2016 BMW M8 – Rendering & Specs
BMW’s current self-proclaimed super-car is the i8 which is not really a super-car in the true sense of the word. Instead, it is one of the most exciting hybrid cars in the World and while it may look futuristic and sound great, it can’t really be compared to a Lamborghini or Ferrari when it comes to raw performance. This means that the only super-car ever made by BMW was the M1 which was released more than 30 years ago.
Since then, they only made high performance sports cars and that’s about it. In order to get back into the game, it now seems that BMW has plans for a true super-car in order to celebrate their 100th birthday.
What’s new for 2016?
The car would be the 2016 BMW M8 which would use the carbon-fiber chassis found on the i8 with all new skin and internals. In fact, the car would basically be an all new model that would be able to compete with the likes of Porsche 911 and Audi R8 with ease.
Luxury Design – Interior & Exterior
In terms of design, it seems that despite the fact it will use the carbon fiber tub on the i8, the 2016 BMW M8 will be slightly longer, lower and wider. The wheelbase might also differ because the car will use a different rear sub-frame which may push the wheels a bit further from the carbon tun. We are pretty sure that BMW will try to borrow as much as possible from the M1 such as the shape and some of the design cues found on the car but in essence, it will be an all new model with active aerodynamics and all the super-car tricks that will allow it to be fast.
Modern Interior
Inside the cabin, the car should feature a more minimalistic interior than the usual BMW car, so while the steering wheel as well as the instrument cluster are likely going to be similar to those found in the current M-cars, the dashboard is likely only going to boast a large LCD panel running BMW’s iDrive system and that’s about it. The car will only feature two lightweight seats as well as room for cargo behind them. The front area will not be available for storage due to a very interesting reason.
The Engine & Performance
The reason is the fact that the 2016 BMW M8 will be a hybrid and under the front lid, the car will feature the cooling components for its battery-pack and two front-mounted electric motors. In the middle of the car, instead of the tiny 3 cylinder found in the i8, it should feature a large 3 liter twin-turbocharged inline 6 petrol engine which will send the power to the rear wheels only via a specifically built dual-clutch automatic. This means that the combined output of the car could be much higher than what we originally anticipated. A real possible output would be around 650 horsepower and over 600 lb-ft of torque which are going to be fed to all four wheels.
This should allow the M8 to get to 60 MPH in less than 3 seconds and hit a top speed much higher than 200 MPH, meaning that BMW will finally have a true super-car on the market that will be able to compete and represent the BMW brand with honor.
2016 BMW M8 Price
The price is still unknown but in order to compete with these, it will have to be priced between $150,000 and $250,000 which would still allow them to build a really interesting car.
The car will most likely be released in August at BMW’s celebration and it would only be offered in a very limited amount of cars. Some people suggest that BMW will only build 453 of them in order to match the original number of the M1.
The biggest competitors are: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, Audi R8 and Porsche 911 Turbo.
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