With such high demand and so few cars made, there’s no question that the i8 will remain a rare sight on the roads, but if you really want to impress your friends at the next Bimmer gathering, BMW made a one-off i8 named the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance Edition.
The car will be sold by auction house Gooding & Company during the annual Pebble Beach Auctions on Saturday, August 16, with proceeds to benefit the Pebble Beach Company Foundation and the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
What makes this i8 special in the eyes of the BMW is the Individual Frozen Grey metallic paint on the outside and bespoke appointments on the inside, including a Dalbergia Brown leather upholstery with stitching in a BMW i Blue shade, which is also used for the seat belts.
BMW says that, “a number of US firsts will be included with this special edition including laser headlights, pending government approval, a BMW i8 Display key, as well as the first BMW Charging Station, professional edition”.
Other than that, it’s the same car as the one that will go on sale in the U.S. this fall with a starting price of $135,700. This means it combines an electric motor driving the front wheels with a 1.5-liter 3-cylinder turbocharged gasoline unit turning the rear axle. The hybrid powertrain’s combined system output is rated at 357hp (362PS) offering a 0 to 60mph (96km/h) acceleration time of 4.2 seconds. It is also capable of driving in pure electric mode at speeds of up to 75 mph (121km/h) for around 20 miles (32 km).