INTRODUCING THE ICON.

A sports car as it should be: The development of the new BMW M8 has focused on combining top-drawer dynamics with unimpeachable directional stability and unshakeable traction. The basic blueprint provided by the BMW 8 Series Coupé provides the ideal platform on which to achieve these goals. The vehicle concept has all the ingredients – in terms of weight minimisation, centre of gravity, weight distribution, wheelbase length and track width – to deliver handling characteristics centring on standout lateral and longitudinal dynamics. The exceptional rigidity of the body structure, chassis components and chassis mountings with the body provides the perfect foundations for the car’s extraordinary engine power to be used to deliver supreme performance at all times.

The V8 engine responds in an instant to its master’s voice and unfurls its power along a linear curve via an eight-speed M Steptronic transmission with Drivelogic. The engine’s power is fed to the road via the new M xDrive system, whose unwavering raison d’être is to serve up performance drivers can experience in pulse-accelerating depth. For the new BMW M8, the all-wheel-drive system has been furnished with an agile, rear-wheel-biased set-up. This combines the supreme ease of fully variable power transfer between the front and rear axles with the elevated sporting dynamics of classical rear-wheel drive. In M Dynamic mode, the all-wheel-drive system sends even more power to the rear wheels, opening the door to controlled drifts. Switching off the DSC stability system brings 2WD mode into play. This turns the M8 into an outright rear-wheel-drive machine, liberated from the shackles of control systems and free to lay on a driving experience of absolute purity. The Active M Differential at the rear axle, which also works fully variably and has a locking effect between 0 and 100 per cent, likewise plays its part in maximising agility and traction in all road and weather conditions.

A fundamentally reworked double-wishbone front axle / five-link rear axle chassis imbues the new BMW M8 with outstanding agility and precision. All the components involved in delivering M-specific kinematics and elastokinematics have been revised. A further increase in the track width at the front axle enhances directional stability, while the rear axle features firmer anti-roll bars and more rigid wishbones. The result is neutral steering behaviour even at the dynamic limits and a linear build-up of transverse loads across the full range of lateral acceleration. The standard chassis technology under the skin of the new BMW M8 also includes electronically controlled dampers. Adaptive suspension with model-specific tuning adapts the damper responses constantly to the driver’s style and road condition. The dampers’ baseline set-up can be adapted to the driver’s particular tastes through Comfort, Sport and Sport Plus modes.

The electromechanical M Servotronic steering tuned specially for the new BMW M8 also plays a role in giving the car super-precise handling properties – even when the driver is taking an extremely dynamic approach to the job in hand. It delivers superbly accurate turn-in and provides the driver with clear feedback at all times. The M compound brakes specified as standard for the new BMW M8 deliver top-notch stopping power. As well as their minimised weight and substantially lower unsprung mass compared with conventional braking systems, they are also extremely comfortable to use, boast incredible feel and offer excellent braking stability even under high loads. The optional and even bigger M carbon-ceramic brakes stand out with their even greater stopping power, resistance to fade and thermal stability, not to mention an extraordinary ability to fend off the onset of wear.