The new BMW M8 is preparing to take its place as a top-tier sport coupe in BMW's new pantheon of luxury automobiles. Spy photos recently captured an M8 prototype testing at the Nürburgring's Nordschleife. This test car still wore the normal camouflage plus considerable fake body panels attached with sheet metal screws, but it was still possible to get a good idea of the looks of the first-ever production 8 Series M car.
BMW recently refocused the marketing of what it considers the luxury portion of its catalogue. The operative numbers here are "7" and "8," as in, 7 Series, 8 Series, and the BMW i8 and next year, the i8 Roadster. Being a luxury BMW doesn't preclude a car from being very sporty, however. The M760Li xDrive is pretty much a beast and the i8 Coupe handles itself in a most sporty manner. The impending i8 Roadster will do the same and we expect the new M8 will be fast, agile, and very maneuverable as well as luxurious—and expensive.
The recent spy shots caught some views of the M8 test car's interior. That's not to say this is what the production M8 will look like inside, and there are portions covered up, but it most likely will be instantly recognizable as a BMW interior, complete with very comfortable leather all over the place.
If the steering wheel in this car is a preview of a production wheel, then BMW will be putting more stuff within range of the driver's thumbs than ever before. That's understandable, since the 8 Series will probably have all the technology, driver aids, and semi-autonomous functions that the 7 Series comes with, and possibly more.
Probably the best thing about this prototype M8 is what you can't see. The engine is likely to be an M-developed V8 putting out around 600 horsepower, similar to the new M5 motor. A 600-horsepower true coupe with M suspension and M brakes—now that's something to get excited about.
We hope to see the production M8 sometime in 2018.—Scott Blazey
[Photos courtesy of AutoGuide]
