“Stunner” BMWs to appear at Legends concours

In addition to the new M6 coupe and convertible, Grand Coupe' and M5 scheduled to appear at the BMW CCA Legends Of The Autobahn concours during the Monterey week in August, BMW CCA executive director Frank Patek has confirmed two more special cars: the BMW Zagato coupe which recently caused a sensation at Villa d’Este, and a one-off M car which was hidden away for nearly twenty years: the BMW M8.

 

The Zagato coupe is the latest marriage of Italian design and Bavarian engineering. As a concept show car, it is a singular product—but it could easily become reality, filling a special niche in the BMW lineup previously held by the M coupe. In addition, BMW has long been rumored to be planning a smaller sports car than the Z4, built on the 1 Series platform; the Zagato design exercise might just be the bellwether for a new Z2 model.

 

In the early 1990s, BMW’s 8 Series coupes, while stunningly attractive, did nothing to enhance BMW’s performance reputation; even with a V12 engine, they were heavy and slow, with handling far from the nimble agility expected of a BMW coupe. Though many shortcomings were addressed in the 850Csi—referred to as “almost an M” by more than one enthusiast—in fact there was one true M version created by M GmbH: an M8 coupe featuring extensive use of carbon fiber to save weight, and a V12 engine prepared to the exacting specifications of legendary BMW engine genius Paul Rosche.

 

Alas, the M8 was not quite the flagship envisioned by the BMW AG Board of Management, and the prototype was quietly tucked away in the dark caverns of M GmbH, along with such projects as an M5 convertible and the M3 pickup truck. In fact, the M8 was said to have been destroyed; in the files of BMW of North America, there was only one aged photograph of the car. But in 2009, it was discovered and presented during a journalists’ dinner at the BMW Museum in Munich, to much amazement and acclaim—and now it will appear at the Legends concours in August.

 

The BMW CCA Legends Of The Autobahn concours takes place at the Rancho Cañada golf course on Friday, August 17. To register for the event, click here.