I really miss this car. I would take off in this very car from Picton Ontario for long drives north of hwy 7 where traffic is sparse and winding. No matter how long the drive I would never grow tired or bored. Alas I had my fun and never got a speeding ticket despite frequently excursions into the zones the car was built for. lol. The narrator is wrong about it being stock though. I put Eibach springs and Bilstein shocks in it. Before that the handling was terrible due partly to the original shocks being shot when i purchased it. I also put a rear end from a 750 in for better street performance but think it was changed back more recently. I chipped the ecm's as well. New owner has done a fantastic job adding the CSI body panels and it looks like he has fixed the dead pixels on the instrumentation panel. My plate was V12 PWR and now an equally cool plate. I'm very happy that the car went to a true enthusiast who will look after her and continue with the restoration.
I still remember the day, when i first saw this beautiful car on the street in the 90s, so there is something special about it. Greets from the Westcoast, northern Germany.
I had a 1994 850ci by far the best car I have owned, just an absolute dream to drive and the only thing, that passed me on the Autobahn was another 850 lol ( I had kids in the car ). Wish I still had it.
We wish you still had it too! These are fantastic cars, even the 840Cis are worth holding on to. If we had the budget from this show we'd love to find one to keep.
I have a 1997 Oxford Green metallic 840Ci with trunk spoiler and people stop me at traffic lights, ask me to roll down the windows and ask me all about my "beautiful" car. I am not kidding. It happens more often than you think. I love the car.
I test drove and 8 series like this about 25 years ago, the car ran smoothly but felt extremely under powered but the engine growled and purred like a dream.
By today's standards this V12 is insanely underpowered, but back 25 years ago Mercedes had only just launched their V12, so BMW at the time didn't have any real competition to worry about and went with a smoother, less powerful engine.
I clean my E39 with a toothbrush in some places, I'd go another level of crazy with this thing. If that dodgy display and the sunroof fabric were to be fixed it'd be in pretty good condition. But then I guess any bmw guy can attest to how ownership costs can sometimes escalate. And this guy is doing it with a V12 and a rare car!
Those are certainly items to address, and he brought the car out of storage specifically for us to film it so we're happy to have had it as-is. Overall though it's in fantastic shape, especially the exterior. We've spotted very few E31s on the road, and all of them have been rough.
Yeah, I've had 2 including the M8 (CSi euro spec). Get it wrong and she will burn a hole in your pocket like you won't believe. Expensive in its day and still the same to maintain and fix. I mostly see ropey examples with seat twists, faulty DK motors, intake manifold issues and the electronics (multiplex) is aging. A rebuild of the general module or headlight loom is not uncommon. That said, fantastic vehicle with 2 x in-line 6 bolted together to make a v12 with all the ancillaries including 2 x batteries. She will run as a 6 if she has trouble and will still do 100mph. I love them and for all her idiosyncrasies, I wouldn't change a thing.
Absolutely love your videos ESPECIALLY this one. This has to be my favorite car of all time obviously not counting the Testarossa. Thank you for making me obsessed with it all over again. I have to have one!
Nyc hustlers had a bunch of these beemers back in the 1990s.. R.I.P MY BIG BRO HAD THIS IN GREEN WITH RED SEAT GOLD BBS RIMS.. THANK YOU FOR THE MEMORIES!
From the front almost looked like the anticipated e 38!Glad you ' ve got one for testing.The dashboard is WAY AHEAD of it' s time! I ' ve never regretted subscribing to your channel, you get the most information in a short amount of time.
Glad you liked it, thanks! We would have loved to spend a lot more time with this car, but given how little time we actually get to spend with them we think we did alright. Still a car we'd love to feature again though, and drive!
That car is in mint condition. Beautiful. My dad use to be service manager at BMW, so I've driven a few brand new ones out of the box, they are absolutely great. I would love to get my hands on one now, and restore properly.
One of the absolute best cars BMW ever made. We just wish we had the opportunity to feature the E31 again alongside the 2019 M850i which will be going live on Monday.
Wonderful What killed the 850's performance was the crapy 4sp auto. When equipped with the 6sp manual, it was over 1 second fastest to 60. When it was released in 1990, I was amazed to see it in car magazines, usually compared to the Mercedes 500SL. The SL was much faster, auto to auto, it was 6 seconds vs 7.4! Till today, the 850 remains my dream car. An 850 CSI 😍. Nile, you're a great guy, I would be honored to be your friend 👍👍👍
It's very true, that 4 speed automatic feels like a very Mercedes decision, considering most of their 90s vehicles still used one. We're glad we had the chance to feature the 6 speed manual, even if we couldn't drive it ourselves. It gave us a great idea as to how this car performs on the road, and makes us eager to get behind the wheel of the next one!
Real Talk but the SL only exist with the automatic wandler and dont run in 6sec to 60...Maybe 6,8-6,9,it is faster as the 850 with automatic but not in this way
Used to have one same color in and out. I stripped the gears back in the mid 90s. That was a big deal back then. Monster v12, Everybody looked at it back then. At 100 mph, the windows would roll up the car would kick down a notch and boom. You were gone. The danger was it was a complete sleeper. Noiseless completely. Crept up on you like a monster.
That's how a lot of BMWs were in the 90s and early 2000s. We were surprised when we filmed the 2005 M3 ZCP over a year ago how quiet the stock exhaust setup was on a completely original car.
