[positiveions]

No doubt about it, people dreamed about owning one; especially if it's an 850CSI.

[Malek@MRF]

Originally Posted by Rich@GTBPerformance

Would love to get my hands on one of these. Maybe find a totaled Mclaren F1 and borrow the engine and create a one off Franken 860csi... or M8 if you will.

Would be a nice idea but the S70/2 from the McLaren F1 is over $400,000.

[gilczbq]

It has a timeless design that looks modern to most, even today.

[tony20009]

Originally Posted by Genek335

I had a 92 850i. THE most problematic car EVER, but I still love it. It has a timeless design that looks modern to most, even today.

It's definitely a "fun time" car and not something one can expect to drive every day. Still a great to car to have.

[Faust]

This is indeed a piece of automotive art and history. When I was younger, spotting one of these was on par with spotting upper class Porsches, Ferraris or Lamborghinis.

And the M8 was really 20 year ahead of its time.

One thing I find problematic though is the constant notion that this vehicle was a "sales failure", that it was brought up in the "wrong time" and other such stuff.

In my opinion it was BY FAR overperforming everything that Mecedes Benz, the main competitor of BMW at the time, was offering back then. Whether it was a CL/S-Class Coupe or an SL this car was simply infinitely more appealing and exclusive. And probably a lot better all around.

So my question is, how this vehicle was a "sales failure" that had to be ditched when it was one of the more desirable cars of its time? Was that an easy way for BMW to focus on investing in volume production vehicles that make a hefty margin of profit instead of such an exclusive car with limited margins? I bet there was and still is a market for this kind of car. Probably in the low tens of thousands of vehicles at best but MB does it for so long and don't seem to have a problem with "recessions", "economic tundowns", etc. So I am still not convinced. I understand that BMW is an independent manufacturer unlike MB who is part of a larger group but still this explanation is not satisfactory in my opinion.

By the way, this car was the spiritual successor to the M1 in my opinion - at least aesthetically. Sure it was nothing like it dynamically but you can't help but see M1 clues in the 8-Series design. There were also the Nazca concepts which brought the M1 in mind at the time too but these were one-offs (yet some of the most beautiful sportscar designs of all time imo). But as far as production models, this was it.

As for the new 8-Series, I expect it to be a part of a new 7/8-Series family of vehicles that will somehow mirror the lower lines variability and nomenclature.

So, I expect a 7-Series sedan and LWB, an X7 SAV, an 8-Series coupe, convertible and Gran Coupe with some M thrown around. However my impression is that the new 8-Series will be a direct competitor to the new S-Class/CL coupe aka a big expensive luxurious GT to sort of bridge the gap between the 6-Series and the Rolls-Royce Wraith coupe.

The real sports car we are all waiting will be the M8/M10 or whatever name it will adopt, not the new 8-Series obviously.

[PrinceBarin]

I love this car. I remember as a child reading an article about it and all the cool gadgets it had - in particular the fact that the electric windows closed automatically at speeds in excess of 100mph!

Incidentally, it's worth looking out for the episode of Top Gear where Hammond drove an 8 series - he loved it too as I recall.

[lowkick]

Since we are on the subject... here is mine.
Pic taken shortly after I bought it, few faults but all sorted now.
Eco car, 2mpg when you want to use all it's power.

It will be up for sale one day... I think.
DREAM.

[c0nstant]

really looking forward to when they bring it back! i'd love to see an sls / viper / vette / etc. competitor

[PrinceBarin]

Here's an article on Top Gear about Hammond's 850 http://www.topgear.com/uk/photos/hammond-850-2011-08-09

[Stargunz]

Would've loved to have had one of these back in the day.
Strikes me as a German Acura NSX
Look forward to seeing what they do with its 2nd gen.

[Efthreeoh]

The 8 Series always reminded me of the early-'80s Supra...

[Cuz5150]

Very cool car cant argue.

Question: did these come with Locking Diffs?

[WilliCO]

Originally Posted by MCHL

is bmw telling us that the 8 series will be back soon?!
that would be great!!!!!

With 6ers going for north of 100 large, I can't see room for an 8 in the lineup. What, will they encrust the speedometer with diamonds and start the price at $125, with no options?

[ajw45]

Only the CSi model which was silly because even the base 850i/ci at 330-360 ft/lbs of torque needed a lsd. I added an LSD to mine and it made a huge difference....

Originally Posted by Cuz5150

Very cool car cant argue.

Question: did these come with Locking Diffs?

[Z4inAZ]

That V12 was ridiculously unreliable - it was no more than two I6s sharing a crank. Didnt they even use seperate engine computers and coilpacks for the two banks?

840 is pretty reliable and those cars are gorgeous and GREAT long distance cruisers. The V8 in the 840i is a great and reliable powerplant and its block architecture has evolved and is still used, give or take, in modern BMW engines. M60 to M62 to N62 to N63 (and S63)

850 is terrible and gave the E31 a bad name. Cant wait to see the new 8. Hope it looks good unlike the concept

[ajw45]

Did you actually own an 850? The v12s are actually pretty bulletproof with regular maintenance.

