It has already been 25 years since the peak of German BMW technology at the time was presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The luxurious and at the same time very fast 8-series coupe completely rewrote the rules of luxury coupes at the time when it offered elements that were almost unheard of at the time.
More than technology, however, perhaps the immortality of this car is due to its design . The wedge-shaped profile of the body, the long hood and the folding lights are characteristic. Along with the legendary M1 supersport , the 8 Series is the only BMW to feature folding lights. The 4.78-meter-long coupe , or if you want a gran turismo, also boasts excellent aerodynamics thanks to the folding headlights – the drag coefficient cx is 0.29. Like another large coupe from the Munich manufacturer, the 8 series also lacked a side pillar.
As already mentioned, the technology was breathtaking in the late eighties. Already in 1989, the 2+2-seater coupe had an adjustable steering column with memory, a self-dimming interior rear-view mirror, central locking or an on-board computer with a multiplex electronic network , which transmits information from several different sources via the same channel. This was unique in its time. Seat belts were, due to the absence of a column, integrated into the front seats , which were controlled electronically, as were the windows or mirrors. After opening the door, the side windows retracted by themselves, and when closed, they retracted again, which allegedly improved, or better said, reduced aerodynamic noise. Electronic assistants include electronic stability and traction control ( ASC+T ), ABS or speed-responsive power steering. In 1990, additional electronically controlled EDC dampers were added to this list.
At the time of the premiere, there was only one version of the V12 petrol under the hood. It was the 850i version and it was only the second post-war BMW to get a V12 under the hood (the first was the 750i sedan ). The five-liter twelve-cylinder in the luxury coupe produced a maximum power of 300 horsepower and a torque of 450 Nm, which was enough for the 1,790 kg heavy machine to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.8 seconds and an electronically limited top speed of 250 km/h. The 850i became the first ever car in the world to combine a V12 engine with a six-speed manual transmission . This could be replaced with a four-speed automatic, of course the rear wheels were driven.
The German media was enthusiastic about the 850i. Auto, motor und sport wrote: "BMW has given the 850i all the technological weapons to take it to the top." Another German magazine, Auto Bild , wrote: "You have to try it to believe it. Above all, in fast highway bends, where bumps and unevenness penetrate the car with various shocks and uncertainty, the 850i remains completely calm."
In 1993 came the pinnacle of Munich engineering – the 850 CSi version , where C stands for coupe, S stands for sport and i stands for petrol engine. This time, the 12-cylinder had a volume of 5.6 liters, the power jumped to 381 hp and the torque to 550 Nm. With a six-speed manual , the 850 CSi accelerates in under six seconds. It is not without interest that the 850 CSi replaced the missing M8 model in the offer. The M logo even appeared on the engine, but not in the official designation of the car. Technological innovations have also wrinkle in the case of the flagship of the entire range. The rear axle had active kinematics , the rear wheels could adapt to the current speed and direction of the steering wheel and could turn in the same direction. This helped maneuverability and stability above all.
In the same year, the 850i was renamed the 850 Ci and the model received better basic equipment, including two airbags (still at an extra cost), infrared remote control and reclining rear seats . DSC dynamic stability control was added to the list of extras. And the 850 Ci once again, this time in the fall of 1994, when a strengthened twelve -cylinder engine got under the hood, now with a volume of 5.4 liters, a power of 326 hp and a torque of 490 Nm. The latter was combined with a new five-speed automatic (the only option), which brought acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.3 seconds and a maximum speed of 250 km/h.
For the first time, BMW reached for an engine with fewer cylinders than 12 back in 1992. At that time, engineers flirted with a three-liter eight-cylinder with a power of 218 horsepower and a torque of 296 Nm for the 830i version , which ended up with 18 experimental pieces produced. It was not until July 1993 that the 840 Ci version with a four-liter eight-cylinder engine, producing 286 hp and 400 Nm, went into series production. This was enough to accelerate to 100 km/h in 7 seconds and a top speed of 250 km/h. After some time, the four-liter eight-cylinder engine was replaced by a 4.4-liter engine with the same power and 20 Nm more torque.
Production of the BMW 8 Series ended in 1999 , with production stopping at 30,621 units produced . Of these, 1,510 were in the 850 CSi version, 2/3 were with a twelve-cylinder engine, but only 1 out of 6 had a six-speed manual transmission.
In the BMW Museum in Munich, or in a depository, you would find several other gems based on the 8 series . Above all, the version unofficially referred to as the M8 , which did not go into production, but despite the doubts, it really exists. Under the hood is a modified 12-cylinder engine from the 850 CSi with a power of around 550 hp , and in addition to modified aerodynamics and a bright red color, the model also had a lot of carbon parts. The twelve-cylinder engine used in this model also became the basis for the engine in the later McLaren F1. The second rare example is a prototype of the open version with an engine from the 850 Ci model . The only piece produced can be found in the BMW factory museum, but without the consecration of BMW, several other examples were created by several modifiers. There is also an 850 CSi from the BMW Art Cars collection by British artist David Hockney. He painted an artistic intake pipe on the hood, when viewed from the side we find the silhouette of the driver and the steering column, and the author's dachshund Stanley appears in the back.
And what else to end the history of this famous model than with rare versions from the German BMW specialist . Most of you already know that this is the Alpina brand, which has produced two versions of the 8 series over the years. Both bear the designation B12 and differ in the model in which they are based. The weaker B12 5.0 is based on the BMW 850i, it is powered by a five-liter twelve-cylinder engine with an output of 355 horsepower and works only with a four-speed automatic, which allows a maximum speed of 280 km/h. The B12 5.7 is based on the top-of-the-line 850 CSi and its 5.7-liter twelve-cylinder produces 422 horsepower. Similar to the original, the only option is a six-speed manual, with which the B12 5.7 is the only version of the 8 series that officially hits 300 km/h . 97 of the weaker B12s were produced, only 57 of the stronger ones.
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Source: BMW, Alpina
