In case you haven’t noticed, BMW is currently developing a very serious Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupe rival which will be labelled as the new 8-Series. And that’s not all, a new 8-series flagship model appears to be in the works too!
We’ll have to wait a fair bit before it will finally be launched, but if the rumors appear to be true, the new flagship coupe from Bavaria seems to be well worth waiting for. A twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 will power the new luxury coupe, which will be made available with both a rear-wheel drive and AWD xDrive setup.
With xDrive installed the M8 will be capable of setting a class-leading 0-100 km/h time if the coupe will be indeed as competent as the numbers make us believe; more than 600 hp should be available upon stepping on the throttle.
Developing an 8-Series this powerful isn’t all unfamiliar territory for the Bavarian brand. An earlier attempt to bring BMW’s M-power division and their original 8-series together in the 1990’s failed because of the high costs involved and key decision makers remaining skeptical about demand for such a relatively extreme car. The one-off prototype of the M8 that was presented back in the day featured a massive 6.0-liter V12 which was later tweaked to become the famous McLaren F1’s power plant.
In the end BMW did go ahead with the BMW 850 CSi packed with a 5.4-liter V12 which was brought to market back in 1992. Back to the reborn 8-Series, which is supposed to indirectly replace the brand’s 6-Series coupe, of which production will be ceased by 2018. Codenamed G17, the 8-Series coupe will come in different shapes and sizes but is built on the versatile CLAR platform that’s currently forming the base of the 7-Series. Right before the launch of the range topping M8, an open-top version of the new 8-Series is supposed to make an introduction.
Stay tuned for more news regarding the development of BMW’s new flagship model line over the coming months.
