Rumors have swirled of a four-door Gran Coupe variant of the upcoming BMW 8 Series since the Concept 8 Series broke cover last year. Now the German automaker has given us a sneak peak of the speculated four-door coupe by way of a partially obstructed render it posted on Twitter. Further confirming the automaker's intention of an imminent reveal, the render was accompanied by the message, “Stay tuned. More to come in Geneva next week.”
BMW revealed its stunningly aggressive 8 Series Concept during Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in Italy last year. Expected to be a replacement for the outgoing 6 Series Coupe, the 8 Series Coupe will draw inspiration from the concept, which attempted to visually tie together the brand's traditional models with the radical, green-focused i8 sports car. Shortly after the 8 Series Concept's reveal, numerous speculative renders hit the internet to guess at what other body styles BMW could derive from the coupe—including a fantastical pickup model. A highly-anticipated 4.4-liter turbocharged V8-powered M8 is expected, as is a possible M860 with the supposedly endangered 6.6-liter turbocharged V12 powerplant from the M760Li xDrive.
BMW last built a car bearing the 8 Series name during a simpler time in automotive history. Back then, automakers didn't feel the urge to build two, three, or four different body-style variants from the same basic car. Instead, from 1989 to 1999, the 8 Series could only be had as a coupe or convertible. An M8 model was studied but eventually shelved as BMW didn't see a big enough market for the car, though it did spawn two collectible Alpina variants powered by 5.0- and 5.7-liter V12 engines. If BMW sticks to its planned roll-out schedule, a production 8 Series Coupe will arrive in dealers later this year.
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