BMW Will Debut 8 Series Right Before The 24 Hours of Le Mans

The wait is finally over, we now have an official reveal date for the highly-anticipated BMW 8 Series – and it’s a pretty important one. BMW will unveil the 2019 8 Series coupe on June 15th, the day before 24 Hours of Le Mans begins.

It’s going to be 24 hours of pure excitement with a little icing on the cake. On the eve of the legendary Le Mans race in France, BMW will finally take the wraps of its 8 Series Coupe. This will open a new chapter in the German automaker’s renown and impressive sports car history.

As the clock counts down to the 24-hour, heart-pounding event, BMW will take advantage of the platform for the 8 Series’ world premiere. The brand will be taking its M8 GTE to the Le Mans starting grid the next morning for the first time in 7 years. If you recall, the last time BMW competed at Le Mans was back in 2011 with an M3 GT that finished third in its class.

If you look really closely at the photo below, you can see the 8 Series coupe peeking from behind the M8 GTE.

In a press release, Klaus Fröhlich, board member of the BMW AG, Development, discussed the upcoming unveiling:

"“There isn’t be a better setting for the world premiere of the new BMW 8 Series Coupe than the 24-hour race at Le Mans,” said Fröhlich. “The race is a pure demonstration of passion, dynamics and long-distance capability. These characteristics define our new sports car in a special way.”"

Development for BMW’s new flagship 8 Series Coupe is actually parallel with that of the M8 GTE race car.

That means that a lot of the race car’s beneficial qualities have been implemented into the new model. The 8 Series should be in showrooms during the first half of 2019, most likely as a 2020 model.

At the top of its model lineup, until an M8 arrives, will be an M850i xDrive that combines V8 performance engine with BMW’s valued all-wheel-drive traction. BMW reports that the new V8 engine provides the perfect balance between performance and emotion to further help set the 8 Series coupe apart from the rest. The 4.4-liter turbocharged V8 is said to deliver 523 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque to all four wheels through an automatic transmission.

Since it is an M Performance model, the M850i has a number of enhancements that include a rear differential lock, and sport-tuned steering and suspension with 20-inch light alloy wheels. This all plays a trivial role in the ideal handling of this vehicle, following in the footsteps of the M8 race car. Right behind the coupe, you can expect to see an 8-Series convertible and Gran Coupe sedan.

This is validated by by AutoCar’s report, which says:

“As part of BMW’s range shake-up, the 8 Series coupé will indirectly replace the 6 Series coupé, which will end production this year, while the 6 Series convertible will then be indirectly replaced by the 8 Series convertible next year.”

The day after the new 8 Series is debuted, the BMW 8 Series GTE will compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Stay tuned for the unveiling and the race, it all happens in just less than a month. Mark your calendars, everybody!

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Check out the video below to see the 8 Series Coupe in the final stages of its production development process. See the driving dynamics tests being carried out in Wales to exhibit the car’s handling potential.

Who’s excited for the 8 Series coupe reveal? It’s been a while coming and we here at Art of Gears are pretty stoked to see it without all the camouflage. Stay tuned for updates and keep your eyes glued for the uncovering.