This is the history of the BMW E31 8-series, including a special M8 model that lacked any M badging. The 850CSi received the same M-treatment as the E36 M3, but nobody knows it was, legally, an M8.
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The E31-chassis BMW 8-series was not a replacement for the E24 6-series — it was a completely new kind of GT, designed not to be rolling art, but a way to show off BMW's R&D Department.
The 850i was one of, if not the, most technologically advanced cars in the world. Its list of industry firsts is enormous, and includes drive-by-wire, CAN-bus technology, and the first German V-12 in 50 years.
But BMW forgot to install the fun. the 850i was a sales disaster. At its debut in 1989 at the Frankfurt Auto Show IAA, BMW received 35,000 orders — enough to sell out 3 years of planned production. However, once the car magazines drove it, the reviews were brutal and customers cancelled their orders. (Largely in favor of the R129-chassis Mercedes SL.)
850i sales were so poor that BMW cancelled plans to make an E31 convertible, and also killed off the planned M8, which used the McLaren F1's S70/2 640-hp V-12 with ITBs and carbon intakes.
Instead, M engineered a less-expensive M8, the formula for which was duplicated exactly for the US-market E36 M3: an M engine (the S70B56 — bored and stroked to 5.6 liters, with hot cams and high compression), a 6-speed manual with short gearing and LSD, quicker steering, and a full suspension and brake upgrade. Also, European versions got "AHK," which is rear-wheel steering — and were homologated for sale as the M8/E, produced by BMW Motorsport GmbH.
The reviews were outrageously positive — and the car sold out. But most enthusiasts don't know it even exists, because the badge didn't say M8. It said BMW 850CSi — chosen to celebrate earlier M cars like the M635 CSi.
With 380 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque, the CSI certainly had power, but BMW hadn't yet discovered the Power of the M Badge.
The BMW E31 was sold as the 850i (M70 5.0-liter V12), the 850Ci (M73 5.4-liter V12, automatic only), and the 840Ci (both M60B40 and M62B44 4.0 and 4.4-liter V-8s, automatic only.)
The 850CSi was available only with the 5.6-liter V-12 and a 6-speed manual. Because //M.
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Sound Note: this car is modified with mufflers from a Ferrari 599 GTB.
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