July 2, 2018.
The BMW 8 Series Coupé will be seen for first time in the UK at the 2018 Goodwood Festival of Speed. The sensational new sports car will take to the hill along with its racing car sibling - the BMW M8 GTE, fresh from its debut at the 2018 Le Mans 24 Hours – and the new BMW i8 Roadster. The stunning BMW Concept M8 Gran Coupé, unveiled at this year’s Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, will also make its UK premiere, whilst a trio of cars from BMW’s past will steer their way up Goodwood’s famous 1.16-mile course to celebrate its return to Le Mans and success in motorsport.
With outstanding performance, emotion-stirring design, state-of-the-art luxury and advanced equipment technology, the new BMW 8 Series Coupé is one of the most exciting new models to emerge in recent years and will launch in November 2018. Visitors to the festival will not only be able to see the car in action in the ‘First Glance’ category but also on display in the Stable Yard - a unique area at Goodwood (once again dedicated to BMW) which this year will focus on luxury, presented in cooperation with the Cass Sculpture Foundation.
The area will showcase the BMW Concept M8 Gran Coupé, a car that embodies a new expression of luxury for the BMW brand – ultra-sporty, extrovert and polarising – and serves as a taster for the BMW 8 Series Gran Coupé and BMW M8 Gran Coupé that will launch in 2019. Alongside both cars will be the beautiful new BMW i8 Roadster and a BMW 740Le, in an Individual Moonstone finish. Accompanying these will be David Hockney’s 1995 Art Car, a BMW 850CSi painted to show the inside of the car on the outside - everything from internal engine parts to a dog in the back is revealed.
BMW Motorsport took to the Le Mans starting grid this year for the first time since 2011, with the BMW M8 GTE competing in the fiercely-fought GTE Pro Class. To celebrate BMW’s return to the world’s most exciting and prestigious event in endurance sports car racing, the BMW M8 GTE will be in action at Goodwood with British born factory BMW GTE driver, Alexander Sims, at the wheel.
Joining the BMW M8 GTE will be three cars from BMW Group Classic to mark BMW’s past success at Le Mans and in touring car racing. This includes the BMW V12 LMR, with a 580hp 12-cylinder engine, that celebrated overall victory at the 1999 Le Mans race; the BMW 3.0 CSL Replica that went on to become series winner in touring car racing during the 1970s and the “Wirtshaus” BMW M1 Procar – a 470 hp racer that that took part in the specially created Procar series in 1979 and 1980.
Fans of F1 are in for a real treat too as a WilliamsF1 BMW FW26 from 2004 will also roar up the hill. In collaboration with BMW Group Classic and engineers from BMW, Williams Heritage has fully restored a FW26 race car in time for Goodwood. With its new aerodynamic concept and striking nose cone, the car featured one of the most powerful and highest-revving engines ever in F1 – the BMW P84. Capable of achieving over 20.000 rpm, the BMW 3.0 V10 engine represented the pinnacle of natural aspiration in F1.
Seen for the first time ever at Goodwood, and representing a unique expression of the BMW M philosophy, will be the M2 M Performance Parts Concept. The car will take to the hill and features exclusive M Performance Parts to help reduce weight, improve driving dynamics and enhance visual appeal.
It’s not just the famous cars from BMW’s past and present that can be seen and heard in anger. Pier Luigi Martini will be reunited with the BMW V12 LMR that he helped steer to victory at Le Mans in 1999, while former European Touring Car Championship, Dieter Quester, will drive the BMW 3.0 CSL and Karun Chandhok will pilot the WilliamsF1 BMW FW26. Driving the BMW 8 Series Coupé and BMW i8 Roadster will be double British Touring Car champion driver Colin Turkington, along with Team BMW teammate Rob Collard and BTCC driver Paul O’Neil.
Visitors to the BMW Pavilion, the home of the marque during the festival, will also be able to see an unparalleled array of BMW product and experiences epitomising an ‘Every Second Counts’ theme. The star of the stand will be the BMW Concept Z4 - a car that encapsulates BMW Group’s vision of a modern roadster and looks ahead to the series-production version of the car set to be unveiled later this year. Exciting new BMW M GmbH cars will be on show too, including the BMW M2 Competition, the BMW M3 CS and an M5 in a striking Java Green finish.
Visitors will also be able win prizes and BMW experiences and, once again this year, BMW owners will be able to access the exclusive Owners’ Lounge on the top floor terrace of the Pavilion to enjoy refreshments and view of the festival’s famous Hillclimb. Drivers and guest stars, will make appearances on the BMW Pavilion throughout the festival, with live interviews broadcast to assembled visitors. On Friday, legendary Formula 1 commentator Murray Walker will be on stand.