The BMW E31 is the first generation of the
BMW 8 Series
The BMW 8 Series is a range of grand tourer coupes and convertibles produced by BMW.
The 8 Series was introduced in 1990 under the E31 model code and was only available as a two-door coupé. It is powered by a range of naturally aspirated V8 a ...
. It is a
grand tourer
A grand tourer (GT) is a type of car that is designed for high speed and long-distance driving, due to a combination of performance and luxury attributes. The most common format is a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive two-door coupé with either ...
built by
BMW from 1990 to 1999 as a 2-door
coupé
A coupe or coupé (, ) is a passenger car with a sloping or truncated rear roofline and two doors.
The term ''coupé'' was first applied to horse-drawn carriages for two passengers without rear-facing seats. It comes from the French past parti ...
, powered by either a
V8 or
V12 V12 or V-12 may refer to:
Aircraft
* Mil V-12, a Soviet heavy lift helicopter
* Pilatus OV-12, a planned American military utility aircraft
* Rockwell XFV-12, an American experimental aircraft project
* Škoda-Kauba V12, a Czechoslovak experim ...
engine. Whilst it did supplant the original
E24 based
6 Series in 1990, it was not a direct successor, but a new model class with a substantially higher price and performance than the 6 Series.
Development
Development of the 8 Series began in July 1981, with both the final design phase reaching completion in 1986, although the launch was delayed due to still-strong 6 Series sales. The 8 Series debuted at the
Frankfurt Motor Show
The International Motor Show Germany or International Mobility Show Germany, in German known as the ''Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung'' (''IAA'' – International Automobile Exhibition), is one of the world's largest mobility shows. It cons ...
(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, as well as a far higher purchase price.
Over 1.5 billion
Deutsche Mark
The Deutsche Mark (; English: ''German mark''), abbreviated "DM" or "D-Mark" (), was the official currency of West Germany from 1948 until 1990 and later the unified Germany from 1990 until the adoption of the euro in 2002. In English, it was ...
s were spent on total development (2019 USD nearly $900 million). BMW used
CAD
Computer-aided design (CAD) is the use of computers (or ) to aid in the creation, modification, analysis, or optimization of a design. This software is used to increase the productivity of the designer, improve the quality of design, improve co ...
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
In fluid dynamics, the drag coefficient (commonly denoted as: c_\mathrm, c_x or c_) is a dimensionless quantity that is used to quantify the drag or resistance of an object in a fluid environment, such as air or water. It is used in the drag equ ...
of , a major improvement from the previous
BMW M6
The BMW M6 is a high-performance version of the 6 Series marketed under the BMW M sub-brand from 1983 to 2018 (with a break from 1990 to 2004).
Introduced in the coupe body style, the M6 was also built in convertible and fastback sedan ('Gran ...
/
635CSi's 0.39.
The 8 Series offered the first V12 engine mated to a 6-speed
manual transmission
A manual transmission (MT), also known as manual gearbox, standard transmission (in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States), or stick shift (in the United States), is a multi-speed motor vehicle transmission (mechanics), transmission ...
on a road car. It was one of the first vehicles to be fitted with an electronic
drive-by-wire
Drive by wire, DbW, by-wire, steer-by-wire, fly-by-wire or x-by-wire technology in the automotive or aviation industry is the use of electrical or electro-mechanical systems for performing vehicle functions traditionally achieved by mechanical link ...
throttle. The 8 Series was one of BMW's first cars, together with the
Z1, to use a
multi-link rear axle.
CAD modelling allowed the 8 Series
unibody
A vehicle frame, also historically known as its '' chassis'', is the main supporting structure of a motor vehicle to which all other components are attached, comparable to the skeleton of an organism.
Until the 1930s, virtually every car ha ...
to be 3 kg (8 lb) lighter than that of the preceding 6 Series (E24). However the production 8 Series 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 pillar-less "
hardtop
A hardtop is a rigid form of automobile roof, which for modern cars is typically constructed from metal. A hardtop roof can be either fixed (i.e. not removable), Convertible#Detachable hardtop, detachable for separate storing or retractable ha ...
