What's the news?
This is our first look at the BMW 8 Series, the German company's forthcoming luxury coupe flagship. It's currently undergoing a series of tests in Italy but this photo gives a clear indication of the Eight's shape and flowing lines.
BMW says a close-to-series prototype wearing heavy camouflage is pounding the 4km track at the high-speed proving ground in Aprilia, near Rome, in order to test the 8 Series' driving dynamics on surfaces with a high friction coefficient. Acceleration, braking and steering behaviour are all being analysed by the team conducting the testing in Italy, too.
Later in 2018, BMW will launch the road-going 8 Series but it is being developed in close parallel with the M8 performance version, as well as the M8 GTE racing car. Indeed, the last of these will be seen on track on January 27/28 at the Daytona 24-hour race in the USA.
Anything else?
"The test drives under the most severe conditions show that we are right on target with our concept for the new BMW 8 Series coupe," said Klaus Fröhlich, member of the board of BMW AG, Development and Research, who oversees the test programme in Italy. "The vehicle dynamics values already achieved are absolutely impressive. Our customers and fans can look forward to a genuine sports car."