The M-issed BMW M that never was w/video

[Dinesh]

It’s safe to say that any vehicle from BMW’s M stable is as desirable as a Playboy model frolicking in jelly with whipped cream being sprayed on but if there was ever a model that could have outshone its peers with an M badge, the M8 could have been it.

Unfortunately, the M8’s life came to a halt at the prototype stage and was sentenced to a life in the M garage of prototype cars that didn’t clear the gap in the leap from prototype to production.

Instead, BMW gave us the 850CSi that was powered by the V12 engine from the 850i with displacement bumped up to 5.6-liters and power standing at an acceptable 380hp.

Last week, BMW welcomed the media into its M garage of prototypes, allowing for a glimpse of the haloed M8. The high-performance version of the 8 Series also has a V12 lump under its hood, but not the same one found in the 850CSi. This was the bonkers bespoke V12 that eventually called the McLaren F1 home. This mill was built around two straight-sixes sourced from the BMW E36 M3 and was capable of pushing out around 580hp.

Aesthetics-wise, it had all the goods too with widened wheel arches, additional rear air vents, redesigned front and rear bumpers, special alloy wheels and aerodynamic-enhancing side-view mirrors.

Hit play for a walk-around video of the M8 in the M garage. Pity it wasn’t brought to life, or else it would have been something truly special and more than deserving of sporting the legendary M badging.

<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/znrARdv3F_0?rel=0" allowfullscreen="" width="560" frameborder="0" height="349"></iframe>

Source: YouTube via CarScoop

 

[MKMD428]

very rare..saw it on sale in mudah last year

 

[langsuyrx]

saw it yesterday at hulu klang, black colour... fierce ...

 

[zack2terer]

m8 very rare....with v12 engine summore...

 

[Tom]

guys, you wont be able to see the M8 that never was because it had always been prototype.
you'd see an 840i or an 850i even an 850csi which was owned by CK of the now defunct Dai-Ichi body kit entrepreneur for a while

 

[skazareth]

i also saw a lot of 8series and also that hulu klang one. but this M8 actually, i just knew it exist but not for public. thanks for the story. but am a bit not clear of this sentence :
This was the bonkers bespoke V12 that eventually called the McLaren F1 home
somebody help?

---------- Post added at 05:28 PM ---------- 6 hour anti-bump limit - Previous post was at 05:23 PM ----------

Tom, is that ur volvo? is it matte black? ive followed this one matte black volvo (i think it's the same model like that in ur signature pic) at federal highway. the engine sounds scary but i love it. and it was fast too. Or maybe u know the guy. Say hello then. Fan here. hehe..

 

[pretender]

i also saw a lot of 8series and also that hulu klang one. but this M8 actually, i just knew it exist but not for public. thanks for the story. but am a bit not clear of this sentence :
This was the bonkers bespoke V12 that eventually called the McLaren F1 home
somebody help?

---------- Post added at 05:28 PM ---------- 6 hour anti-bump limit - Previous post was at 05:23 PM ----------

Tom, is that ur volvo? is it matte black? ive followed this one matte black volvo (i think it's the same model like that in ur signature pic) at federal highway. the engine sounds scary but i love it. and it was fast too. Or maybe u know the guy. Say hello then. Fan here. hehe..

The V12 engine was used in the Mclaren F1 Supercar. McLaren MP4-12C's predecessor.

 

[Tom]

i also saw a lot of 8series and also that hulu klang one. but this M8 actually, i just knew it exist but not for public. thanks for the story. but am a bit not clear of this sentence :
This was the bonkers bespoke V12 that eventually called the McLaren F1 home
somebody help?

