BMW

has launched a sporty new Autobahn-storming flagship. It marks a return for the first time in a generation of the range-topping 8-series — the sexier two-door sibling of the more businesslike 7-series saloon.

BMW design chief Adrian van Hooydonk described the new 8- series as ‘a full-blooded driving machine’.

The beautifully-proportioned coupe (above) is expected to hit showrooms next year priced around £100,000. A highperformance M8 version will cost double that, at around £200,000.