BMW Concept M8 Gran Coupe: M Is for More
A preview of the 8-series in four-door, full-sport form.

The letter M at BMW used to stand for Motoren—motors, or engines. But now the company has come up with a new explanation: M, we are told, stands for More, according to the press release distributed on the occasion of the debut of the Concept M8 Gran Coupe at the 2018 Geneva auto show. This car, moreover, represents “a new facet of luxury: extremely sporty, extravagant, and polarizing,” according to chief designer Adrian van Hooydonk.

The concept is a thinly disguised preview of the production M8 Gran Coupe. There’s “more” in the model designation: The M8 replaces the M6 and, again based on the 5-series, remains in essentially the same position in the market.

Visually, the Concept M8 Gran Coupe is akin to last year’s Concept 8-series, which gives a good idea of the upcoming two-door coupe. The M8 treatment adds M-typical elements such as large wheels, massive air intakes, widened fenders, a carbon-fiber roof, a prominent spoiler, and four beefy exhaust pipes. A noteworthy detail is the roof, which keeps its Zagato-inspired indented center section. The kidney grille, the wheels, and the exhaust tips are finished in rose gold, a material that is increasingly popular on concept cars and likely to find its way into showrooms. The car is painted a blue-green called Salève Vert, after the name of a mountain above Geneva.

The M8 Gran Coupe and its lesser sibling, the 8-series Gran Coupe, will be powered by a range of six- and eight-cylinder gasoline and diesel engines. The M8’s twin-turbo V-8 will make at least 600 horsepower and 553 lb-ft of torque—after all, it can’t lag behind the M5—channeled to all four wheels through a rear-biased all-wheel-drive system. That’s “more” than the predecessor’s rear-wheel-drive setup.