That's great news for those waiting to get their hands on the new BMW flagship model as it's about a year ahead of the original schedule, and it's expected the gran coupe and convertible versions will be arriving earlier than expected too.
Although hard details about the car are still pretty thin on the ground, and up to now we've only had the concept and spy shots to give an inkling of what it will look like, a racing version of what will eventually become the M8 has been shown undergoing testing by BMW.
The M8 GTE will compete in the revamped World Endurance Championship, while the same car in GTLM trim will take part in the IMSA WeatherTech Championship (IWTC).
Images of the car in un-camouflaged form have been released by BMW, and it will only further heighten excitement and anticipation for the upcoming production version.
Although the series production car won't be as powerful at the GTE race car that will be competing at Les Mans next year, the M8 is widely expected to have the 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 that currently produces 60hp in the M5 under the hood. There is the possibility of a 6.6-litre V-12 going in it to pay homage to the original 8 Series of yesteryear, but the V-8's being uprated to something like 650hp sounds much more likely in the modern era.
The outrageous rear spoiler and body kit of the M8 GTE won't make their way into the production run, but the rest of the car gives an alluring impression of what to expect, style-wise, when the 8 Series finally lands in showrooms.
