BMW’s history with V8s is a strangely selective one. Some of the brand’s most iconic cars were built around eight cylinders—the E39 M5, the E92 M3, the E38 7 Series, and the timeless beauty that is the 507 all leaned on V8 power to make their point. But the V8 was never BMW’s default performance answer, and it’s not what Bavaria is most known for. BMW earned its reputation on brilliant four-cylinders and straight-sixes—engines with a crisp, mechanical clarity that became part of the brand’s DNA. Still, looking back, it’s hard not to feel like Munich left a few great V8 opportunities on the table, especially in the modern era.
And sure, stuffing V8s into everything was AMG’s whole thing in the 2000s and 2010s, while BMW played the scalpel to AMG’s hammer. But a handful of modern Bimmers were itching for eight cylinders, and with V8s clearly on borrowed time, it’s hard not to wish BMW had built a few more. So which BMWs would’ve been even better with a V8?
BMW 1M
This is an easy one. The BMW 1M will always be an enthusiast-darling, due to its raucous turbocharged straight-six engine, razor-sharp handling, and pugnacious looks. It was also a bit of an underdog, having been made from the M Division’s parts bin, with a non-M Division engine. Despite all of that, it’s beloved as is.
That doesn’t mean it can’t be better, though. Several tuners have already realized the 1M’s potential and stuffed the E92 M3’s S65 4.0-liter naturally aspirated V8 under its hood. It’s a tight fit, but it works, and it adds so much more character to the littlest M car. Even if you forget the power increase—which is substantial, as the S65 made 414 horsepower, compared to the 1M’s paltry 335 horsepower—the S65’s 8,250-rpm redline and spine-tingling noise are vastly superior to the 1M’s standard blown-six.
Add that high-revving V8 and killer soundtrack to what is already one of the most fun-to-drive BMWs of the modern era, and you have the perfect M car. Plus, you’d finally be giving it a proper M engine, rather than just an off-the-shelf N54.
While several tuners have already built such cars, don’t expect to see many more. BMW only built 6,309 1Ms for customers worldwide, and only for the 2011 model year, which makes it rare and valuable. Modifying it can reduce that value, especially with something as drastic as an engine swap. So you won’t see too many owners lining up to drop a different engine under its hood anytime soon. Still, for those that do, it’s a combination from the car gods.
G80 BMW M3
Let’s start by saying that there’s nothing wrong with the G80 M3 as it stands. Its S55 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged inline-six is a masterpiece of power and delivery. In the M3 CS, BMW claims 523 horsepower, but it feels even more monstrous than that. It wouldn’t surprise me if its true power figure started with a “6.” However, it does have one flaw: noise. The S55 just doesn’t sound good, even with fancier M Performance exhaust systems. It sounds flat and generic, as if it were tuned in Forza. So while its on-road results are thrilling, its noise never really is.
A V8 would fix that. I’m imagining what BMW’s new S63 engine would be like, and it’s legendary, at least in my head. The S63 powers every big Bimmer from the M5 to the X7, and it’s a monster of a powerplant. It makes 617 horsepower in most applications and is capable of much more. But it isn’t necessarily the extra power that I think would make it work so well in the M3, as that car is already fast enough. Instead, it’s the character it would add.
The G80 M3 isn’t like M3s of old. It isn’t a scalpel-sharp sports car that just so happens to have back seats. It’s far more brutal than that, with seemingly endless grip and power. Driving the G80 M3 fast doesn’t feel like you’re dancing across the pavement, like it did in the greatest of M3s, but like you’re pummeling the pavement into submission. So I feel like a burly twin-turbo V8 would fit its character so much better, especially with all-wheel drive.
Ironically, what such a combination makes me think of isn’t a BMW M product, but a Mercedes AMG. More specifically, the epic W204 Mercedes C63 AMG. OK, that had AMG’s naturally aspirated 6.2-liter V8, the absolute best engine I’ve ever used, so the M3 wouldn’t be that special. However, a combination of the G80 M3’s agile handling, sharp steering, and tenacious grip with the S63’s power and noise would be the stuff of legends. We’d be talking about it for decades to come. Now imagine it as a wagon…
BMW i8
I’ve driven many BMW i8s over the years and, during every single drive, I always felt it needed to ditch its hybrid system for a proper internal combustion engine. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good hybrid system, I love EVs, and the i8’s powertrain was quite brilliant in its day. However, as brilliant as its three-cylinder, all-wheel drive hybrid setup was, it was the weakest part of the car.
The i8 had a sensational mid-engine chassis, something that BMW fans begged their favorite brand to build for decades following the iconic M1. They’ve been begging BMW ever since, too. So it’s a shame that the Bavarians wasted it on a hybrid that only made 369 horsepower. OK, so it still managed a sub-four-second 0-60 mph time, thanks to its fairly light 3,501-pound curb weight. But it had so much more potential than that.
Instead of a puny Mini-sourced turbocharged three-cylinder behind the driver, the BMW i8 should have had the S65 V8. Yes, the S65 was a bit old at that point, and probably wouldn’t have met emissions. But if BMW could have figured it out, it would have made for an absolutely sensational supercar, one that would be inked in history books. The i8’s chassis was a thing of carbon-fiber beauty, and its looks were from another planet. Can you imagine a 414-horsepower, 8,250-rpm screamer powering it? And since the S65 isn’t that much longer than the three-cylinder it’d replace, it would even fit pretty decently. BMW even confessed that it was originally designed to fit the S85 V10. However, I think the lighter, smaller V8 would have fit the i8’s personality a bit better.
More importantly, it’d solve the exhaust issue. With the i8, BMW faced the difficult challenge of making a three-cylinder sound worthy of a six-figure mid-engine supercar. And, frankly, it failed. Which is why it had to resort to cabin speaker trickery to make the driver think there was something spicier behind their head. What I didn’t know until a recent Hagerty video with Jason Cammisa is that BMW also made a fake exhaust pipe that was essentially a speaker, to trick even outside bystanders into thinking it was more exciting than it was. That’s unforgivable and completely tarnishes the i8, at least in my heart. So rip out the Mini engine and the bulbous exhaust speaker, and stuff in a screaming V8 that can make a proper noise. It’d be the modern supercar that fans always wanted, but BMW never built. Hopefully, a creative and adventurous tuner reads this and gets to work.
