BMW 8 Series Golden Thunder Edition Revealed

A special “8 Series”

BMW has long sought to occupy a special place in the premium segment. The manufacturer of luxury cars from Bavaria aims at enriched models that can be raised to the level of collectors series. How is this done? The program is called “Individual” which means personalized models in the finest details with quality-crafted at the artisanal level.

This minisegment is christened the Golden Thunder Edition and is represented in this presentation by a special 8 Series that will include all variants: Coupé, Gran Coupé, and Cabriolet. The BMW Individual program will create a special machine whatever the version (840i, 840d Drive, or M850i ​​xDrive).

The 8 Series Golden Thunder Edition begins the lure with the included M package and stands out immediately in terms of aesthetic personalizations. The design department has created a special paint variant called Sapphire Black or Frozen Black, beautifully contrasted with “gold” details in the bumper area, mirror, discs, and a board in the bottom area along with the entire profile. The discs have an abundant size of 20′ under which the large discs of the self-ventilated brakes are “hidden”.

The “total black” look is also present inside, where the quality details include the Merino Individual leather clothing, distinctive from the text “Golden Thunder Edition” embroidered on the headrests of the front seats.

The audio system for these rare versions will be supplied by the famous English manufacturer Bowers&Wilkins and each model will be identified by an “emblem” embedded in the cabin.

The engines will all be turbo. The 840i xDrive version is based on the 6-cylinder unit, 3,000 cubic meters with 340 horsepower, the M850i ​​xDrive version has the 8-cylinder unit 4,400 cubic meters with 530 horsepower while the Diesel 840d xDrive version uses the 6-cylinder in-line engine, 3,000 cubic horsepower that develops 320 power.

To be fair, in this exclusive version we would have ruled out the diesel engine as not worthy of the level, but perhaps in Bavaria, the market laws and requirements have been “respected”. The gearbox will be automatic for all versions, the shock absorbers will be electronically controlled to suit road conditions while the rear wheels are active and react to the steering wheel command.

Performance in this segment is a condition and not an option, but the 8 Series Golden Thunder guarantees a sprint of 0-100km/h of 4.9 seconds for the 840i version and 3.9 seconds for the 850i version.

“Music” differs significantly for the M8 Coupé and Cabrio versions which have M5 sports sedan engine units. The 4,400 cubic V8 engine develops 600 horsepower for the M8 and with the help of two turbines, this unit reaches the 625 horsepower quota for the M8 Competition version.

Speeds from 0-100 km/h at this time mark a runway time: only 3.3 seconds (3.2 for M8 Competition), Top speed is electronically limited to 250 km/h, but the “release” may be required. An optional payment to reach the quota of 305 km/h, but you certainly can’t use this speedometer outside of Germany.