BMW M8 Race Car Will Spearhead Brand's Return to Le Mans

Jason Siu
by Jason Siu

The German automaker has confirmed development of the M8 and M8 GTE race car.

After teasing a short video of the BMW M8 yesterday, the company has shared photos of the heavily camouflaged prototype. BMW didn’t beat around the bush and this won’t be a watered-down M Sport model, but rather “the engineers at BMW M are also working flat out on the M model.” Unfortunately no details or specifications have been announced, but those classic M features like larger air intakes, modified brakes, and a sport exhaust hint at what BMW says is “significantly boosted power.”

For some, the more exciting news is the fact that BMW Motorsport is developing an M8 GTE race car variant that will spearhead the brand’s return to Le Mans. BMW Motorsport plans on having the M8 GTE make its race debut at the Daytona 24 Hours in late January 2018.

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“The conception and development of the standard BMW 8 Series and the M model run in parallel,” explains Frank van Meel, President BMW M Division. “The future BMW M8 will build on the genes of the 8 Series and augment its DNA with added track ability and generous extra portions of dynamic sharpness, precision and agility. It all flows into a driving experience that bears the familiar BMW M hallmarks and satisfies our customers’ most exacting requirements.”

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Jason Siu
Jason Siu

Jason Siu began his career in automotive journalism in 2003 with Modified Magazine, a property previously held by VerticalScope. As the West Coast Editor, he played a pivotal role while also extending his expertise to Modified Luxury & Exotics and Modified Mustangs. Beyond his editorial work, Jason authored two notable Cartech books. His tenure at AutoGuide.com saw him immersed in the daily news cycle, yet his passion for hands-on evaluation led him to focus on testing and product reviews, offering well-rounded recommendations to AutoGuide readers. Currently, as the Content Director for VerticalScope, Jason spearheads the content strategy for an array of online publications, a role that has him at the helm of ensuring quality and consistency across the board.

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