BMW has unveiled a drop-top version of its 8 Series flagship sports car.
The main difference between it and the Coupe is the roof. It’s now a folding fabric soft-top – BMW claims it is lighter and smaller than a metal top, and provides ‘superb’ noise insulation. It’s fully-electric, and can raise or lower in 15 seconds at speeds up to 50km/h. Two colour chocies are available: Black or Anthracite Silver.
Luggage space is rated at 350L with the roof up – there’s a little less with the roof stowed away within the body.
The rest of the interior is identical to the 8 Series Coupe, with BMW’s OS7.0 infotainment system, 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and an array of leather, Alcantara, wood, aluminium and carbon interior finishes.
Under the bonnet, the 8 Series Convertible gets the same set of engines as the Coupe: the 390kW/750Nm 4.4-litre twin-turbo petrol V8 ‘M850i’, and the 235kW/680Nm 3.0-litre turbo inline-six diesel ‘840d’. 0 to 100km/h is covered in a claimed 3.9 seconds for the M850i or 5.2 seconds for the 840d – 0.2 and 0.3 seconds slower than their coupe counterparts – thanks to standard all-wheel-drive and eight-speed automatic gearboxes. An 840i model with a 275kW/500Nm turbocharged inline-six petrol engine is expected to join the range later on.
Other comfort/luxury features available either as an option include adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, BMW Laserlights with auto-high beam and a night-vision camera.
The BMW 8 Series Convertible goes on sale in Europe in March 2019. An Australian launch is scheduled for the first quarter of next year, around the same time as the Coupe lands.
