8 Series [Renders] 2020 BMW 8 series

[hovabongZA]

According to James May on TGT his heard that the 8 series might be available with a 6.6L V12 that sounds quite promising.

 

[klier]

I really hope this is the case. You can’t have a 7er with V12 and then an 8er with a V8 as the top engine.

 

[aleks_16]

INSIGHT: BMW's new M8 GTE


M8 to have a transaxle Layout.



INSIGHT: BMW's new M8 GTE
Thursday, 04 January 2018
George Tamayo / Images by BMW; Trienitz/LAT
View attachment 431922






For the third time in six seasons BMW Motorsport Team RLL will show up at the opening race of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season with a new model car. This time, BMW Motorsport unveils the M8 GTE, based on the yet-to-be released road-going M8 that was revealed at summer's end in 2017.

In addition to an assault on the IMSA WeatherTech Championship, BMW will also return to Le Mans in 2018 for the first time since the mighty V12 LMR won the race overall in 1999. Thus, the M8 GTE will form the foundation of a two-pronged attack, with the FIA World Endurance Championship also on the menu. Perhaps for this reason, that the M8 GTE is a more racing-focused machine that its predecessors, the Z4 GTE and the M6 GTLM.

"The M6 GTLM didn't begin with the intention of running in the GTLM class," says BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt. "It was originally planned as only a GT3-spec car, but when some rules convergence initiatives didn't work out in 2014, we were already too far up the path to turn back. So, I'm very grateful to IMSA that they were willing to work with us to make the changes we had to do to the M6 to allow it to race."

The M8 GTE, on the other hand, has been fully conceived from a clean sheet, with the specific objective of endurance racing in the top GT class in both the U.S. and internationally.

"The M8 is a purpose-built GTE car," continues Marquardt (below). "Whereas the M6 GTLM was a 95 percent production-based drivetrain, the M8 GTE is more like 30 percent to 40 percent production-based, and the rest is bespoke motorsport."
Marquardt credits his team at BMW Motorsport in Munich who collectively work on all their programs from IMSA to DTM, and now WEC and Formula E, for taking the collective experience gained from all the series and focusing it forward on the 2018 programs. Because of the effort put it in, Marquardt insists that BMW will arrive at the Rolex 24 At Daytona with victory as it only target. This is despite being the only all-new car on the GTLM grid.

"We recently completed a 24-hour test at Circuit Paul Ricard and I'm very happy with the results," he says. "No test is ever perfect, but I'm pleased to say that all the problems encountered were successfully resolved in the first try. So, I really need to give my guys credit that they are applying all of their experience from not only what we learned with the M6 GTLM, but also from what we are doing in other race series."

The M8 GTE will be powered by a 4.0L turbo-charged V8 that produces over 500 horsepower.

"On the engine, there has been a lot of effort put into both efficiency and performance," says Marquardt. "Compared to the M6, we have all new electronics in the engine management and the gearbox is also all-new."

The chassis for the car is not only new, but constructed very differently to base chassis for the M6, and is therefore less compromised.

"In this respect, we didn't target any customer-racing programs with this car," he says. "It is really only a proper works car."

The approach that BMW has taken with the M8 GTE has in part come as a response to the elevated technology and purpose-built approach that a few of its GTE/LM competitors have taken to their cars. Indeed, some say that the Ford's GT and Porsche's 911 RSR have pushed the rules as far as possible, and are closer to a prototype in GT clothing. To this point, Marquardt believes that while the M8 GTE is a bespoke racecar, it is still very close in spirit to the eventual production version, and thus a purer GT car.

View attachment 431923

"The chassis for the M8 road version is built in the same line as the GTE cars, and the engine location and transaxle concept are exactly the same in both cars," says Marquardt.

"Surely, we will exceed the production volumes that are required for homologation, and to the best of my knowledge neither Ford [with the GT] or Porsche [with a mid-engine 911] have as of yet.

"Ford has done a great job of starting with a pure racecar and then finding a way to build the minimum number needed for a road car. We have chosen to do the opposite, because the concept for the M8 as a road car came first."

To underscore how the M8 GTE straddles the line between pure-bred racecar and production road car, Marquardt explains a key chassis difference.

"Production cars have a lot of safety and comfort requirements that make them quite heavy compared to a racecar," he says.

"As a result, to meet those requirements and still have the desired performance the road car chassis is made very stiff. They are actually too stiff for the weight of a racecar. So for the M8 GTE, we have replaced the steel front subframe of the road car with a carbon crash structure that meets our targets for weight and stiffness on the racecar."

The M8 GTE is smaller, lower and of shorter wheelbase than the outgoing M6 GTLM, but it is still a large car by racing standards. So Marquardt expects that the flowing, longer tracks as found across the WEC as well as Daytona, Sebring and the summer swing of traditional natural terrain road-courses that IMSA will compete on are most suited to the M8 GTE's characteristics. If the BoP is managed correctly, this GTLM season is serving up to be one of the most anticipated yet.

"Everyone is very excited about this new car, and Bobby [Rahal] and his team are eager to start racing," Marquardt says. "We know it's going to be a lot of hard work, but this car is a big step forward."

 

[hovabongZA]

I really hope this is the case. You can’t have a 7er with V12 and then an 8er with a V8 as the top engine.

No you can’t , at least theres some conversation about a V12 in 8er ....it should have a V12 like the older 8er it deserves it.

 

[Deleted member 1071]

A 9 series 4 door coupe concept (rather than an 8 series GC) at the 2019 Geneva show ?