Originally Posted by Z4inAZ

That V12 was ridiculously unreliable - it was no more than two I6s sharing a crank. Didnt they even use seperate engine computers and coilpacks for the two banks?

840 is pretty reliable and those cars are gorgeous and GREAT long distance cruisers. The V8 in the 840i is a great and reliable powerplant and its block architecture has evolved and is still used, give or take, in modern BMW engines. M60 to M62 to N62 to N63 (and S63)

850 is terrible and gave the E31 a bad name. Cant wait to see the new 8. Hope it looks good unlike the concept

[stealth.pilot]

The new 8 series will be more like a 7 coupe than a modern 8 series.

A modern 8 series would carry a Z8 Coupe badge under current BMW nomenclature. Even numbered BMWs are coupes on sedan platforms, Z models are purpose build sports cars like the 850 was.

[tony20009]

Originally Posted by PrinceBarin

Here's an article on Top Gear about Hammond's 850 http://www.topgear.com/uk/photos/hammond-850-2011-08-09

Oh, my mother's stars and garters!!! The cup holders were on the passenger side of the car, and in the glove box no less!!!

I can't believe BMW ever even sold one of those cars. Why would anyone buy a car you had to drive with the glove box open to hold your coffee? And not only that...the holders were but little rings, not terribly dissimilar from the ones in the E9x cars.

[ajw45]

Because Germans didn't believe you should be flying down the autobahn at 160mph while sucking on a latte. Previous generation BMWs didn't have any cup holders at all as was true of most of the German brands back then....

Originally Posted by tony20009

Oh, my mother's stars and garters!!! The cup holders were on the passenger side of the car, and in the glove box no less!!!

I can't believe BMW ever even sold one of those cars. Why would anyone buy a car you had to drive with the glove box open to hold your coffee? And not only that...the holders were but little rings, not terribly dissimilar from the ones in the E9x cars.

[Z4inAZ]

Originally Posted by ajw45

Did you actually own an 850? The v12s are actually pretty bulletproof with regular maintenance.

I am a BMW mechanic.... are we talking about the same V12?

The one used in E32 750 and E31 850.
The BMW M70... reliable??? Compared to what? A cardboard box in the rain? Snails in a jar of salt? A 90's American car?

The M70 was one of the worst engines BMW ever put in a production car. Its hard to say BMW even designed it, it didnt take much "design" to join two M20's at the hip. It would have taken design and engineering (and thus reliability testing) to run them on one ECU.

Was it as bad as most people say? No. Am I maybe overreacting a little but? Sure.

But to be fair, most BMW engines are pretty bulletproof with "regular maintenance" - even high strung BMW M engines are reliable with maintenance. The M70 is just too complicated for what it is, and too prone to expensive failures.

Couple the increased likelihood for failures with the substantially increased cost of repair bills and you have a recipe for one of the least appreciated BMW engines in history.

I would take an 840 over an 850 any day of the week.

[Soorena]

My best friend in colloge had a late model 850ci. Even though it was just 6 years old he bought it for dirt cheap. Riding in it was just great and it was the ultimate chick magnet car on wheels... For a college boy. But boy it was heavy. And the V12 was the ultimate unreliability (it's also one of the least efficient engines ever) and when we faced the sea of electronic issues, we figured out why it was so cheap. For those who want to get a E31, i highly recommend the 840ci. Just stay away from the V12.

[ajw45]

I'm not saying it was a stellar performance engine or an amazing engineering accomplishment. As a car, the electronics were crappy, it was hard to work on, and troubleshooting was a pita but the engine itself was pretty solid. The M70 wasn't known for any serious issues or ticking time bombs like:

s38/s14 - Timing chain guide failures (I had an s38 - 12 bent exhaust valves after a timing chain guide failure)
s54 - rod bearings, loose vanos bolts, breaking cam hubs (I have one now - replaced a hub that was cracked before massive fail)
s62 - Carbon build up (my friend is on his second s62)
m60 - Nikasil liners

So, compared to any of these amazingly well engineered BMW engines, yes, the low compression, low output/L, low redline m70 was ideal for chugging along for a couple hundred thousand miles without having to open it up, not unlike the old m30s.

Originally Posted by Z4inAZ

I am a BMW mechanic.... are we talking about the same V12?

The one used in E32 750 and E31 850.
The BMW M70... reliable??? Compared to what? A cardboard box in the rain? Snails in a jar of salt? A 90's American car?

The M70 was one of the worst engines BMW ever put in a production car. Its hard to say BMW even designed it, it didnt take much "design" to join two M20's at the hip. It would have taken design and engineering (and thus reliability testing) to run them on one ECU.

Was it as bad as most people say? No. Am I maybe overreacting a little but? Sure.

But to be fair, most BMW engines are pretty bulletproof with "regular maintenance" - even high strung BMW M engines are reliable with maintenance. The M70 is just too complicated for what it is, and too prone to expensive failures.

Couple the increased likelihood for failures with the substantially increased cost of repair bills and you have a recipe for one of the least appreciated BMW engines in history.

I would take an 840 over an 850 any day of the week.