The 2020 BMW M8 Competition Is An Exercise In Engineering Excess

Watching history repeat itself is almost as inescapable as death and taxes. Wait around long enough, and you’ll see a cyclical nature in everything. Politics, fashion, and art are notorious repeat offenders of this phenomenon, but the automotive industry is no stranger to it either. Horsepower wars, turbos, push-button gear selectors are all the rage now, but it’s not their first time in vogue.
 

BMW isn’t above dipping into its own archives for inspiration, either. Case in point: the 2020 M8 Competition. The original 8-Series was never blessed with an M model, and this is the very first M8 from the brand, but the newest G14 generation 8-Series mirrors its ‘90s predecessor more than you might know.
 

All of that girth comes at a price, however. The M8 Competition convertible tips the scales at over 4,400lbs. Which, for an interstate-devouring GT isn’t that unheard of, but for a car labeled “competition,” it seems a bit hypocritical.
 

While the 8-Series line shares the same engine, thankfully, the M8 Competition gets the highest tune of power output at 617 horsepower and 557 lb-ft of torque. That’s enough thrust to shift the two and a half-ton car from 0-60 mph in 3.0 seconds. For those keeping score, that’s more torque and hair-quicker 0-60 sprint than a Lamborghini Huracán Evo (and half the price).
 

How BMW’s engineers managed to build an AWD, suspension, and drive train system that could tame supercar levels of power without destroying itself from the inside in an attempt to move a car as heavy as the M8, is nothing short of astonishing. It is a true testament to the M Division.
 

The “sport” mode on a car used to be easy. If you wanted a little more throttle response and maybe additional sound from the exhaust, then you just pushed a button, and you suddenly had a livelier car. But this is not the case with the M8 Competition.

Each drive system – the M-Sport AWD system, suspension, brakes, throttle, and steering – are all controllable with selectable modes ranging from Comfort, Sport, and Sport+. You can also have the AWD in two-wheel drive, adding an extra dimension to the other facets.
 

Five minutes after getting into the M8 for the first time, I made dozens of decisions. None of which concerned the music or inputting your directions into the navigation, because I was still figuring out how aggressive I wanted the brakes or how soft I wanted the suspension. But then do I want heavier steering? What about the exhaust note?
 

It seemed all too convoluted for a car that’s meant to be enjoyed as a driver’s car. But then, the M8 isn’t a driver’s car. It’s an engineer’s car. Ironically, it’s a flashy option in BMW’s lineup, the boulevard cruiser, the one that’s only bought because it is the most powerful and most expensive.

There are people out there that can get the most of their smartwatch or use every complication and function on their timepiece daily. But for the most part, those apps and complications live in the background. They are unused and exist merely as conversation pieces and bragging points.
 

The M8 is like a dive watch that will only ever be submerged in swimming pool water. It’s a chronograph that’ll seldom see a racetrack or time a hot lap. For most of the hands it’ll end up in, the M8 is unnecessarily complicated, and only a fraction of what it’s capable of will be appreciated.
 

Stats:

– Engine: 4.4-liter V8 Twin Turbo
– Horsepower: 617
– Torque: 553 lbs./ft
– 0-62 mph in 3.0 seconds,
– Top speed of 190 mph.
– MSRP: $155,500
– Price as tested: $178,250
 

(Photography by Jean Pierre Kathoefer, Watchonista photography by Liam O'Donnell)