A HEAVY-WEIGHT LOADED WITH FINESSE

The beast called BMW Concept M8 Gran Coupé combines the motorsport DNA of the Bavarian automaker with the super ambition of the brand's luxury class

- Dhiram Shah

IT’S BEEN a little more than a year since the latest BMW 8 Series made its official debut and the Bavarian automaker has already expanded a line-up with several different variants available in a number of body styles.

The newest to join the line-up is the BMW M8 Gran Coupe (and, of course, a hotter Competition variant) which serves as the more practical variant two-door M8. The newest offering by BMW is basically a combination of the four-door 8-series Gran Coupe and the M8. In comparison to the two-door M8, the Gran Coupe features a 7.9-inch longer wheelbase and arrives with an overall increase of 9.1 inches in length. The stretched length provides more room for rearseat occupants.

Other than that, the 2020 Gran Coupe is almost identical to the freshly launched M8 coupe and cabriole, including most of the styling and the specifications. It is powered by the same 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 like the regular M8 that produces 600hp in the standard model, and 617hp in the Competition version.

BMW claims that the zero to-96.5kmph time for the M8 stands at 3.1 seconds and 3 seconds flat for the M8 Competition — exactly the same as the M8 coupe, even though it’s about 45kg heavier.

A 10-YEAR OLD DRESSED UP IN GOLD