Among European car enthusiasts, there’s a bit of a debate as to which incredible driving road is best; the Transfăgărășan Highway in Romania or the Stelvio Pass in Italy. Honestly, the Romanian road is probably the better one, as it has a ton of different corners, while the Stelvio is mostly tight hairpins. Though, it doesn’t matter which you drive, they’re both incredible and feature some of the best driving you can find in the world. In this new video from Joe Achilles, he hits the Stelvio in a BMW M8 Gran Coupe. To say we’re jealous is an understatement.
For those that aren’t aware, the Stelvio Pass is a stunning 47 kilometer stretch of tarmac that snakes through the Italian Alps. There are 60 turns, most of which are tight hairpins, that can push even great sports cars to their limits. So the fact that the BMW M8 Gran Coupe can handle it is impressive, considering its size and weight. Achilles did have to slow down quite a bit through some of the tighter turns, though, as the M8 GC is just too long. Also, through some of Europe’s twistier mountain roads, the M8 can feel a bit too wide. So the M8 Gran Coupe is not a canyon carver, it’s more of a straight-line grand tourer.
Dear Sweet Baby James, it’s fast, though. You can just see how rapidly the scenery flies by Achilles windshield (I won’t say windscreen, Brits, I won’t do it) when he really gets on the gas. From personal experience, even after driving supercars, the M8 Gran Coupe is shockingly fast.
Honestly, though, that doesn’t matter much on the Stelvio. The Stelvio Pass is about more than just driving, as it snakes through some of the most breathtakingly beautiful scenery on Earth. The entire point of driving it is to soak in the epic views, enjoy the machine you’re diving, whatever it may be, and have some beer or wine when you reach the end.
