BMW Goes Topless, Unveils i8 Roadster Ahead Of Los Angeles Auto Show

The wait is finally over for the latest version of BMW’s hybrid sports car.

BMW unveiled the i8 Roadster on Wednesday, ahead of its official debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show. The German automaker tweeted a video debuting the new model, roughly three months after confirming the Roadster’s existence.

In addition to the open-top i8, BMW also revealed details of the updated i8 Coupe, which will have an increased electric range of 34 miles.

Convertibles require more chassis strengthening than coupes, so the Roadster understandably is heavier — though we don’t know by how much.

BMW has yet to reveal the two cars’ curb weights, but they can’t be that far apart, as the chunkier i8 is just 0.2 seconds slower to 60 mph, and only gets one mile less on battery power than the i8 Coupe.