As promised, BMW chose the 2017 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este to reveal the BMW Concept 8 Series, which it is calling "the essence of a modern-day BMW coupe wrapped up in an enthralling design study." We will take that to mean the there will be a lot of this concept car in the new BMW 8 Series Coupe due out in 2018.
Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG Harald Krüger told us BMW was going on the offensive with a model onslaught to establish the company at the top of the luxury performance mountain and to do that, BMW needed a top-of-the-line luxury performance coupe.
The new 8 Series Coupe is one of those top-level cars Krüger was talking about as BMW implements its Number One > Next strategy to increase sales and revenues. He explained, “The number 8 has always represented the pinnacle of sports performance and exclusivity at BMW. The forthcoming BMW 8 Series Coupe will demonstrate that razor-sharp dynamics and modern luxury can go hand-in-hand. This will be the next model in the expansion of our luxury-car offering and will raise the benchmark for coupes in the segment. In the process, we will strengthen our claim to leadership in the luxury class.”
Although it is a concept car, the BMW Concept 8 Series previews the general lines of the next 8 Series Coupe; perhaps as much as the Concept i8 did for the production i8 a few years ago.
“The BMW Concept 8 Series is our take on a full-blooded high-end driving machine,” said Adrian van Hooydonk, Senior Vice President BMW Group Design. “It is a luxurious sports car which embodies both unadulterated dynamics and modern luxury like arguably no other. For me, it’s a slice of pure automotive fascination.”
We are extremely happy to see that the BMW 8 Series Concept is a pure coupe in the old school sense. Its low profile includes a long, sloping hood, an angled roofline blending into a short back end, and two big, beautiful doors.
“The design of the BMW Concept 8 Series provides a fresh interpretation of iconic BMW styling cues,” continued van Hooydonk. “It also showcases a new approach to the use of forms which is reflected particularly prominently in the car’s surfacing. A handful of crisp lines mark out clear surfaces, and the car’s volumes are powerfully sculpted. Together, these elements make a forceful statement and create a model brimming with character. In short, this is a driver’s car.”
Okay, we're not sure how that description of the cars "surfacing" and "volumes" translates into "this is a driver's car" so we will restate it like this. This is one good-looking coupe. If it has an engine to match its looks and the suspension, steering, and brakes to put that power onto the road and keep it there, then it will indeed be a driver's car.
But when we speak of a driver's car, we're talking about next year's production 8 Series Coupe. The BMW Concept 8 Series is as much a sculpture as it is a platform to demonstrate technology and driving qualities. The eyes are drawn into this sculpture by the enormous kidney grilles that ensure everyone knows what company built this car. The exclusive color of this concept—Barcelona Grey Liquid—is a greyish-blue with highly iridescent pigments and it is beautiful, but a lighter color would show better the large air scoops on either side of the front fascia and the big Cylon-like air intake under the kidneys.
On this concept, BMW stayed with the traditional quad headlights, but those quads are getting shorter and wider each year.
The back of the car is intimidating. The whole rear deck has been transformed into one big spoiler. The rear taillights are technically an L-shape, but as with the headlights, they are getting shorter and wider and a little i8-like. It may take a while to get used to the trapezoidal exhaust pipes.
The cockpit is not as minimalist as the BMW Vision Next 100 and we expect that the instrument panel and central display will come to life and be a lot more engaging once the car gets underway.
The seats have a carbon-fiber shell, the leather begs you to take a seat, and the anodized red paddles behind the steering wheel scream that they are how you shift and pay no attention to that Swarovski-encrusted level on the console,
BMW says the BMW Concept 8 Series previews the 8 Series Coupe coming next year, which it calls a "dream car." Price notwithstanding, it's certain we will be seeing the new Coupe in our dreams.—Scott Blazey
[Photos courtesy of BMW AG.]
