BMW is pretty much guaranteed to show the 8 Series Gran Coupe and Cabriolet at the Paris Motor Show. Even so, this M850i GC model is heavily camouflaged as it slips through German traffic.
Being unnoticed is something that's impossible for the Gran Coupe, a four-door that dwarfs most cars on the road with its long silhouette. Considering the regular M850i is 4,851mm long, we should be dealing with a 5+ meter, 2-ton machine.
The telltale signs of an M Performance machine are dead-easy to spot. The car not only features a more distinctive body kit with enlarged intakes, but also blue brakes and the now famous rectangular exhaust pipes.
Of course, the most obvious candidate for the M look is the M850i with its 4.4-liter V8 pushing 530 horsepower and 750 Nm of torque. However, BMW is undoubtedly also going to offer an M850d model with the 400 horsepower quad-turbo six-cylinder. Both should share all-wheel steering, torque vectoring xDrive, and other performance-enhancing goodies.
Of course, there's going to be a few "vanilla" models too. We already have the specs for the 840d, a 320 HP twin-turbo diesel-burner, which is likely to be joined by an 840i featuring the same 3-liter engine fitted to the 5 Series. No V12, unfortunately.
The baby M models should make compelling, not to mention cheaper rivals for the Porche Panamera and AMG GT 4-door. Of course, there's no direct overlap, but you can bet that when the M8 Gran Coupe arrives, people are going to want to see some drag races.
The Gran Coupe should have the best interior of any BMW model, featuring that crystal gear knob, the best leather, and connectivity features. It will also be much safer than the 6 Series Gran Coupe which it replaces with laser headlights piercing the night and radar scanners seeing what the driver misses.
The telltale signs of an M Performance machine are dead-easy to spot. The car not only features a more distinctive body kit with enlarged intakes, but also blue brakes and the now famous rectangular exhaust pipes.
Of course, the most obvious candidate for the M look is the M850i with its 4.4-liter V8 pushing 530 horsepower and 750 Nm of torque. However, BMW is undoubtedly also going to offer an M850d model with the 400 horsepower quad-turbo six-cylinder. Both should share all-wheel steering, torque vectoring xDrive, and other performance-enhancing goodies.
Of course, there's going to be a few "vanilla" models too. We already have the specs for the 840d, a 320 HP twin-turbo diesel-burner, which is likely to be joined by an 840i featuring the same 3-liter engine fitted to the 5 Series. No V12, unfortunately.
The baby M models should make compelling, not to mention cheaper rivals for the Porche Panamera and AMG GT 4-door. Of course, there's no direct overlap, but you can bet that when the M8 Gran Coupe arrives, people are going to want to see some drag races.
The Gran Coupe should have the best interior of any BMW model, featuring that crystal gear knob, the best leather, and connectivity features. It will also be much safer than the 6 Series Gran Coupe which it replaces with laser headlights piercing the night and radar scanners seeing what the driver misses.