BMW’s showcase models, the M8 Coupe, Gran Coupe, and Convertible are coming back for the 2022 model year. They’ll be more capable than ever and less expensive than expected.
First, some background.
No 2021 Model
For the 2020 model year, BMW built three physics-defying new flagships that included every trick one of the world’s premier sports car builders had ever learned. The M8 Coupe, M8 Convertible, and M8 Gran Coupe 4-door were high-performance versions of the company’s top-of-the-line 8 Series 2-door. They were 600-horsepower marvels, sprinting from 0 to 60 mph in about 3 seconds despite carrying the weight of nearly every luxury feature available on a car today.
They weren’t quite a track day challenge for dedicated sports cars like the Porsche 911. But a Porsche 911 doesn’t coddle you like one of these. Only the Mercedes-Benz AMG S 63 Coupe offered a similar experience – and Mercedes canceled the coupe version of the S-Class soon afterward.
The company built as many of them as it expected to sell in a year and prepared to send them out to dealerships where lifelong BMW enthusiasts would be waiting for their chance to try the uber-Bimmer.
Then a worldwide pandemic hit, and everyone stopped buying everything.
BMW didn’t build 2021 editions of the M8 Coupe or Convertible, not because the cars left anything to be desired, but because the pandemic left the 2020 cars sitting still on dealership lots.
It took about two years to sell one year’s worth of the hyper-capable cars under bizarre conditions no automaker predicted. But it’s finally time for another round.
The 2022 Model May be Worth the Wait
For 2022, BMW has dropped the standard M8. It will build only the M8 Competition. That means every 2022 M8 coupe, gran coupe, and convertible will carry a more powerful 617-horsepower, 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8. An 8-speed M sport transmission does the shifting for you or lets you take over. A rear-biased all-wheel-drive system should give the powerful feel of a rear-drive car while intervening to keep grip wherever it’s needed.
All told, it’s enough power that BMW finds it necessary to include a free driving lesson at one of its BMW Performance Center track with every purchase.
It Will Also Be Cheaper
Surprisingly, the 2022 models will be less expensive than the 2020 editions they’re replacing. The Coupe and Gran Coupe each start at $130,000 (plus a $995 destination fee). That’s a price cut of $16,000 over the 2020 edition.
Chopping the roof off raises the price – convertibles start at $139,500. That’s $13,000 less than the 2020 version.
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