The S600 is a luxury oriented car that weighs over a 2 in a quarter tons hopefully this is a little quicker. This car is super rare. Definitely unique ride. What a car. Purely sport oriented
Both are definitely hard to come by, but I think both cars are similar in weight. We checked some of the historical stats for this car and the W140 S 600 we did, and the 850i was only a tenth of a second quicker in a 0-100km line. Helps the Mercedes had a full litre over the BMW.
This S600 weighs 800 more pounds it is 4900 this is 4100 huge difference. That's the difference between a medium luxury coupe oriented for sport and a pure luxury sedan. Goes to show what Mercedes is a brilliant back in the day and still is. But No doubt this thing is a champ. Should find an r129 comparable to this would love to see that
I’ve drove the 850i in 2007 and it was the first V12 i ever drove and i was so excited that my feet were shaking and it was difficult pressing the brake pedal because of that :)
Closer to the E32 7 Series, especially with the interior layout and design being very similar. We haven't had a chance to feature one of those yet but our hope is to get it done this year, and we'll try to do a comparison with this 8 Series. Probably was just as heavy considering the frame needed to be beefed up for those pillar-less windows.
I daily Drive a ‘93 740i and have a CSi they have a very similar chassis feel because the E31 came from the E32 (and I still want to know how the timing and numbers got reversed!). The CSi weighs 4169 lbs and the 740 weighs 4002. They’re not light but they handle very light. 👍
Glad you liked it, thanks! We had hoped more people would have been interested in the E31, but we're surprised it has so few views compared with the other two cars we filmed at the same time as this.
Having owned a 1992 850i I wouldn't say it looks modern however it doesn't look dated. I love the rear of the car it has the retro 80's and early 90's look but seeing the rear wings bulge out and mine had the Alpina wheels (however the tyres had too little profile) it looked stunning, I also love how the cockpit wraps around you also and centers the whole car around you
We hope we get the chance to feature more classics like this, it's great seeing the latest and greatest in the automotive world, but these are the cars that excite us the most.
I have simultaneously owned a 1995 840Ci, a 1991 928 Gt and a 1995 W140 cl600 coupe, over the years I got to do multiple maintenance items on all of them. After almost 10 years I have some experience with all of them...the good and the bad, so let me share some aspects: 1. All were build very, very solidly. You CANNOT, again...CANNOT find a similar built car of TODAY at ANY price. Those cars were BUILT not ASSEMBLED like the new ones. It is a huge difference that you can SEE, TOUCH, FEEL an even SMELL ( all 3 have a distinct quality smell of the materials in the cabin, today's luxury cars smell the same like plastic...). That' s the reason they shoot in value...You won't find this quality and craftsmanship any more today. Period. 2. The E31 was technollogically years ahead from Porsche and MBenz, in all aspects: chassis, comfort and electronics. Way more advanced! 3. The e31 is the most accurate and surefooted at speeds over 200km/h, the 928 is close though. 4. The cl600 v12 engine is a beast but overall the e31 is smoother and much sharper. 5. All have phenomenal brakes, the e31 does 70 to 0 mph in under 100ft. ( tested in 1995)Just like the best mega bucks carbo ceramic of today!
Definitely not, but I think a large number of the V12s were offered in North America with the manuals. We might be wrong, since a lot of the information on the E31 is hard to come by, but it seems like all the V8s sold here were automatic, and the V12s were either a 4 speed auto or 6 speed manual.
Nice video! My dad has one in a wine-red colorway. The V12 runs so smooth that it almost feels like flying, the design seems to me like the perfect mixture of minimalism and elegance. I just love this car lol.
....the 8series is soooo awesome, so beautiful !!! Here in Germany you can find some realy nice "firstowner" cars from older poeple´s ....but the prices are unbelievable high....and this starternoise....AWESOME !!!
They're getting expensive over here too unfortunately! We'd love to own one of these, but as nice as the 850i is, the wood and leather interior on the 850CSi makes a huge difference.
The most beautiful BMW ever made. This thing is going to shoot up in value hugely over the next 2 or 3 years, you can right now get an 840ci automatic for around $15,000 in decent shape with a little over a hundred thousand miles. In a couple years that same cars going to be 50000 Plus. This is a exotic car hidden in plain sight.
We definitely agree that the prices are going to start appreciating. Maybe not by that much, and maybe not for the V8s, but the V12s are going to go up for sure, and anyone with a CSi will either be excited to sell for a higher price, or keep it knowing it's worth more than ever.
I was so close to buy this beauty in 2005 but couldn't due to non availability of a clean car in the vacinity. Still I am in love with this one and E38 2001 model
There is this mechanic shop near where I live that has one of these sitting in there lot. I remember the first time i saw it I knew this wasn't just any old bmw, and since I've moved here about 3 years now I always pass by it and its always there sitting in that lot. I probaly should go and ask to take a closer look and wonder if they would sell it. I definitely would love to have one those BMW's
If you're able to buy one of these at a good price, jump on it. There's a local wrecker here in our area that thinks his beaten up 850i is worth $25,000 CAD after it spent the whole winter with the driver's door and trunk open.
I think it's possible! Might not be an E31 transmission, but the owner of this car is the same as the 2000 BMW 750iL we featured last year, and he does own a manual E38 that he swapped himself.
In this one? Should be the original, it's a factory 6 speed. BMW was using ZF automatic transmissions at the time, I'm not sure if the manual would have come from them or not though.
Had the v12 - maintenance was intolerable; got a V8 and it drives almost identically with a better exhaust sound in 0-60 area; Big difference with V12 is high end as power and pull are just linear to seemingly forever. Now get this one into the shop for several $thousand of needed service.
