Automotive

BMW to make upcoming 8 Series into M Division flagship

BMW to make upcoming 8 Series into M Division flagship
The BMW M8 will look similar to the Concorso concept
The BMW M8 will look similar to the Concorso concept 
View 13 Images
The 8 Series will be getting an M Division flagship
1/13
The 8 Series will be getting an M Division flagship
The M8 is heavily camouflaged at the moment
2/13
The M8 is heavily camouflaged at the moment 
The M8 is based on the upcoming 8 Series
3/13
The M8 is based on the upcoming 8 Series
BMW will reveal the 8 Series later this year
4/13
BMW will reveal the 8 Series later this year
The M8 will be complete with all the same M Division touches as the rest of the range
5/13
The M8 will be complete with all the same M Division touches as the rest of the range 
The BMW M8 will be a flagship for the range
6/13
The BMW M8 will be a flagship for the range 
The BMW M8 will look similar to the Concorso concept
7/13
The BMW M8 will look similar to the Concorso concept 
The 8 Series will sit above the 6 Series in the BMW range
8/13
The 8 Series will sit above the 6 Series in the BMW range 
BMW will be racing a version of the M8 at Le Mans
9/13
BMW will be racing a version of the M8 at Le Mans 
The BMW M8 will likely have the powertrain from the M5
10/13
The BMW M8 will likely have the powertrain from the M5
BMW will be making the M8 a more focused take on the 8 Series
11/13
BMW will be making the M8 a more focused take on the 8 Series
The 8 Series takes on the Nurburgring
12/13
The 8 Series takes on the Nurburgring 
BMW will be racing the M8 GTE at Le Mans
13/13
BMW will be racing the M8 GTE at Le Mans 
View gallery - 13 images

Just days after whipping the covers off a concept previewing the upcoming 8 Series, BMW has confirmed its new flagship will be getting the M treatment. Details are hard to come by at the moment, but the M8 promises to blend all the grand touring goodness of the standard car with a proper fire-breathing drive for when the mood strikes you.

The BMW range is full of long-serving nameplates, but 8 Series isn't one of them. The 3, 5 and 7 Series are now into their sixth, seventh and sixth generations respectively, but the 8 was only around for one generation and ten years. In that time, it served as the two-door flagship for BMW – with a lineup consisting exclusively of V8 and V12 engines. Although a prototype was built, there was never an M8.

This time around, the flagship sports BMW will be available in full-on M Division tune. It will run with bigger air intakes, pumped-up brakes and a sports exhaust – just like the rest of the M cars running around at the moment. Although no powertrain details have been released yet, we're betting it will run with a similar four-wheel drive and turbo V8 to the upcoming M5.

The M8 is based on the upcoming 8 Series
The M8 is based on the upcoming 8 Series

"The conception and development of the standard BMW 8 Series and the M model run in parallel," says Frank van Meel, President of BMW M. "The future BMW M8 will build on the genes of the 8 Series and augment its DNA with added track ability and generous extra portions of dynamic sharpness, precision and agility."

Along with the road going M8, the team in M Division will also be using the 8 Series as the base for its new GTE racer. The M8 GTE will make its public debut later this year, before it hits the track for the first time at Daytona in January 2018. The real goal, though, is to take out GTE class at Le Mans next year. We'll be sure to keep you posted on all the latest as BMW unveils its full 8 Series range.

The M8 made its first (heavily camouflaged) appearance at the Nurburgring 24 Hours.

Source: BMW

View gallery - 13 images
No comments
0 comments
There are no comments. Be the first!