This could be good—really good: There will be a new 8 Series coupe. It will arrive in 2018, but we don't have to wait that long for a taste of what it will look like. At the 2017 Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este on May 26, BMW will reveal a concept car that will show us what we might expect in the first 8 Series coupe since E31 production ceased in 1999.
BMW AG Board of Management Chairman Harald Krüger opened BMW's Annual General Meeting today with the announcement of the newest concept car and revealing a teaser photo designed to whet the appetites of BMW enthusiasts in general and fans of the big BMW coupes in particular.
“The BMW 8 Series Coupe will build on our tradition of luxurious sports coupes and add a genuine dream car to our lineup—a slice of pure automotive fascination,” said Krüger. “The 8 Series Coupe will underpin our claim to leadership in the luxury segment. I can tell you today that this will be a true luxury sports coupe.”
In conjunction with the announcement, BMW released a photograph of the concept car in silhouette.
The BMW 8 Series originated in 1989 and was produced for ten years. It assumed the mantle of BMW's flagship big coupe from the E24 6 Series that ended production that same year. Five years after BMW stopped building the 8 Series, it resumed production of the 6 Series in the form of the E63 6 Series Coupe. That car's successor, the F13 6 Series Coupe, is going out of production this year and BMW has not yet indicated if it will have an immediate successor. So once again it seems history will repeat itself when in 2018, a new 8 Series will take over as BMW's flagship luxury coupe.
The Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este at Lake Como, Italy, is one of the premier concourse d'elegance events in the world. BMW Group Classic is the organizer of the event, and for the past few years, BMW has chosen the Concorso to reveal new concept cars.
The teaser picture from BMW makes it appear that the concept car will have only two doors. We hope that's what the new 8 Series Coupe has as well.—Scott Blazey
[Photo courtesy of BMW AG.]