" body style which lacked a "B" pillar.
Sales
Sales of the 8 Series were affected by the global recession of the early 1990s, the Persian Gulf War, and energy price spikes. As a result, plans for the high performance M8 variant were dropped in 1991.
BMW pulled the 8 Series from the North American market in 1997, having sold 6,920 cars. BMW continued production for other markets until 1999 having sold 30,609 in all markets.
The base price for an entry-level 8 series in the early 1990s started in the US$70,000 range, which is US$ in .
Models
![850 manual PL](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/35/850_manual_PL.JPG)
The production totals for each model are:
* 840i / 840Ci with the M60 engine: 4,728
* 840Ci / 840Ci with the M62 engine: 3,075
* 850i / 850Ci with the M70 engine: 20,072
* 850i / 850Ci with the M73 engine: 1,218
* 850CSi with the S70 engine: 1,510
840Ci
![BMW_840_Ci_Sport_front](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/44/BMW_840_Ci_Sport_front.jpg)
The 840Ci was offered with two different engines. The first used the 4.0-litre
M60B40 V8 engine having a power output of and was produced from mid-1993 to late 1995. From mid-1995, production phased in the newer 4.4-litre
M62B44 V8 engine, which had better fuel economy and more torque, though power output remained unchanged.
The 840Ci was available with a 5-speed
automatic transmission
An automatic transmission (sometimes abbreviated to auto or AT) is a multi-speed transmission used in internal combustion engine-based motor vehicles that does not require any input from the driver to change forward gears under normal driving c ...
, though European cars were given the option of a 6-speed manual transmission. The only external features distinguishing the V8 model from the V12 models were the quad round exhausts, which were square in the V12 models. The 840Ci stayed in production until May 1999.
850i/Ci
![1990-1992 BMW 850i (E31) coupe 01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f4/1990-1992_BMW_850i_%28E31%29_coupe_01.jpg)
The 850i was the first model of the 8 Series launched in 1990 with the 5.0-litre
M70B50 M7, M-7, or M.7 may refer to:
Transportation Air
* M7 Aerospace, a United States aerospace company
* Macchi M.7, an Italian flying boat fighter in service from 1923 to 1930
* Miles M.7 Nighthawk, a 1930s British training and communications monopla ...
V12 engine having a power output of . It was available with either a 4-speed automatic or a 6-speed manual gearbox.
850Ci
There is some confusion over why and when the 850i became the 850Ci. The change happened around the introduction of the 840Ci in Autumn 1993. The confusion started when BMW installed the new
M73B54 V12 engine in the car from October 1994, the new engine being from the newly launched E38 750i. This was not an immediate changeover, and both the M70 and M73-engined cars rolled off the production lines, both named 850Ci with those built before 10/94 using the older E32 type 5.0 M70.
As the displacement of the M73 increased to 5.4-litres and the compression ratio went up, the power output increased to .
850CSi
![BMW 850 CSI (7179427249)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e1/BMW_850_CSI_%287179427249%29.jpg)
As a top-of-the-range variant of the 8 Series, the 850CSi took over from the prototype M8 variant. The 850CSi used the same engine as the 850i, which was tuned so significantly that BMW assigned it a new engine code:
S70B56 S7 or S-7 may refer to:
Electronics and software
* Acer Aspire S7, a laptop
* Samsung Galaxy S7, a smartphone
* Samsung Galaxy Tab S7, a tablet computer
* , an automation system based on Programmable Logic Controller from Siemens, successor to ...
. The modifications included
Bosch Motronic 1.7 fuel injection, a capacity increase to and power increase to at 5,300 rpm and of torque at 4,000 rpm.
''
Road & Track
''Road & Track'' (stylized as ''R&T'') is an American automotive enthusiast magazine. It is owned by Hearst Magazines and is published 6 times per year. The editorial offices are located in New York, New York.
History
''Road & Track'' (often ab ...
'' recorded a 0-60 mph (0–97 km/h) time for the 850CSi of 5.9 seconds.
