BMW M8 Prototype revealed as BMW build the M8 alongside the new 8 Series range

BMW M8 Prototype revealed

The BMW M8 prototype has been revealed as BMW confirm it is being built alongside the new 8 Series range, as previewed by the BMW Concept 8 Series.

It’s taken BMW nearly twenty years to return to the 8 Series, but last week’s reveal of the Concept 8 Series at Villa d’Este has given us our first clear indication of what BMW’s new range-topper will offer.

But now we know that rumours of an M8 version of the new 8 Series aren’t just a wish or a rumour as BMW unveil a prototype of the M8, and confirm it will arrive at pretty much the same time as the new 8 Series in 2018.

Having rolled out the Concept 8 Series in Villa d’Este, showcasing its luxury and design chops, BMW chose to reveal the M8 at the Nurburgring 24 hour race to emphasise its dynamic prowess and power, and to also reveal the development of an M8 GTE race-spec to mount a return by BMW Motorsport to Le Mans.

Frank van Meel, BMW M Division boss, said:

The conception and development of the standard BMW 8 Series and the M model run in parallel.
The future BMW M8 will build on the genes of the 8 Series and augment its DNA with added track ability and generous extra portions of dynamic sharpness, precision and agility. It all flows into a driving experience that bears the familiar BMW M hallmarks and satisfies our customers’ most exacting requirements.

There is still no official confirmation of what will be under the skin of the new 8 Series and M8, but it seems almost certain it will sit on the same platform as the 5 Series and 7 Series, and that the M8 will get the same 600bhp 4.4 litre V8 and 4WD xDrive as the new M5.

Both the new BMW 8 Series and M8 will arrive in 2018, and the race-spec M8 GTE will be getting its first outing in the Daytona 24 Hours in January 2018.