From 1990 to 1999, BMW made one of the most technically advanced cars ever- the E31 8-series. It was not a replacement to the departing E24 6 series, but was a luxury coupe that would have BMW’s driving precision with the technology, luxuries, and amenities of the 90s.
The most special of the E31 8 series cars is the 850CSi. Not for being the fastest or having the strongest motorsports pedigree, but because of the mystique behind how the 850CSi came to be.
At first, BMW offered 2 trims on the 8 series - 840ci and the 850ci. The 40ci was powered initially by a 4.0L V8 (M60B40) and later a 4.4L V8 (M62B44), the same as the one in the epic E39 540i. The 50ci was powered by a 5.0L V12 (M70B50).
So how does the 850CSi fit in all of this? Well, BMW wanted to make a Ferrari competitor top of the line 8 series and call it the M8. This car was to have a 550 hp version of the V12 that was in the 850ci, boxed flares for more cooling, individual throttle bodies, a stripped out lightweight interior, racing seats, and as much tech as BMW had at their fingertips at the time.
The engineers at M presented the car to BMW executives, but unfortunately, due to the 90s economic crisis,making the M8 wouldn’t be profitable, so the idea was scrapped. Only one M8 had been built, and surprisingly enough, unlike other brands, BMW kept the prototype and it remains locked in their vault to this day.
All this R&D couldn’t be lost, so BMW decided to make less hardcore M8, without actually making an M8, and called it the 850CSi. Only 1,510 850CSi were built for the world, all were equipped with a 6 speed manual transmission, and only 225 came to the US. A V12 in a modern sports car with a manual transmission? That’s what we call heaven.
First up was to hog out the V12 motor to 5.6L, creating the S70B56 motor. When BMW designates an S in front of its motor code, it’s traditionally reserved for M cars. And the M branding doesn’t end there - the door sills getting into the car are marked with an M logo, the exterior door handles say BMW Motorsport, the stitch on the steering wheel is in the traditional M colors, the shift knob has the M colors on it, and the biggest one - VIN numbers for M cars start with “WBS”, and surprise surprise, the VIN for all 850CSi start with “WBS”. Oh, did we mention, there is a nice big M badge on the valve cover of the S70B56.
What makes the 850CSi so special? Besides the V12 block in the 850CSi is the same one shared by the mythical McLaren F1; if you connect the dots, the 850CSi was BMW’s unofficial M8 of the time.
Sure it didn’t have the blessing of BMW executives, or the widebody, or the stripped interior, or the 550hp motor, but BMW engineers still wanted to create something badass & special.
The 850CSi is why I love BMW - a company pushing the envelope with technology & design & when they were told they couldn’t make an M8, they made something so unique & special that survived the test of time and is the most special BMW of the 90s.