The 850CSi's modified suspension included stiffer springs and dampers that reduced the car's ride height. The recirculating ball steering ratio was dropped 15% over the standard E31 setup. The model also sported staggered throwing star wheels. The front and rear bumpers were reshaped for improved aerodynamic performance. Four round stainless steel exhaust tips replaced the square tips found on other models. The 6-speed manual gearbox was the only transmission option. In Europe, all 850CSi's came with
four-wheel steering
Steering is a system of components, linkages, and other parts that allows a driver to control the direction of the vehicle.
Introduction
The most conventional steering arrangement allows a driver to turn the front wheels of a vehicle using ...
AHK - Aktive Hinterachs-Kinematik Active rear axle
Kinematics
Kinematics is a subfield of physics, developed in classical mechanics, that describes the Motion (physics), motion of points, Physical object, bodies (objects), and systems of bodies (groups of objects) without considering the forces that cause ...
), upgraded and ventilated brakes with floating front discs, rear differential oil cooler, engine oil cooler, two-tone interior, sports seats, and reshaped mirrors. In the United States, the cars instead received "BMW Motorsport" writing on the doorhandles.
Production ended in late 1996 because the S70 engine could not be modified to comply with new emission regulations without substantial re-engineering.
Other models
Alpina
Alpina Burkard Bovensiepen GmbH & Co. KG is an automobile manufacturing company based in Buchloe, in the Ostallgäu district of Bavaria, Germany that develops and sells high-performance versions of BMW cars.
Alpina works closely with BMW and ...
produced two 8 Series variants, the B12 5.0 and the B12 5.7. There have also been aftermarket conversions to change it to a drop-top convertible.
Engines
![Moteur barba](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dc/Moteur_barba.jpg)
2017
United States Environmental Protection Agency
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it be ...
estimates for cars equipped with automatic transmission:
*840Ci:
::Fuel type: Premium
::city:
::highway:
::combined:
*850Ci:
::Fuel type: Premium
::city:
::highway:
::combined:
Transmissions
The 840Ci (4.0/4.4 L V8) models were equipped with a 5-speed automatic transmission or a 6-speed manual transmission. The 850i/850Ci (V12) models each use either a 4-speed automatic transmission or a 6-speed manual transmission, a 5-speed automatic transmission was fitted from mid-1994. The high performance 850CSi model only came with a 6-speed manual transmission.
Prototype models
830i
The 830i was a prototype that did not reach production. As the potential entry-level model, the 830i was to use the 3-litre V8 with from the 530i and 730i, known internally as the
M60B30. Eighteen cars were produced, thirteen of which had an automatic gearbox fitted. The model was dropped in favour of the 840Ci and almost all of the 18 cars were dismantled; one car is in a BMW museum.
850i Cabrio
The 8 Series had been planned from the start with a convertible version in mind. Although the 850i Cabrio was developed to production readiness, it never went into production. At a relatively late date it was decided that this model was unlikely to recover its development cost. A prototype in red resides in the BMW Museum in Munich.
M8
The M8 was originally envisioned as a
Ferrari
Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988) in 1939 from the Alfa Romeo racing division as ''Auto Avio Costruzioni'', the company built its first car in ...
competitor equipped with a special version of the
S70 engine, with modifications including a displacement increase to just over 6 litres, dual overhead camshafts for each cylinder bank, individual throttle bodies with roller valves, four valves per cylinder, carbon fibre intake manifolds and continuously variable valve timing. As a result, it was estimated the M8 would achieve a top speed of 198 mph, power output is and its torque is . A common misconception is that this engine powered the
McLaren F1
The McLaren F1 is a sports car designed and manufactured by British automobile manufacturer McLaren Cars, and powered by the BMW S70/2 V12 engine. The original concept was conceived by Gordon Murray. Murray was able to convince Ron Dennis to ...
