The new 8-Series is, by BMW‘s own admission, not just a luxury GT but a sports car, too. So it made sense to bring one to the Magny Cours track in France and record a fast lap.
Running on Bridgestone Potenza S007 tires and with an amateur (that is, non-professional) driver behind the wheel, the M850i xDrive posted a 1:23.68 lap time on the 4.4 km (2.7 miles) long Grand Prix circuit.
That makes it half a second quicker than the Audi RS4 Avant and almost a second faster than the Mercedes-AMG C63 S Coupe. As for the smaller M2 Competition and M3 Competition, they lapped the 2.5 km (1.55 miles) long Club Circuit course in just a little under two minutes.
Despite the twin-turbo, 4.4-liter V8 putting out 530 PS (523 hp / 390 kW) and 750 Nm (553 lb-ft) to all four wheels, it wasn’t enough to help it beat the likes of the Jaguar F-Type SVR, Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio and Mercedes-AMG E63 S.
It also crossed the finish line in a little over a second behind the new-gen M5, which is punchier and more agile to 100 km/h (62 mph), requiring 3.3 seconds, or 0.4 seconds less than the M850i xDrive.
The timed lap of the M850i xDrive is available right below. Before you click play, however, remember that these are all unofficial lap times.
*Correction: The M2 and M3 lapped the Club Circuit course, whereas the M850i was raced on the GP