- BMW resurrected the 8 Series moniker with their return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans Endurance championship.
- The 8 Series Coupe is available in two trims – the iconic 850i and the 840d.
- It will be joined by a Cabriolet, Gran Coupe and M variants in the next few months.
BMW marked their return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans after an absence of seven years with the M8 GTE. On the eve of the endurance championship, the Bavarian carmaker officially revealed the road-going version of the race car, the 8 Series Coupe, thus resurrecting the moniker after almost two decades.
BMW had first confirmed the return of the 8 Series last year by showcasing the Concept at the Concorso d’ Eleganza Villa. The production-ready Coupe remains true to the concept. It is based on the new CLAR platform with extensive use of aluminium, magnesium and carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP). BMW is calling the 8 Series as “gentleman’s racecar”.
It has a long bonnet with masculine creases, sharp and sleek headlights along with aggressive fascia. The headlights are full LED and come with BMW’s laserlight technology. The 8 has a low-slung body measuring the same length as the 7 Series. The sloping roofline lends a sensuous silhouette to the Coupe. The rear gets sleek LED tail lights along with massive exhaust tips and diffusers. The double-bubble type roof can also be had in optional carbon fibre material along with exterior bits like mirrors, lip spoiler and grille slats. The two-door sports car sits on 19-inch wheels as standard which can be up upgraded to 20-inch M-spec alloys.
The cabin is typical BMW – functional and well laid out. The cabin gets Vernasca leather upholstery with high quality materials all-around. The instrument cluster is new and fully-digital while the centre console gets the newest version of iDrive and there is the latest version of BMW heads-up display as well. Being a flagship product, BMW has added every piece of technology they have in the new 8. The coupe boasts of a boot capacity of 420 litres.
Currently there are two choices in powertrains. The M850i is powered by a twin-turbo 4.4-litre V8 making 528bhp and 750Nm. The oil burner is a 3.0-litre straight-six churning out 320bhp. An eight-speed Steptronic transmission and xDrive system comes as standard. A fully-blown M8 will soon follow.
The flagship Coupe will be joined by a Cabriolet and a Gran Coupe (four-door) in the 8 Series family. BMW will soon bring the 8 in India once it goes on sale in international markets later this year.
