2020 BMW M8 Gran Coupe Is For Those Who Find The M5 Understated (Updated)

The 2020 BMW M8 Gran Coupe is back on our radar with a new sighting, this time in the most appropriate place for a BMW M car: the Nürburgring Nordschleife. Check out the new photos in the gallery. (Update 3/28/2019)

We’ve come across new photos of 2020 BMW M8 Gran Coupe prototypes undergoing winter testing, including a U.S.-spec model carrying a strange device on the roof. We’ve added the new images to the gallery below. (Update 2/14/2019)

Less than a year after its debut in concept form at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show, the BMW M8 Gran Coupe has been spotted in the wild. The good news is that the production model sticks as close as possible to the stunning study from a design standpoint. Naturally, unlike the study it does have door handles and normal-sized side mirrors but not much seems to have been lost in the transition from design study to production car.

Oh, the irony: BMW M8 Gran Coupe passing in front of a billboard for its main rival, the Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupe

The bumpers adopt a similar appearance to those of the Concept M8 Gran Coupe although they do seem to have been toned down for production; the vertical vents in the rear bumper are gone, as are the vertical air intakes in the front bumper. Apparently, the fender vents had to go too and that’s a shame.

Other than that, chances are the production M8 Gran Coupe will indeed be a performance beast. The beefy brakes and typical quad exhaust pipes hint at some serious power, as do the big wheels, which don’t look that big on the massive body by the way.

While there are no photos of the interior yet, you already know what it will look like if you have taken a peek inside the new BMW 8 Series. Sure, the cabin will be spiced up with M Division touches, but the overall layout will remain unchanged.

More than 600 hp from a twin-turbo 4.4-liter V8, standard M xDrive AWD system

The four-door M8 will use the same 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 gasoline engine as the M8 Coupe and Convertible and the standard M xDrive AWD system with full RWD mode. BMW said the unit will have more than 591 hp (600 PS) on tap, so something around 625 PS (617 hp) looks likely. That’s what the same engine makes in the M5 Competition and it fits with M Division boss’ suggestions that the M8 will be more powerful than the M5.

We do know the regular M8 Coupe will come in a Competition version as well, which should offer even more power. We see no reason for the M8 Gran Coupe not to get such a version, too. Expect the BMW M8 Gran Coupe to debut at the end of this year or in early 2020, following the M8 Coupe and Convertible that should come this spring or summer at the latest.