BMW’s new flagship convertible has been spotted once again near the carmaker’s headquarters in Munich. The 8 Series Cabriolet replaces the 6 Series Cabrio and it looks the part with its new design language and flagship-worthy proportions.
The test mule drops a lot of camo compared to its last sighting and now uses a single layer of dark spider-web concealing. The convertible with a black soft-top roof looks sensuous but less appealing than its coupe counterpart partly due to the absence of a curvy silhouette. However, this could change when the actual convertible arrives. The prototype spotted here is wearing a lot of production body parts such as the new signature headlights and tail lights.
The headlight design is similar to the lightning signature seen on the Z4 Concept from last year’s Pebble Beach. This new signature might make its way to all the future Bimmers in the coming years. On the rear, however, it is difficult to see the new tail light design under all the cladding. But we are sure BMW will have an LED set-up here as well. Apart from that, the massive air-vent on the bumpers both fore and aft will be similar to the 8 Series Coupe. The test mule was riding on very simple multi-spoke wheels but if the alloy design of the 8 Series Concept is anything to go by, the production car will get some gorgeous set of wheels as well.
At the moment, there are rumours of a completely redesigned cabin for the 8 Series range which departs from the traditional boring looking BMW interior. A digital instrument cluster with a large infotainment screen will dominate the centre console with all the connectivity features. We can also expect some goodies from the 7 Series flagship sedan to make its way inside the 8 such as autonomous parking and wireless charging to name a few.
Under the long hood will be a range of engine options but we expect the most prominent one to be a 6.6-litre twin-turbo V12 in the 860i guise. The smaller yet potent 3.0-litre straight-six or the 4.4-litre V8 might also be available but a diesel iteration is uncertain at the moment.
When launched, the 8 Series will lock horns with the opulent grand tourers such as the Mercedes-Benz S-Class Convertible, Aston Martin DB11 Volante and the Bentley Continental GTC. We expect the new 8 Series Coupe to break cover this year, probably in time for the Geneva Motor Show promptly followed by its drop-top counterpart.
