Munich. The BMW Group is using this year’s Concorso d’Eleganza Villa
d’Este to unveil the BMW Concept 8 Series, the essence of a modern-day
BMW coupe wrapped up in an enthralling design study. The study car
will serve as a taster of a forthcoming BMW model – the new BMW 8
Series Coupe, slated for launch in 2018 and part of the biggest model
offensive in the company’s history. The NUMBER ONE NEXT strategy
sees the BMW Group aiming to significantly increase sales and revenues
in the luxury class, and the BMW 8 Series Coupe plays an important
role here. “The number 8 has always represented the pinnacle of sports
performance and exclusivity at BMW,” explains Chairman of the Board of
Management of BMW AG Harald Krüger. “The forthcoming BMW 8 Series
Coupe will demonstrate that razor-sharp dynamics and modern luxury can
go hand-in-hand. This will be the next model in the expansion of our
luxury-car offering and will raise the benchmark for coupes in the
segment. In the process, we will strengthen our claim to leadership in
the luxury class.”
The BMW Concept 8 Series reveals much of what is to come. “The
BMW Concept 8 Series is our take on a full-blooded high-end driving
machine,” says Adrian van Hooydonk, Senior Vice President BMW Group
Design. “It is a luxurious sports car which embodies both
unadulterated dynamics and modern luxury like arguably no other. For
me, it’s a slice of pure automotive fascination.”
The exterior brings together the past and the future. The BMW Concept
8 Series is immediately recognisable as a BMW, but also displays new
design ideas and form-building techniques. “The design of the BMW
Concept 8 Series provides a fresh interpretation of iconic BMW styling
cues,” adds van Hooydonk. “And it also showcases a new approach to the
use of forms which is reflected particularly prominently in the car’s
surfacing. A handful of crisp lines mark out clear surfaces, and the
car’s volumes are powerfully sculpted. Together, these elements make a
forceful statement and create a model brimming with character. In
short, this is a driver’s car.”
The flanks: expansive surfaces set within a sporting
outline. The silhouette of the BMW Concept 8 Series spreads
low and powerfully over the road. The interplay of a long bonnet and
flowing roofline bring dynamic allure to the car’s flanks, while the
striking upward sweep of the concept’s trailing edge provides a crisp
conclusion to the car’s rearward flow and adds another sporting flourish.
Within the car’s silhouette, the refreshingly clean yet also dramatic
arrangement of surfaces and forms catches the eye and creates a crisp,
modern look. The sharply drawn lines coursing over taut volumes
represent a visual promise of the vividly dynamic driving experience
that awaits.
A look at the details reveals two expressively styled character lines
providing the border for surfacing that appears to be formed by air
rushing out of the Air Breathers. Further back, the eye is guided to
the pronounced flaring above the rear wheels. The flanks as a whole
draw attention to a new aspect of BMW’s expertise in the execution of
surfaces. Skilfully moulded line sources and flowing highlights
accentuate the athletic contours of the BMW Concept 8 Series. And the
exclusively developed exterior paint finish Barcelona Grey Liquid – a
greyish-blue with highly iridescent pigments – shows off the surfacing
to optimum effect. Large (21-inch) light-alloy wheels feature a sporty
and exclusive multi-spoke design and aero elements, generate visual
depth and set the seal of the compelling appearance of the car when
viewed in profile.
The front end: sporty, low-slung and visually striking. A large
kidney grille, slim twin headlights and large air intakes form a
striking, sporty front-end graphic. The classic BMW template has a
fresh interpretation here, taking the company’s design language in a
different direction. For example, the two kidneys are very low to the
road and spread broadly across the front end. Taking inspiration from
BMW coupes of years past, the kidneys are brought together by an
unbroken frame to form a single large element. The grille widens as it
extends downwards, emphasising the dynamic character of the
BMW Concept 8 Series. Together with super-slim laser headlights and
the hexagonal take on the “twin circular” theme, it brings a focused
look to the front end.
The large side air intakes in the front apron intensify the car’s
wide, sporting stance on the road and promise a very pure dynamic
experience. The carbon-fibre element between them underlines the car’s
sporty, high-performance character.
The rear: bold and modern. Emotional surfacing also dominates at the
rear of the BMW Concept 8 Series, creating a low, highly sculpted tail
with maximum width-enhancing effect. The rear is defined by the
interplay between volumes and lines, which extend around from the
flanks and shape the rear section of the car. The powerful wheel
arches hint at the car’s dynamic talents and advertise its rear-wheel
drive. And the tapering of the passenger cell and the car’s wide track
shine a particularly vivid spotlight on this area of the car.
The slim, stretched-out rear lights extend far into the sides of the
car and provide a connection between the rear and flanks. The lights
themselves take the form of L-shaped blades and project out from the
rear. They emphasise the width of the car and its muscular stance on
the road, and their slender form gives the rear an ultra-sporty and
modern flavour.
The dark, stylised carbon-fibre diffuser in the lower section of the
rear apron adds extra lightness and a sportier feel to the rear
graphic. Large, trapezoidal exhaust tailpipes frame the rear section
and point to the dynamic driving experience to come.
The interior: an emotionally rich blend of dynamics and luxury. The
interior focuses on the essential: the task of driving. Once behind
the wheel, the driver is wrapped in the tightly enclosed ambience
typical of sports cars. The surfaces and lines all gravitate forwards
and underscore the dynamic driving experience. The grouping of
functions into control clusters, e.g. in the centre stack, the centre
console and the doors, gives the interior a clear graphic structure.
Among the standout design elements in the interior are the fluid
transition from the instrument panel into the doors and the sporty,
enveloping feel of the interior. This impression is magnified by the
smooth connection between the centre console and instrument panel,
which together form the nucleus of the interior. The high centre
console and the instrument panel’s low visual focus add further
emphasis to the snug and sporty feeling of space.
The interior of the BMW Concept 8 Series actively explores the
contrasts between emotion and engineering, dynamic flair and luxury;
its form suggests supreme sportiness, while exquisite materials exude
exclusivity and high-grade design. For example, all of the driver’s
contact points with the car are brimming with sporting character. The
exclusive sports seats are slim in design, the carbon-fibre shell
providing the basic structure and the finest leather making them the
perfect place to sit. The steering wheel continues along similar
lines, its hand-polished aluminium spokes arrowing forward
purposefully, and the red-anodised shift paddles bring the race track
to mind. The contrast of aluminium and dark leather on the gripping
surfaces emphasises this luxurious sense of sportiness in various details.
Merino leather in Dark Brown and Fjord White lends the interior a
high-quality ambience. Accent surfaces in carbon fibre and
hand-polished aluminium create deliberate contrasts and radiate a
sporty and technical feel. Plus, a faceted ground gearshift lever and
the iDrive Controller made from Swarovski glass with a smoky quartz
look treat the interior to some modern and classy finishing touches.
A sign of things to come. The BMW Concept 8 Series is a preview of a
model which BMW is set to introduce in a similar form in the coming
year. The BMW 8 Series Coupe will build on the company’s successful
tradition of luxurious sports cars and adds another exciting model – a
genuine dream car – to its existing luxury-class line-up.
The BMW 8 Series Coupe will bring together razor-sharp dynamics and
modern luxury, and set new benchmarks in the luxury coupe segment.