A Wizard Is Never Late: 1991 BMW 850CI
The seller of this next car states in a simple sentence: O2 sensors have been cut by previous owner so the car could use a tune up it’s running rich. Umm…BMW V12s never need a simple tune up, they need a few thousand dollars of tune up time at a BMW specialist and they run exactly when they intend to run. Find this 1991 BMW 850CI offered for $5,400 in Richmond, VA via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.
The M50B70 5 liter V12 originally produced 295 horsepower and 330 ft-lbs
of torque and is mated to a 5-spd automatic transmission (some cars
were equipped with a 6 spd manual!). The V12 was a technological
tour-de-force in 1989, using an “alusil” engine block and drive by wire
throttles controlled by twin ECUs.
See a better way to drive a V12? tips@dailyturismo.com
Two ECUs? Bit of an understatement. There's a total of four black boxes to manage the powertrain on these cars – one for the throttle bodies, two for the remaining engine functions, and one for the transmission. One of the worst electrical troubleshooting nightmares ever built.
Looks like they also bypassed those pesky headlight motors as well.
-Stan (whose last BMW was a 2002. And wants to preserve those wonderful memories)
There is much wisdom in Stan