Unrivaled and Unveiled: The M8 Prototype
It's the early 1990's, you're a German executive working for BMW in the incredible 4-Cylinder belfry in downtown Munich. Not far from you, a certain, important brilliant red image is sitting, waiting for a determination to exist made – a simple yeah or no every bit to if the car will brand the leap to a production series car.
On the i manus, you're a automobile enthusiast, someone who would love to green lite a 500+HP grand tourer with a 6 speed manual, rear-wheel-drive and acres of leather to cover up the inner workings and systems of the about technically avant-garde road car your company has e'er congenital.
And so at that place is the business organization side of yous – the side that is more calculated and looks at the business case of such a vehicle and evaluates the pro's and cons in a cold, harsh calorie-free with other variables surrounding this conclusion. The German economy has been rattled from a recent worldwide recession. The prototype in question, along with the base motorcar on which it was built, has already price millions upon millions of deutschmarks and the base model serial has received a merely lukewarm reception from your biggest market, the United States.
This despite the model existence both in-line with the luxurious and sporting brand image and delivering a suitable blow to fellow German rivals. However, a flagship, expensive sports car with flat sales and rising manufacturing labor costs during a recession?
No – it won't be congenital – this automobile will not make it across the prototype stage.
With that, the M8 Paradigm would be boxed up and tucked away for another 12 to 15 years – out of the public centre and a major piece of speculation for BMW enthusiasts around the globe for the next decade and a half.
With this decision the most powerful production BMW until the X5/6 M was relinquished to a life of ease in a complex housing other prototypes and projects that didn't quite make it to the assembly line.
However, mystery and rumors circulated around the M8 Prototype and whether or not it ever existed and, if it did, had BMW disassembled the big 8 similar it does then many test mules and prototypes? The simply proof available for almost 2 decades were rumors of output and a handful of grainy photos showing a heavily modified 850i with a revised air dam, power bulge hood, and some specialized ducts to channel air. Aside from that, publically there was no prove that the M8 had existed and as time marched on many enthusiasts establish themselves enthralled by the thought of such a car that never made it to market place despite a substantial spring forward in functioning over all of the existing BMW's of the time. For reference, the 850CSi which was a detuned M8 of sorts and carried both M-derived engine codes and VINs had to make due with only 380HP – a heed blowing 170HP less than the rumored 550HP churned out by the M8 Prototype.
Speculation of what the M8 was and what information technology could accept been capable of grew even more with the inception of the internet and car forums. Many thought it was a fully functional model, many thought it had been destroyed and many thought it was alive and kicking merely roughly a crush of an 8 Series with non-operation headlamps, ac and many onboard systems.
After nearly twenty years, BMWBlLOG's founder and head honcho Horatiu, managed to finally meet the cerise devil in the flesh during a press briefing a few months ago when BMW nonchalantly displayed the M8 in Munich for a handful of other, more pressing projects of the visitor. Upon further inspection Horatiu found the M8 to be a working prototype of a automobile that had managed to alive in the shadows of the four-Cylinder tower and in hearts of then many BMW enthusiasts for decades.
With such an incredible revelation – more information had to be sought out. From what was learned nearly the M8 Prototype( as the automobile is officially/unofficially titled equally it is not a "concept" but a working mock-up of a car nearly gear up for production) was that – had this car managed to reach green light condition, its sheer performance on every front would have been staggering confronting any existing peers information technology may have had.
Regarding the engine, a big V12 (probable larger than 5.0L of the 850/850CSi) is nestled under the bulging hood. The engine carries with it 12 individual throttle bodies connected to the driver's right human foot via directly cablevision making the M8 Image the only non-bulldoze-past-wire 8 Serial in beingness and proof of Thousand GmbH's dedication to providing a tactile driving experience. Interestingly, one of the biggest misconceptions of the M8 is that information technology shares an engine with the record shattering McLaren F1 as it was around the aforementioned time every bit the development of the M8 that McLaren commissioned BMW to build a very power V12 to power their supercar – later existence denied past Honda.
Per our sources, the McLaren V12 (a modified S70) and the M8's V12 were likely constructed by many of the same engineers hence a like blueprint and output merely differed in areas such as overall length due to the horizontal intakes for a front engine layout if the 8 compared to the vertical intakes of a mid-engined auto. The McLaren engine, from a design standpoint, shared quite a lot of characteristics and parts with the S50 engine of the E36 M3.
Moving to the glowing red-hot exterior, the M8 Prototype distances itself further still from young man eight's with styling that meshes the sleek coupe lines with purposeful yet necessary upgrades. At the wedge-shaped, near E26 M1 olfactory organ, a revised front end fascia immune for ameliorate channeling of air into the massive intakes to feed the engine.
