When BMW launched the E31 8 Series in 1990, the 850i was less a grand tourer and more a rolling engineering demonstration of dominance. Its 5.0 liter M70 V12 fused two inline sixes on a common crank, complete with dual ECUs, dual mass airflow sensors, dual throttles, and a drive by wire system that was […]
The 1989 debut of the BMW E31 8-series marked a shift from its predecessor, the E24 6-series. Elevating itself into a more upscale realm, it boasted top-tier luxuries and exclusively offered V8 or V12 engines. While it might seem like a natural extension of the E24 6-series at first glance, the E31 was an entirely […]
You know what I love better than a gorgeous coupe fitted with a V12 powerplant offered for a reasonable price? One with pop-up headlamps…because fixed beams are for chumps. Yeah, there is only once choice — the BMW E31 8-series. Between 1989 and 1997 BMW sold only 7,000 of the shark nose E31 in North […]
All I want for Christmas is a V12…that’s it. No fancy bluetooth integrated steering wheel and ear heaters or a backup camera that was tuned for THX by George Lucas — I JUST WANT 12 cylinders of gasoline power. Find this 1991 BMW 850i here on eBay offered for $11,950 in Ozone Park, NY with a few […]
The BMW 8-series was only introduced and sold for one single generation –which is odd given the current proliferation of the BMW model ranges. The old 6-series is back and can be had as a 4-door, there is even something called a 4-series, but why haven’t they brought back the old 8? Probably because they […]
The BMW E31 8-series was launched in 1989 as a replacement for the outgoing E24 6-series but moved considerably more upmarket with high end amenities and only V8 or V12 power. Interestingly enough they were never available with Kermit green paint or an engine/trans from the E36 M3, so today’s salvage found 850i is indeed […]
You are a wealthy banker in 1992 you need a ride that will impress your mistress, but won’t break down on the way to your coke dealer…so no finicky supercars. Domestic options are limited (Cadillac Allanté — hah!), so the logical thing to do was head down to your local fancy German car dealer […]
Welcome to another edition of Daily Turismo’s Coffee Brake, where the brakes are smoking hot and the coffee is in a cold drum. Today’s Coffee Brake question comes from DT reader Scirocconuts who writes “Maybe you could do one of those reader questions where the topic is this: find the car with the biggest difference […]
In 1989 BMW released the E31 generation 8-series luxury coupe. From a casual glance, it may look like a successor to the E24 generation 6-series, but it was an entirely different breed of automobile –not simply sharing a chassis with something as pedestrian as the executive class 5-series, but a purpose built luxury machine designed […]
Between 1989 and 1997 BMW sold only 7,000 of the shark nose E31 8-series in North America, a luxury grand tourer meant not to just supersede the E24 6-series, but to also eclipse it in performance, price and prestige. It was available in base configuration with a V8, but real ballers splurged for the V12, […]