That's a really great point. The same is being said about the current 8 Series, but the Coupé and Gran Coupé we've driven so far are insanely good, and continue with the grand tourer ethos this E31 created for BMW.
It's definitely true that the CSi is the king, but this car was seriously enjoyable to film. It's been on our list for quite some time and we're glad we had the chance to film it!
Glow in the dark Cop csi is kinda like m850. Stronger engine, better looks and better suspension and more expensive. It had the s70b56 engine which is the base of the mclaren f1 engine (s70/2)
M8 {or CSi) wbs prefixed vin 6spd euro spex with rear wheel electro hydro steering is the one.. It was my dream car and then I got one. Crazy at 290kph!
Love these...worked on one too ... Many parts are bespoke to this model and mega bucks ... Electrics too are a minefield with its double ecu setup ...maybe the prettiest car ever
That's certainly true, the parts aren't going to be cheap especially now. It's a marvellous car though, we're really glad we had the chance to feature it.
Possibly one of the most beautiful cars ever produced. Timeless, simple, athletic, sexy design....much prettier than the 2nd generation " 6 Series on Steroids" Having owned a 12 and currently drive a 8 cylinder, there are plenty of reasons to avoid the 12 cylinder - primarily mechanical repair costs and gas mileage.
in europe we have quite a few manual V12s ... here the 840s with the V8 engines are more prone to have automatic ... and tbh i hav not found one V8 that is manual in europe on any sales site so far
@@PRNTestDrive wonder if the 8V was even availible as a manual , do you know that ? i know if you take the speed limter out from the V12 it goes beyond 300 km/h ... at least some people told so if i m not mistaken ...
It's on our list! We actually were planning another trip back to the Toronto area next week, but the vehicle we have booked with BMW is limited for milage, so our hope to film a mint E32 will be postponed for a little while. Hoping to get the chance to feature it in the summer!
Meh, we often reply to dumb comments on mobile where the YT Studio app doesn’t show us which video the comment was left on, probably mistook it for a different car. Either way, complaints about minor things are dumb.
We think so too! The new 8 Series will only help push resale value of this car, especially if the new one doesn't capture the driving essence the way this one did. I think people expected the i8 to be the spiritual successor to this, and likely helped re-sale value since it wasn't the car most enthusiasts hoped for.
Hi PRN. Thanks for reply! The reason why I'm asking about its value is that I bought one 4 months ago, a -92 IA V12, imported from UAE to Sweden. First owner was (believe it or not) a prince, he bought it in -92 but didn't pick it up until -95 when the dealer contacted him and asked him if he wants to pick up the car or not. (He had forgotten that he had purchased the car in -92) The prince later sold it to a Swedish constructor working for the prince, the constructor later (2002) brought it to Sweden where he had it until summer of 2017 when he sadly passed away of a heart attack. I got to know him back in 2010 til his passing, we became good friends, every time we met I would mess around with him telling him I would buy his crappy BMW for a dollar or two... :) , anyway, when he passed away his wife approached me asking me if I would want to buy the car? (she was getting rid of everything that reminded of him, she couldn't stand the memories), and I said yes. With just 80K miles since 1992, I bought it for $7500. Little did I know that he had not maintained the car at all during the time he had it, there's not even a service booklet! So I've spend another $7500 on reparation and parts, full paint job due to rust and interior fix up. Hence the question of value, will I get my $15000 back when the new 850 arrives? I sure hope so! :) :) :) I like your vids, Keep up the good work! / Kean. PS: I have another V12 sitting in my garage, a 2005 S65 AMG with just 37000 miles on it. Feel free to check it out on FB page: AMG of Sweden.
Hopefully that's something we can do down the road! Right now we only have the one GoPro, and it's not super reliable. We're hoping to expand our gear down the road so we can get better shots like that!
The 12 cylinder is basically two inline 6's that are mated and many components appear twice - such as the water pump. Having owned a 1991 850i, I can say from experience that it is very pricey to repair these cars. I do miss the car after selling it. Electronics are still an issue - most obvious is the General Module in the dash below the steering wheel. The most common complaint is actually outside temperature related: Under 40F, the contacts in the GM don't work accurately and the windows, wipers, courtesy lights and door locks will not work - or they will flash on/off intermittently. This creates a real problem because the windows seal into the roof - and you won't be able to get in the car. If this starts happening to you best leave one of the windows down about 1 inch during colder weather.
Good to know! We had a little more trouble finding common issues with this car since so few of them actually exist, the enthusiast community around them is much smaller than other BMWs we've featured so far. It's definitely true that you need to have deeper pockets for maintenance and repairs on a car like this.
I almost got a white one, bought for the guys wife. 13,000 way back in 1994, I think. All special front ,side and rear panels. However......service charges were 1200 quid minimum every time.
Ended up getting that done after returning from Toronto. We really had no time leading up to this trip to change my appointment and get fit in. I’ve found it much harder finding a decent barber out here.
A lot of the classic supercars/performance cars can be beaten in a straight line and on a track by a lot of modern consumer cars. It would be a really interesting drag race to do with those two though!
Currently there are two E31 850Ci models for sale in Canada on AutoTrader.ca, a 93 manual black on beige for about $32,000 CAD, and a 91 silver on maybe grey with no information for about $7,800 CAD.
One of the best looking cars of all time and one of my favorite BMWs 😍
Agreed! We truly love the design of this car, can't go wrong with pop-up headlights!
