The BMW M8 is a bittersweet story of ambition and unrealised potential.
The Nineteen Eighties had been an period of extra, the place extravagant existence led to equally outrageous vehicles. The race for the title of ‘world’s quickest automotive’ pushed the bounds of engineering because the supercar market boomed.
Porsche’s 959 and Ferrari’s F40 broke the 200mph barrier, whereas aftermarket beasts like RUF’s CTR Yellowbird and the Callaway Sledgehammer hit 217mph and 255mph, respectively.
This want for velocity ramped up within the Nineteen Nineties, with new challengers like Jaguar’s XJ220, Lamborghini’s Diablo, and Bugatti’s EB110 getting into the combo. BMW M, already famend for creating a few of the finest high-performance highway vehicles, needed in on the motion and set to work.
M GmbH’s objective? To rework BMW’s flagship E31 grand tourer right into a bonafide supercar, one that might not solely rival however beat its competitors and solidify BMW’s identify on the very high finish of the automotive business.
The E31 was a superb place to begin. With a drag coefficient of 0.29, it was extra aerodynamic than the Porsche 959, XJ220, and even the McLaren F1. BMW’s M division additional refined the design with a bespoke physique package and bumpers, vast field flares, and compact mirrors, to not point out the elimination of pop-up headlights – a change pushed by aerodynamics and engine bay packaging.
In 1992, BMW launched the 850CSi, the E31’s flagship mannequin, outfitted with a 5.6-litre, 380hp S70 V12. However that engine paled compared to the M8’s.
The S70/2 within the M8 was developed as the last word model of BMW’s V12. Although it shared the identical primary block design, the M8’s engine featured customized cylinder heads and internals that turned the sleek CSi engine right into a quad-cam, dry-sump, 640hp thoroughbred.
To place that into perspective, the Bugatti EB110 in SuperSport spec produced 603hp, and essentially the most highly effective Diablo GT delivered a mere 575hp.
It’s not simply energy and appears that set the M8 aside from the standard E31. To shed weight, the M engineers used glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) for the doorways, boot lid, and that vented headlight-free bonnet.
Contained in the M8, consolation made approach for efficiency: the plush entrance seats had been changed by Recaro Pole Positions with distinctive M-pattern upholstery, and the rear seat was eliminated altogether. Each driver and passenger had been secured by Sabelt harnesses.
The eagle-eyed amongst you may discover the M8’s strong B pillars. E31s had been all pillar-less coupés, however with 640hp being despatched by a 6-speed Getrag guide gearbox and Nineteen Nineties-era tyres, the choice to strengthen the chassis made excellent sense.
Regardless of the M8 prototype’s overwhelming potential, I’ll by no means forgive BMW for not placing it into manufacturing. And sure, I admit, my disappointment is deeply private.
That is a type of uncommon moments after I can’t totally separate my feelings from my commentary as a result of the E31 holds a particular place in my coronary heart. Why? My mom has owned her E31 840Ci Sport since I used to be 10.
Seeing that shark-nosed form for the primary time blew my thoughts. To my younger eyes, it was a supercar. As I grew older, I understood that the 8 Collection was a grand tourer, however I at all times noticed the potential for one thing far higher – a automotive that might have change into a real Bavarian icon.
The M8 is only one extra in an extended listing of ‘almosts’ which have shadowed BMW for many years – comprehensible, maybe, after the monetary failures of the 507 and M1. However this one feels totally different. The M8 might have been unbelievable, a real-world-beater.
The E31 M8 will ceaselessly stay a prototype, its full potential a thriller. Nonetheless, I firmly consider it could have proven the world that BMW was king.
Mario Christou
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Images by Alen Haseta
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