Aside from the extra doors, there’s nothing here we haven’t already seen on the 8 Series. But dang if this body doesn’t look good as a sedan.
BMW
BMW loves variety. The automaker has sedans, and it has coupes. But it also has Gran Coupes, which are coupes that have been given an extra set of side doors, not all of which are sedans. Confusing? Yeah, sort of. But in keeping with tradition, we didn’t have to wait too long until BMW decided to slap more doors on its latest coupe.
BMW on Friday teased the upcoming 8 Series Gran Coupe. Like the 6 Series coupe and Gran Coupe that preceded it, the 8 Series Gran Coupe is simply the 8 Series coupe with an extra set of doors. Whereas the 4 Series Gran Coupe is actually a hatchback, it appears the 8 Series GC will follow in the 6’s footsteps and have a proper trunk out back, making it a sedan.
Anyone who’s paid attention to BMW’s concepts of late would have seen this coming. BMW first hinted at the 8 Series’ four-door aspirations with the Concept M8 Gran Coupe, which teased both a future Gran Coupe and a future M8 at the same time. We talked to BMW at the LA Auto Show late last year, and its representatives confirmed to us that the Gran Coupe was on the way, with three variants of the M8 (coupe, convertible, Gran Coupe) rolling out last.
It’s not obscene to expect a cookie-cutter powertrain in the 8 Series Gran Coupe, borrowing the 4.4-liter, twin-turbocharged V8 from both the coupe and convertible variants. In those cars, it puts out 523 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque, which means the M8 should be pretty gnarly if it’s going to top that engine. Considering how close the 4 Series and 4 Series GC are priced, let’s hope the 8 Series Gran Coupe stays close to the 8 Series’ starting price of $111,900 before destination.
Source: Future - cnet.com
