BMW confirmed that the 8 Series Coupe will go into production at the carmaker's Dingolfing plant in 2018, with a scheduled launch next year, too. That puts the new flagship's arrival a year earlier than speculation, and we assume the convertible and gran coupe versions will become earlier-than-expected treat as well.
Like the retail date and cues we've gleaned from 8 Series spy shots, further details about the 8 Series remain tentative. The interior takes heavy inspiration from the 8 Series Concept. Outside, consensus appears to be that the M version will get the 4.4-liter, twin-turbo V8 either putting out the same 600 horsepower as it does in the M5, or going all in for somewhere around 650 hp. Devil's advocates broach the possibility of an M with the 6.6-liter, twin-turbo V12; remember, the one-off, unicorn M8 of yesteryear employed a naturally-aspirated V12 with 549 hp and 368 lb-ft of torque, but that would seem overkill for the modern M8. A V12 for the series production car targeting the posh GT crowd would be a natural fit, though. Modern torque figures mean we can expect an eight-speed auto in the M car, and all-wheel-drive will certainly make itself known somewhere.
A racing version of the M8 bows before the series coupe, an un-camouflaged example recently doing laps at Daytona. The M8 GTE will race in the revamped World Endurance Championship, and in equivalent GTLM trim for the IMSA WeatherTech Championship (IWTC). Every racing team wants to win, but BMW hopes to make this introduction something special because the M8 GTE heads to the 24 Hours of Le Mans next year. BMW hasn't contested Le Mans with a factory effort since the M3 GT2 in 2011; the Munich brand won Le Mans in 1999 with the BMW LMR V12. The racing 8, with a 4.0-liter, twin-turbo V8 to move its 2,690 pounds, mixed it with competitors tuning up for next month's 24 Hours of Daytona. The M8 GTLM kicks off its U.S. season with Daytona's Roar before the 24. The M8 GTE first goes racing at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps in May.
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Like the retail date and cues we've gleaned from 8 Series spy shots, further details about the 8 Series remain tentative. The interior takes heavy inspiration from the 8 Series Concept. Outside, consensus appears to be that the M version will get the 4.4-liter, twin-turbo V8 either putting out the same 600 horsepower as it does in the M5, or going all in for somewhere around 650 hp. Devil's advocates broach the possibility of an M with the 6.6-liter, twin-turbo V12; remember, the one-off, unicorn M8 of yesteryear employed a naturally-aspirated V12 with 549 hp and 368 lb-ft of torque, but that would seem overkill for the modern M8. A V12 for the series production car targeting the posh GT crowd would be a natural fit, though. Modern torque figures mean we can expect an eight-speed auto in the M car, and all-wheel-drive will certainly make itself known somewhere.
A racing version of the M8 bows before the series coupe, an un-camouflaged example recently doing laps at Daytona. The M8 GTE will race in the revamped World Endurance Championship, and in equivalent GTLM trim for the IMSA WeatherTech Championship (IWTC). Every racing team wants to win, but BMW hopes to make this introduction something special because the M8 GTE heads to the 24 Hours of Le Mans next year. BMW hasn't contested Le Mans with a factory effort since the M3 GT2 in 2011; the Munich brand won Le Mans in 1999 with the BMW LMR V12. The racing 8, with a 4.0-liter, twin-turbo V8 to move its 2,690 pounds, mixed it with competitors tuning up for next month's 24 Hours of Daytona. The M8 GTLM kicks off its U.S. season with Daytona's Roar before the 24. The M8 GTE first goes racing at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps in May.
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Featured Gallery BMW M8 GTLM
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