Munich. The BMW Concept M8 Gran Coupe illustrates the
meaning behind the letter “M” at BMW in impressive style: it stands
for “more”, more of everything. As well as dynamic excellence, the BMW
Concept M8 Gran Coupe embodies a new facet of luxury for the BMW brand
– ultra-sporty, extrovert and polarising.
“The BMW 8 Series will take over as the new flagship model of the BMW
line-up and, as such, combines unsurpassed sportiness and elegance,”
says Adrian van Hooydonk, Senior Vice President BMW Group Design. “The
BMW Concept M8 Gran Coupe offers a look ahead to the most exotic and
alluring variant of the new BMW 8 Series.”
Symbol of a unique understanding of luxury.
The
BMW Concept M8 Gran Coupe is more than simply a luxury sports car with
four doors. It symbolises a new and unique understanding of luxury.
“The BMW Concept M8 Gran Coupe is designed to stir things up, to
polarise – it should move you emotionally,” explains Domagoj Dukec,
Vice President Design BMW M and BMW i. “With this car we want to reach
people who are looking for something special and who want to stand out
from the crowd. Here, BMW M is unmistakably taking luxury out of its
comfort zone.” Like the BMW Concept 8 Series before it, the BMW
Concept M8 Gran Coupe shows off BMW’s new design language, headlined
by expressive surfacing that accentuates the car’s dynamism more
vividly than before through its bodywork. A small number of precise
character lines underline the graphic arrangement of the surfaces.
The front end: a promise of dynamic talent to quicken the
pulse.
Low to the road and broad in stance, the
eye-catching front end of the BMW Concept M8 Gran Coupe delivers an
immediate promise of an exceptional performance experience. The
muscular surfaces and precise contours of the bonnet hint at the
driving capability bubbling intently under the skin.
The face of the new BMW 8 Series is evident in the new Concept’s
front-end graphic. The contours of the radiator grille kidneys broaden
as they descend towards the road, emphasising the car’s low centre of
gravity. As on early BMW coupes, the kidney elements are linked by an
unbroken grille surround, creating a large single element. The
headlights are positioned slightly higher than the kidneys and give
them the impression of sitting lower, which further emphasizes the
car’s closeness to the asphalt. In contrast, the gold-coloured kidney
surround brings an added air of exclusivity to the front end. Within
the headlights, the lighting technology familiar from the M8 GTE
endurance racer provides a dynamic, hexagonal interpretation of BMW’s
signature four-eyed front end, distilling elements of modern-day motor
sport and luxurious quality into its inner details. Meanwhile, brawny
air intakes in carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) guide the air to
where it is required.
The side – elegance meets powerful precision.
Even when viewed from a distance, the proportions of the BMW
Concept M8 Gran Coupe radiate the car’s dynamic character. A long
wheelbase, long bonnet, flowing roofline and short tail create an
elegantly sporty coupe silhouette. The emotionally rich surfacing
reaches a climax in the car’s shoulders around the C-pillars, north of
the rear wheels. Here, the roof flows into the rear by means of
elegantly sculpted fins. Lower down, the muscular flared wheel arches
offer a visual expression of the power working through the rear axle.
The smooth transitions between surfaces exude a certain sensuousness,
while the heavy tapering of the car’s shoulders combines with a wide
track to bring extra definition and athleticism. Being every inch the
BMW M car, the BMW Concept M8 Gran Coupe has a roof made from CFRP –
which lowers the car’s centre of gravity both visually and physically
– and aerodynamically optimised exterior mirrors.
The Salève Vert paint finish, whose colour appears to change from
green to greyish blue in different lights, creates a hugely effective
surface composition and teams up with the gold-coloured window
graphic, hallmark M gills, gold-coloured brakes, wheel rims and M twin
exhaust tailpipes to give the car a head-turning, all-new look.
The rear packs an imposing presence.
The rear of
the BMW Concept M8 Gran Coupe oozes the dynamic élan and visual impact
for which M is renowned, and the wide track and flared wheel arches
hint at the car’s performance capability. Horizontal lines break up
the rear end stylistically, allowing the area below the rear spoiler
to catch more light and adding extra visual agility. At the outer
edges, the slim, sculpted rear lights with black glass covers
underscore the car’s wide stance on the road. Below them, the bumper
picks up the front apron’s dynamic theme. The prominent diffuser and
two sets of familiar M twin exhaust tailpipes together send out a
clear message of absolute performance.
Looking ahead.
The striking exterior of the BMW
Concept M8 Gran Coupe combines the core values of BMW M with elegance
and luxury to create a new and captivating form, and reveals a new and
exciting facet of BMW M. The new model sees the BMW Group looking
ahead to the BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe and BMW M8 Gran Coupe, which will
be presented during the course of 2019 and round off the BMW 8 Series family.