---------- Post added at 05:28 PM ---------- 6 hour anti-bump limit - Previous post was at 05:23 PM ----------

Tom, is that ur volvo? is it matte black? ive followed this one matte black volvo (i think it's the same model like that in ur signature pic) at federal highway. the engine sounds scary but i love it. and it was fast too. Or maybe u know the guy. Say hello then. Fan here. hehe..

hi skazareth

yeah there are in fact a couple in Hulu Klang, there was a black 840i with AC Schnitzer wheels owned by a car dealer. it's no longer there though. there's also a maroon 840i in Casa Tropicana. another maroon one in cheras and a white one in cheras makhota, so yup there's a handful of them here and there.

the M8's V12 was actually based on the 5.0 24V single cam 750i / 850i V12 that is bored to 6L and had twin cam heads making it a 48valve, 12 throttle, 550bhp machine. this was eventually used for a base engine for the McLaren F1 car. (BMW M8 Prototype - Wikicars)

the car in my sig is not a volvo, it's a 5 Series hahaha, and it's not matt black. just a paintjob that is unattended :)

 

[skazareth]

Tom, aiyah..sorry laa.. seriously at 1st glance it looks like volvo and bcs of that mysterious matte black volvo keep flashing in my head. sorry again..my bad..

then i remember u have that V12 5s with that red upholstery if not mistaken... ehem...is it from 760i? sorry 4 askin publicly. u may delete this if u want.

thanks Tom.

And Thanks Pretender. u rock.

---------- Post added at 12:40 AM ---------- 6 hour anti-bump limit - Previous post was at 12:30 AM ----------

Eh i am not stalking ur car eh, i just knew this from surfing this 1 blog (forgot lah whose blog but that guy drove "on loan" GT3-RS in orange n black). i think u know the guy bcs from his blog, he mention whats inside ur 5s pretty good and i can tell that he knows u well too. when he said V12, my otak started wondering 750 or 760...750 or 760... damn i really want to know laa.. so rare la that... hahahha...

once again... not stalking.
cheers.

 

[Tom]

skazereth: no worries, it's from the 750il, the car don't prowl the streets that often anyway :)

by the way, who's this guy with an "on-loan-GT3RS-in-orange-and-black?

 

[skazareth]

i forgot the blog's name already lah.. so long time ago. that guy also have another GT3-RS black n orange on loan. (so it was 2 GT3-RS, orange n black, black n orange, this guy must somebody or at least somebody u know, u go figure). i can try find it again...

so it is from 750il.. finally i can sleep smiling...phew...

---------- Post added at 01:27 AM ---------- 6 hour anti-bump limit - Previous post was at 01:18 AM ----------

okeh, i found it... it was like almost 2 years ago lah... see, he mentioned ZtH too.

The Clipping Point™ ©: The one with the ZeroToHundred.Com TT

 

[Tom]

ic, THAT guy, on loan? that's what he tells people most of the time, he's one of the humblest people i know. Mr Leonard. i had the opportunity to ride shotgun in the awesome GT3 RS with him and it was my virgin experience. awesome

 

[skazareth]

so u're saying this both r his?

both?

 

[Takumi Fujiwara]

hi skazareth

yeah there are in fact a couple in Hulu Klang, there was a black 840i with AC Schnitzer wheels owned by a car dealer. it's no longer there though. there's also a maroon 840i in Casa Tropicana. another maroon one in cheras and a white one in cheras makhota, so yup there's a handful of them here and there.

the M8's V12 was actually based on the 5.0 24V single cam 750i / 850i V12 that is bored to 6L and had twin cam heads making it a 48valve, 12 throttle, 550bhp machine. this was eventually used for a base engine for the McLaren F1 car. (BMW M8 Prototype - Wikicars)

the car in my sig is not a volvo, it's a 5 Series hahaha, and it's not matt black. just a paintjob that is unattended :)

But this is what I read:

"Originally envisioned as a Ferrari competitor, only a single prototype BMW M8 was ever produced, equipped with a special 550 bhp (410 kW; 558 PS) version of the S70 engine, essentially a bored out version of the M70 with experimental multi-valve cylinder heads. A common misconception is that this engine powered the McLaren F1. However, when this was suggested to McLaren's designer Gordon Murray, the idea was rejected because the engine was too heavy and long for the McLaren F1. A completely new BMW engine was designed which has a closer resemblance to the later Euro S50B30 BMW M3 engine."

BMW 8 Series (E31) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Tom]

Takumi, my apologies, the common misconception got me, the article you read is spot on