It's coming! BMW's bombshell 8 Series Coupe

By Ané Theron

The new BMW 8 Series Coupe is a sublime-looking beast, and by early next year, you'll be able to grab one if the financial gods have been repeatedly grinning at you.

The BMW i8 certainly has rock star presence, but the slightly less flamboyant 8 Series is going to make your blood pressure even higher. While the i8 is a hybrid with a maximum combined output of 275kW, the South African spec 8 Series will pack a far meatier dollop of shunt: The BMW M850i xDrive Coupe will have BMW's newly developed, finely tuned V8 turbopetrol-engine pumping fuel through its perfectly engineered 'veins' at a claimed average of only 10 litres per 100 km. While we won't quite stake our lives on that figure, at least we can be more certain of thrilling 390 kW and 750Nm of torque, and a zippy 0-100 km sprint time of 3.7 seconds. So while the electrically-enhanced i8 has the scissor-door show, the 8 Series will have the 4.4-litre, V8, twin-turbo go. 

The i8's body panels are largely constructed with carbon-fibre reinforced plastic (CRFP), but the 8 Series Coupe also receives its share of this ultralight, magical material used to construct the double-bubble style roof - a throwback to the design of classic racing cars. The air intake bars, exterior mirror caps, rear spoiler and rear diffuser (if you spec the optional Carbon package) will also be molded out of CRFP.

From the interior design details we've seen on the interior photographs shown here, (note the glass-ensconced 8-speed Steptronic Sport gear - lever... fantastic, isn't it?) we can easily conclude that leaving the elegant confines of the 8 Series won't be easy. With newly developed, low-slung sport seats that are issued in Vernasca leather and a 420-litre luggage-  compartment, you and your favourite person(s) can do extensive grand touring - just don't expect to go about unnoticed.

The slew of high-tech comfort and safety features will also, among many, many other things, afford you the luxury of letting the car do most of the driving with minimum human steering and throttle/braking input - not to mention the digital services available, including hazard warnings obtained from interconnectivity with other BMWs, Skype for Business, and over-the-air software upgrades! The BMW digital key will also be available if you like to unlock your Bimmer and start its energetic engine via your smartphone, just like the 7 Series allows.

Having made its track debut at Le Mans recently in M8 GTE racing-guise, BMW had high hopes - but an accident and damper problems saw them finishing in a disappointing 12th place. But you're not going to race at Le Mans with it, now are you? In the meantime, subscribe to our newsletter to stay abreast of the latest BMW 8 Series updates and pricing.

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