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BMW M850i Gran Coupe Looks so Understated in Frankfurt

The Gran Coupe was one of the two concepts that previewed the new 8 Series. It was an M8 study with green paint and awesome stying. However, a lot of that has been lost when transitioning to the production M850i Gran Coupe, making its motor show debut this week in Frankfurt.
BMW M850i Gran Coupe Looks so Understated in Frankfurt 24 photos
Photo: Guido ten Brink / SB-Medien
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We could hardly believe our eyes when looking at this thing. Yes, it's a four-door coupe, but it lacks the wow factor of the new RS7 Sportback, which was also shown at this German auto show. Yes, the M850i GC isn't a true M car, but that never stopped the normal coupe version from being muscular and awesome.

So who's to blame? Well, BMW's design language, in general, appears to be headed towards another ice age. We are, of course, talking about the 4 Series preview concept with the giant grilles and the brash new X6. In general, they seem to be making the sides flat and adding much more detail to the ends of the car.

We've always thought that the main role of the 6 Series Gran Coupe was to show you've spent a lot of money on a BMW that's large and in charge. This new M850i Gran Coupe, its successor, achieves the same thing with its multitude of features and effervescent V8 engine.

The spec isn't too wild either, with silver paint only drawing more attention to the fact that the black air intakes aren't large enough or the chin spoiler that looks like it came off an old Aston Martin. Multi-spoke wheels don't have a particularly sporty look while the tanned leather interior doesn't scream "M."

But the dashboard is probably the best part of the car. BMW does steering wheels better than most manufacturers, and find gesture controls to be more and more useful as time passes. No Mercedes super-screens here, just something that feels intuitive and timeless.
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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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