To appease the loonies out there who believe that a 625hp BMW M8 Competition just isn't potent enough, Manhart has produced its own take on the turbocharged V8 coupe which – with only a handful of mods – has 800hp and can do 190mph. Crikey. The MH8, as the Wuppertal firm has christened it, is now claimed to be capable of getting from 0 to 62mph in a hypercar-slaying 2.6 seconds – six tenths better than standard and three tenths quicker than a 720S.
With 553lb ft of torque, rolling acceleration is no less ballistic, the new model charging from 62-124mph in 5.7 seconds – a number that’s three tenths less than the 0-62mph time of the V12-powered 850 CSi from 1992, if you’re wondering. Suffice to say the MH8 is flipping fast, all of the time, until it hammers into a 190mph limiter, presumably there to protect the tyres and other components not readied for the two-tonne barrier.
To achieve this explosive pace, Manhart’s given the V8 motor a brace of bigger blowers, a new intercooler and matching control software. Throw in a tank of RON 98 and you’ve yourself an 800hp Beemer. Manhart’s also developed a new exhaust system, which uses a stainless-steel rear silencer with a remote valve and finishes with four 100mm-bore tailpipes to give the MH8 vocals to match the muscle. But there’s presumably nothing stopping a buyer from sticking with the standard pipes.
The gearbox, however, needs a bit of Manhart fettling to handle the extra shove; elsewhere the company recommends switching out the standard adaptive suspension for KW height-adjustable coilovers, thereby lowering and firming up a ride which was already neither tall or soft. Manhart can also reconfigure the M8’s optional £8k carbon-ceramic brakes, as per owners’ requests, to help keep up with all that extra power.
Additionally, if a buyer chooses, the tuner will remove the standard-fit particulate filter and fit a set of race downpipes without catalytic converters, the effects of which must turn what’s already a thunderous eight-pot into something menacing as hell. But this setup isn’t TUV approved, so it’s for export only and is fitted at the buyer’s discretion.
If that all sounds a little much, then you've obviously missed the point of Manhart. If you've grasped the point and would like to run with all the way to some video evidence, the firm has provided some footage of it doing silly things. Like how quickly a 1,960kg machine can be launched away from a white line…
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