to the world that there will be a four-door variation of its gorgeous flagship coupe, and that it’ll be available (eventually) as a full-on performance option befitting the very first ‘M8’ badge.
While the 8-Series coupe will be able to draw its pedigree from the beautiful grand tourer that captivated many through the 1990s, BMW is treading on decidedly new ground. While the 90s E31 model came at its most potent as an 850CSi, it stopped short of offering an M model, despite the CSi getting 5.6-litre V12 that was so thoroughly revised by M-Sport that it even got an M division engine code and ‘WBS’ prefixed VIN number denoting it was built by BMW Motorsport (rather than the ‘WBA’ prefix that BMW AG uses).
This isn't the first time the 'M8' badge has come around, though. BMW actually considered an M8, and it was about one breath away from production, but it was killed off after considering the already slow sales of the 8-Series and the global recession of the 90s. A sole M8 prototype was made featuring a 410kW V12 motor, and was thought to have been dismantled or destroyed following the decision to can the project. However, the sole M8 prototype lives on, in its entirety, and its existence was only confirmed in 2010 during an exclusive press event at the BMW Museum in Munich.
Anyway, the new M8 will receive its running gear from the M5 saloon, so we should expect to see the same 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 motor producing an impressive 441kW and 750Nm. The M8 is also likely to be all-wheel drive, just like the M5 saloon, though it’ll most probably gain the same heavily rear-biased setup to ensure maximum driving thrills and utmost capability to destroy tyres.
The sole teaser image shows the unmistakable silhouette of the 8-Series, and if you squint, you can just about see the cutout for the rear door. When it arrives in production form, the 8-Series GranCoupe will serve as an answer to cars like the Aston Martin Rapide and Porsche Panamera, both cars too cool to contend with ‘pedestrian’ limousines like the BMW 5-Series or BMW 7-Series.
I think it goes without saying that we’re very excited to see the arrival of both the 8-Series Coupe and the GranCoupe? Also at the BMW pavilion at the Geneva motor show will be the M3 CS, the new BMW X4 and X2, as well as the updated BMW 2-Series ActiveTourer. Oh, and so is the i8 Roadster.
For more information on BMW, check out our Showroom.
