BMW Concept 8-series: Eight Is Greater than Six

The issue with giving cars numbers rather than names is highlighted by proliferating model count: Automakers are starting to run out of digits. Audi already applies every integer between 1 and 8 to at least one derivative, albeit prefixed by a variety of different letters. Now BMW faces another almost-full house, bringing the 8-series back after what will be, by the time the car goes on sale, a 19-year hiatus.

And in another example of history repeating itself, this 8-series also is going to replace the 6-series, just as the last car to carry the badge did when it was launched in 1989. Like the outgoing 6-series, the 8-series will encompass three variants: a two-door coupe, a four-door Gran Coupe, and a cabriolet, all of which are to be launched next year. (The 6-series designation won’t disappear; instead, it will be applied to the replacement for the 5-series Gran Turismo hatchback.)

The first of these, the new 8-series coupe, is the car previewed by this concept, which has been unveiled at Italy’s Villa d’Este concours on Lake Como. Although officially a concept, we’re assured that the design of the finished car will hew closely to that promised here, with a minor front-end tweak to satisfy pedestrian-impact standards, and proper door mirrors in place of the concept’s minimalist ones. Exterior bodywork will be effectively unchanged, even those slim headlights will remain. These are laser units incorporating a new, hexagonal take on BMW’s characteristic twin-ring running lights.

The exterior heralds a return of some of the muscularity that BMW has removed from recent models, and it looks more than capable of kicking sand in the face of the current 6-series. The concept has pronounced rear haunches and an aggressive rear bumper incorporating oversized exhaust finishers. The 8-series also marks a welcome evolution of BMW’s commitment to air vents in the front fender, with a sizable exit behind the front wheels in place of the tacked-on-looking air breathers fitted to some of its lesser models. The concept rides on 21-inch wheels, suggesting that similarly sized units will be available on the production version, although possibly only as an option.

We hadn’t been given images of the interior as of this writing, but BMW’s official release promises a digital instrument cluster, high-grade materials, and an emphasis on both connectivity and usability. The car debuts BMW’s next-generation iDrive architecture, and on the concept this comes with a rotary controller that’s made from Swarovski glass with a smoked quartz finish. Yes, really.

While the early communication is deliberately short on technical details—there are approximately zero—we’ve gathered some from informed sources. The 8-series coupe has been given the code G15 in BMW’s nomenclature, and we believe its four-door sibling will be the G16. Those numbers indicate a close mechanical relationship with the G11/G12 7-series sedan, with both the 7- and 8-series (like the new 5-series) using the same modular OKL platform. BMW insiders indicate the 8-series will share the 7’s partial-carbon-fiber construction to reduce weight, and we’re promised that it will have genuine handling ability as well as GT credentials.

The word from Europe is that BMW’s turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six will serve as the entry-level engine. Above that, we can expect the brawnier 4.4-liter twin-turbo V-8 as seen in the 750i, which likely will be in a similar 445-hp state of tune. Europeans also will get at least one diesel variant, probably a 3.0-liter twin-turbo branded as the 840d—although don’t hold your breath waiting for that one to cross the Atlantic. A hybrid is a possibility, if not a terribly exciting one. An eight-speed automatic gearbox will be standard, with BMW’s xDrive all-wheel-drive system being an option.

It’s above the 850i that things are set to become more interesting. Anyone expecting a V-12–powered 860i to channel the spirit of the E31 850i is going to be disappointed. Although the 6.6-liter twin-turbo twelve from the BMW M760i would indeed fit, it’s not seen as sporting enough for the 8-series. Instead, we’ll get some more-than-adequate compensation in the form of a BMW M8, which will use the same twin-turbocharged V-8 as the upcoming M5, as well as the sedan’s part-time all-wheel-drive system, which features a rear-drive mode and is pitched as combining slippery-pavement security with tire-smoking amusement. We’ll have to wait for specs, but the M8’s range-topping status means it may well get an even more powerful version of the V-8 than the M5.

Sales will start in 2018, and we’re told that the 8-series coupe, Gran Coupe, and cabriolet all will be launched in close proximity to each other. There’s no word on pricing, but the addition of a whole two digits to the model name suggests a sizable increase over the outgoing 6-series—as was the case in 1989.

It also leaves the big question of when BMW is going to build something it can stick a 9 badge on, and thereby complete its bingo card.