Keep still your beating heart.
Working in parallel with the development of the impending BMW 8-Series flagship grand-touring coupé, the boffins at BMW M are “working flat out” putting together what’s been described as the “icing on the cake of the BMW 8-Series lineup,” the BMW M8. Aside from the catchy name (which should help Australian sales to some extent), the M8 was teased officially earlier this week, in a run-up to a preview during the Nürburgring 24-hour race.
The preview at the Green Hell is significant as, alongside the M8, work is underway on the BMW M8 GTE, which will be the steed that will mark BMW Motorsport’s reentry into the famed Le Mans endurance race. “The BMW M8 GTE development programme for our Le Mans comeback is in full swing,” commented the director of BMW Motorsport, Mr. Jens Marquardt. “Developing a new racing car is always exciting, and in the case of the M8 GTE, the anticipation is greater still.”
The BMW 8-Series is expected to run on a similar platform as the current-generation 5-Series, and offer powertrain options from both the 5er and 7er range. Unique M8 embellishments include things like enlarged air intakes, uprated brakes, and a quad-tailpipe arrangement which should allow the M8 to growl like a proper M-car should. “The future BMW M8,” said BMW M president Frank van Meel, “will build on the genes of the 8-Series and augment its DNA, with added track ability and generous proportions of dynamic sharpness, precision, and agility. It all flows into a driving experience that bears the familiar BMW M hallmarks and satisfies our customers’ most exacting requirements.”
With all-wheel drive possible (presumably with the V12 from the 7er), could the upcoming BMW 8-Series be the car to steal the spotlight from Mercedes-Benz and its S-Class Coupé?
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