8 Series (E31) BMW E31 - The first gen BMW 8-Series
Design work of the first generation E31 8 Series began in 1984, with final design phase and production development starting in 1986. The car debuted at the 1989 and was produced until 1999. The BMW 8 Series was designed to move beyond the market of the original E24 6 Series, featuring greater performance and an increased price.
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I agree 100% with you bud I love this 8-series it's also one of my favourite BMW coupes, much better looking than the later 6 series models. It was super hitech also, the first car in the world that had retractable windows when the doors unlocked. And the secret M8 was a mega supercar that would have beaten all Ferrari models of the 90's.
Here is some history and development info (from Wikipedia):
Design of the 8 Series began in 1984, with the final design phase and production development starting in 1986. The 8 Series debuted at the Frankfurt Motor Show (IAA) in early September 1989. The 8 Series was designed to move beyond the market of the original 6 Series. The 8 Series had substantially improved performance, however, as well as a far higher purchase price.
Over 1.5 billion Deutsche Mark was spent on total development (2008 USD nearly $1 billion). BMW used CAD tools, still unusual at the time, to design the car's all-new body. Combined with wind tunnel testing, the resulting car had a drag coefficient of 0.29, a major improvement from the previous BMW M6/635CSi's 0.39.
The 8 Series supercar offered the first V-12 engine mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox on a road car. It was the first car to feature CAN bus—a form of multiplex wiring for cars that is now an industry standard. It was also one of the first vehicles to be fitted with an electronic drive-by-wire throttle. The 8 Series was one of BMW's first cars, together with the Z1, to use a multi-linkrear axle.
While CAD modeling allowed the car's unibody to be 8 lb (3 kg) 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. Some of the car's weight may have been due to its pillarless "hardtop" body style, which lacked a "B" post. This body style, originating in the United States in the late 1940s, was abandoned by Detroit in the late 1970s.
Promotional video from 1989:
Here is some history and development info (from Wikipedia):
Design of the 8 Series began in 1984, with the final design phase and production development starting in 1986. The 8 Series debuted at the Frankfurt Motor Show (IAA) in early September 1989. The 8 Series was designed to move beyond the market of the original 6 Series. The 8 Series had substantially improved performance, however, as well as a far higher purchase price.
Over 1.5 billion Deutsche Mark was spent on total development (2008 USD nearly $1 billion). BMW used CAD tools, still unusual at the time, to design the car's all-new body. Combined with wind tunnel testing, the resulting car had a drag coefficient of 0.29, a major improvement from the previous BMW M6/635CSi's 0.39.
The 8 Series supercar offered the first V-12 engine mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox on a road car. It was the first car to feature CAN bus—a form of multiplex wiring for cars that is now an industry standard. It was also one of the first vehicles to be fitted with an electronic drive-by-wire throttle. The 8 Series was one of BMW's first cars, together with the Z1, to use a multi-linkrear axle.
While CAD modeling allowed the car's unibody to be 8 lb (3 kg) 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. Some of the car's weight may have been due to its pillarless "hardtop" body style, which lacked a "B" post. This body style, originating in the United States in the late 1940s, was abandoned by Detroit in the late 1970s.
Promotional video from 1989:
hoffmeister_fan
Kraftwagen König
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It got DeMuro'ed!
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- Rolf
Great review, I enjoyed that he mentions all the unique features and gizmos this car had. It was BMW at its best in styling and innovation and superb engineering in the 90's.
hovabongZA
Tire Trailblazer
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They still do !
slicknick
Driving Dynamics Pro
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Absolutely… Grew up adoring it myself… too bad it was so unloved and didn’t sell all that well
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- Matt
830Ci
8-Series Convertible
M8
They never put these cars into series production, they all seem like epic fails of foresight (with hindsight) to not introduce, but such were the times.
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They started the 8 series on a low point with only one model the 850i/Ci in 1990 and then introduced the 840Ci only 3 years later, whereas the Mercedes R129 SL launched at the same time in 1989/1990 had 3 engines at launch, the 300SL, 300SL-24 and 500SL. As a result the SL outsold the 8-series quite alot. Like you mentioned if they had the 830Ci and M8 as well as a Convertible they probably would have matched the SL sales numbers.
SCOTT27
Lap Time Luminary
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Calypso Red. I like.Another low mileage 850ci that looks almost brand new. What a beautiful car.
SCOTT27
Lap Time Luminary
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Nostalgia. From a time that can never be again. Be grateful you lived through this.Fantastic 1992 8 series brochure
SCOTT27
Lap Time Luminary
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The exclusive “M8” you could buy.Unusual Hartge H2 8 series that looks stunning
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- Matt
The Hartge conversion was anemic by comparison. The M8 would have been a bigger step over this than this was over the 850i power wise, and was, at least as a prototype, considerably lighter. M8 would have absolutely battered it.
The H8-6.0 conversion might have had the slight edge over the Alpina B12 5.7, at least in numbers, but I'd suggest Alpina's subtle exterior mods looked much better than the aftermarket, optional, widebody Hartge offering.
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BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, abbreviated as BMW is a German multinational
manufacturer of luxury vehicles and motorcycles headquartered in Munich, Bavaria, Germany.
The company was founded in 1916 as a manufacturer of aircraft engines, which it produced
from 1917 to 1918 and again from 1933 to 1945.
Official website: BMW (Global), BMW (USA)
Official website: BMW (Global), BMW (USA)
