With its 2014 release, the BMW i8 was leaps and bounds ahead of any other car in automotive design. This car looked so impressive that if it pulled up alongside the McLaren 650s, a car similarly released in 2014, you wouldn’t know where to look.

The i8 was part of the BMW i line, a series of ‘electrified’ cars (plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles), taking its place as the second car in the instalment after the BMW i3. But it had the formula for success, winning several awards, even before its release.

The i8 drove onto the scene, winning the 2012 North American Concept Vehicle of the Year award, with the i8 spyder winning the 2013 Best Production Preview Vehicle award. So surely it was destined for greatness, right?

Well, the i8 sold relatively well; however, it didn’t quite fit into the high-performance car category, and it wasn’t the fuel-efficient hybrid car it promised to be either. So who really wanted it?

But BMW went ahead and branded it as a luxury vehicle anyway, even getting Louis Vuitton to produce some luxury carbon-black luggage cases. These collectively cost $20,000, which is roughly the price of an i8 today. 

With that price tag, you do, however, get a car with the most terrific brake lights ever fitted to a vehicle. They come with a hole in the middle to promote air circulation and improve the vehicle’s aerodynamics. It also helped remove moisture and condensation, as well as dissipate heat, which enhances the longevity of the vehicle’s lights. So not only does it look cool as hell, but they’re also practical.

It’s therefore impossible to ignore the car’s design; it was so striking that it was even used in the Mission: Impossible films, and it screamed otherworldly. It perfectly nails the futuristic, curvy styling we all want, without boiling it down to an angular, flat-surfaced, lifeless block.

Top speed	155 mph
0-60	3.8 seconds
How many units were sold	20,465
Cost when new	£94,845
How many times have I wanted to put my hand through its brake light?	Every time I see one.

The i8 is therefore our car of the week. I was shocked to find out that the car has depreciated to £20,000, but it also sits in the highest insurance group, group 50, so it might be best to hold off on buying it for now.

“BMW i8” by Automotive Rhythms is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

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dan, boland, dan boland, bmw, i8, mclaren, 650s, 2014, car, vehicle, electric, plug-in-hybrid, german, i3, award, louis vuitton, brake light, car of the week, top speed, 0-60, units sold, cost when new, price, insurance group, 50