BMW M8 to get 608hp-plus twin-turbo V8

BMW is working on a 608hp-plus BMW M8 performance flagship that will crown the resurrected 8 Series model line-up by the end of the decade.

The range-topping version of the 8 Series will be powered by a new twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 petrol engine and offer buyers the choice of rear-wheel drive or an optional xDrive four-wheel drive set-up. The all-wheel drive is expected to provide the aluminium and carbon-fibre-intensive coupé with off-the-line traction to match the keenest of its rivals in standing-start acceleration. Insiders suggest its 0-100kph time will be “well under 4.0sec”.

The upmarket coupé is tentatively scheduled to make its world debut during the second half of 2019 and will rival the Aston Martin Rapide, Bentley Continental GT and Mercedes-AMG S63 Coupé in a move aimed at projecting BMW back into the upper echelons of the performance car arena.

The decision to push ahead with the M8 comes after an earlier aborted attempt at mating the original 8 Series with BMW M’s performance know-how.

The reborn 8 Series is planned to indirectly replace the existing 6 Series, the coupé version of which is set to end production at BMW’s Dingolfing plant in Germany in early 2018 to make way for its 8 Series successor. A fabric-roofed convertible version of the model will follow in international markets in 2019, shortly before the new M8, according to BMW sources familiar with the company’s model plans.

The basis for the new flagship model is the versatile CLAR (cluster architecture) platform used by the current 7 Series and set to be adopted on upcoming successor models to the 5, 4, 3 and 2 Series. As with the latest 7 Series, it will feature a mix of materials, including aluminium, magnesium, high-strength steel and carbon fibre, in a bid to provide the 8 Series with both the highest level of rigidity and lowest kerb weight in its class.

Trademark applications recently lodged by BMW with intellectual property regulators provide a hint to the engines being readied for the 8 Series. In March BMW moved to protect a number of possible model designations, including the 825, 830, 850, 860 and M850. More recently, it also applied to register the trademark M8.

Among the petrol engines earmarked for the standard 8 Series in international markets are a turbocharged 3.0-litre straight six in the 840i and a new turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 in the 850i. The V8 will provide the basis for the powerplant used by the M8 and M850 M Performance. They will be supported by a turbocharged 6.6-litre V12 in the 860i.

Also planned is an 840e plug-in hybrid using the same petrol-electric powertrain as the recently-introduced 740e iPerformance.