 

[sako97]

A 9 series 4 door coupe concept (rather than an 8 series GC) at the 2019 Geneva show ?

Why not throw in a 10 series concept as well for good measure?

 

[CrunchSlaughtered]

"The chassis for the M8 road version is built in the same line as the GTE cars, and the engine location and transaxle concept are exactly the same in both cars," says Marquardt.

Unbelievable. If this is true, it will be the biggest surprise from BMW for the last decade at least. The road car will also have a transaxle. I suppose they will use the Getrag's transmission that is also used in the front-engined Ferraris and the Mercedes GT. But will only the M8 have this configuration or all 8er models? If not, than the CLAR platform is really extremely flexible.

 

[martinbo]

Very, very interesting rumour - though, pessimistically, one that is highly unlikely to come to fruition.

 

[M.N.D]

INSIGHT: BMW's new M8 GTE


M8 to have a transaxle Layout.



INSIGHT: BMW's new M8 GTE
Thursday, 04 January 2018
George Tamayo / Images by BMW; Trienitz/LAT
View attachment 431922

This is very good to hear. M Division has brought back the philosophy of a road car that is developed as a race car at the same time. Moreover, the new M8 will be a "based-on" car with some significant changes that differentiate it from the rest of the range of the standard 8er, and it'll have a significant advantage in handling and driving dynamics.

This is what I was hoping from BMW to do, which is turning M Division into a sub brand with cars that is based on the regular ones, but unique enough to be considered independent models. Maybe this is a sign of things to come.

 

[CrunchSlaughtered]

Very, very interestig rumour - though, pessimistically, one that is highly unlikely to come to fruition.

I also find it less possible, because this would restrict the use of the X-drive

 

[speed_kills]

A BMW trans-axle would be a first.

 

[CrunchSlaughtered]

A BMW trans-axle would be a first.

Rear yes, but at all no, because almost all front wheel drive cars with transverse engine use front transaxle as does the UKL platform

 

[klier]

Very, very interesting rumour - though, pessimistically, one that is highly unlikely to come to fruition.

James May is not exactly an insider to the BMW brand

 

[CrunchSlaughtered]

James May is not exactly an insider to the BMW brand

The info(that is in discussion) for the transaxle comes from BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt, and James May mentioned the possibility of a V12 M860i

 

[bimmer6]

Very, very interesting rumour - though, pessimistically, one that is highly unlikely to come to fruition.

Why do you think it's a rumour? It is coming from Marquardt and he is saying that both M8 and GTE will have the transaxle concept, so I take it as a fact and not a rumour. Have I missed something?

 

[martinbo]

Why do you think it's a rumour? It is coming from Marquardt and he is saying that both M8 and GTE will have the transaxle concept, so I take it as a fact and not a rumour. Have I missed something?

No - you haven't. I'm just sceptical and will only believe it when I see it with my own eyes.

The realities are stacked against such an outcome as far as I'm concerned; considerable investment has been made by BMW in the F90's powertrain. The significant multi-mode xDrive + ZF8HP development must have been done with other models in mind in order to justify the expense. For this to be consigned to just one non-SUV model seems economically inefficient to me as most carmakers attempt to achieve a level of powertrain commonality as a means to distributing costs across models. The outgoing S63 + M-DCT combo saw service in M5, M6, M6 Cab and M6 GC.

Looking at the spyshots of the forthcoming 8 Series one would have no reason to expect that regular models won't make use of the off-the-shelf powertrain solutions already in service in other BMW models. xDrive option models are a certainty and this prescribes specific (read: existing) drivetrain packaging. The net effect of a transaxle M8 would necessitate a completely different rear sub-axle from the 8 Series and would almost entirely preclude AWD unless, by some miracle, BMW does a Nissan GT-R.

BMW made a big hullabaloo about why the new M xDrive was needed in order to more efficiently deploy horses to bitumen. Again, I'd be helluva surprised if this same ethos was not applied to the more upscale GT which the M8 is expected to be. An M5 powertrain-equipped M8 would have broader market appeal - especially in colder regions - than what a much more focused, transaxle, RWD M8 would have. If I was a board member I'd see no economic sense in making such a bespoke, highly focused model with more limited marketability.

Of course, it is also entirely possible that I could be wrong in my appraisal of the situation.
Maybe BMW is investing even more in the 8 Series project for the long term than is currently apparent - across production and motorsport programs. Perhaps the new M8 is indeed destined to be the most focused large M car ever with a bespoke RWD transaxle drivetrain. Maybe BMW will surprise us and bring both a conventionally packaged M860i xDrive and a bespokely conceived M8 to market. I would be A-for-Away all for it! Sounds too good to be true though, doesn't it?

 

[speed_kills]

Nico DeMattia at BMWblog said the M8 will also have the 4.0 V8 as the M GTE. Maybe the M8 will be really unique.

 

[SKY]

Nico DeMattia at BMWblog said the M8 will also have the 4.0 V8 as the M GTE. Maybe the M8 will be really unique.

That would mean a new engine, which would be great news in my book.

An all new 4.0 V8 with 650 PS is what I believe the M8 should have.

Probably followed by a more radical version with 700 PS.

 

[klier]

The info(that is in discussion) for the transaxle comes from BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt, and James May mentioned the possibility of a V12 M860i

Yes, I was referring to the V12 part.

 

[klier]

Nico DeMattia at BMWblog said the M8 will also have the 4.0 V8 as the M GTE. Maybe the M8 will be really unique.

Well, I remember the rumors where it was said the next 6er (now 8er) would be more of a 911 rival. So maybe they hinted at the M6 (M8) being something more than usual?