Pillarless windows are so dope
Can't argue there! Gives the car such a clean look, especially with the rest of it's design.
This car is so gorgeous
We think so too! Easily one of the best colours you could have gotten a car like this finished in.
For that car to be that old dammm it looks good
Not old, old things age and disappear, the word is CLASSIC, Classic things are eternal, they stay forever in your history.
until it opens its eyes
@@PRNTestDriveHOW MUCH MONEY YOU NEED TO FIX THAT RUFF 😂😂😂😂😂 LAZY MAN.AND REMOVE THAT UGLY PATCH ON STEERING WHEEL!!!
I really miss this car. I would take off in this very car from Picton Ontario for long drives north of hwy 7 where traffic is sparse and winding. No matter how long the drive I would never grow tired or bored. Alas I had my fun and never got a speeding ticket despite frequently excursions into the zones the car was built for. lol. The narrator is wrong about it being stock though. I put Eibach springs and Bilstein shocks in it. Before that the handling was terrible due partly to the original shocks being shot when i purchased it. I also put a rear end from a 750 in for better street performance but think it was changed back more recently. I chipped the ecm's as well. New owner has done a fantastic job adding the CSI body panels and it looks like he has fixed the dead pixels on the instrumentation panel. My plate was V12 PWR and now an equally cool plate. I'm very happy that the car went to a true enthusiast who will look after her and continue with the restoration.
Very cool that you can see what happened with your car! Something I wish I could say for mine.
I still remember the day, when i first saw this beautiful car on the street in the 90s, so there is something special about it. Greets from the Westcoast, northern Germany.
There's still something special about it all these years later!
I had a 1994 850ci by far the best car I have owned, just an absolute dream to drive and the only thing, that passed me on the Autobahn was another 850 lol ( I had kids in the car ). Wish I still had it.
We wish you still had it too! These are fantastic cars, even the 840Cis are worth holding on to. If we had the budget from this show we'd love to find one to keep.
Since you owned one, how reliable was the car mechanical wise? Engine n tranny.. i come across one and I'm debating in it
My dream car 4 a long time.
Great dream car to have!
I have a 1997 Oxford Green metallic 840Ci with trunk spoiler and people stop me at traffic lights, ask me to roll down the windows and ask me all about my "beautiful" car. I am not kidding. It happens more often than you think. I love the car.
That's awesome to hear! Especially with that colour I'm sure people notice it. Green on a 80s/90s BMW is just perfect.
You deserve more subscribers for this quality content you put out
We hope to get more! Thanks!
Agreed
This is one car that was way ahead of its time
Agreed! We'd love to be able to spend more time with it.
Another great car review. Thanks for this. 8-series is definitely a classic.
Glad you liked it, thanks! We love when we get the chance to feature classics like this.
I test drove and 8 series like this about 25 years ago, the car ran smoothly but felt extremely under powered but the engine growled and purred like a dream.
By today's standards this V12 is insanely underpowered, but back 25 years ago Mercedes had only just launched their V12, so BMW at the time didn't have any real competition to worry about and went with a smoother, less powerful engine.
I dream about this car.
So do we!
amazing car! i wish the new 8 series had a manual transmission too..
One of the reasons why the E31 will only grow in value!
I clean my E39 with a toothbrush in some places, I'd go another level of crazy with this thing. If that dodgy display and the sunroof fabric were to be fixed it'd be in pretty good condition. But then I guess any bmw guy can attest to how ownership costs can sometimes escalate. And this guy is doing it with a V12 and a rare car!
Those are certainly items to address, and he brought the car out of storage specifically for us to film it so we're happy to have had it as-is. Overall though it's in fantastic shape, especially the exterior. We've spotted very few E31s on the road, and all of them have been rough.
Yeah, I've had 2 including the M8 (CSi euro spec). Get it wrong and she will burn a hole in your pocket like you won't believe. Expensive in its day and still the same to maintain and fix. I mostly see ropey examples with seat twists, faulty DK motors, intake manifold issues and the electronics (multiplex) is aging. A rebuild of the general module or headlight loom is not uncommon. That said, fantastic vehicle with 2 x in-line 6 bolted together to make a v12 with all the ancillaries including 2 x batteries. She will run as a 6 if she has trouble and will still do 100mph. I love them and for all her idiosyncrasies, I wouldn't change a thing.
Absolutely love your videos ESPECIALLY this one. This has to be my favorite car of all time obviously not counting the Testarossa. Thank you for making me obsessed with it all over again. I have to have one!
Glad I could help!
Nyc hustlers had a bunch of these beemers back in the 1990s.. R.I.P MY BIG BRO HAD THIS IN GREEN WITH RED SEAT GOLD BBS RIMS.. THANK YOU FOR THE MEMORIES!
NEVER OBEY memories yes paid in full.
Glad you liked it! I'm sure there were plenty of these cars in NYC back then! I'm sure there's still a bunch of them hidden away somewhere too.
WOW Dude!
You right man... I remember seeing this car in green back in the days maybe with a set of Antera or Momo weels.
there are 8 movies with this car in it, mostly bad guys
Exactly
Compared to the new 8 series this is an amazing looking car considering its almost 30 years age
We agree! If the new 8 Series goes into production I imagine it will only bump up the price of the E31 as people look to add it to their collection.
From the front almost looked like the anticipated e 38!Glad you ' ve got one for testing.The dashboard is WAY AHEAD of it' s time!
I ' ve never regretted subscribing to your channel, you get the most information in a short amount of time.
