To be presented on 15th June, the BMW M8 GTE had inspired the driving dynamics of the road-going model as well

On the eve of the legendary Le Mans race, BMW will open a new chapter in the brand’s sports car history by premiering the new BMW 8 Series Coupe. The new luxury sports car was developed parallel to the BMW M8 GTE, with which BMW Motorsport will take to the Le Mans starting grid for the first time since 2011.

In the second round of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) 2018, BMW will be fielding two BMW M8 GTEs. These racing cars already demonstrated their potential at the season opener in Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium, and the US-American IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. This will now be followed by the debut of the production model; drive and suspension will be based as close as possible to the M8 GTE.

On that note, motor sport expertise is concentrated in particular in the new M850i xDrive Coupe, which BMW promises offers outstanding dynamic handling characteristics; it gets with it a new V8 engine, intelligent four-wheel drive, controlled rear axle differential lock, Integral Active Steering, adaptive M suspension technology Professional featuring Active Roll Stabilization and 20-inch light alloy wheels boasting high-performance tyres.

“There isn’t a better setting for the world premiere of the new BMW 8 Series Coupe than the 24-hour race at Le Mans,” says Klaus Fröhlich, board member of the BMW AG, Development. “The race is a pure demonstration of passion, dynamics and long-distance capability. These characteristics define our new sports car in a special way.”