The new BMW 8 Series's test schedule includes the Nürburgring... and Wales

Roads like that – for long the tarmac of choice for the UK’s road testers – are playing an important role in honing the luxury coupe’s real-world dynamics. “Current test drives in Wales are fully dedicated to the final coordination of all drive and suspension systems,” says BMW.

The car being used for the Welsh trials, seen here still wearing its camo, is the BMW M850i xDrive. It may not be quite the raciest or most expensive new Eight – a full-on M8 is likely at some point along with a V12 –  but it is likely to be the Eight that best sums up BMW’s avowed intent to combine “racing performance and long-distance ride comfort”.

As well as the new pictures, we have new details for the car, which has yet to be formally unveiled but which is due on sale later this year, 19 years after the last Eight went out of production.

The M850i xDrive gets a redeveloped version of BMW’s V8 boasting 530PS (523bhp) fed via an eight-speed Steptronic transmission to all four wheels, but with a bias to the rears for sportier handling. This is enhanced by wider tyres at the back than the front,  an active rear axle differential lock and an electronic safety net that’s said not to intrude prematurely, even when driving hard on a circuit. So, a sporty drive is definitely in prospect.

Adaptive M suspension Professional with active roll stabilisation and Integral Active Steering are features. Power delivery, engine sound, damper settings and torque distribution front-to-rear are all varied according to whether Sport or Sport+ mode is engaged.

With what BMW say is a low centre of gravity and high body stiffness, the result is “highly dynamic handling” while the electronically-controlled dampers are able to take the sting out of broken road surfaces for refined cruising, helped along by the V8’s 750Nm (553 lb ft) of torque from 1,800rpm.

We should see the 8-Series next, sans camouflage, at the Spa 6 Hours in May when its M8 race cousin will be taking on the GTE class in perparation for the Le Mans 24 Hours – BMW’s first entry at La Sarthe for seven years.

What will it look like? The pictures here – and the many other teasers, plus videos, released over the past year – show a long-wheelbase two-door with pronounced coupe roofline and muscular rear quarters. There appear some echoes of the 1989-introduced 8-Series, though definitely not head-on where the old car’s pointy end with pop-up lights and miniature kidney grille are replaced by the powerful BMW corporate face of 2018. How many of the exquisite styling cues of the Concept 8-Series – the car we first saw in the UK at the Festival of Speed Presented by Mastercard in 2017 – exist under that camouflage? Lots, we hope.

Described by BMW’s chief as “BMW’s dream car”, the new Eight will need to deliver performance and luxury on a grand scale to take on the best from the likes of Mercedes-AMG.