BMW showcased a new interpretation of luxury, the BMW Concept M8 Gran Coupe, at March’s Geneva International Motor Show. Baroque Ground has all the details
The BMW Concept M8 Gran Coupe, showcased at the Geneva International Show in March, brings a new facet of luxury to the brand. The ultra-sporty, extrovert and polarizing new vehicle epitomizes what the 8 Series stands for. And, according to Adrian van Hooydonk, Senior Vice President BMW Group Design, “The BMW 8 Series will take over as the new flagship model of the BMW line-up”. As such, “the BMW Concept M8 Gran Coupe offers a look ahead to the most exotic and alluring variant of the new BMW 8 Series,” he added.
The Concept M8 Gran Coupe is more than just a four-door luxury sports car; it symbolizes a new and unique understanding of luxury. It’s “designed to stir things up, to polarize – 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.”
Like the BMW Concept 8 Series before it, the Concept M8 Gran Coupe shows off the brand’s new design language. This is evident in the new Concept’s front-end. The contours of the radiator grille kidneys broaden as they descend towards the road, emphasizing the car’s low center 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 make them look as if they are sitting lower; this further emphasizes the car’s closeness to the asphalt.
In contrast, the gold-colored 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-fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) guide the air to where it is required.
Even when viewed from a distance, the car’s proportions radiate its dynamic character. A long wheelbase, long bonnet, flowing roofline and short tail create an elegantly sporty coupe silhouette.
The Salève Vert paint finish, whose color appears to change from green to greyish blue in different lights, creates an extremely effective surface composition and teams up with the gold-colored window graphic, hallmark M gills, gold-colored brakes, wheel rims and M twin exhaust tailpipes to give the car a head-turning, all-new look.
The car’s striking exterior combines the core values of BMW’s M models of elegance and luxury to create a new and captivating form, and reveals a new and exciting facet. This new model is the first of a series to come. The 8 Series Gran Coupe and M8 Gran Coupe will be presented during the course of 2019 and round off the brand’s 8 Series family.