There’s been lots of talk around the new BMW i8 electric hybrid sports car. But despite its’ technical achievements and its’ futuristic styling and a motor charging out 362 electric ponies, this BMW may not be exactly what BMW fans really want to see next.

Enter the return of the M8 rumors. Since the release of the M1 in the late 1970s, BMW has been talking about a successor called the M8. They released a concept of what it could potentially look like in the early 1990s but nothing ever surfaced after that. Well, BMW is back to leaking news and have tipped off the social communities with news of the M8 concept coming back. They say it could be a concept from the i8 paired with the twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 from the current M5/M6 models and tuned up to around 600-650 hp. With the carbon fiber chassis from the i8, BMW’s engineers are hoping to hit a target weight of 3,300 pounds.

BMW M1 from the late 1970s

If BMW develops the M8 concept reports say they’ll give it a nine-speed automatic transmission as the only option. With that, a lightweight chassis and the V8 engine it will set a 0-60 mph time in the three-second range and a top speed o 200 mph.

There’s been reports on and off about the M8 coming into production for some time now. If the 2016-launch rumor is true for the successor we could see a concept arrive very soon. However, with the i8’s base price of $135,925… the M8 is expected to have an asking price of $324,000 roughly. That’s into Ferrari 458 Italia range! If it gets built though, it could just be worth it.

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