It only exists in digital form right now, but German Special Customs (GSC) plans to release its new BMW i8 styling kit under the iTRON name in the very near future.

While nothing changes in the powertrain department where the i8 makes use of a 1.5L turbo-three and an electric motor to produce 357hp (362PS), the Germans have modified the exterior of the plug-in hybrid with some aggressive looking parts.

These include a redesigned bumper with integrated winglets and additional LED daytime running lights, meatier side skirts, a remodeled hood with twin scoops, and a new rear bumper extra-large exhaust finishers.,

In addition, the i8's narrow wheels (195/50R20 front and 215/45R20 rear) have been replaced with wider tires and a new set of alloy wheels, though, GSC, doesn’t give any more details on that.

We bring two BMW supercars together on the track - the new i8 and the classic M1.

The new BMW i8 is a futuristic stunner, with a hi-tech duo of an electric motor and petrol engine from the MINI Cooper. Jump back more than three decades and the last mid-engined car to wear a BMW badge was the M1 - which turned just as many heads when it debuted in 1978.

To find out how thirty years of evolution has changed the BMW supercar, we took along a classic M1 to meet the new i8 at the Auto Express test track. The BMW i8 features a 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol from the MINI Cooper driving the rear wheels, while an electric motor drives the front. Under the engine cover of the M1 is something altogether much more traditional: a 3.5-litre six-cylinder unit putting out 277bhp and 330Nm of torque. This compares to 357bhp and 570Nm in the i8.

On the track, the two cars feel very different. We didn't push the M1 too hard due to its age and value - mint examples fetch around £400,000 - but it performed brilliantly around our track. The gearbox has lovely action, the steering is perfectly weighted and the chassis feels perfectly matched to the power on tap.

Jump into the i8 and it feels very futuristic. There's instant power on tap due to the combination of the electric motor and the engine in Sport mode, with a great soundtrack in the cabin - it's even reminiscent of the sound of the M1. There's plenty of grip, too, and the performance is great. It's rather special and doesn't feel like any other BMW.

Both the i8 and M1 are true BMWs at heart. It's not often that BMW breaks the mould and builds a mid-engined car, but when they do, they know how to make their mark.

In October, Automobile magazine reported that BMW's i brand is working on an i8S that would be stiffer and more powerful, and celebrate the marque's centenary in 2016. At the time, one of two power unit combinations was suggested, either one of them good for more than 500 horsepower.

Car magazine has added more info on the coupe said to be called Project M100, saying that in addition to being a birthday gift for BMW, it will also be a going-away statement to current chairman Norbert Reithofer, who is expected to retire in 2016 or 2017. It will also be so thoroughly reworked that there will be plenty of daylight between it and the standard i8: a more integrated carbon fiber and aluminum chassis, a wider range of materials used in the build, a larger luggage bay due to the omission of rear seats, a more aggressive suspension supporting heartier brakes and wider tires, and - perhaps - a different aero and ground-effects package to be visually different and make the most of the alterations.

As for that power unit, Car says that the two options mentioned by Automobile are still under consideration, being either a 2.0-liter twin-turbo four-cylinder with 320 horsepower and a 204-hp electric motor, or a 3.0-liter straight six with 480 hp and an electric motor with 109 hp. Either choice gets an integrated starter motor good for another 27 hp, and a total torque number of roughly 520 pound-feet, 100 additional lb-ft than the current car. Word is that it will be shown for the centenary in 2016 then go on sale by the end of 2017.

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