BMW's new flagship has been shown in camouflage; it's due to go on UK sale in November
BMW has confirmed it is using the B-roads of Wales to fine tune the chassis settings of its hotly anticipated 8 Series.
Ahead of its reveal at the 24 Hours of Le Mans on 15 June, the car's dynamics are being evaluated and finalised to produce what the brand claims will be "fascinating sportiness and supreme comfort".
The car will come with a host of driver-focused hardware and software, including adaptive damping and a dynamic stability control setting that allows for more playfulness while still retaining a 'safety net'.
Autocar has already driven a prototype for the two-door coupé, an M850i xDrive, which demonstrated the potential BMW's Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupé and Bentley Continental GT rival has on technical roads. But the final settings won't be defined until closer to the car's November on-sale date.
The 8 Series has been part of one of the largest build-ups in recent automotive history. Prior to the production car, three concept cars were shown. The first, the 8 Series concept, previewed the standard car, while the M8 Gran Coupé concept demonstrated the thinking behind a high-performance version. A racing concept was also created; it's been following by the M8 GTE, which is competing in this year's World Endurance Championship, of which Le Mans is the most illustrious round.
s technically related to the 7 Series saloon. It will essentially be a two-door coupé version of that car, much in the same way that the 4 Series and 3 Series are related.
Being so closely related to the 7 Series, the 8 Series will share naming conventions and engines with its saloon sibling. This means that an iPerformance-badged plug-in hybrid will feature in the range, while the entry-level 3.0-litre six-cylinder diesel found in the 730d will be used in an 830d.
The 8 Series line-up will also include the more performance-oriented 4.4-litre V8 in the 750i xDrive, accompanied by all-wheel drive and more than 500bhp. A V12-engined model will come later in the 8 Series’ life cycle.
The most hardcore variant of the 8 Series will come in M8 form, with its own more aggressive bodywork. This model is likely to be powered by an uprated version of the latest M5's 592bhp 4.4-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine and share the same M xDrive four-wheel drive system.
Inside, 8 Series models will feature the same top-end technologies found in the 7 Series, including the latest and next-generation semi-autonomous functions.
As part of BMW's range shake-up, the 8 Series coupé will indirectly replace the 6 Series coupé, which will end production this year, while the 6 Series convertible will then be indirectly replaced by the 8 Series convertible next year.
The final 6 Series variant, the Gran Coupé, is likely to be superseded by an 8 Series Gran Coupé. These model shifts were first set in motion when the 5 Series GT replaced the 6 Series GT.
Additional reporting by Greg Kable and Jimi Beckwith
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