Sitting merely forwards of the engine is another enlarged airbox again helping to feed the swollen V12 to send 500+ HP to the rear wheels via 6-speed manual gearbox. Other revisions at the nose are lightweight pop-upwards headlamps, modified to both reduce weight and adapt the lack of fog lamps – sacrificed for the great skilful of airflow along the lower front end valence.
Gliding downwardly the flanks of the prototype the coupe carries the aforementioned wide hips of the 850CSI with a widebody kit modified to accommodate better cooling of the brakes and it'due south believed to also used to aqueduct air equally a ways of cooling the rear differential. Wedged underneath the flared cycle arches are 17 inch M Systems wheels with a carbon cobweb overlay. While we don't have exact figures, the rear wheels are quite wide to keep the big coupe planted in the twisties – our sources indicate that the tires are Michelin PilotSports of the period.
Speaking of carbon fiber – that brings us to the body of the M8 Paradigm. Weight savings in sports cars is very commonplace these days simply in the early 1990'south, only cars similar the Ferrari F40 or F50 or even Porsche 959 extensively used weight savings materials throughout the trunk to maximize operation. Specific trunk panels such as the doors, arches, and ducts are constructed from carbon fiber reinforced-polymer(CFRP) which are lighter than the standard components on the E31.
Additionally, the Prototype carries lightweight Plexiglas window frames which, per BMW, comport heavily resemblance to the current E92 M3 GT's same window frames. BMW fifty-fifty made the hood, with a large intake front-and-center of the engine bay out of CFRP. They even went to the trouble of installing specialized headlamps, lighter than the stock E31 headlamps, with revised functions to allow the flash-to-pass headlamps act every bit the primary lighting. The issue of these revised headlamps is two fold: to lighten the lamps equally well as provide extra room for the massive air filter boxes sitting just below the hood. Again, the design of the automobile is focused on performance as priority number ane.
Moving to the interior of the Image there a several notable changes over the standard E31. The biggest difference is the addition of the B colonnade on the Prototype – something noticeably absent from the cleaner lines of the other 8 Series' cars. As would exist expected, the B colonnade (along with framed doors) was a necessary addition as a ways of injecting further rigidity into the big coupe to combat the natural trend of a coupe'south body to flex nether heavy load.
Other interior upgrades include heavily bolstered seating to keep occupants in identify also as reduce weight through racing seats. BMW went as far as to outfit the entire cabin in suede to keep interior grip levels high. Some of the instrument cluster was modified with two VDO-manufactured pressure gauges along with a manual climate adjustments panel added to the dash.
From our pictures and onsite reports, BMW also outfitted the interior with heavy-duty set of seat belts/harnesses to further ensure that the driver doesn't budge 1 centimeter from the wheel – keeping the sole focus on the driving experience.
With all of these considerations – it'south easy to say the M8 was possibly the groovy G car never sold.
The machine was trimmed down on par with the E46 CSL, the engine was tuned to a point that it would only observe rivals in its peers nearly two decades later with the X5/6M's and potentially the F10 M5. The M8 Epitome is a auto that represents BMW G at its absolute elevation during the early 1990's – One thousand GmbH, after only a small handful of successes like the E30 M3 and E28 M5. They knew they had another success on their hands only the M8 was to become a victim of timing – a car decades ahead of its time but undeniable in its nature and potential abilities.
It's a shame that BMW couldn't detect a means in which to bring the M8 to the masses. However, many know it would have probably gone. A global recession and the debut of the well-nigh expensive BMW ever constructed would have resulted in dismal sales figures – even for a small production run of uber-exclusive cars. Afterward the fall of residual values and used car values to lower levels, the M8, within a matter of a few short years the M8 would be banished to the life of a garage queen – wheeled out by the anal retentive enthusiast just for the occasional machine testify or parade lap at a track with the secondary market place returning astronomical car prices – not unlike the current country of the BMW M1.
Nevertheless, what's skillful to know is that, despite the ever-present influence of economical trends, BMW continues to work on cars such as the M8 that volition push the envelope in terms of technology and performance which will go on to set the bar higher and college for what M GmbH is capable of. Most important, enthusiasts are still in accuse at M GmbH and with that, only adept things car happen.
Every bit the M8 Prototype was sprung on us – the video below was shot on an iPhone iv, but hopefully gives you an idea of what the M8 is similar in person – in addition to Horatiu's photos.
(Details and technical information provided past BMW Grouping)
Source: https://www.bmwblog.com/2010/09/13/bmwblog-exclusive-unrivaled-and-unveiled-bmw-m8-prototype/
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