We’ve seen the upcoming BMW M8 in person, in the flesh. No camo, no fake body panels, just pure M8. After having seen it up close, we can say that we’re very excited about it. It looks very good. While it’s not drastically different looking than the standard 8 Series on which it’s based, its lowered ride height, larger wheels, M mirrors and quad exhausts all add up to make a much angrier, sexier car. Judging from this new spy video, it should have a growl to match.

Seen in this spy video, the BMW M8 does some testing at the famed Nurburgring and we can hear a lot of its exhaust. It sounds very good, with a deep, burbly v8 noise. It’s not too dissimilar to the sound of an AMG V8 and, despite what many BMW fanboys might think, that’s a serious compliment. Though, there’s more rasp at the top end than most AMG V8s. So there’s still a hint of that Motorsport pedigree.

It also looks seriously fast. We don’t know exactly how much power it will make, as BMW has yet to officially announce anything, but it’s likely to make just over 600 hp. The BMW M8 will have the same engine as the F90 BMW M5, maybe with a few more ponies for seniority’s sake. So we could see the M8 push around the same 617 hp as the M5 Competition. Which would make sense. That engine will be paired with an eight-speed automatic and will send power to all four wheels. No official word on whether or not it will have the same ‘2WD’ mode as the BMW M5 but we imagine it will.

After some hot laps in the BMW M850i, I can only imagine how fast the M8 is going to be. Its weaker M Performance sibling is already seriously quick, so the proper M8 should be an absolute animal.