Glad you liked it, thanks! We would have loved to spend a lot more time with this car, but given how little time we actually get to spend with them we think we did alright. Still a car we'd love to feature again though, and drive!
That car is in mint condition. Beautiful. My dad use to be service manager at BMW, so I've driven a few brand new ones out of the box, they are absolutely great. I would love to get my hands on one now, and restore properly.
I hear ya, I'd love to own one of these if I could!
Wobble is a worn pitman and idler arm. Replace those and your tie rods and it’ll have really tight and responsive steering
Fair enough
This is the first time I see a red 850. Not disappointed at all!!! What a gorgeous car! I'd have it in my room and sleep beside it!
Looks even better in person!
OMG what a beautiful car. They nailed this design.
One of the absolute best cars BMW ever made. We just wish we had the opportunity to feature the E31 again alongside the 2019 M850i which will be going live on Monday.
Manual v11 coupe pop up headlights a wet dream come to life
We're going to keep seeing these appreciate in value as people look for classic mechanical cars like this.
I've owned a lot of BMWs since 1975 (1968 1600 thru 2017 650i). Hands down the 850i was my favorite of all time.
It's one of those cars that just remains timeless. We'd love to own one of these, but for now we're thankful we had the opportunity to feature one.
I'm 18 and this was my favourite bmw car and i hope to get one in the future
It's a good dream car to have!
Wonderful
What killed the 850's performance was the crapy 4sp auto.
When equipped with the 6sp manual, it was over 1 second fastest to 60.
When it was released in 1990, I was amazed to see it in car magazines, usually compared to the Mercedes 500SL.
The SL was much faster, auto to auto, it was 6 seconds vs 7.4!
Till today, the 850 remains my dream car. An 850 CSI 😍.
Nile, you're a great guy, I would be honored to be your friend 👍👍👍
It's very true, that 4 speed automatic feels like a very Mercedes decision, considering most of their 90s vehicles still used one. We're glad we had the chance to feature the 6 speed manual, even if we couldn't drive it ourselves. It gave us a great idea as to how this car performs on the road, and makes us eager to get behind the wheel of the next one!
Real Talk but the SL only exist with the automatic wandler and dont run in 6sec to 60...Maybe 6,8-6,9,it is faster as the 850 with automatic but not in this way
Used to have one same color in and out. I stripped the gears back in the mid 90s. That was a big deal back then. Monster v12, Everybody looked at it back then. At 100 mph, the windows would roll up the car would kick down a notch and boom. You were gone. The danger was it was a complete sleeper. Noiseless completely. Crept up on you like a monster.
That's how a lot of BMWs were in the 90s and early 2000s. We were surprised when we filmed the 2005 M3 ZCP over a year ago how quiet the stock exhaust setup was on a completely original car.
The S600 is a luxury oriented car that weighs over a 2 in a quarter tons hopefully this is a little quicker. This car is super rare. Definitely unique ride. What a car. Purely sport oriented
Both are definitely hard to come by, but I think both cars are similar in weight. We checked some of the historical stats for this car and the W140 S 600 we did, and the 850i was only a tenth of a second quicker in a 0-100km line. Helps the Mercedes had a full litre over the BMW.
This S600 weighs 800 more pounds it is 4900 this is 4100 huge difference. That's the difference between a medium luxury coupe oriented for sport and a pure luxury sedan. Goes to show what Mercedes is a brilliant back in the day and still is. But No doubt this thing is a champ. Should find an r129 comparable to this would love to see that
Great video !! Very nice car.
I’ve drove the 850i in 2007 and it was the first V12 i ever drove and i was so excited that my feet were shaking and it was difficult pressing the brake pedal because of that :)
I’m sure it was exciting! There’s something really special about driving a V12, especially one like this!
Is it so different from an e38 ? (excluding style aspects) Is is nearly as heavy if I remember.
Closer to the E32 7 Series, especially with the interior layout and design being very similar. We haven't had a chance to feature one of those yet but our hope is to get it done this year, and we'll try to do a comparison with this 8 Series. Probably was just as heavy considering the frame needed to be beefed up for those pillar-less windows.
I daily Drive a ‘93 740i and have a CSi they have a very similar chassis feel because the E31 came from the E32 (and I still want to know how the timing and numbers got reversed!). The CSi weighs 4169 lbs and the 740 weighs 4002. They’re not light but they handle very light. 👍
I'm a die hard 8 series fan, loved the content. Thank you for the review mate, you do a great job. Keep it up, all the best.
Glad you liked it, thanks! We had hoped more people would have been interested in the E31, but we're surprised it has so few views compared with the other two cars we filmed at the same time as this.
Having owned a 1992 850i I wouldn't say it looks modern however it doesn't look dated. I love the rear of the car it has the retro 80's and early 90's look but seeing the rear wings bulge out and mine had the Alpina wheels (however the tyres had too little profile) it looked stunning, I also love how the cockpit wraps around you also and centers the whole car around you
BMW was great at making the interior's very driver-focused. Some manufacturers are starting to do that now.
U mean it feels like it wraps around the driver?
I first saw the 850i at a farmer's expo in 1992, together with the then M5. Loved them both!
Very cool! I would love to feature the M5 from this era.
Love your videos man!! 👌🏼
Thank you! We love getting the chance to feature classics like this 850i.
Also thanks to the car owner, who lets us participate with this dream car. The design is timeless!
Great point! We’re very lucky with all the classic cars we get to film that the owners are willing to share them with us to share with the world.
