[RowanBuds]

Thanks to F80NJM3 for sharing this. I can certainly believe this is the to-market production form of the G8x.

I'll comment to say that when the F80 leaks first started in earnest, with close to final form photos, it was an instant winner. A car that you're trying to get me to part with close to six figures for isn't something that one should have to warm up to.

There's an intangible quality, a certain je nais se quoi if you will, that most enthusiasts want if taking the depreciation hit to buy new. It's simple too, a car either has it, or does not. Prime example, the Carrera GT. It's not a 911, it's not a boxster - but man does it look right. Similar feeling to the MB GT's - they're unique but in a tasteful way that harkens back to the reserved aggression of the gullwings.

But on the other side of the coin you have the Gen 2 R8 - a good looking car, but something about it just doesn't have the presence that the Gen 1 brings to the table. And a more extreme example, the i8. Some liked it, many more hated it, very very few LOVED it. The buzz was 'it's futuristic, it'll grow on you'. Then we all saw the 30k off MSRP and sub-1,000 lease deals that BMW needed to put on the trunk to move them.

I thought the Alfa was far far behind the F80 in pure looks, but somehow without Alfa changing a thing, it's likely to be the best looking in the segment for the next 3-4 years.

Where's the new E39 or E90 type cars? The one that's refined, tasteful, but in M trim is finished with just the right amount of anger and rage? The F80 was less restrained than the E9 cars, and may go down as the second best looking M3 ever built, but that doesn't mean the designers should throw cohesiveness of design to the wind.