The BMW 8 Series is a range of

grand tourer A grand tourer (GT) is a type of car that is designed for high speed and long-distance driving, due to a combination of performance and luxury attributes. The most common format is a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive two-door coupé with either a ...

coupes and convertibles produced by BMW. The 8 Series was introduced in 1990 under the E31 model code and was only available as a two-door

coupé A coupe or coupé (, ) is a passenger car with a sloping or truncated rear roofline and two doors. The term ''coupé'' was first applied to horse-drawn carriages for two passengers without rear-facing seats. It comes from the French past parti ...

. It is powered by a range of naturally aspirated V8 and V12

petrol engine A petrol engine (gasoline engine in American English) is an internal combustion engine designed to run on petrol (gasoline). Petrol engines can often be adapted to also run on fuels such as liquefied petroleum gas and ethanol blends (such as ''E ...

s. The E31 started production just as E24 6 Series production ended, however it is not considered a direct successor. The E31 was discontinued in 1999 due to poor sales. The model range was later reintroduced in 2018 with the second generation, G15 8 Series. It launched in coupé (G15), convertible (G14), and four-door Gran Coupé (G16) body styles, as the successor to the F06/F12/F13 6 Series lineup. The G15 8 Series introduces an

inline-six The straight-six engine (also referred to as an inline-six engine; abbreviated I6 or L6) is a piston engine with six cylinders arranged in a straight line along the crankshaft. A straight-six engine has perfect primary and secondary engine bala ...

diesel engine, and a high-performance

BMW M8 The BMW M8 is the high performance version of the BMW 8 Series (G15) marketed under the BMW M sub-brand. Introduced in June 2019, the M8 was initially produced in the 2-door convertible (F91 model code) and 2-door coupe (F92 model code) body st ...

trim later joined the lineup as well as the luxury inspired Alpina B8. __TOC__

First generation (E31; 1990–1999)

Design work of the first generation E31 8 Series began in 1984, with final design phase and production development starting in 1986. The car debuted at the 1989 Frankfurt Motor Show, and was produced until 1999. The 8 Series was designed to move beyond the market of the original E24 6 Series, featuring greater performance and an increased price. The 8 Series was the first road car to offer a V12 engine mated to a 6-speed manual transmission and was one of the first vehicles to be fitted with electronic

drive-by-wire Drive by wire, DbW, by-wire, steer-by-wire, fly-by-wire or x-by-wire technology in the automotive or aviation industry is the use of electrical or electro-mechanical systems for performing vehicle functions traditionally achieved by mechanical link ...

throttle. The 8 Series was also one of BMW's first cars to use a multi-link rear axle.

Second generation (G14/G15/G16; 2018–present)

The BMW 8 Series (G14) was announced on June 15, 2018, with sales commencing from November 2018. It was initially available as a coupé (codenamed G15), with the convertible (G14) and four-door Gran Coupé (G16) variants introduced later, succeeding the F06/F12/F13 6 Series lineup. Production commenced in late 2018 at the BMW assembly plant in Dingolfing, Germany. Direct competitors to the BMW 8 Series coupé and convertible are the Mercedes-AMG GT coupé & cabriolet and Porsche 911 coupé & cabriolet. The BMW 8 Series Gran Coupé which has improved rear passenger space dimensions compared to the BMW 6 Series Gran Coupé (F06), is seen as a flashier sportier alternative to its platform-mate, the more traditional

BMW 7 Series The BMW 7 Series is a full-size luxury sedan manufactured and marketed by the German automaker BMW since 1977. It is the successor to the BMW E3 "New Six" sedan and is now in its seventh generation. The 7 Series is BMW's flagship car and is onl ...

sedan, and it competes with the

Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupé The Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupé is an executive car (E-segment) introduced in 2018 by Mercedes-AMG marketed as a five-door variant of the AMG GT two-door sports car. Despite the name and style, the car is not based on the sports car, but rath ...

and Porsche Panamera. In 2022, BMW updated the 8 Series with an updated look and tech. The Iconic Illuminated Glow kidney grille has been added, as is a larger 12.3-inch infotainment system that replaces the 10.25-inch unit.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:BMW 8 Series 8 Series Rear-wheel-drive vehicles Coupés Grand tourers