Great review. Easy to listen to
We really appreciate that, thanks!
I'm so glad it isn't forgotten
We hope we get the chance to feature more classics like this, it's great seeing the latest and greatest in the automotive world, but these are the cars that excite us the most.
As usually a nicely done review. Do keep up the good job sir. You have a loyal fan here.
Glad to hear it, and we're really glad you liked it! We thought some people might not have been happy that we couldn't drive it ourselves.
I have simultaneously owned a 1995 840Ci, a 1991 928 Gt and a 1995 W140 cl600 coupe, over the years I got to do multiple maintenance items on all of them. After almost 10 years I have some experience with all of them...the good and the bad, so let me share some aspects:
1. All were build very, very solidly. You CANNOT, again...CANNOT find a similar built car of TODAY at ANY price. Those cars were BUILT not ASSEMBLED like the new ones. It is a huge difference that you can SEE, TOUCH, FEEL an even SMELL ( all 3 have a distinct quality smell of the materials in the cabin, today's luxury cars smell the same like plastic...). That' s the reason they shoot in value...You won't find this quality and craftsmanship any more today. Period.
2. The E31 was technollogically years ahead from Porsche and MBenz, in all aspects: chassis, comfort and electronics. Way more advanced!
3. The e31 is the most accurate and surefooted at speeds over 200km/h, the 928 is close though.
4. The cl600 v12 engine is a beast but overall the e31 is smoother and much sharper.
5. All have phenomenal brakes, the e31 does 70 to 0 mph in under 100ft. ( tested in 1995)Just like the best mega bucks carbo ceramic of today!
Thanks for sharing! The E31 really was, and still is, a phenomenal machine. These are going to continue to appreciate in value as time goes on.
@@PRNTestDrive Thanks for that.
WOW! Dude this is a very nice and beautiful car. Well made video.
Glad you liked it, thanks! We had hoped there would have been more interest in this car, but sometimes they can be really hit or miss.
Don’t worry....
In sure many people had a blast with this video. Keep it up.
Don't see these in manual very often, nice review!
Definitely not, but I think a large number of the V12s were offered in North America with the manuals. We might be wrong, since a lot of the information on the E31 is hard to come by, but it seems like all the V8s sold here were automatic, and the V12s were either a 4 speed auto or 6 speed manual.
Nice video! My dad has one in a wine-red colorway. The V12 runs so smooth that it almost feels like flying, the design seems to me like the perfect mixture of minimalism and elegance. I just love this car lol.
We love it too! The owner of this V12 has another 840Ci in that wine-red colour that he uses for winter. Gorgeous cars!
....the 8series is soooo awesome, so beautiful !!! Here in Germany you can find some realy nice "firstowner" cars from older poeple´s ....but the prices are unbelievable high....and this starternoise....AWESOME !!!
They're getting expensive over here too unfortunately! We'd love to own one of these, but as nice as the 850i is, the wood and leather interior on the 850CSi makes a huge difference.
My favorite BMW model E31 still willing to own one day and this car are going up in value. But I love my E38 and willing to keep mine for years.
These cars are definitely going to shoot up in price, that's for sure!
The most beautiful BMW ever made. This thing is going to shoot up in value hugely over the next 2 or 3 years, you can right now get an 840ci automatic for around $15,000 in decent shape with a little over a hundred thousand miles. In a couple years that same cars going to be 50000 Plus. This is a exotic car hidden in plain sight.
We definitely agree that the prices are going to start appreciating. Maybe not by that much, and maybe not for the V8s, but the V12s are going to go up for sure, and anyone with a CSi will either be excited to sell for a higher price, or keep it knowing it's worth more than ever.
The 840Ci is the more practical and will appreciate much more than the 850i
I was so close to buy this beauty in 2005 but couldn't due to non availability of a clean car in the vacinity. Still I am in love with this one and E38 2001 model
They're even harder to find these days, they come up but a nice example will set you back quite a lot more than it would have in 2005.
Love the sqaure tail pipes, one of the only classic bmws to have them
Very true! Certainly goes with the more square-ish design the 8 Series has.
Deutsche Wertarbeit ;) seriously one of the most beautiful cars in my mind. Good Video allso. Keep it up.
Greetings from Munich / Germany
One of my favourites, I'm really glad to see this video has picked up in popularity recently.
Can you get the non CSI in manual ?
Yes, like this one it's just a regular Ci/i and came with the manual from the factory. I believe the 840i also came as a manual.
There is this mechanic shop near where I live that has one of these sitting in there lot. I remember the first time i saw it I knew this wasn't just any old bmw, and since I've moved here about 3 years now I always pass by it and its always there sitting in that lot. I probaly should go and ask to take a closer look and wonder if they would sell it. I definitely would love to have one those BMW's
If you're able to buy one of these at a good price, jump on it. There's a local wrecker here in our area that thinks his beaten up 850i is worth $25,000 CAD after it spent the whole winter with the driver's door and trunk open.
Wonder if i could fit a manual transmission from this to my 750il e38 ?
I think it's possible! Might not be an E31 transmission, but the owner of this car is the same as the 2000 BMW 750iL we featured last year, and he does own a manual E38 that he swapped himself.
Perpetual Radio Networks omg i found someone who did it !!!! is it too late to ask the model of transmission ?
In this one? Should be the original, it's a factory 6 speed. BMW was using ZF automatic transmissions at the time, I'm not sure if the manual would have come from them or not though.
Timeless…it’s still gorgeous in 2024
Absolutely is!
