Benjamin M. Monroe Blog: Official Photos and Video of the BMW 8 Series in Italy

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Official Photos and Video of the BMW 8 Series in Italy

The upcoming BMW 8 Series Coupe has to be the most highly-anticipated car to wear a roundel in years. It marks the return of a beloved nameplate after an almost 20-year hiatus. So fans are going a bit bonkers over the new 8er and rightfully so. So the fact that some new official photos have been released by BMW of the new 8 Series doing some testing in Italy is going to make fans very happy.

BMW is currently doing some high-speed endurance testing of “close-to-series” 8 Series Coupes at an oval ring in Italy. Thankfully, BMW decided to bring its photographer along to give us a glimpse at the upcoming 8 Series, even if it is wrapped in camouflage. Despite being covered, though, we can get a good idea of what the new, second-generation 8 Series is going to look like.

This new BMW 8 Series Coupe is long, low and mean. It’s carrying the torch of the now-defunct BMW 6 Series Coupe and it may end up actually being better looking. The nose is sharp and aggressive, with squinty, angry headlights flaking the massive Kidney Grilles. The headlights also seem to be similar to the ones from the 8 Series Concept car, just not as extravagant. Though, the shape of the actual lights inside the housings and the hints of blue remain. The hood itself also looks heavily sculpted and very sharp, very sporty.

Its silhouette is also very pretty, with the right proportions for a classic sporty grand-touring car. Short rear deck, long hood and low profile give it exactly the look we were hoping for. I also love the little ducktail spoiler at the back that’s sculpted into the rear decklid. There’s also massive Air Breathers that are sculpted into the doors, just like the 8 Series Concept.

The best of thee photos, though, is the one directly from behind, in the dark, without any camouflage. While most of the car is covered in shadows, there’s a lot we can see and it looks superb. First, we notice the muscular rear haunches that flare out quite wide, accentuating its rear-drive nature and giving it an aggressive, athletic look. Then we see that it uses a sort of pseudo double-bubble roof, just like the 6 Series Gran Coupe, which was always one of our favorite styling elements of that car. We also get a look at the tallights, which are wide and slim and smooth looking. Their simple looking, far more so than any other BMW taillight, and probably the best looking rear lights on any current BMW.

But it’s not just the 8 Series stunning looks that should have you excited. According to BMW, the new 8 Series Coupe has been showing excellent capabilities during its high-speed, highly-demanding testing. It’s also supposedly been showing impressive agility. “The test drives under the most severe conditions show that we are right on target with our concept for the new BMW 8 Series Coupe. The vehicle dynamics values already achieved are absolutely impressive. Our customers and fans can look forward to a genuine sports car,” says Klaus Fröhlich, member of the board of the BMW AG, Development and Research.

The new 8 Series Coupe is also being very closely developed with the BMW M8 and the BMW M8 GTE endurance racer. The BMW M8 GTE will be making its racing debut at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona and the lessons learned from that race will directly benefit the production BMW 8 Series.

Accompanying the new photos is a short video, showing off the 8 Series in motion. But the exciting bit about the video is the fact that we get to hear its exhaust note. The rumbling V8 of the 8 Series Coupe is deep, burbly and angry. It’s unlike anything we’ve ever heard from a BMW, even different from the new BMW M5, and it almost sounds a bit AMG-like, which is an extreme compliment. It sounds fantastic. Though, we aren’t 100-percent sure which engine we’re listening to there. This is supposed to be a standard BMW 8 Series, not the M8. So we’re not sure if it’s using the same 4.4 liter twin-turbocharged V8 as the BMW M550i or something entirely different.

BMW has not released any technical specifications or power figures but we do get a glimpse of BMW’s future flagship. In these photos, it both looks and sounds incredibly promising and that it could be the best looking BMW in a very long time, better even than the fan-favorite 6 Series Coupe. We can’t wait.