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After more than a decade of waiting it finally looks like BMW is going to release a new 8 Series. Luckily, this time around the car is also going to receive an M version. While this was just a rumor at first, the car was basically confirmed after its prototype has been spied on the Nurburgring. Just like with the original model, the new 2019 BMW M8 is set to become BMW’s fastest coupe and as far as we know, likely the fastest car in its class. While there is still little information about the new model, it looks like it won’t be all that different from what it was first rumored.
2019 BMW M8 Release Date and Price
For starters, the new car will continue to use BMW’s all-new CLAR architecture, just like all their other vehicles. On top of that, despite what it was first said, it seems this will not be a mid-engine car. Instead, the M8 will be based on the regular 8 Series so it will feature a front-engine.
The specifics about the car are unknown, but from most rumors, it looks like the M8 will be just as heavy as the 7 Series. On top of that, the car will offer a really long wheelbase for what it is, and it will be considerably larger than some suggested at first.
From the spy shots, it looks like the M8 has roughly the same wheelbase as the sedan, but it features a much more aggressive design. The release date is still unknown, but we do know the manufacturer will release in Frankfurt the GTE version of the car. This likely means the production model is not that far away. Its price is more than likely going to be well past $120,000 which is also the case with its main rivals.
Design
Even though most of us hoped for something different, it looks like the 2019 BMW M8 will follow BMW’s winning formula. The car will feature roughly the same front-end design as the 7-Series with a few differences. The headlights seem to be slightly more swept-back and slightly slimmer. The bumper seems quite a bit more aggressive, but this is only because the car is actually the high-performance version of the 8 Series. Unlike with some other vehicles, the cabin is equally far from the front and the rear wheels which create the impression of a really large car.
This also means the two-door M8 will definitely feature enough room for up to 4 passengers. The rear is quite a bit more impressive than the rest of the car. It seems the M8 will share design cues with BMW’s 6 Series and not with their other models. The curvy tail lights and the really slanted rear window make the car seem like a true grand-tourer.
2019 BMW M8 Interior
The camouflaged prototype of the 2019 BMW M8 also had its interior pretty much done. Even though it was covered by fabric, through the openings, we were able to see a few interesting things. For starters, the car had a completely digital instrument cluster; unlike BMW’s current vehicles which use a mix of digital and analog. On top of that, the iDrive system seemed to be integrated into the dashboard which is not really the case with their new cars. The steering wheel was also unique with influences from current supercars which is unusual from the German manufacturer.
Engine
It is safe to assume the 2019 BMW M8 is going to be powered by the same 4.4 liters twin-turbocharged V8 as BMW’s other performance cars. Even though this is a relatively old engine, it has been recently updated in order to be used on the future M5. For this particular application, the engine is expected to provide around 620 horsepower and over 550 lb-ft of torque. This should be enough to get the relatively heavy car from 0 to 60 MPH in well under 4.0 seconds and up to a limited top speed of 155 to 190 MPH. While not official; it looks like the engine will be mated to an eight-speed automatic which will drive all four wheels as standard. There have been some rumors about a rear wheel drive version in Europe, but inside sources have quickly dismissed these.
