Produced for a decade, between 1989 and 1999, the BMW 8 Series is one of the most fondly remembered models the company has ever produced. Much missed by the faithful, its discontinuation still lamented, the 8- and 12-cylinder grand tourers were beautiful and powerful cars with styling quite different from the rest of the BMW lineup of the era.

BMW has decided to bring the series back into production, and a photo leaked to the internet reveals the lovely lines and remarkably beautiful front end of the first concept entry in the new series. BMW will be revealing the working draft at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este.

With an exterior marked by the simplicity of brushstrokes, the concept coupe looks very quick, and very serious; it’s a shape for a driver with an educated palate, eschewing easy dramatics and Florentine flourishes, and current fashion in high-end design. It looks like it was designed to compete with British grand tourers of the same class. The spectacular front end looks especially familiar.

The interior of the concept feature sport seats, Merino leather, and a name-drop nod to ultra-luxe: a Swarovski gearshift lever and iDrive controller.

The re-introduction of the 8 Series coincides with the exit of the 6 Series; it may be that BMW decided that 8 Series cachet and mystique would improve the brand’s image overall, or that the 6 Series cannot compete with the appeal of the 8 Series due to overlapping buyer demographics, or both. But BMW did indicate that the Series revisit constitutes the most aggressive model campaign in company history.

The 8 Series model lineup has not yet been finalized, and technical data is at this point non-existent. BMW does confirm that the car or cars will enter production next year.