The BMW 8 Series (chassis code BMW E31) was a V8 or V12 engined 2-door 2+2 coupe built by BMW as a substitute for the original BMW 6 Series in 1989. Production was stopped in 1999 and the 6-Series was not picked up again until 2003. 30,609 8 Series cars were built in total.

History

Design of the 8 Series began in 1984, with construction starting in 1986. The 8-Series debuted in Frankfurt at the IAA Auto Show in early September, 1989. Although it was meant to replace the 6 Series, the cars had very different character: while the 6-Series was a solid Grand Touring car, the 8 Series was aimed more towards the supercar market. It was the BMW's flagship car while in production.

Over a billion German Marks were spent on development in total. BMW used CAD tools, still unusual at the time, to design an all-new body. Combined with wind tunnel testing, the resulting car has a drag coefficient of 0.29, a major improvement from the 635 CSi's 0.39.

While CAD modeling allowed the car's unibody to be 8 lb lighter than that of its predecessor, the car was significantly heavier when completed due to the large engine and added luxury items—a source of criticism from those who wanted BMW to concentrate on the driving experience.

From 1989 to 1993, the BMW 8-Series was sold as a 5.0 litre engine V12 850Ci. In 1993 it was joined by the less powerful 4.0 V8 engined 840Ci and 840CSi, before being scrapped in 1994 - leaving the 4.0 engine the only power unit available for the 8-Series.

BMW 8-Series production ceased in 1999, but it was five years before its successor - the 6-Series - went in production.

Models

• 840Ci: (1993–1999) 4.0 L M60B40 V8 engine used until 1996, replaced with the M62B44
• 850i: (1989–1992) 5.0 L M70B50 V12
• 850Ci: (1993–1999) Engine updated in 1994
• 850CSi: (1993–1997) 5.6 L S70B56 V12

External links

• The BMW 8-series (e31.net)
• Club E31
• BMW 8 Series (E31) Official Registry