1997 BMW 840 Ci

Built in October 1996 and first January 1997 at Milcars BMW Ruislip, this BMW 840Ci has the later 4.4-litre (4398cc) V8 engine and 5-speed auto ‘box.

The first owner kept the car for around three years and it then had two subsequent owners around North London, followed by north-west Kent, North London again and then the current owner - its sixth - from East Sussex. Collectively, they have driven the car to just over 114,000 miles.

Our vendor bought the car in February 2016, having previously owned a BMW 750 and then a 330 which hadn’t quite lived up to the power of the larger car. The 840Ci was therefore a bit of a treat. For the first couple of years he used it as his daily - although his commute was only 8 miles there and back. Running a small brewery, he soon found that the 8 wasn’t overly suited to carrying kegs, so he bought a van for daily use and saved the big Beemer for weekends.

Between 2017 and late ‘18 - the car was lodged with a garage for some repairs and light restorations - including a full exterior respray and some interior retrimming and refurbishing.

He’s enjoyed several longer trips in the car, down to Cornwall, out to the Cotswolds and the West Coast and also a holiday road trip well down into France. Being a pillarless coupé, with the windows down and the sunroof open he says it has the feel of a convertible.

Now having moved closer to the coast, and without a garage to keep it in, he doesn’t want the 840 to fall victim to salty-air corrosion or road parking incidents, so he’s looking to move it on whilst it is still looking good.

The BMW is finished in Avus Blue, a mid-tone metallic blue which has to be one of the nicest shades for any sports car or grand tourer. The paint is in very good condition with a couple of blemishes - it looks like it's had a light bump on the front left corner; the light is lose and the lens is cracked in 2 places (there's a picture in the gallery). There's a small patch of blistering on the front right hand corner of the bonnet.

In December 2006, the car was retro-fitted with an M-tec body styling kit, adding a new nose cone, front splitter, side skirts and rear diffuser/spoiler. All of it was painted to match the bodywork and it still looks in good order today.

The glasswork, fixtures and trims around the car are also in good order although there’s a tiny bit of delamination on the bottom right corner of the rear window and the front left indicator lens is cracked.

The car sits on 17-inch Riva DTM alloy wheels, which replaced the BBS split-rims a couple of years ago, showing just a light scuff on the front nearside wheel. All are fitted with Infinity Ecomax tyres dated 2019.

The interior upholstery is in a pale grey leather with darker shades trimming the doors, dash and centre console. The front seats are looking a little tired and worn, the combination of mileage and the light colour of the hide make them difficult to keep fresh, although they do appear to have been given a bit of recolouring. On opening the driver’s door, there is also a section of the door seal damaged.

The steering wheel, dash and instrument panel look in good order with no obvious scratching or damage, but the airbag cover on the dash isn’t properly attached. Unlike many contemporary BMWs, this car’s dash display appears to have the vast majority of its pixels working and - as far as we’ve been able to test - the electrics all seem to work - including the sunroof. The original BMW cassette radio has been swapped out for a newer Pioneer CD player.

The grey carpeting looks clean and tidy throughout and there are protective overmats in the footwells. Up above, the replacement headlining looks taut and in very good condition. The car still has its original first aid kit behind the rear centre seat back.

Under the bonnet, which still has its acoustic lining intact, the engine bay is largely tidy and fairly clean with the V8 mostly hidden by a large engine cover. There is surface rust on some of the ancillaries, but otherwise everything appears in good order.

Underneath the car, the underside of the low-slung nose is rather scuffed but intact and there is flaky rust under the radiator housing. Beyond that however, the underbody appears sound and there is only surface rust evident on some of the structures and the brake lines. The recent fabricated sections in the exhaust look to have been done well.

Inside the boot, the carpet and linings are reasonably clean and tidy. There is a ski bag fitted to the rear of the rear cabin armrest and a CD changer unit to one side. Under the carpet is a full size spare wheel - an original BBS split rim that the car would have had from new - although it now looks rather scruffy and is fitted with an ageing Pirelli.

The car’s original toolkit and warning triangle are still present and largely complete, mounted to the underside of the boot lid. The boot lid itself has a little rust in the corner seams but otherwise appears sound.

The BMW has a current MOT valid until May 2022, which it passed after repairs to the exhaust with advisories on brake pipes being corroded. There is a combination of online and paper MOT reports showing regular (although not annual) testing back to its first in February 2000.

There is a sizeable history folder with the car including its original BMW book pack with directories, operating manuals, Owner’s Handbook plus the Warranty and Service Handbook which contains the following service stamps:

Dec 1996 - PDI - Milcars BMW Ruislip

Oct 1997 - 14,679 - Milcars BMW Stanmore

Mar 1998 - 18,851 - Milcars BMW Watford

Oct 1998 - 24,281 - Milcars BMW Watford

Sep 1999 - 37,515 - Milcars BMW Watford

Mar 2000 - 47,298 - Milcars BMW Watford

Oct 2000 - 55,021 - Milcars BMW Watford

Jan 2003 - 66,166 - Hexagon BMW Highgate

Nov 2005 - 74,185 - Steiner Auto Golders Green

Numerous invoices show further servicing, maintenance and repairs from 2005 to 2016 and a more recent bill for repairs needed at the latest MOT by Hankham Motor Works near Eastbourne.

As previously mentioned, the vendor also reports that the car was fully resprayed, with some interior refurbishments during 2017 and ‘18 but he never received an invoice for the work.

The BMW 8-series took rather a long time to make the transition from ageing luxury coupé to modern classic, but it’s certainly there now – buying guides have been appearing in the classic car press and prices have risen steadily from a low point perhaps five years ago.

This tidy looking example appears to have been well cared for - with a large history file from the last two decades. It runs and drives well, although the steering is slightly off centre and the rear left brake disc appears to be binding a little.

Although the E31 is a hugely capable sporting tourer, from one of BMW’s golden ages, it is quite a niche motor with just over 1,000 still registered in the UK - although most are now off the road. The rarer V12 850 is disproportionately more valuable than its more economical and arguably better-handling V8 840 sibling. So we think this one will sell for between £8,500 and £13,000.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon.  Our offices are open Mon-Fri 9.00 am to 5.00 pm. To arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.