Own a e38 but e31 is Lvl up!!
Great upload 👍🤙
Thanks! 👍
You're a good man......you're doing very good...you fit in any car reviewed 👌at one point thought the seat belt was going to strange you though.
There's only one other car I've sat in that I felt that way, and it was a 2020 Ford EcoSport.
Had the v12 - maintenance was intolerable; got a V8 and it drives almost identically with a better exhaust sound in 0-60 area; Big difference with V12 is high end as power and pull are just linear to seemingly forever. Now get this one into the shop for several $thousand of needed service.
Fair enough
LOL 2:47 made me laugh, but you are real asf bro... Great video, great channel.. Keep showing us these classy old whips
Thanks! We'd love to feature more of the older stuff, it's just hard getting them.
How many people remember the bad press this car received at the time? Reminds a lot of what BMW is facing today with it's bold new design direction.
That's a really great point. The same is being said about the current 8 Series, but the Coupé and Gran Coupé we've driven so far are insanely good, and continue with the grand tourer ethos this E31 created for BMW.
I just now Subscribed because of this video
I'm glad to hear that, thank you! We've got quite a few classic luxury car episodes on our Channel, and we're hoping to add to that in 2020.
PRN_TestDrive right on brother. I’m a true gearhead, so whichever performance car, or luxury car you review I will gladly watch
The best bmw ever (second best 'cause csi is the best) and the reason I'm a car guy ❤
It's definitely true that the CSi is the king, but this car was seriously enjoyable to film. It's been on our list for quite some time and we're glad we had the chance to film it!
296 vs 372 hp.
Glow in the dark Cop csi is kinda like m850. Stronger engine, better looks and better suspension and more expensive. It had the s70b56 engine which is the base of the mclaren f1 engine (s70/2)
Glow in the dark Cop come on man. Seriously?
BMW E24 M6: am I nothing to you?
M8 {or CSi) wbs prefixed vin 6spd euro spex with rear wheel electro hydro steering is the one.. It was my dream car and then I got one. Crazy at 290kph!
Finding an 850CSi is a dream of mine, the prices for them have skyrocketed to the point where only collectors can own them.
Love these...worked on one too ... Many parts are bespoke to this model and mega bucks ... Electrics too are a minefield with its double ecu setup ...maybe the prettiest car ever
That's certainly true, the parts aren't going to be cheap especially now. It's a marvellous car though, we're really glad we had the chance to feature it.
Buying an 840i instead does away with the double ECU, and alot of the other insane V12 parts prices.
What a nice car. Great and thanx
We had a blast filming it!
Beautiful car. I don't think I'll see those at Pick and Pull where I get my parts for my E39.
Very unlikely, especially if you’re in Canada as the owner of this one ends up buying any destined for the scrap yard.
I like the cockpit, hazard position, and head rest.
That's a great way to refer to it, a cockpit!
My favorite BMW
Seems to be the favourite for a lot of people, we've had a lot of views on this episode recently.
Possibly one of the most beautiful cars ever produced. Timeless, simple, athletic, sexy design....much prettier than the 2nd generation " 6 Series on Steroids" Having owned a 12 and currently drive a 8 cylinder, there are plenty of reasons to avoid the 12 cylinder - primarily mechanical repair costs and gas mileage.
We're hoping to get the chance to try out one of the 840is.
Best coupe of all time? I think so..
We really love the E31, it should continue to appreciate over time, especially if the next 8 Series actually goes into production.
Certainly one of them
I'll say #2 only a tad behind the CL amg vehicles
gorgeous car absolutely stunning
We think so too, such a great looking vehicle especially in this popping colour!
This has been my dream car since I was 11years old ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
It's a great dream car to have too! Such a beautiful design that has aged insanely well over the decades.
I would love to see one of these in Kitchener, ON!
You might see one, even this one! The owner does take it out to car meets and shows, so there's always a possibility!
in europe we have quite a few manual V12s ... here the 840s with the V8 engines are more prone to have automatic ... and tbh i hav not found one V8 that is manual in europe on any sales site so far
It's about the same here, any of the V8s I find online for sale have the automatic.
@@PRNTestDrive wonder if the 8V was even availible as a manual , do you know that ? i know if you take the speed limter out from the V12 it goes beyond 300 km/h ... at least some people told so if i m not mistaken ...
Best BMW ever.
Agreed!
What a beautiful car this and the Porsche 928
That's another car we'd love to feature!
I can’t wait to have this
We'd love to have one of these as a toy, absolutely phenomenal to be able to feature.
How did you achieve the wavy camera on still shots that make me motion sick?
Time code?
Please make testdrive on E32!!
It's on our list! We actually were planning another trip back to the Toronto area next week, but the vehicle we have booked with BMW is limited for milage, so our hope to film a mint E32 will be postponed for a little while. Hoping to get the chance to feature it in the summer!
no problem till waiting!!
735 or 750?
I have a '92 750IL (black), and a '92 850i (silver). Mint. Perfect interiors and all. Your fans would LOVE them. In Texas though.
where in Texas are you? i'm in Dallas and have a facelifted E38 750
1:42 nice sunroof headliner 😆
Sorry this 17 year old car wasn't perfect for you.
Perpetual Radio Networks it’s 27 years old, your math is worse than the sunroof trim 😂
Meh, we often reply to dumb comments on mobile where the YT Studio app doesn’t show us which video the comment was left on, probably mistook it for a different car. Either way, complaints about minor things are dumb.
