In the BMW universe, there is no number greater than 8, and there is no letter higher than M. It stands to reason, therefore, that the ultimate “Ultimate Driving Machine” should be an M8. However, for centuries, “should” has been the key word.
Although BMW launched the 8 Series in 1989, the closest thing the model had to an M variant was the 1993 E31 M8 prototype: a menacing red wedge with minimalist black piping, five-spoke wheels, and a pair of towering air intakes in the rear fenders. Unfortunately, BMW did not have a compelling business case for an even more expensive 8 Series, nor could the automaker justify the cost of reengineering its 5-liter V-12 to comply with impending fuel economy regulations. The result? The M8 prototype was still just that, a prototype.
The 1993 BMW E31 M8 prototype.
Photo: Courtesy of BMW.
Twenty-seven years later, the economic and technological landscape is quite different, and BMW has pulled the trigger on a production M8, with six attractive flavors to choose from: the M8 Coupe, Gran Coupe, and Convertible, as well as even more powerful competition. versions of all three. When the BMW concierge asks when they could deliver one of the fastest M8s of all, the answer is obvious: ASAP. A few hours later, a menacing growl emanating from the driveway signals the arrival of a long-awaited Bavarian dream.
For a high-performance car, the M8 Competition Coupe looks appropriately predatory – large, muscular, short, and with its open bow with jacks, it looks like it could eat up the road, along with any number of smaller cars that might wander its way. And while the aesthetics could be polarizing (as BMW recognized when it unveiled the M8 concept in 2018), it also has total purpose. Those massive, aerodynamically optimized intakes channel fresh air into the seven individual radiators that keep the M8’s engine, gearbox, twin turbochargers and 617 hp engine at optimum temperatures in extreme conditions.
The M8 Competition Coupe covers from zero to 60 mph in 3 seconds.
Photo: Courtesy of BMW.
For a machine inspired by the fierce BMW M8 GTE Racer, a ride on the Silverado Trail in Napa, California hardly qualifies as extreme. However, it offers a tantalizing glimpse into the true character of the car. With the windows closed, to get better enjoyment from the bellows and the firewalls emanating from the twin M Sport twin exhaust tips, I dig deep into the throttle and the S63 V-8 unleashes a wave of torsion as linear as it is monstrous. There isn’t much induction noise, at least under these circumstances, but raising the gas, the deeply satisfying baritone that debris doors permeates the cabin.
In the sporty setting, the M Servotronic M8 Competition steering is remarkably sharp, the weight of the wheel being placed even in the middle of an extended curve, just when many cable-driving systems tend to feel perplexingly lazy. The electromagnetically damped suspension is equally impressive, conveying every ripple and nuance of the road surface without a hint of roughness. I can only imagine how intoxicating it would be to hammer corners in a circuit like the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve, whose main straight, by the way, would allow you to get somewhere close to the car’s top speed of 189 mph.
The M Sport seats have Merino leather.
Photo: Courtesy of BMW.
I feel a little less in love with the brake pedal, which even in the Sport setup looks disproportionately smooth and, by extension, no feedback, relative to the prodigious stopping power of the optional $ 8,150M carbon ceramic brakes. this, without the opportunity to make strong and repeated slowdowns from a high enough speed, I am not sure I have the whole picture. The simplest route, without a doubt, to a full understanding of the capabilities of the M8 Competition is the $ 2,500 M Driver Package, which includes a coupon for M School driver training at a BMW Performance Center.
The model variant is inspired by BMW’s M8 GTE race car.
Photo: Courtesy of BMW.
Visions of race tracks dancing in my head, I return to San Francisco and I am immediately caught in a long traffic parade. Despite the trope about fabulous powered cars that don’t need a stereo, I’m thankful for the $ 3,400 Bowers & Wilkins unit and started up my favorite French pop music satellite station. Crawling along with all systems in Comfort mode, the M8 Competition Coupe seems to be perfectly at ease. In reality, though, it’s just being polite. Deep down, deep down, this car wants to fly.
