The Herald - The Herald Magazine
BMW 8 Series is Goodwood guest of honour
THE BMW 8 Series Coupe will be seen for first time in the UK at the 2018 Goodwood Festival of Speed. The new sports car will take to the hill climb 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 Concept M8 Gran Coupe, unveiled at this year’s Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, will also make its UK premiere, while 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.
Visitors to the festival, which takes place from July 12-15, will not only be able to see the new 8 Series Coupe in action in the First Glance category but also on display in the Stable Yard alongside the M8 Gran Coupé, which will be launched in 2019. Alongside both cars will be the new i8 Roadster and a 740Le in an Individual Moonstone finish. Accompanying these will be David Hockney’s 1995 Art Car, a 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 M8 GTE competing in the fiercely-fought GTE Pro Class. To celebrate BMW’s return to the world’s most prestigious event in endurance racing, the M8 GTE will be in action with 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 took part in the specially created Procar series in 1979 and 1980.
Fans of F1 are in for a treat too as a Williams F1 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.