The BMW i8 Roadster costs £125k

BMW has revealed the price of its new i8 Roadster. That price is £124,735, exactly £12k more expensive than the regular i8 Coupe. But then, as we've surmised both here and indeed here - on the hunt for France's best road - it is quite special.

Developed from the Spyder concept from Beijing back in 2012, the Roadster features the same design cues from the Coupe, including those dihedral doors – impressive engineering when there’s no roof – and optimised aerodynamic styling, such as the low bonnet, air flap control system, contoured side skirts and ‘Air Curtains’.

The fabric soft-top roof gets high-level soundproofing and electrically folds in just 15 seconds up to driving speeds of 31mph – that’s the quickest in the whole BMW range. Lowering the roof raises the rear windows automatically by 30mm to help reduce air turbulence as well for effortless, hair-controlled cruising.

The i8 Roadster is powered by a hybrid electric motor with a turbo three-cylinder petrol engine. There’s a six-speed auto 'box that feeds power to the rear wheels, while the electric motor drives the front axle, giving a hybrid-specific all-wheel-drive system. The lithium-ion battery pack now has a 11.6kWh energy capacity, increasing the electric motor’s output by 12bhp to 141bhp, boosting the petrol engine to a total of 369bhp overall. Top speed? 155mph, while 0-60mph takes just 4.6 seconds.

More tech includes a new 360’ charging cable for the improved BMW i Wallbox chargers, and BMW Connected app that can be linked with Amazon’s Alexa. Less car, more computer, extra convertibleness. This is the future folks.