BMW is set to revive the 8 Series nameplate, with word of a flagship ‘M8 reportedly in the works and ready to hit the road by 2020.
Autocar reports that when it does arrive, the M8 will be packaged with a new version of BMW’s 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 unit pushing out somewhere in the vicinity of 447kW, with the option of both a rear- and all-wheel drive setup.
The report mentions a lightweight body construction utilising aluminium, magnesium, steel and carbon fibre, based on the ‘CLAR’ platform currently underpinning the current 7 Series.
The mix of power and lightweight construction could result in a 0-100km/h time “well under 4.0 seconds”. According to sources closely involved in the development of the 8 Series, a convertible version will be available shortly after the coupe’s launch in 2019, with the flagship M8 to arrive shortly after.
The 8 Series will face tough competition in the form of the Bentley Continental GT, S-Class Coupe and Aston Martin DB11, with the apparent M8 fighting models like the S 63 AMG Coupe.
The 8 Series, codenamed G17, has been spotted in development phase dressed in camouflage. We can see from images not available to PerformanceDrive a gargantuan bonnet with a sloping roof design with bulky wheel arches.
The 8 Series is set to replace the current generation 6 Series coupe, which ends its production run in 2018 at BMW’s Dingolfing manufacturing plant. Word is that other 8 Series variants will receive a mix of 3.0-litre straight-six, 4.0-litre V8 and 6.6-litre turbocharged V12 engines, the latter of which expected to be for a range-topping ‘860i’ variant.
Also in the pipeline according to reports is an 840e plug-in hybrid variant, borrowing the 740 e iPerformance’s petrol-electric hybrid powertrain.
BMW has previously been caught registering nameplates including 825, 830, 835, 845, 850 M850 and M8 in May this year, fuelling speculation that BMW was planning on an 8 Series revival.
Note: BMW Pininfarina Gran Lusso concept shown
