BMW Says The M8 Means There’s No Need For Dedicated Supercar

Enthusiasts have been calling for a fully-fledged BMW M supercar for many, many years, particularly since both Mercedes-AMG and Audi Sport have vehicles competing in this niche – namely the AMG GT and R8, respectively.

However, such a thing, that would effectively be a spiritual successor to the iconic M1, is not on Munich’s agenda.

While speaking with journalists in Australia recently, BMW M Division boss Markus Flasch said that the role of a supercar has effectively been filled by the long-awaited M8 that was just launched.

According to Flasch, the M8 “is the ultimate performance machine that we offer; it will be the fastest ever BMW at the Nürburgring Nordschleife,” adding that BMW test drivers have called the vehicle “a Porsche Turbo killer.”

Also Read: 2020 BMW M8 Premieres In Coupe, Convertible, And Competition Forms

“The center of gravity is 24mm lower than in the M5, you sit lower and we’ve done a lot to the connection of the chassis to the body. It makes the front much stiffer and the steering feels different; all our test drivers were surprised by the different character,” Flasch told Which Car.

BMW presented the M8 in Coupe, Convertible, and Competition guise last week. All models feature a twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 engine which pumps out 592 hp and 553 lb-ft (750 Nm) of torque in standard tune and 617 hp in Competition.

While we don’t yet know how the M8 handles, we do know that it is supercar-quick off the line, with the Coupe Competition needing just 3.2 seconds to accelerate from a standstill to 62 mph (100 km/h).