1991 BMW 850i

If you are going to spec an 850i, then Mauritius Blue with contrasting tan leather hide is undoubtedly the way to go – a classic colour combination.

Our car is thirty years old and yet has had a gentle life. A tad over 40,000 miles have been covered, so barely run in then.

All this would count for nothing if there was not a wealth of history to show that the car had been properly cared for. Be assured then, there is plenty of supporting documentation from old MoT certificates, to service invoices, promotional booklets and a service book with plenty of stamps.

Our seller acquired the car a few years back, and having enjoyed it during his ownership, is now ready to move on to his next classic car fix.

As well as driving the car on high days and holidays, he has spent around £5,000 to return the car to as near new condition as possible. Bodywork, interior and wheels have all had attention.

He reports that the car drives superbly, shifting cleanly through the gears. It’s a magnificent cruiser as one would expect but can play the role of sports car rather well when the driver is in the mood. And of course, there is plenty of room for three passengers to come along for the ride.

Equipment count is high, no surprises there. Expect to find air conditioning, sunroof, full leather seats with electric adjustment, cruise control and a CD multi-changer.

Wanting this lovely 850i to be in excellent condition, the owner spent over £2,000 in 2018 dealing with any bodywork issues. The nearside, offside, bonnet and front bumper were professionally resprayed.

As a result, the Mauritius Blue paintwork positively pops!

We do however note a scratch on the bonnet.

The alloy wheels have recently been refurbished and what stunning wheels they are! Each is shod with a premium tyre, either by Pirelli or Toyo. As we never fail to point out, good tyres are a sure-fire indicator of careful and considered car ownership.

There is some slight degradation to the rear window glass, though not enough to warrant a fix we think.

Climb aboard, open all the windows and sunroof and you will have all the fresh air you could ever wish for. Who needs a convertible?

For those less clement days, the climate-controlled air conditioning has got it covered.

Not unexpectedly, the driver’s seat shows signs of a life well lived and we might be tempted to entrust it to a specialist for improvement. Or a little TLC on a Sunday afternoon with some leather cleaner will no doubt do the trick. The other seats are in fine fettle as are the door cards.

Our seller had the headlining done, so this now presents well.

Carpets are fine, mats a little grubby so a steam clean may be in order.

The generous sized boot houses a full-size spare under the floor. There are some marks due to luggage sliding around, par for the course.

As is the BMW way, the tool kit is well sighted on the boot lid and all appears to be present and correct.

Also note the location of the CD autochanger, and if that is not enough there is a cassette player too, so no excuse not to dig out that old music collection.

Lifting the bonnet reveals the delights of that powerful V12 engine. It is probably not a car for the home mechanic which is why we are pleased to see all the positive signs of careful maintenance.

A look at the photographs we have included of the car’s underside shows nothing that concerns us. The fastidious might want to spend some time cleaning it up and applying a little more underseal in places.

The lip of the front spoiler does show some signs of being caught on speed bumps, but a little paint will soon put this right.

We have already mentioned the stamped service books, but we would also draw your attention to the extensive main dealer invoices from 2017, the work included a major service.

In addition, the rear brake discs and pads were replaced.

The car has covered few miles since.

As we previously mentioned, our seller spent a considerable sum on bodywork repairs, alloy wheel refurbishment and the headlining, so there should be nothing for the new owner to do, other than fire up the big V12 and enjoy the drive.

The most recent MoT was carried out last month, so there is almost a full year to run before the car needs testing again.

BMW still makes luxurious coupes, but the modern rather in-your-face design language is not to everyone’s taste.

This delightful 850i harks back to a gentler time, where money and good taste went hand in hand.

A head-turning car in the day, and even more so now, this rare car is ready for exciting new adventures, so we would suggest you get bidding without delay. These cars don’t come up for sale very often.

We estimate the car will sell for between £24,500 and £29,500.

Viewing is always encouraged, within government guidelines of course. The car is located at our Abingdon headquarters; we are open Mon-Fri 9am-5pm and to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing to make an appointment. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’