BMW M8

BMW M8 at a glance

The M8 was developed alongside the BMW M8 GTE race car, which had debuted at the Frankfurt motor show in 2017. Its body styles mirror those of the 8 Series: a two-door coupé, a two-door convertible with a fabric roof and the four-door Gran Coupé. All are built at BMW's Dingolfing plant in Germany. M8 production ended in 2025, and the 8 Series range as a whole followed in April 2026. More of the brand's models are in our BMW catalogue, and a smaller M car is covered in BMW M4.

Exterior

The M8 looks spectacular, with plenty of distinctive details that make it impossible to miss in traffic. At the front, a relatively small windscreen sits above a huge bonnet with many ridges, sharply rounded at its leading edge. BMW's kidney grilles are very large and filled with vertical bars, and slim, aggressive headlights sit level with them, using LED technology. The front bumper is made up almost entirely of air intakes: a large trapezoidal one in the centre and two big side openings to cool the brakes.

From the side, flowing sculpting, flared wheel arches and large 20-inch alloy wheels catch the eye. The mirrors and door handles have unusual shapes, and two vents sit in the flanks. The Competition versions get gloss-black trim on the grille surround, intake sections, mirror caps and diffuser elements; with the M Carbon package these parts are made of carbon fibre. The M8 Coupé has a carbon-fibre roof as standard, while the regular 8 Series offers it only as an option.

The M8 Convertible has a multi-layer fabric roof that, when closed, closely follows the silhouette of the coupé. It opens or closes in 15 seconds at speeds of up to 50 km/h. Ground clearance is 130 mm. At the rear, the narrow upper part widens towards the road. A short, sculpted boot lid with an integrated spoiler sits above slim, aggressive tail lights and large air vents, and the bumper ends in a diffuser with four 100 mm exhaust tips. An electrically controlled exhaust valve lets the driver change the engine sound using the M Sound Control button.

Interior

The cabin underlines the car's racing character. M Sport seats have strong side bolsters, illuminated M badges, electric adjustment and ventilation, and two-tone leather is standard. The driver has a 12.3-inch digital instrument display; pressing the Setup button on the centre console switches it to a layout designed specifically for M models. The gear selector has a different design and includes a Drivelogic switch for the gearshift character.

An M Mode button changes the level of driver-assistance and display information between Road, Sport and Track, and two red M buttons on the three-spoke steering wheel recall the driver's personal set-ups. The centre console is similar to that of the regular 8 Series: a 10.25-inch infotainment screen with gesture control, a head-up display and dual-zone climate control, all running BMW Operating System 7.0. Two-tone leather upholstery and optional carbon-fibre trim complete a cabin that is high in quality, pleasant and comfortable.

Engine and transmission

The M8 uses BMW's S63 4.4-litre V8 with M TwinPower Turbo technology and two turbochargers. The M8 Competition raises the output by 19 kW (25 PS) while keeping the same torque. The engine works with an eight-speed M Steptronic automatic, and M xDrive all-wheel drive distributes the torque between the axles through a centre clutch. Because BMW M customers like to drift, the system has a 2WD mode that sends all the power to the rear wheels.

Chassis and brakes

Suspension uses double wishbones at the front and a multi-link rear, retuned for sharper handling. The M8 Competition is quicker not only because of its extra power: it has stiffer ball joints, revised suspension geometry and forged wheels of different widths front and rear.

The standard brakes have six-piston front calipers with 395 mm discs and single-piston rear calipers with 380 mm discs. Carbon-ceramic brakes are optional, with front discs 5 mm larger. To save about 2 kg, BMW replaced the conventional vacuum brake booster with an electromechanical system that also lets the driver choose between two pedal feels.

Performance and rivals

The M8's figures are impressive, but not unique: the four-door Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S also reaches 100 km/h in 3.2 seconds. Its main rivals are the Mercedes-AMG GT, Audi RS 7, Bentley Continental GT, Aston Martin DB11 and Porsche Panamera.

Equipment

Even the standard M8 is very well equipped, with four-zone climate control, adaptive cruise control, a surround-view camera, heated rear seats, night vision, blind-spot monitoring, traffic-sign recognition and lane-keeping assistance. Options include the M Carbon exterior package, carbon-ceramic brakes, carbon interior trim and the M Driver's Package that raises the top speed limit.

Strengths and weaknesses

The M8 offers enormous performance, all-weather traction with the option of rear-wheel drive, a choice of three body styles, a high-quality cabin and long standard equipment. Its downsides are a very high price, the weight of a large grand tourer and limited ground clearance. It is a fast, luxurious car rather than a lightweight sports car.