The return of the BMW 8 Series has been rumoured for some time now, and BMW has now shown off a concept car called the Concept 8 Series which reportedly previews a production version coming in 2018.
If production does indeed go ahead, then this will be the first time the 8 Series has been on sale in nearly twenty years.
The original 8 Series, a large and luxurious two-door coupe which was manufactured between 1989 and 1999, proved to be a cult hit and rumours of a successor have been swirling around for a while.
The emergence of the Concept 8 Series indicates that a successor is now in fact becoming a reality and it will once again be a two-door coupe with a large and sophisticated cabin.
The new 8 Series is expected to effectively replace the BMW 6 Series, and alongside the two-door coupe will also spawn a convertible and four-door Gran Coupe variants in the future.
Rivals for the new 8 Series will include the Mercedes S-Class coupe. Images of the Concept 8 Series show plenty of eye-catching design details, like the large and protruding front nose grille and the 21-inch alloys.
Inside, the Concept 8 Series has a dominant infotainment screen, slim sports seats and Marino leather trim finished in dark brown and white, plus touches of naked carbon fibre.
There are no details on engines yet but it's rumoured that the new 8 Series will use the same platform as the current BMW 7 Series. Engines are likely to include four-cylinder petrol and diesel units plus a 6.6-litre 12-cylinder engine for higher-spec model choices. A performance-enhanced, range-topping model called the M8 is also a possibility.
