616bhp BMW M8 Gran Coupe Competition breaks cover

- The M8 Gran Coupe and M8 Gran Coupe Competition comes with four doors

- Powered by the same twin-turbo V8

It was evident from the start that BMW will introduce an M version of the already powerful 8 Series Gran Coupe. For the uninitiated, the Gran Coupe is the four-door version of the 8 Series Coupe, which is a replacement of the 6 Series Coupe and the 6 Series Gran Coupe which were both sold in India. When the Bavarian carmaker brought back the 8 Series moniker, we knew there would be a convertible and a four-door version and all three models will get a full-blown M treatment. Here we have it then, the last piece in the puzzle, the M8 Gran Coupe and M8 Gran Coupe Competition.

Powering the duo is the same 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 punching out 592bhp in standard M8 GC while the Competition version gets a bump in power and sends out a whopping 616bhp. Meanwhile, torque is rated as 750Nm in both the version and sent to all four wheels via an eight-speed M Steptronic transmission. Although the wheelbase is increased by 200mm to accommodate the extra pair of doors, the 0-100kmph time remains unchanged over the Coupe version – 3.3 seconds for standard and 3.2 seconds for the Competition. And the electronically limited top speed can be increased to 306kmph.

Just like the M8 Coupe, the Gran Coupe comes fitted with everything BMW has in its arsenal – variable all-wheel-drive, active electronic differential, adaptive steering, and other M-specific configuration to the powertrain and chassis. BMW has also provided three driving modes – Road, Sports, and Track – and various other control to the xDrive system to make the M8 GC tail-happy.

Apart from the extra set of doors and a swooping roofline, there aren’t drastic differences in how the M8 Grand Coupe and the M8 Coupe looks. So you get the larger air vents, lowered ride height, massive M-spec wheels, gills behind the front fenders, and diffusers at the back with quad exhaust setup. On the inside, there’s the usual recipe of M badging all around, sports seats, Alcantara and leather upholstery, HUD, sports steering with M buttons and a plethora of buttons on the centre console.