I am in love for this car.
So are we!
Will these cars be worth more in 2-5 years when the new gen 850 arrives???
mikealanzo more than likely
Great! Thanks for reply :)
We think so too! The new 8 Series will only help push resale value of this car, especially if the new one doesn't capture the driving essence the way this one did. I think people expected the i8 to be the spiritual successor to this, and likely helped re-sale value since it wasn't the car most enthusiasts hoped for.
Hi PRN. Thanks for reply! The reason why I'm asking about its value is that I bought one 4 months ago, a -92 IA V12, imported from UAE to Sweden. First owner was (believe it or not) a prince, he bought it in -92 but didn't pick it up until -95 when the dealer contacted him and asked him if he wants to pick up the car or not. (He had forgotten that he had purchased the car in -92) The prince later sold it to a Swedish constructor working for the prince, the constructor later (2002) brought it to Sweden where he had it until summer of 2017 when he sadly passed away of a heart attack. I got to know him back in 2010 til his passing, we became good friends, every time we met I would mess around with him telling him I would buy his crappy BMW for a dollar or two... :) , anyway, when he passed away his wife approached me asking me if I would want to buy the car? (she was getting rid of everything that reminded of him, she couldn't stand the memories), and I said yes. With just 80K miles since 1992, I bought it for $7500. Little did I know that he had not maintained the car at all during the time he had it, there's not even a service booklet! So I've spend another $7500 on reparation and parts, full paint job due to rust and interior fix up. Hence the question of value, will I get my $15000 back when the new 850 arrives? I sure hope so! :) :) :) I like your vids, Keep up the good work! / Kean. PS: I have another V12 sitting in my garage, a 2005 S65 AMG with just 37000 miles on it. Feel free to check it out on FB page: AMG of Sweden.
Are you going to do a test drive on the e32 7-series? Preferably 750il
It’s on our list! We have found an owner in Toronto with an E32 750iL, next time we plan a trip out there we’ll try to film it.
BMW 850i
I LOOOOOOVE IT❤❤❤❤❤❤
It's a really special car!
Gotta love the M pack lips, changes the appearance from a hammerhead shark to a badass instantly
Definitely! The changes are relatively subtle but worth it!
Beautiful color, all 8 series are white or black, this one is red, and thumbs up for the plate :D
Can't go wrong with a nice custom plate! The only other E31s we've spotted in person have all been black, red is certainly a solid choice though!
yes, i see only 1 8 series on the road and it was white, so much more bland
Great car, specially in red and great video. It would have been nice to have some shots of the gauges while the car was running / during the pulls.
Hopefully that's something we can do down the road! Right now we only have the one GoPro, and it's not super reliable. We're hoping to expand our gear down the road so we can get better shots like that!
Thank you very much for taking the time to answer my comment.
I am looking forward to watching your new videos, mostly BMWs, on many angles...
If its for sale I am interested
It's not, unfortunately.
My grandpa used to own a 1991 maroon 850i since new 😎
Very nice!
Gorgeous car.
It sure is!
Best Bmw Model ever....
We think so too, which is why we've been surprised that this episode wasn't as popular as most of the other classic cars we've featured.
The 12 cylinder is basically two inline 6's that are mated and many components appear twice - such as the water pump. Having owned a 1991 850i, I can say from experience that it is very pricey to repair these cars. I do miss the car after selling it. Electronics are still an issue - most obvious is the General Module in the dash below the steering wheel. The most common complaint is actually outside temperature related: Under 40F, the contacts in the GM don't work accurately and the windows, wipers, courtesy lights and door locks will not work - or they will flash on/off intermittently. This creates a real problem because the windows seal into the roof - and you won't be able to get in the car. If this starts happening to you best leave one of the windows down about 1 inch during colder weather.
Good to know! We had a little more trouble finding common issues with this car since so few of them actually exist, the enthusiast community around them is much smaller than other BMWs we've featured so far. It's definitely true that you need to have deeper pockets for maintenance and repairs on a car like this.
shaf811 how much did the car cost you
I almost got a white one, bought for the guys wife. 13,000 way back in 1994, I think. All special front ,side and rear panels.
However......service charges were 1200 quid minimum every time.
I can believe it, and even today it'll still cost quite a bit for service unless you're able to do it all yourself.
One of my fav all time motors, all this car needs is a set of bbs rc090 rims
Need to fix the number plate lights and put the original steering back on as well
Fair enough!
Nile my man. Nice video. Keep your hair in check, you gotta be camera ready!
Ended up getting that done after returning from Toronto. We really had no time leading up to this trip to change my appointment and get fit in. I’ve found it much harder finding a decent barber out here.
This is the car Robert De Niro drove in Heat. It's gorgeous but I was surprised to find a modern 120d pretty much matches its performance!
A lot of the classic supercars/performance cars can be beaten in a straight line and on a track by a lot of modern consumer cars. It would be a really interesting drag race to do with those two though!
how much ????
Currently there are two E31 850Ci models for sale in Canada on AutoTrader.ca, a 93 manual black on beige for about $32,000 CAD, and a 91 silver on maybe grey with no information for about $7,800 CAD.
beautiful car
We think so too, it's one of our favourites!
The time when there was no law of distracted driving over using a phone while driving, car factories even made them built in the cars lol
I wonder what tech we take for granted today that will be illegal in cars 20 years from now.
Anddd such an awesome shape the 8 series.
Agreed! A really unique design in BMW's lineup.
My dream sports car
Great car to have as a dream!