F92 BMW M8 Competition caught out in the open again

It looks like BMW is having a hard time trying to “hide” its new M8 Competition, as the model has been spotted without disguise yet again. This time, a unit was photographed in South Africa while the car was in a shipping port, BMW Blog reports.

These photos give us a rather clear look at the design of the M8 Competition, which will be the higher-end variant positioned above the regular M8. Visual differences from a regular M850i xDrive, as far as we can see, include an array of twin slats within the kidney grille, as well as a more aggressive front bumper.

The latter features more pronounced air intakes, with particular emphasis on the outer inlets thanks to carbon-fibre accents. This particular example also comes with the same wheel design as seen on cars in previous leaks.

At the back, a model-specific bumper is part of the full M get-up, which sports a diffuser and is joined by four exhaust pipes. By comparison, the M850i has a dual exhaust setup, and where there are decorative vents in the bumper edges, the M8 Competition has large rectangular reflectors instead.

Under the bonnet, the M8 Competition is expected to carry the same S63 4.4 litre twin-turbocharged V8 as the latest F90 M5 Competition, which outputs 625 PS (617 hp) and the 750 Nm torque in the M5 Competition.

That is substantial gain over the M850i’s powerplant that serves up 530 PS (523 hp) and 750 Nm, while leaving enough of a gap for a regular M8 – the non-Competition M5’s V8 churns out 600 PS (591 hp) and 750 Nm.

As for the rest of the powertrain, BMW has already confirmed the use of an eight-speed Steptronic automatic transmission and its rear-biased M xDrive all wheel-drive system. The setup is similar to what you get with the M5, allowing drivers to run the car in rear-wheel drive mode only if they wish. There’s also a simpler interface for controlling the car’s various system, which we’ve detailed in a separate post.