The issue with giving cars numbers rather than names is highlighted by proliferating model count: Automakers are starting to run out of digits. Audi already applies every integer between 1 and 8 to at least one derivative, albeit prefixed by a variety of different letters. Now BMW faces another almost-full house, bringing the 8-series back after what will be, by the time the car goes on sale, a 19-year hiatus.

And in another example of history repeating itself, this 8-series also is going to replace the 6-series, just as the last car to carry the badge did when it was launched in 1989. Like the outgoing 6-series, the 8-series will encompass three variants: a two-door coupe, a four-door Gran Coupe, and a cabriolet, all of which are to be launched next year. (The 6-series designation won’t disappear; instead, it will be applied to the replacement for the 5-series Gran Turismo hatchback.)

The first of these, the new 8-series coupe, is the car previewed by this concept, which has been unveiled at Italy’s Villa d’Este concours on Lake Como. Although officially a concept, we’re assured that the design of the finished car will hew closely to that promised here, with a minor front-end tweak to satisfy pedestrian-impact standards, and proper door mirrors in place of the concept’s minimalist ones. Exterior bodywork will be effectively unchanged, even those slim headlights will remain. These are laser units incorporating a new, hexagonal take on BMW’s characteristic twin-ring running lights.

The exterior heralds a return of some of the muscularity that BMW has removed from recent models, and it looks more than capable of kicking sand in the face of the current 6-series. The concept has pronounced rear haunches and an aggressive rear bumper incorporating oversized exhaust finishers. The 8-series also marks a welcome evolution of BMW’s commitment to air vents in the front fender, with a sizable exit behind the front wheels in place of the tacked-on-looking air breathers fitted to some of its lesser models. The concept rides on 21-inch wheels, suggesting that similarly sized units will be available on the production version, although possibly only as an option.

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We hadn’t been given images of the interior as of this writing, but BMW’s official release promises a digital instrument cluster, high-grade materials, and an emphasis on both connectivity and usability. The car debuts BMW’s next-generation iDrive architecture, and on the concept this comes with a rotary controller that’s made from Swarovski glass with a smoked quartz finish. Yes, really.

While the early communication is deliberately short on technical details—there are approximately zero—we’ve gathered some from informed sources. The 8-series coupe has been given the code G15 in BMW’s nomenclature, and we believe its four-door sibling will be the G16. Those numbers indicate a close mechanical relationship with the G11/G12 7-series sedan, with both the 7- and 8-series (like the new 5-series) using the same modular OKL platform. BMW insiders indicate the 8-series will share the 7’s partial-carbon-fiber construction to reduce weight, and we’re promised that it will have genuine handling ability as well as GT credentials.

The word from Europe is that BMW’s turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six will serve as the entry-level engine. Above that, we can expect the brawnier 4.4-liter twin-turbo V-8 as seen in the 750i, which likely will be in a similar 445-hp state of tune. Europeans also will get at least one diesel variant, probably a 3.0-liter twin-turbo branded as the 840d—although don’t hold your breath waiting for that one to cross the Atlantic. A hybrid is a possibility, if not a terribly exciting one. An eight-speed automatic gearbox will be standard, with BMW’s xDrive all-wheel-drive system being an option.

It’s above the 850i that things are set to become more interesting. Anyone expecting a V-12–powered 860i to channel the spirit of the E31 850i is going to be disappointed. Although the 6.6-liter twin-turbo twelve from the BMW M760i would indeed fit, it’s not seen as sporting enough for the 8-series. Instead, we’ll get some more-than-adequate compensation in the form of a BMW M8, which will use the same twin-turbocharged V-8 as the upcoming M5, as well as the sedan’s part-time all-wheel-drive system, which features a rear-drive mode and is pitched as combining slippery-pavement security with tire-smoking amusement. We’ll have to wait for specs, but the M8’s range-topping status means it may well get an even more powerful version of the V-8 than the M5.

Sales will start in 2018, and we’re told that the 8-series coupe, Gran Coupe, and cabriolet all will be launched in close proximity to each other. There’s no word on pricing, but the addition of a whole two digits to the model name suggests a sizable increase over the outgoing 6-series—as was the case in 1989.

It also leaves the big question of when BMW is going to build something it can stick a 9 badge on, and thereby complete its bingo card.