BMW M8 Competition Gran Coupe unveiled

The all-new BMW M8 Competition Gran Coupe announced today will arrive in Australian showrooms by Q2, 2020.

Derived from the M8 Competition Coupe and developed alongside the mighty BMW M8 GTE endurance racer, the M8 Competition Gran Coupe is the successor to the previous M6 Gran Coupe.

Sharing the same high-revving twin-turbo V8 engine as its Coupe counterpart, the M8 Competition Gran Coupe packs 460kW and 750Nm. It teams this with a sports exhaust that provides a racecar-like note and an eight-speed M Steptronic transmission with Drivelogic for precise shifts regardless of the driving style.

Power is sent to the road via an M xDrive all-wheel-drive system with a rear axle-mounted Active M Differential. The M xDrive system has a rear-biased configuration in its default 4WD mode. Drivers can use a Setup menu to select 4WD Sport mode, which sends an even higher proportion of drive to the rear wheels. Deactivation of DSC brings 2WD mode into play, with drive fed exclusively through the rear wheels.

Despite the longer body and with four doors, the Gran Coupe matches the coupe in the sprint time from 0 to 100km/h, accomplishing the feat in a blistering 3.2 seconds.

The M8 Competition Gran Coupé includes electronically controlled dampers and electromechanical M Servotronic steering, while a new M-specific integrated braking system enables two brake pedal settings to suit specific driving styles and situations. Adjustment of the brake pedal functionality is accessible through the Setup function, where settings for the engine, dampers and steering can also be personalised.

Two individually composed variants of the M Setup can be stored and called up using the M buttons on the steering wheel. The M Mode button on the centre console also allows driver assistance systems and the instrument cluster/Head-Up Display to be configured as required. Drivers can additionally select TRACK mode in addition to ROAD and SPORT modes depending on their preference.

The instrument cluster, Control Display and Head-Up Display also provide the driver with M-specific readouts.

The dramatic new exterior styling of the M8 Competition Gran Coupe is characterised by a dynamically-stretched silhouette, muscular shoulders and a distinctive standalone rear-end design. It complements these aspects with larger air intakes, M gills on the side panels, aerodynamically-optimised exterior mirrors and a rear spoiler.

The wheelbase of the M8 Competition Gran Coupe is 200 millimetres longer than that of the two-door M8 Competition Coupe, allowing for extra levels of space in the rear compartment.

The rear seat design evokes a sport-focused feel with individual character and integrated head restraints. Other interior design highlights include exclusive M Sport front seats with integrated illuminated M8 badging and bi-colour leather trim.

Local specification and pricing detail for the all-new M8 Competition Gran Coupé will be released closer to the launch date.