The 8-Series sits at the top of the BMW range, it is the brand's Halo series.
The series shows off the best of BMW, luxury sport and outright desirability. The 8-Series has been available for a while now in 840d and M850i xDrive form.
But now BMW has unveiled the big daddy, the king that sits on top of all them.
The M8, the car that never was has finally made it. When BMW first made the 8-Series in the late 90s enthusiasts begged for V12 M monster but unfortunately, the 8-Series project was cancelled before we got to see it.
Now 20 years later it is here. Albeit missing four cylinders and being forced fed air through TwinTurbos!
The M8 and M8 convertible were announced alongside their Competition, big brothers.
The "normal" M8 features BMW's now great sounding M TwinPower Turbo 4.4-litre V8, pushing out 441 kW and 750 Nm of torque being delivered between 1,800 and 5,600 rpm.
Power is managed by an eight-speed M Steptronic transmission to the M xDrive all-wheel-drive system.
The same xDrive system found in the M5, meaning with just a few touches of a button you can either have a straight-line punching or a tyre shredding, and ear-to-ear smile machine.
The Competition delivers even more power, 460 kW and the torque will now be available till 5,800 rpm.
The extra power results in a 0.1 faster 0-100 time of 3.2s.
BMW has also fiddled with the suspension to ensure that the M8 delivers on the pure driving pleasure. This includes M-specific Adaptive suspension, Active M Differential. If the M8 is anything like the M5 Competition, it will be a hoot to drive.
To set themselves apart the proper M Competition 8-Series models have some visual upgrades. This includes High-gloss Black mirror caps, BMW Individual exterior paint finishes, Black Chrome Kidney grille, exclusive 20-inch forged bicolour alloy wheels and Black Chrome gills on the side. The quad exhaust tips are all-real and exposed, no fake covering here.
Inside there's the M steering wheel with red buttons, newly designed gear-selector for the 8-speed Steptronic transmission, illuminated M8 badge on the exclusive M front seats.