Xtomi Renders the 8 Series as a Cabrio, Pickup, Shooting Brake, and NFS Most Wanted Street Racer

The arrival — or is it return? — of the BMW 8 Series has done a lot of things in the industry, including giving designers an opportunity to render the German automaker’s new flagship model sporting different body types. It’s no surprise that as soon as the 8 Series was unveiled, noted artist and rendering maestro X-Tomi has come out with different “versions” of the 8er, some of which are more audacious than others.

Does the 8 Series work as a shooting brake? How about a convertible version? Maybe even as a pickup? X-Tomi covered all these bases with his renders for the 8 Series, and almost all of them are awesome.

BMW 8 Series Shooting Brake

A shooting brake version of the BMW 8 Series is the most intriguing among the four body types X-Tomi rendered. It would be a uniquely different offering for the 8 Series that does away with popular sentiment that flagships shouldn’t be turned into wagons. The rendering isn’t over-the-top, either. There are elements that we can see from the 1 Series, specifically the flow of the roofline and the rear end configuration. It would’ve been better if we got a good look at the rear and how the 8 Series’ design transferred into the body type of a shooting brake. But, even that doesn’t take away from what is a surprisingly slick 8 Series. I don’t think BMW’s going to build one, but if it needed a peg on how it could look like, this one is as good as it gets.

BMW 8 Series Cabrio

The convertible version of the BMW 8 Series is a certainty. In fact, it’s already been caught testing a handful of times, so there aren’t going to be any surprises here. X-Tomi’s render of the convertible fits right into what our expectations for what the model would look like. In a nutshell, it looks like the 8 Series with its top off. Line up the render of the convertible with the actual photo of the coupe, and you’ll see that X-Tomi didn’t change a lot, including the reflection on the hood. The only noticeable difference is the driver — different guy — and the elevated rear section to account for the roof compartment. I will say that even without any significant changes, the 8 Series Convertible looks very intriguing.

BMW 8 Series Pickup

We’re taking a dramatic u-turn here with X-Tomi’s rendering of the BMW 8 Series in full pickup guise. It’s safe to say that as interesting as this rendering looks, it’s never going to happen. An 8 Series-based BMW pickup has as much chance of happening as a Jeep supercar. There are certain segments that certain automakers aren’t going to go to, let alone use their flagship model as the basis for creating something that’s described more in utilitarian terms. Speaking of which, X-Tomi’s rendering actually looks less like a pickup and more like a ute, of which there are many in Australia. It’s intriguing, as it’s a completely different rendering approach, but it doesn’t strike my fancy quite like the next rendering, simply because I can’t see it happening.

Editors Note: While it seems highly implausible that this would happen, it's not necessarily a no-go for BMW. After all, Cadillac even had the Mirage, which was Cadillac Coupe Deville turned into an Ute. There were only a little over 200 examples built, but it goes to show that anything can happen ;)

BMW 8 Series NFS Most Wanted Street Racer

Now, this is what I’m talking about. The BMW 8 Series getting rendered as a full-blown sports cars is the kind of thing that excites the imagination. It’s incredible how a few aerodynamic components can dramatically alter the look and performance aura of the 8 Series. It’s got a front splitter, bolt-on fenders, side skirts, and a more tucked body compared to the actual 8 Series. It even has a big rear wing at the back and a blue-and-white color scheme that screams for attention. Even the wheels are massive, and the obligatory liveries add even more personality to the car. I’m not closing the door on the possibility that BMW could develop a full-fledged sports car that’s based on the 8 Series, but I don’t expect it to happen anytime soon. Still, wouldn’t it be cool if it at least looked like this?

Final Thoughts

Of the four renderings, one is a lock to happen, two could be a possiblities down the road, and one isn’t happening ever. Regardless of what BMW thinks is the future of the 8 Series, X-Tomi’s renderings give us an idea on what looks good, what doesn’t, what we can expect, and what we can dismiss from the start. All four renderings look interesting, especially the NFSMW sports car, but at the end of the day, we go by what Bimmer decides to build. In this case, we can at least look forward to the convertible version arriving sometime next year and hope that maybe, just maybe, a shooting brake happens in the future, too.