2020 BMW M8 Competition with 823 HP Hits 193 MPH (311 KPH) on the Autobahn

Last year, the M8 model was introduced, which meant no more playing second fiddle to their neighbors in the north in this highly aspirational segment for BMW. Well, the fiddle jury is still out on which of the two is the more appealing one, but at least there was some long-needed competition for the Stuttgart-based brand.

The 2020 BMW M8 came in two flavors: the basic trim and the Competition version. The latter added 25 hp to the former's 600 while the maximum torque figure remained unchanged, and why would you temper when there's already an enormous amount of twisting power (553 lb-ft or 750 Nm) coming out of the 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine? All this would be channeled through an eight-speed automatic transmission and the M xDrive all-wheel-drive system with its rear-biased setup.

Not bad, we'd say. Not enough, said Manhart. Pulling out its sorcery book, the tuning company managed to boost these numbers significantly. The Manhart MH8 800 - as it's called now - is good for 823 hp and 774 lb-ft (1,050 Nm) of torque, which is another way of saying 'grab your popcorn and your headphones because the following short clip is pretty good.'

We're not too crazy about the gold accents on the bodywork - not classy, just tacky - but that's about the whole extent of our complaints list. This car sounds obscenely good and it also has an exaggerated tendency to shoot crackers out of its twin double exhausts.

Not that you would notice much if you were the one driving it because the sound insulation is right up there where you would expect it from a premium German luxury coupe. All the way up to 193 mph (311 kph), as you're about to see.