Introducing the internet, the purveyor of nearly anything that can be sold. Sometimes the internet, or rather an internet user, manages to get a hold of material a company doesn't want released to the public just yet, and proceeds to post it online for the world to see. Such is the case of a Bimmerpost forum member who has uploaded a patent image of the upcoming BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe, although it is a bit grainy. Fortunately, the reveal late last week of the new 8 Series Coupe makes it easy to imagine what the four-door coupe variant will look like.

We were also given a glimpse of it in concept form last March at Geneva with the reveal of the Mack Daddy of them all, the M8 Gran Coupe. We don't expect the production version to arrive until sometime late next year, but our spy photographers are likely to find test mules out and about any time now. Also included in this leak is a patent image of the also upcoming 8 Series convertible. When the 8 Series Gran Coupe does debut, presumably as a 2020 model, it'll likely be initially offered in two trims only, the M850i xDrive and the 840d, just like the coupe. The latter will not be sold in the US. The M8 will definitely happen but it may not be ready until the 2021 model year.

But the 850i xDrive will be a serious performance machine in its own right. Based on the specs of the coupe, it'll develop around 523 hp and 553 lb-ft of torque, and will make the sprint to 60 mph in around 3.6 seconds. As expected, pricing won't be cheap. In Europe, the M850i xDrive Coupe begins at 125,700 euros, so figure at least another 5,000 euros on top of that for the Gran Coupe. The M8 Gran Coupe, however, could have a sticker price of at least 150,000 euros.