Background
Some cars achieve greatness immediately they’re launched. Others slow burn their way up the league tables until they realise their true potential. A few are a complete flop for the manufacturer when current, but come to be loved and appreciated while a classic. Somehow, the BMW E31 8-Series manages to take a little from column one, two and three.
Just look at it. Who doesn’t think it looks fabulous? A hint of BMW M1, Ferrari 400i, hell – even a shade of Bitter SC if you like (we do). And those who saw its launch at the 1990 Frankfurt Motorshow certainly loved it, as orders that weekend alone reached the 5000 mark.
By the summer of that year BMW had received orders for the entire envisaged production run of 10 to 12,000 cars. For the next three years. Really keen buyers offered twice the showroom price in order to book their place in the BMW 8-Series Coupé Club.
The first model, the 850i, boasted a 300bhp 5-litre V12 engine mated to a specially designed six-speed manual gearbox (a four-speed auto was an option). With a 0-60mph time of 6.5 seconds and a top speed that needed electronically limiting to 155mph, the Mercedes engineers at Stuttgart must have heard alarms bells ringing. Not only was the new 8-Series faster than the Merc 500SEC, it was also £7000 cheaper, at £53,000.
On top of all this grace and grunt, efficiency was a key target during the 850’s development. Central to this was aerodynamics, with BMW aiming for a drag coefficient (Cd) of less than 0.3. Aerodynamic door mirrors, recessed windscreen wipers and super-tight seals on the side windows were just three of the elements that resulted in a Cd of just 0.29.
The big pillarless coupé had a large sunroof, so with it opened and the windows down it was near as dammit a convertible. Then there were pop up headlights, speed-sensitive power steering, an electrically adjustable steering column with memory function, remote central locking, auto dimming rear-view mirror, two computers, a mobile phone located in the centre console and safety belts integrated into the seats. This, along with dynamic stability control, represented two firsts for BMW, and had the competition seriously worried.
The view from the inside was as good as that looking through the Golf Club window into the car park too. Car magazine said “As a place to pass the miles in, as a tax-free adjunct to an office, a Club Europe ticket and a platinum American Express card, the 850i interior is an elegant, soothing and high-tech minimalist home from home.”
BMW had thrown everything they had at the 8-Series. It was a technological tour de force that literally had everything. What could possibly go wrong?
It was too heavy. All that kit meant that even though it was a far more dynamic performer than its Mercedes rival, it wasn’t what BMW drivers expected. It was far more M25 than M1. It was also too expensive. Again, despite being cheaper than Stuttgart’s offering, buyers clearly felt that £53,000 was too much for something without a tri-point star badge on the end of the bonnet.
It was also a victim of what 1960s British Prime Minister described as “Events, dear boy.” BMW weren’t the first manufacturer to launch a big, thirsty car (it may have been more efficient than a Jag XJ-S but it was still a 5-litre V12) on the eve of a financial depression, and sadly probably won’t be the last, but the timing sucked.
So, after receiving pre-orders for the first three years’ estimated production of 36,000 cars, they sold just 30,000 before pulling the 8-Series plug in 1991. Which was very bad for them at the time – and excellent news for classic car enthusiasts now.
