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BMW 8 Series Prototype Is Making V8 Noises at the Nurburgring

The upcoming revival of the 8 Series nameplate has been spied again, this time at the Nurburgring track. We have two very short videos that might get you excited about the flagship coupe.
BMW 8 Series Prototype Is Making V8 Noises at the Nurburgring 4 photos
Photo: YouTube screenshot
BMW 8 Series Prototype Is Making V8 Noises at the NurburgringBMW 8 Series Prototype Is Making V8 Noises at the NurburgringBMW 8 Series Prototype Is Making V8 Noises at the Nurburgring
In these two videos, you can very clearly see that one model is a regular 8 Series and the other is a more track-oriented car, possibly an M Performance model. These are still early days for the 8er, and the aero elements are just beginning to be developed.

The exhaust sound is somewhat faint, but this could just be down to it being an early prototype. When the car passes the Nurburgring spotter, we can clearly make out the machine gun sound of a V8 engine.

Although this isn't an M8, it could still be very powerful. The output of the 4.4-liter in the M550i is only the minimum we can expect, as the Audi S8 sedan is an RS7-matching powerhouse. Who's to say the M850i can't have 550 PS?

Some earlier reports have said that BMW would ditch the 4.4-liter V8 for a 4.0-liter one, thus adopting the standard 0.5-liter cylinder displacement that goes all the way to the MINI Cooper. But there's still no indication of the downsizing happening here.

Not every BMW needs to be geared towards extreme track performance, though, and the 8 Series' primary job will be as a Grand Tourer. That's why the second prototype filmed exhibits more body roll and dive under braking. This one kind of looks like an elongated Aston Martin DB9, which means it could be the prettiest BMW in the range.

If the 8 Series is based on the new 7er, it could have a turbocharged engine range made up of everything from 2.0-liter four-bangers to 6.0-liter V12s. Even though the S-Class Coupe doesn't have anything below the S400 V6, we can't rule out the possibility of BMW offering four cylinders in a hybrid model.

The latest word on the street is that by replacing the 6er with this, BMW wants to leave room for another type of 6 Series which will directly rival the Porsche 911. It's crazy, but it just might work.

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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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