Classic pearls of the future - BMW 850 i
01/25/2014
Its predecessor was popular and had a long life, the BMWE24 designed by Paul Bracq, known as the 628 to 635 CSI. When its successor, the E31, was unveiled in 1989 in the form of the BMW 850i, not all coupé fans clapped their hands. For some E24 fans, the successor was too techno-savvy and cumbersome.
It was also expensive - the car cost between 120,000 and 180,000 marks in Germany, depending on the version - and it was not available as a six-cylinder or with a V8, at least not at first.
The eight-cylinder was added later, but the in-line six seemed too slender for the Munich-based company's luxury coupé.
The design was created under the direction of Claus Luthe, the man who had already drawn the Ro80 shape many years earlier. He combined elements reminiscent of the 1979 M1, such as the sleeping eyes and the wedge-shaped front, with simple nineties lines.
The car looked bigger than it was. In fact, it was only three centimetres longer than its predecessor, the 635 CSI. In terms of width, however, it gained a noticeable 13 centimetres from the driver's perspective. With basic dimensions of 4.78 x 1.86 meters for length x width, the BMW 850 was still considerably more compact than the Maserati GranTurismo of the modern era, for example. However, parking distance control systems did not yet exist in 1989 when the E31 was introduced.
The twelve-cylinder engine with an initial 300 hp was followed in 1992 by the sharp CSI version with 380 hp and a displacement of 5.5 liters. And at the lower end, a 286 hp eight-cylinder coupé was added in 1993 with the 840i. All cars were also available with manual transmission, although the automatic versions predominate on today's used car market.
In total, just over 30,621 units left the factory. Most of them had a V12 under the hood, while just under 8,000 of the V8 were built. If you want something particularly exclusive, choose the 850 CSI, which was only available with a manual gearbox and only 1510 were built. That is only slightly more units than were sold of the 300 SL Gullwing.
Prices currently start in the four-digit range, but for 850 CSI versions with manageable mileage, prices can change hands for 30,000 euros or more.
Two variants that never made it into series production are not for sale: the 850i Cabriolet and the lost M8 prototype.
