1997 BMW 840 CI Sport

It was the 840’s grand touring qualities that attracted Scottish owner Adam to this particular BMW. That coupled with its singular presence. ‘I remember, when I was younger, a guy in our village had one,’ he says. ‘It looked so different from anything else.’ The sleek GT’s somewhat M1-like appearance made a lasting impression - as would its performance. ‘There’s a lot of power from the 4.4-litre (V8),’ notes Adam. ‘I’ve not taken the car to its limit, but when you accelerate, it feels like it’s never going to stop.’

Adam bought the car with its huge ground-covering potential in mind; ‘I fancied doing the North Coast 500 in it.’ Although he and the Beamer never made that trip in the four years he’s owned the car, it had proved very capable machine on several trips to the highlands.

‘It feels a very open car,’ he adds thinking again about it’s touring pleasures. ‘It’s a pillarless coupe.’ With all four windows down and the sunroof open, it comes pretty close to feeling like a convertible.

‘It’s never had to have any major work done,’ Adam explains; ‘just the more usual jobs - arms, bushes, brakes.’ He adds that, amongst the 840s previous owners (it was a Northern Ireland-supplied car), there was at least one serious enthusiast a senior police officer who was also head of the BMW Owners’ Club. The keeper previous to Adam was also a marque enthusiast who fitted a new exhaust and supplied some spares - which come with the car; brake discs and a cooling fan.

This BMW makes a very good overall impression. Its paintwork - an intriguing colour - maintains a consistent tone and deep gloss across all surfaces and materials. There is one tiny patch of corrosion on the driver’s side windscreen pillar, while the rest of the car is in very good condition,with no real blemishes or blisters to speak of. The Eight series was all but devoid of chrome and decoration, save for bright metal outline of the ‘kidneys’ on the grill.These are in fine form. All other surrounds are black, and these too retain their colour without tarnish or signs of corrosion beneath the finish.One thing to notice is windscreen delamination at the bottom corners on both sides. It’s a common issue on these, though Adam maintains that in no way does this affect the performance of the weatherproofing of the car - no leaks.

The fine paintwork is matched by neatness in the stark lines of the car. The doors line up perfectly with the body panels and don’t drop when opened (the writer also photographed and inspected the car) and the lids are similarly good, showing even shut lines on both sides. The sun roof and pop-up headlights sit flush with the bodywork and rise/slide promptly when activated.

Light lenses look clean and the minimal badging is untarnished and firmly fixed in place. The rear undertray is very tidy, as are both sills. The nose is pretty much stone chip free,though there is a crack in the centre of the (low) chin spoiler.

This 840 comes from what was one of BMW’s best periods in terms of materials (including internal plastics) and built quality. That’s probably one of the reasons - as well as careful owners - that the interior of the car looks as good as it does. Despite the light shade of the leather, there are few signs of wear on any of the seats, save, understandably, for scuffs to the driver’s seat outer bolster. There is a light patina and a little wear to the contrasting piping to the driver’s seat edge, but generally the hide really does look good. The rear seats appear unused. Seat cushions are similarly good,retaining their shape and firmness with side bolsters that remain firm.

The door cards (a rather flimsy-sounding name for some pretty substantial architecture) are as clean as the seats. The leather looks fresh - a few creases - and the aforementioned rhino hide plastics retain their elegant toughness. There are some scuffs/nail marks around the mirror position toggle, but all other (window) buttons look to be in good shape, as does the chromed door handle.

Talking of windows, these all drop smoothly to leave a pillar-free space. Coupled with the (also smoothly-operating) open sunroof, it makes for a very airy feel.

Turning back to the cabin itself, the dash and broad centre console are both in good shape. Instruments all appear to be working (though the centre console is saying a side light has failed), and buttons (BMW so love buttons) are clean with their white lettering intact. The hand brake and gear selector show only the lightest scuffs, while their black leather coverings retains their colour and the stitching is intact. Stitching all around the cabin is good.

Looking under and around the seats and into the footwells, the carpets are clean, neatly edged and retain a nicely contrasting colour. Pulling back the floor mats brings no nasty surprises and simply further reinforces your impression of a very tidy, well-cared for car.

To say it has lived in the northern half of the British Isles for most of its life, this BMW looks remarkably good underneath. Yes, there is surface rust on structural elements - struts and suspension parts, but all components appear strong and still eminently servicable. There is no serious rot. The big alloy wheels are clean (good tyres too) and the brakes behind them look to be in equally good shape. No rust on the discs or callipers. The exhaust looks to be in good shape.The one element which could do with replacing (and were mentioned in the MOT report) are the corroded fuel lines. However, this is not a complex job.

The boot floor looks sound and the boot compartment itself clean and tidy. The loose-looking panel on the left-hand side (with the red isolator switch) is simply the battery door, which hasn’t been clipped into place. By the way, the Eight Series carries two batteries, both of which are pretty new. Oh, and have you noticed that black ‘hatch’ in the centre of the back of the boot? It opens up into a storage space for your skis… of course!

Going forward to the engine compartment you will find a space which has been equally well taken care of. It’s a little dusty right now, but ten minutes with a spray and a microfibre cloth will give you a very tidy engine bay. There are no signs of leaks from the mid-sized V8 and all ancillaries look to be robust. Hoses and leads all appear good.

All the nooks and crannies of the door/lid shut cavities, their hinges and lifting mechanisms are all clean and very tidy too. Looking under the doors, you’ll find smoothly finished rust-free metalwork and, under the bonnet lid, perfectly intact soundproofing.

As Adam said, this BMW has never really had any major work, and it’s only covered just shy of 89,000 miles in a little over two decades. It’s service record reflects a strong car that has quietly been taking care of business. It’s service book contains stamps from main dealers or specialists (later years), with good oil services showing; and a major service in 2018. That year also saw a brake overhaul, while the rear suspension was fettled in 2016. Starting up, the motor runs smoothly, giving out neither disturbing smoke signals or irregular noises.

The BMW Eight Series was ever - and still is - quite a niche motor, with the V12 850 being probably disproportionately more valuable that its more economical and arguably better-handling V8 sibling. This car looks - and feels - a very nice example that, with a few details sorted, can be turned into a reeaally nice example. It is also a hugely capable sporting tourer built in one of BMW’s golden ages. As such, we expect it to go for between £8,000 and £12,000. And, at either end of the price spectrum,that represents a lot of car for the money.

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