BMW Teases A Sleek, Four-Door Coupe For Geneva; Could It Be The 8 Series Gran Coupe?

TopSpeed

By Jonathan Lopez

Published Feb 28, 2018

We spy four doors and some sexy lines!

BMW

The 2018 Geneva International Motor Show is very nearly upon us, and BMW is gearing up for the big event with a variety of hotly anticipated debuts. The latest looks to be a concept version of the upcoming 8 Series Gran Coupe, as revealed in a teaser image recently posted to Bimmer's various social media accounts.

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Right from the off, we're excited to see this thing in the metal, whatever it might be. Although the teaser is limited to a single a shadowy rendering of the car's profile, we think it looks quite good, and it definitely ticks all our boxes for hype-generation. The hood line is low and long, stretching forward over large front fenders that house large, wide-spoked wheels tucked just under the arches. The roof line is also quite long, falling into the tail at a very low height. The belt line strikes a strong forward rake, leading the eye rearwards towards an aggressive, upturned rear tail flick spoiler. Green body panels and yellow trim seem to be the color scheme of choice.

Without a doubt, the Bavarians are previewing some low and sleek performance machine here, but if you look closely, you'll see what appear to be two door seams, which means this thing is a four-door model. The profile also reminds us quite a bit of the two-door 2017 8 Series Concept that dropped last May at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este, although it would appear as though this new green concept gets a longer roof line.

BMW has yet to release any further details beyond the image pictured above and a promise that it'll provide a full reveal next week. However, beyond the concepts already mentioned, we've also seen the new 8 Series in its two-door, racing form with the 2018 BMW M8 GTE. Scheduled to compete in the IMSA WeatherTech championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans this year, the racer gets the traditional race-ready pumped-up body panels, huge fenders, and aggressive aero, which is definitely not stuff you'll get in the dealers, but it gives us a decent idea what the production model will look like all the same.

Speaking of which, look for the new 8 Series to come equipped with a 4.4-liter V-8, stuffed with air by two turbos to produce 592 horsepower. Power will be sent through an eight-speed transmission and BMW's xDrive AWD system as standard. The production model should also be quite large in terms of the exterior dimensions, with measurements befitting of the “Gran” name. We also expect the design to be more accountant friendly compared to the concepts.

The 8 Series will take on rival products from Audi and Mercedes, with the production 8 Series Gran Coupe sitting alongside a two-door version and a drop-top convertible version, as well as the requisite even-meaner M'd iterations. With a possible 700 horsepower on tap, the 8 Series M will break new ground for the brand, as the original 8 Series didn't get a production M8. Elsewhere in the lineup, the 6 Series will be downsized and made sportier to take on the likes of the Porsche 911.

As a side note, we do have to say that it feels like automakers are going to the well a bit with the whole “coupe” naming strategy. Yeah, we know coupe means “cut” and is a term used to describe the shape of the roof line, but come on. Just call it a sports sedan already.

Anyway, make sure to tune into TopSpeed when the new BMW concept drops at the 2018 Geneva International Motor Show next week.