Spy Shots

BMW has been testing an odd-looking BMW 8-Series. On the outside, the car looks like a normal BMW M8, but with a few very distinctive differences. We have known for a while that BMW has been cooking something else based on the 8-Series and all evidence suggests that it will be a hotter version of the car, sitting above the M8 Competition. Straight away, there are a few noticeable differences, and this is what you need to know.

Ferrari is adamant about keeping the V-12 alive for as long as possible. However, that doesn’t mean hybridization is off the table. We already have cars like the LaFerrari and SF90, both of which are hybrids. But while those have a V-12 and a V-8, respectively, what’s coming next might surprise you. we recently got spy shots of the upcoming mid-engine Ferrari. The project is dubbed F-171, and its hybrid powertrain is centered around the brand’s new twin-turbo V-6 unit.

Porsche is up to something again, as we see images of a super-wide Porsche Cayman test mule, roaming around the Nurburgring. Porsche’s small mid-engine sports car already has plenty of versions, which begs the question, what are they cooking this time? There are more than a few theories, as to what exactly we might be looking at, some of which may surprise you. The most obvious of them is that this is the next Cayman, in very early stages of development, but there are plenty of reasons for us to think, it might be something else.

You know things in the automotive industry are getting interesting when manufacturers, well-established in other areas, start making cars. Not long ago Huawei announced their first car and, now, Sony is working on theirs. Actually, the car was unveiled at the 2020 Consumer Electronic Show and is called the Vision S. We were reacquainted with the Sony Vision-S in January 2021, through some video footage, giving us additional information about the vehicle.

Recently, we got some spy shots of the BMW 8-Series. The car shown is in convertible form, and is still under heavy camouflage. The Bavarian Gran Tourer has been in production since 2018 and now, three years later, it’s time for a refresh. The spy shots show us an 8-Series Convertible, running tests under heavy camouflage and, right away, we can spot a few noticeable changes.

The current BWM X5 has been in production since 2018 and it seems a refreshed version is coming soon. The fourth generation, with internal designation G05, has been spotted in a new guise, which can mean only one thing – a facelift is coming. Although BMW is working on many new models, most of which electric, it’s also updating its existing lineup and the X5 is the latest model to undergo a revision.

The 2022 Mercedes AMG SL is getting closer to production. We first saw the AMG version of the next SL-Class in January when, once again,it was spotted doing cold-weather tests. This time, the exact same car from January was caught on the Nurburgring with the same amount of camouflage. This indicates that Mercedes will probably not show us more than that until the SL’s debut.

Bugatti seems to have a special liking towards the Chiron. There are five spin-off versions of the supercar, with the latest one being the Centodieci. The Centodieci was introduced in 2019 as an EB110-homage model that will be limited to just 10 examples. There’s still some time before the car arrives, but one of the first prototypes was recently spotted testing at the Nurburgring. Looks sexy, doesn’t it?

Genesis continues churning out awesome new vehicles. The Korean luxury brand skips plug-in hybrids and goes straight for electrification. Another proof of that is the GV70e, which was recently caught testing in Germany, days after Genesis filed trademarks for six new EVs. A while back, we covered the EV version of the Genesis G80, called the G80e. Just Like it, the GV70e is expected to debut around the end of 2021.

Recent footage from the Nurburgring indicates that the 2022 Genesis G70 will also be offered as a shooting brake. Yet another proof of the Korean brand’s continuous expansion is the more practical version of the G70, which is almost ready for debut. We know this because the car has been spotted on numerous occasions, so a debut should be just around the corner. The sedan version of the car is already a formidable competitor. When the G70 Shooting Brake hits the market, it will compete with the VW Arteon Shooting Brake.

It seems BMW might be working on another version of their M5, as a test car was spotted on the street with what seems to be a wider track. This forced the engineers from BMW to put extended fenders. It’s not just the track but the tires that are wider. To give some perspective, the normal BMW M5 has 275 mm wide rear tires, while the M5 Competition has 285 mm wide tires. On the photos, you can clearly see that the rear tire width is 295.

Volkswagen recently announced the ID.4 GTX. With it, the German brand announced the beginning of its sporty EV lineup. What’s more important, however, is that during that same presentation, the new ID.5 was shown for the first time and with it, an ID.5 GTX was confirmed. This is the latest vehicle to utilize VW’s MEB platform for EVs. Moreover, the ID.5 will be a sleeker version of the ID.4. Think of it as an ID.4 Coupe.

The highly-anticipated Mercedes AMG Project One seems to be ready for production. At least, that’s what the latest footage shows, anyway. AMG’s hybrid supercar has been a regular “guest” at the Nurburgring, but this time, the camouflage is off, revealing every detail of its exterior. The only “camouflage” we see here is the motorsport-inspired wrap, but other than that, this is how the production cars will look like once they reach their customers.

Porsche surprised the folks of China when it revealed a four-cylinder 718 Spyder in China on the sidelines of the Shanghai Auto Show. Dropping the legendary flat-six for a four-banger might seem a little out of place for something as driver-centric as the 718, but with emissions regulations getting ever tighter it makes sense to have such a compliment in the 718 lineup – at least in the People’s Republic, anyway. However, what was once thought to be a Chinese-only affair could soon land in Europe and maybe even the United States. How do I know? Well, these spy photos are a pretty strong indication.

We recently showed you images of another version of the 911 (992) out testing. It seems Porsche is not done with the latest generation of their iconic rear-engine sports car. The 992 currently represents the pinnacle of Porsche 911 evolution and it seems the brand really wants this to be the most complete 911 yet. After all the usual versions of the 911, retro-inspired models make a comeback.

It seems Porsche is really counting on the 992 to be a successful model. Now that pretty much all versions of the latest Porsche 911 are accounted for, the German brand might also be bringing back the limited edition Sport Classic. A possible candidate for a new Sport Classic was caught testing at the Nürburgring quite recently. The Sport Classic first appeared with the 997 generation and was a throwback to the iconic Porsche 911 Carrera 2.7 RS. Judging by the design cues, this might be the return of the limited version.