If there’s one BMW M car that should have been built, that’s without doubt the M8. Instead, the Bavarians gave us the diluted 850CSi that was powered by a modified version of the 850i’s V12 engine with an incre00ased displacement of 5.6-liters pushing out 380-horsepower.
Last week, BMW opened up the doors of its special M car garage to the press revealing a variety of unmade prototype models including the much talked about M8. The high-performance version of the 8-Series sported a bespoke V12 engine that later on found its way under the hood of the iconic McLaren F1. The twelve-cylinder unit was built around two six-cylinder engines sourced from the M3 of the era (E36) producing somewhere around 580-horsepower.
The ultimate driving machine of the E31 series also came with killer looks boasting widened wheel arches, the rear with additional air vents, bespoke front and rear bumpers, special alloy wheels and aerodynamically optimized mirrors. Unfortunately, despite the M division’s calls, BMW bosses decided not to put the car into production.
The insane V12 powerplant eventually made it on the McLaren F1 as well into BMWs own sports prototype Le Mans racer in 1999.
Scroll down to watch a video walkaround of the M8.
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