BMW teases Pininfarina Gran Lusso

BMW has previewed a possible successor to its 8 Series grand tourer, releasing teaser images of the Pininfarina Gran Lusso Coupe.

A collaboration with iconic Italian design house Pininfarina, the coupe concept will debut at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este vintage car show in Italy on May 24.

Rumours of a born-again 8 Series have swirled for years and although BMW says in its statement that the vehicle is a one-off, it goes on to say that the coupe is “ready to join the high-end luxury class,” suggesting it is a chance for production.

If the Gran Lusso goes into production as the 8 Series, it will give the Bavarian car-maker a new halo model and serious ammunition against traditional rival Mercedes-Benz’s S-Class-based CL coupe.

Although the teaser images and sketch do not reveal much, BMW says that the long-wheelbase Gran Lusso has a stretched bonnet, short overhangs, a sloping roofline and convex tapering on the side.

As well as penning the exterior, Pinifarina has also added its flair to the cabin, although BMW did not provide any details.

All that is known about the powertrain at this stage is that the Gran Lusso will carry a V12 engine, most likely a re-worked version of the 400kW 6.0-litre unit from the 7 Series.

The Gran Lusso marks the third time in a year that BMW has collaborated with a design house to produce a one-off concept car, following the Zagato Coupe and Roadster revealed in May and August last year.

Built to be a BMW flagship in the late 1980s, the 8 Series grand tourer went on sale in Australia in 1990, but the global recession and high petrol prices resulted in middling sales and the car went out of production in 1999.