BMW is entering another era of electrified performance with Neue Klasse, but more than a decade ago, the Bavarian automaker took a very different approach to what an electrified sports car could be. Part of the famed Project ‘i’, the original i3 and i8 look radical even by today's standards, and the latter combined exotic construction, dramatic mid-engine styling, and an unconventional hybrid powertrain unlike anything BMW had built before.
Today, depreciation has made that experiment surprisingly attainable. This 2014 BMW i8, with just 19,136 miles, is currently listed for sale at Valentin Auto Sales for $37,500. Finished in Crystal White Pearl Effect with signature BMW i Blue accents, a contrasting black upper section and optional 20-inch Turbine Style 625 wheels, it remains remarkably faithful to the 2011 i8 Concept, retaining its low-slung proportions, layered bodywork, black canopy and dramatic upward-opening doors.
That is remarkable, considering the i8 started at $135,700 when new. This particular example costs nearly $100k less than its original base MSRP, representing roughly 72 percent depreciation. Yet little about it feels like a $37,500 car. Its purpose-built LifeDrive architecture combines a carbon-fiber-reinforced-plastic (CFRP) passenger cell with an aluminum chassis, while its butterfly doors and concept-car proportions still look futuristic; as we found when we reviewed the i8, the experience was equally unconventional.
A turbocharged 1.5-liter three-cylinder behind the passenger compartment drives the rear wheels, while an electric motor powers the front axle. Early cars produced a combined 357 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque, enough for 0-60 mph in 4.2 seconds. You can explore its specifications in more detail in our earlier i8 guide.
The i8 also arrived in the same era as the Porsche 918 Spyder, McLaren P1 and Ferrari LaFerrari, when electrification was reshaping the upper reaches of performance. The BMW was never a rival to that seven-figure trio, but it explored many of the same ideas at a fraction of the price, a fact that still holds true today. The obvious concern today is ageing hybrid hardware. Yet the i8 has developed a better reliability reputation than its complicated specification might suggest.
The comparison with the Hypercar trio also becomes particularly interesting when replacement batteries enter the equation. Current estimates put a high-voltage battery replacement for a 2014 i8 at roughly $5,200 to $5,900. By comparison, replacement battery costs for the era’s Holy Trinity hybrid hypercars can run well into six figures, making the i8’s high-voltage system considerably less intimidating from an ownership perspective.
Whether the i8 ultimately becomes seriously collectible remains to be seen. It has many of the ingredients: a standalone architecture, unusual construction, distinctive styling, historical significance as BMW Group’s first plug-in hybrid sports car, one of only two mid-engine production BMWs (the other being the BMW M1) and a relatively short production run. BMW built 20,465 examples before production ended in 2020, with 16,581 Coupes and just 3,884 Roadsters. First Edition was limited to just 200 examples globally, while enthusiast estimates put total U.S. Roadster numbers at roughly 500 or fewer, and one of those much rarer open-top cars is also currently listed on duPont REGISTRY at $67,990. Click the link below to view full specifications.
