BMW M8 Competition gets unveiled in Japan

The 2020 BMW M8 Competition, in the coupe form, just made its debut in Japan as well. The super sporty coupe was unveiled weeks ago and it’s now slowly to arrive in countries around the world. The images below show the Frozen Marina Bay Blue Metallic and, of course, with the right-hand steering wheel.

Obviously, the new BMW M8 is based on the standard 8 Series but has had everything turned up to eleven.

Under the long, sculpted hood of the M8 lies essentially the same engine as in the F90 BMW M5. So it’s a 4.4 liter twin-turbocharged V8 that, in standard guise, makes 600 hp and 553 lb-ft of torque. Those are the same figures as the standard M5 and that’s honestly to be expected.

According to BMW, the M8 Coupe can get from 0-62 mph (100 km/h) in 3.3 seconds. Like the M5, though we suspect the M8 will be a few ticks quicker than that, potentially breaking into the 2-second range.

The M8 Competition uses the same engine but make 625 hp and the same 553 lb-ft of torque. That little bit of extra power is said to drop its 0-62 mph time by one tenth, doing it in 3.2 seconds. Again, like the M5 Competition, we suspect it will drop into the 2 seconds range.

According to BMW, the M8 road car has had its chassis and suspension tuning developed with lessons learned from the M8 GTE race car. It’s also been given a stiffer anti-roll bar at the rear and both a steel X-brace and an aluminum transverse strut, for increases rigidity.

The M-style side mirrors, decklid spoiler, added aero bits at the front and quad exhausts all combine to make the BMW M8 even better looking than the already quite beautiful M850i. It looks especially good in M8 Competition guise, with its carbon fiber mirrors and spoiler, as well as gloss-black trim and badges. It also gets a sort of double-bubble carbon fiber roof, a design that’s mirror in its rear spoiler.

Inside, the BMW M8 gets a few unique updates that separate it from its regular siblings. For starters, it gets new seats, with thicker side bolsters and a new diamond-esque inlay pattern. That same new pattern is present on the door panels as well and looks really quite good with a two-tone color scheme.

A new shift lever replaces the M5’s robot-leg knob and it looks much better. It’s now covered in black leather with red contrast stitching, giving it a more sportier look while also looking more premium than the plastic square in the M5.

First drives of the M8 are scheduled for this fall, so just a bit longer until we find out how great this M8 really is.