Photo: SB-Medien
The rivalry between the Mercedes and BMW is hotter than ever, with a new M5 vs. E63 drag race happening almost every month. AMG has a new halo car, the GT 63 S 4-door, but it won't be long before the M8 Gran Coupe is ready to compete with it.
As the weather thawed in Germany, carmakers are back at the Nurburgring, testing everything from family hatchbacks to performance EVs. The M8 Gran Coupe stands to become the longest, most powerful and expensive vehicle in the history of the brand, so every kilometer on the track is weighted.
Even if AMG didn't go ahead and make the AMG 4-door, the M8 Gran Coupe would be the same car. The model was previewed by a concept and is a replacement for the retired M6 GC. AWD, twin-turbo V8, and over 600 horsepower - how do two rival companies manage to make the same thing?
At this point, we don't know the exact output of the Gran Coupe, with reports putting it somewhere between 600 and 670. BMW just "let slip" that it makes over 600, so our best guess would be 625 HP, the same as in the M5 Competition. That's 617-hp in American money.
Using its standard AWD, the 4-door, 2-ton behemoth will be able to sprint to 100 km/h in around 3 seconds. Meanwhile, the adaptive dampers and anti-roll bars will glue it to the track and help defy the laws of physics.
Some of the camouflage has begun to be stripped off this test prototype, suggesting we are getting closer to the debut. But the Gran Coupe model will only arrive a few months after the normal M8, which isn't out yet.
If you're not blown away by what you see, don't worry, as the front bumper isn't the finished product. Using the magic of bright paint and carbon fiber accessories, BMW will deliver something that looks worthy of around €200,000 (with options).
Even if AMG didn't go ahead and make the AMG 4-door, the M8 Gran Coupe would be the same car. The model was previewed by a concept and is a replacement for the retired M6 GC. AWD, twin-turbo V8, and over 600 horsepower - how do two rival companies manage to make the same thing?
At this point, we don't know the exact output of the Gran Coupe, with reports putting it somewhere between 600 and 670. BMW just "let slip" that it makes over 600, so our best guess would be 625 HP, the same as in the M5 Competition. That's 617-hp in American money.
Using its standard AWD, the 4-door, 2-ton behemoth will be able to sprint to 100 km/h in around 3 seconds. Meanwhile, the adaptive dampers and anti-roll bars will glue it to the track and help defy the laws of physics.
Some of the camouflage has begun to be stripped off this test prototype, suggesting we are getting closer to the debut. But the Gran Coupe model will only arrive a few months after the normal M8, which isn't out yet.
If you're not blown away by what you see, don't worry, as the front bumper isn't the finished product. Using the magic of bright paint and carbon fiber accessories, BMW will deliver something that looks worthy of around €200,000 (with options).
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