Is This BMW 8-Series Prototype Hiding A Mid-Engine Secret Or Just Trying To Fool Us?

A mysterious BMW 8-Series coupe has been spied near the Nürburgring and it might feature a mid-mounted engine.

While the car doesn’t look too special at first glance, it has unique rear quarter ‘windows’ with what appears to be air intakes. We can also see a partially camouflaged rear window, which suggests BMW doesn’t want people taking a peek inside.

We’re not entirely sure what it is, but spy photographers believe the prototype is mid-engined. We have our doubts – see below, but the model also has camouflaged fascias, a four-tailpipe exhaust system and a high-performance braking system with red calipers. For what it’s worth, aside from the pipes, the body looks to be based on the M850i.

Also Read: BMW Working On Hybrid Supercar To Go After Lambo And Ferrari?

Of course, if it is mid-engined, that brings up some interesting possibilities including the potential for a new supercar. However, previous reports have suggested the supercar project was shelved earlier this year. That remains unconfirmed, but the model was reportedly inspired by the Vision M Next concept and would have become the brand’s halo car now that the i8 has gone out of production.

That’s not the only possibility as spy photographers floated the idea of a prototype race car. However, that doesn’t seem likely as they noted BMW has already unveiled the M8 GTE.

Why it might not be mid-engine

There’s also the real chance that this prototype isn’t mid-engined at all. Unless there’s a lot of hidden ducting not visible from these photos, it seems like the car would suffer from serious cooling issues. We’d also expect more modifications to the body and especially the rear end if an engine was mounted behind the front seats, leading to different exterior proportions, which doesn’t seem to be the case here.

So what exactly is this prototype? We’re not sure, but feel free to submit your guesses in the comments below.