BMW to revive 8 Series coupe

BMW has announced that it will resurrect the 8 Series nameplate, with the large luxury coupe set to be launched globally as a halo model for the German brand in 2018, almost 20 years after being discontinued.

A concept version of the 8 Series will be revealed at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este on 26 May, and BMW chairman of the board of management Harald Krueger, who made the announcement at the company’s annual general meeting, described it as a “dream car”.

“The BMW 8 Series Coupe will build on our tradition of luxurious sports coupes and add a genuine dream car to our line-up – a slice of pure automotive fascination,” he said.

“The 8 Series Coupe will underpin our claim to leadership in the luxury segment. I can tell you today that this will be a true luxury sports coupe.” All that has been revealed of the 8 Series is a single teaser image that shows a darkened silhouette of the car, revealing a car with a low roofline, prominent lip spoiler, signature Hofmeister kink, muscular rear wheel arches and hexagonal LED headlights.

It also shows a long bonnet and rear end, suggesting it will share the architecture of the 7 Series, and will be longer than the current 6 Series.

Sharing the platform of the 7 Series means the 8 Series would likely also share the powertrains from the luxury limousine, potentially including 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder engines in petrol and diesel guise, a 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 and possibly even the 6.0-litre twin-turbo V12 from the incoming M760Li xDrive.

The fact that BMW Australia has filed trademarks for the 830, 835, 840, 845, 850, M850, 860 and M8 names suggests that a mix of six, eight and even twelve-cylinder engines will feature in the 8 Series line-up.

For further styling cues, the Gran Lusso concept from 2013 could give fans a preview of what the 8 Series might look like – a long grand-tourer two-door coupe that features narrow headlights, possibly as a nod to the original 8 Series from the 1990s.

The Gran Lusso concept sported a V12 under the hood, as did the original 850, meaning a 12-cylinder engine in the new 8 Series is not out of the question.

After spy shots of a large two-door coupe was spied multiple times testing in Germany, rumours of an 8 Series return ramped up when American publication Road and Track reported that 6 Series coupe production had ceased in North America, with plans to re-release it as an 8 Series coupe.

The fate of the 6 Series coupe in Australia has been secured for at least “the next several months” according to BMW Australia, however axing the model in favour of the 8 Series for a 2018 release would match with the company’s statement that the 6 Series is only safe for months.

As well as its reveal later in the month, it is possible the 8 Series will also be shown at the Frankfurt motor show in September, in BMW’s native Germany.

When it arrives, the 8 Series would do battle with the likes of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class coupe, Bentley Continental and the incoming Lexus LC.