This strange-looking BMW M8 has caused a stir among the petrolhead community. What is BMW up to?

Picture credit:S. Baldauf/SB-Medien. We have paid for these photos and at the photographer's request, have watermarked them.

These photographs were sent to us by our spy photographers in Europe with the subject line "BMW Mysterious 8 Series Coupe Mule". When your sources don't know what it is, then you know something is up. These spy photographers essentially live at the Nurburgring and readily identify the mules doing laps. This white car, however, has everyone stumped.

From what has been suggested so far, the engine is rumoured to have been shifted from the front to a mid-engined setup. If you look closely, where the rear passenger side window would be, there are intakes. Some have speculated this is a BMW M8 CSL – essentially a stripped-out road-legal racer that will take the M8 to an even higher level of performance. The current BMW M8 Competition pumps out 460 kW and 750 Nm from a twin-turbocharged 4.4-litre V8, and its said to sprint to 100 kph in just 3.2 seconds.

If this is the BMW M8 CSL, then we expect a small power bump, but under the skin, there'll be extensive weight-saving and revisions to the suspension and aerodynamics. Hence the neat wing perched on the rear. The photographers also noted the performance brakes were finished in red, when BMW M brakes are usually blue.

Other rumours doing the rounds say this is a new BMW race car that is earmarked to compete in the Le Mans Endurance Racing series or even a GT3 racer. What is going on? What is BMW up to with this crazy-looking 8-Series?

Further Reading

BMW M8 Competition Convertible (2021) Review

Drag Race: BMW M8 Competition vs Range Rover Sport SVR

Hotter BMW M8 CSL Coming?