New BMW M8 Gran Coupe revealed

The new BMW M8 Gran Coupe has been revealed. BMW will make two different versions but the UK will only get the most powerful 616bhp Competition model. It’s available to order now, with prices starting from £120,935 and deliveries scheduled to start in early 2020.

Sitting at the top of the BMW 8 Series range, the M8 Gran Coupe rivals cars like the Porsche Panamera GTS and the Mercedes-AMG GT 4-door.

Read more about the BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe

The M8 Gran Coupe comes with a much more muscular stance than the standard 8 Series, helped by an aggressive new body kit and a wider track (the distance between the left and right wheels). There’s also a new spoiler, an active exhaust system with four exhaust pipes and a lightweight roof made from carbon-fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP). The weight saving also includes a set of new 20-inch alloy wheels, and all the changes add up to ensure the M8 stands out against the regular car.

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Just like the two-door BMW M8 coupe, the Gran Coupe has a 4.4-litre V8 petrol engine with two turbochargers. With 616bhp on tap in this Competition version, the car hits 0-62mph in 3.2 seconds on the way to a limited top speed of 155mph. You can pay extra to increase the top speed to 190mph. An eight-speed automatic gearbox and an all-wheel-drive system are standard, with the latter sending most of the power to the rear wheels in most situations.

BMW has fettled with the car’s setup to ensure it can cope with all that power. Larger brakes, adaptive dampers and a limited-slip differential are all fitted, while the front suspension gets extra bracing. The CFRP roof lowers the car’s centre of gravity, improving handling, and you can set the car to send all its power to the rear wheels.

The interior has received M-specific tweaks to make it feel racier and more special than the 8 Series, such as a sports steering wheel, carbon-fibre dashboard trim and electrically adjustable leather-trimmed sports seats. Through the infotainment system, you can alter the settings of the steering, engine, gearbox, suspension and traction control, although there’s an ‘M’ shortcut to BMW’s default sporty settings on the centre console.

A 10.25-inch touchscreen, parking assistant and a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster are fitted as standard, but you can spend even more money by leafing through the options list. Safety kit like active cruise control, lane-keeping assist with side collision protection, powerful Laserlight LED headlights with extended range, and a wrong-way warning are all extra, as are ventilated seats, electric sun blinds, a 16-speaker Bowers & Wilkins stereo system and four-zone climate control.

Read our review of the BMW 8 Series coupe, or check out our guide to the best sports cars on sale now.