I must admit, this isn’t the first time I’m seeing the BMW M8 Gran Coupe in person. I first saw it at M Fest in Canada, where BMW held a closed-door viewing of it, where no cameras or phones were allowed. However, it’s as shockingly awesome now, making its North American debut at the 2019 LA Auto Show, as it was then.

The BMW M8 Gran Coupe is the brand’s best looking car and there’s no convincing me otherwise. For starters, it’s based on the already stunning 8 Series Gran Coupe. But it’s been given M treatments, with lots of extra aggression, and it looks positively fantastic. It’s something we should deeply appreciate, too, because BMW isn’t making at on of gorgeous cars at the moment. But credit where credit’s due, the M8 Gran Coupe is jaw-dropping.

Powering the BMW M8 Gran Coupe is the brand’s 4.4 liter twin-turbocharged V8, which is the same one that powers the M5. In standard guise, it makes 600 hp and 553 lb-ft of torque. However, in Competition guise, it makes 617 hp and the same torque. We’ve driven the M8 Coupe but not this new Gran Coupe and if the latter is anything like the former, it’s going to be a monster of a machine. In fact, I think it’s going to make even more sense than the Coupe, just as I feel that the M850i Gran Coupe makes more sense than the two-door M850i Coupe.

The BMW M8 Gran Coupe might be overlooked here at the LA Auto Show, thanks to the hubbub surrounding the M2 CS and all of the wild electric cars debuting here, but it shouldn’t. It’s a stunning and incredibly powerful car that we can’t wait to drive.

We’re live in LA so stay tuned for more car debuts and live photos, not just of BMWs, either.