After a drawn-out teaser campaign that included a racecar debuting ahead of its road counterpart and images of camouflaged models undergoing final stages of testing, the BMW 8 Series has just broken cover.

Race ready

The all-new model was unveiled a few days ago ahead of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Incidentally, a BMW M8 GTE model competed in the race, which gives us a clear indication to expect a performance halo in the future.

As you can see from the images above the 8 Series is a striking proposition. It has the classic lines of a GT car with that long bonnet and slim glasshouse, and it features seating for four as a GT car should.

From a stylistic point of view, the new model is closely based on the 8 Series Concept that appeared around a year ago (see image above).

No slouch

BMW SA has confirmed that the very first model to make its local debut will be the M850i xDrive. This model is powered by a 4,4-litre twin-turbocharged V8. Maximum power is rated as 390 kW along with a mammoth 750 N.m of torque. Power is fed to all wheels via an eight-speed transmission.

Performance claims for the M850i are quoted as 3,7 seconds for the benchmark 100 km/h sprint, in part thanks to a launch control programme, and a top speed that is limited to 250 km/h.

If you reading this in Europe and are keen to buy an 8 Series, then you may be interested to hear that there is also a turbodiesel option. Badged as an 840d, it features a 3,0-litre six-cylinder motor that develops 235 kW and 680 N.m.

Read our BMW M5 review by clicking here.

Dripping in luxury

As you may expect of a model that spearheads the BMW family, the new 8 Series is dripping with luxury and features just about every high-tech doodah the company produces.

From full electric adjustment for the Merino leather-covered seats to an electronic instrument cluster, satellite controlled gear shifts and the option of (fricken) laser beams for lights, the 8 Series lacks for nothing.

From a connectivity viewpoint, the car uses BMW’s new 7.0 operating system that includes an adaptive navigation system, a hard-drive-based multimedia system with 20 Gb, two USB ports, plus Bluetooth and WiFi interfaces.

In action

For more info, and to see the BMW 8 Series in action, check out the video and infographics below.