Photo: Guido Ten Brink/SB-Medien
BMW couldn't have picked a better place to relaunch its luxury 8 Series nameplate than the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa D'Este which took place back in May. However, such a powerful concept requires a stage with a wider audience as well, so here it is on the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show floor.
For many years, BMW's luxury coupe models topped with the 6 Series, which left the Mercedes-Benz CL and, later on, S-Class Coupe alone to enjoy this very exclusive segment of the market. With the Stuttgart-based manufacturer overtaking BMW in the sales chart, the Bavarians had to counter-attack on every front, and this is the avant-garde of the offensive.
Well, that's not entirely true since we're still talking about a concept, but it's one that will spawn a production model next year. And knowing BMW's tradition of previewing its models with thinly disguised concepts, we think - and we're not alone - we can call this the 8 Series without too many reservations.
The Concept 8 Series was the proverbial "blank sheet of paper" handed to the company's designers. With no modern predecessor to base its design on, the men with pencils were free to let their imagination loose, albeit in the confines of the brand's identity. You don't want to end up with something that would look at home with a Mercedes-Benz badge on it, do you?
The closest thing to the Concept 8 Series in BMW's portfolio at this time has to be the i8 hybrid sports car. Even the coupe's leading designer, John Buckingham, admits to it in an interview with Forbes. But despite their visual resemblance, the two are very much distinct.
“The i8 is an incredible product, but its inspiration comes from one place, the 8 Series from another," Buckingham told the business publication. “The 8 Series coupé is a luxury car, but it still needed to be radical. This is a gentleman’s racer. It is a little playful.” That, it is.
If nothing it will definitely give more options to those who previously were stuck with the Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupe - not that the Merc is a bad car - which should be great news for the one percent.
BMW promises the all new 8 Series will come the next year, but any official details on the production version are thoroughly missing. A little guess work could suggest the engines that might slot under that beautiful hood - with the coupe sharing its platform with the 7 Series and all - but driving credentials have never been a problem for the Bavarians. What we should do is enjoy this design and hope BMW gives us more of it.
Well, that's not entirely true since we're still talking about a concept, but it's one that will spawn a production model next year. And knowing BMW's tradition of previewing its models with thinly disguised concepts, we think - and we're not alone - we can call this the 8 Series without too many reservations.
The Concept 8 Series was the proverbial "blank sheet of paper" handed to the company's designers. With no modern predecessor to base its design on, the men with pencils were free to let their imagination loose, albeit in the confines of the brand's identity. You don't want to end up with something that would look at home with a Mercedes-Benz badge on it, do you?
The closest thing to the Concept 8 Series in BMW's portfolio at this time has to be the i8 hybrid sports car. Even the coupe's leading designer, John Buckingham, admits to it in an interview with Forbes. But despite their visual resemblance, the two are very much distinct.
“The i8 is an incredible product, but its inspiration comes from one place, the 8 Series from another," Buckingham told the business publication. “The 8 Series coupé is a luxury car, but it still needed to be radical. This is a gentleman’s racer. It is a little playful.” That, it is.
If nothing it will definitely give more options to those who previously were stuck with the Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupe - not that the Merc is a bad car - which should be great news for the one percent.
BMW promises the all new 8 Series will come the next year, but any official details on the production version are thoroughly missing. A little guess work could suggest the engines that might slot under that beautiful hood - with the coupe sharing its platform with the 7 Series and all - but driving credentials have never been a problem for the Bavarians. What we should do is enjoy this design and hope BMW gives us more of it.
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