RE: BMW teases 8 Series Gran Coupe ahead of unveil

RE: BMW teases 8 Series Gran Coupe ahead of unveil

Friday 3rd May 2019

BMW teases 8 Series Gran Coupe ahead of unveil

Four-door version of BMW's flagship coupe will be officially revealed next month



We've been talking about the 8 Series Gran Coupe since last year, when test mules were two a penny in the German back country. Now though, with the reveal only a few weeks away, BMW has delivered an official teaser image of the car which effectively replaces the 6 Series Gran Coupe.

Why trouble your eyeballs with what is, after all, 50 percent shadow? Well, its predecessor was - in case you've forgotten - just about the most handsome car BMW has produced this decade. The four-door coupe was designed to stick it to the Audi A7 and Mercedes CLS, and it did so with the righteousness of a thoroughbred stallion visiting a donkey sanctuary.

Its replacement is essentially a retread of the same formula, only this time of course its maker has remembered to attach its flagship number to the job of market placement. The latest Gran Coupe will share powertrains with the coupe variant - albeit with a longer wheelbase deployed aft of the bulkhead.


Practicality will swell commensurately with the larger dimensions - expect a higher roofline and bigger boot, too - but if the camouflaged development cars are anything to go by, don't expect the four-door car to depart dramatically from the design language established by the current 8 Series.

For BMW's part, the talk is of 'consummate elegance' and an interior which epitomises 'modern luxury' - but the crux of the matter is that you get two additional doors and 'an enhanced ride quality' to ensure that those sitting over the rear axle don't feel like they've been relegated to steerage.

We'll find out for sure how the whole shooting match has turned out in Munich next month, although the manufacturer has already reiterated that expanding its model portfolio in the luxury segment is already one of the ways it will ensure sustained growth over the next decade. The takeaway from that is that BMW is newly interested in the ground occupied by the Porsche Panamera - so don't expect much change from £80k when the time comes to talk about the entry-level 840d option.

Author
Discussion

mrclav

Original Poster:

1,281 posts

222 months

Saturday 4th May 2019
quotequote all
The outgoing 6GC was an elegant car, I don't see how this would any different in continuing its legacy

rayyan171

1,294 posts

92 months

Saturday 4th May 2019
quotequote all
Certainly. Retains the same proportions of the original 8 series too.

cerb4.5lee

30,189 posts

179 months

Saturday 4th May 2019
quotequote all
I think this will do well and the previous 6GC easily out sold the Coupe...so I would expect the same for this. A really smart looking car for me.

swisstoni

16,850 posts

278 months

Saturday 4th May 2019
quotequote all
I’ve seen the 2 door in the flesh and they are quite impressive in a big flat kind of way.

It’s strange in a few years the upright SUV shape has become the almost the norm for cars and that the low look seems quite unusual.

hungry_hog

2,187 posts

187 months

Sunday 5th May 2019
quotequote all
What is BMW doing with those grills? Absolutely vile, looks like an aftermarket grill stuck on.

In the 90s they had so many elegant designs - E31 (8 series), E38 (7 series), E 39 (5 series)

The only designs I like now are the M3 and M4.


C.MW

472 posts

68 months

Sunday 5th May 2019
quotequote all
hungry_hog said:
What is BMW doing with those grills? Absolutely vile, looks like an aftermarket grill stuck on.

In the 90s they had so many elegant designs - E31 (8 series), E38 (7 series), E 39 (5 series)

The only designs I like now are the M3 and M4.
And I bet it won't be long before the 3 series comes with the massive grilles.

ecs0set

2,470 posts

283 months

Tuesday 7th May 2019
quotequote all
C.MW said:
hungry_hog said:
What is BMW doing with those grills? Absolutely vile, looks like an aftermarket grill stuck on.

In the 90s they had so many elegant designs - E31 (8 series), E38 (7 series), E 39 (5 series)

The only designs I like now are the M3 and M4.
And I bet it won't be long before the 3 series comes with the massive grilles.
+1

"consummate elegance", with a massive GRILLLLLLLLE attached to the front. Couldn't they just design one that bolted over the top for the Asian market?