© Perry Stern, Automotive Content Experience
New Flagship
A couple years ago, BMW introduced the Concept 8 Series during the Monterey Motoring Week at the legendary Pebble Beach Golf Links, prior to the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. That car was the basis for the all-new 8 Series, which then led to the introduction of the brand’s all-new flagship model, the BMW M8. In the same location along the beautiful California coastline a scant two years later, BMW revealed not only the M8 Coupe, but the M8 Convertible as well. These new M models reside at the top of the 8 Series lineup, boasting extreme performance and standout styling in keeping with other M vehicles.
© Perry Stern, Automotive Content Experience
Standout Styling
The new 8 Series is already a sexy coupe and convertible; the M8 vamps things up with larger openings in the front bumper, black chrome trim on the grille and side gills, as well as a high-gloss black treatment on the rear spoiler and diffuser. An optional M Carbon package replaces all these components with carbon fiber for a more aggressive appearance. Adaptive LED headlights with Laserlight flank the iconic kidney grille. Standard 20-inch light-alloy wheels complete the look.
© Rod Hatfield, Automotive Content Experience
Sporty Interior
The interior of the new M8 gets full M treatment with an M leather steering wheel, M shift paddles, a gear shift lever with red accents and — of course — a red start / stop button. The front-seat occupants enjoy M Sport seats with an illuminated M badge below the head restraint. M seat belts with highlight stitching in BMW Motorsport colors are standard on the M8 Competition.
© Perry Stern, Automotive Content Experience
Turbocharged V8
At the heart of the M8 is a 4.4-liter TwinPower Turbo V8 engine that produces 600 horsepower and 553 lb-ft of torque at a mere 1800 rpm. The M8 Competition gets a slight bump up to 617 horsepower and an accompanying improved soundtrack thanks to the M Sport exhaust. The powerful V8 is teamed with an 8-speed M Steptronic transmission that directs power to the road via the M xDrive all-wheel-drive system.
© Perry Stern, Automotive Content Experience
Extremely Quick
All this power makes for an incredibly quick car — the M8 Coupe reaches 60 mph from a standstill in 3.1 seconds, while the M8 Competition does the same trick in 3 seconds flat. The M8 Convertible is one-tenth of a mph slower than the coupe in both standard and Competition guise. Top speed is limited to 155 mph; however, an optional M Drive’s Package will increase that number to 189 mph.
© Rod Hatfield, Automotive Content Experience
All-Wheel Drive
To help handle all this added power, the M8 comes with an xDrive rear-biased all-wheel drive system as standard equipment. Power gets sent to the front wheels only when the rears lose traction, so in most situations the M8 drives as a rear-wheel-drive machine. For those looking to burn some rubber, it is possible to put the M8 into rear-wheel-drive-only mode — although BMW suggests this for experienced drivers only.
© Rod Hatfield, Automotive Content Experience