. The
S70/2 S7 or S-7 may refer to:
Electronics and software
* Acer Aspire S7, a laptop
* Samsung Galaxy S7, a smartphone
* Samsung Galaxy Tab S7, a tablet computer
* , an automation system based on Programmable Logic Controller from Siemens, successor to ...
used in the McLaren F1 was not based directly on the prototype 4-valve V12 used in the M8, and was a completely new design.
The car was given two intakes by its rear arches for engine and differential oil cooling. It was also given a wider track via a wider drive axle as well as uprated front brakes. The interior was completely stripped, with bucket seats and additional gauges for oil pressure, oil temperature, and water temperature. The M8 was given a B-pillar to retain structural rigidity as well as having its pop up headlights deleted from the car.
Other modifications include bodywork modifications such as a new front bumper, new wing mirrors, more flared wheel arches and a vent in the bonnet. The car's kerb weight was reduced to less than 1450 kilograms by making elements of the car glass reinforced plastic (such as the bonnet, doors and boot lid), using carbon fibre wheels and removing the rear seats from the car. The windows were made of Lexan. The oil reservoir was moved to the trunk of the car; oil pipes went through the roof of the car.
The project was eventually scrapped because BMW decided that there was no market for a high performance variant of the 8 Series primarily because of the on-going economic recession of the 1990s. The only prototype ever produced (one that was reportedly not even safe for normal road usage) was locked away by BMW in the company's ''Giftschrank'' (poison storage). BMW and the M Division had strongly denied that the car was even a possibility since the initial stages of its development. A world exclusive feature in the February 2010 issue of BMW Car Magazine, however, revealed that the M8 prototype still exists in its entirety. The car was unveiled to journalists for the first time on July 2, 2010, at the BMW Museum in Munich. The only public showing of the car happened on August 17, 2012, during 'The Legends of the Autobahn' car show held in Carmel, California. The car was specially shipped from Germany for the appearance.
Although the M8 was never produced, the 850CSi was also tuned by BMW's
M division. Aside from sporting an M-tuned engine (as identified by the S prefix instead of the M prefix that a non-M tuned engine would bear), the car's VIN identifies the car as being built by BMW Motorsport (a ''WBS'' prefix) instead of BMW AG (''WBA'' prefix). Per BMW's own protocol, the 850CSi as marketed was essentially a de-tuned version of the putative M8.
Alpina models
B12 5.0
The B12 5.0 was built from 1990 to 1994 based on the BMW E31 850i with an Alpina-modified
BMW M70
The BMW M70 is a naturally-aspirated, SOHC, V12 petrol engine, which was BMW's first production V12 and was produced from 1987 to 1996.
The BMW S70/2 engine, largely unrelated to the M70 and S70B56 engines, is a naturally-aspirated, DOHC, V12 ...
V12 (shared with the E32 B12 5.0) producing and mated to an automatic transmission.
B12 5.7
The B12 5.7 was available from 1992, based on the BMW 850CSi with the
BMW S70B56
The BMW M70 is a naturally-aspirated, SOHC, V12 petrol engine, which was BMW's first production V12 and was produced from 1987 to 1996.
The BMW S70/2 engine, largely unrelated to the M70 and S70B56 engines, is a naturally-aspirated, DOHC, V12 ...
V12 engine bored out to 5.7 litres along with a modified intake, crankshaft, camshafts and a stainless steel exhaust system as well as a 6-speed manual gearbox. The modified engine produced . The carbon-fibre bonnet had cooling vents and a
NACA duct
A NACA duct, also sometimes called a NACA scoop or NACA inlet, is a common form of low- drag air inlet design, originally developed by the U.S. National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), the precursor to NASA, in 1945.
Design
Prior su ...
for improved engine cooling. Performance figures included a acceleration time of 5.8 seconds and a top speed of .
Motorsport
The 8 Series is a very rare car to see in any form of motorsport. One of the most successful examples was built by Wagenstetter Motorsport
however, and, until recently, was raced in the
VLN Nürburgring endurance championship. It is based on an 840i, but now has an E39 M5 5.0-litre V8, which has and torque, and a six-speed gearbox from the same car.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bmw 8 Series
E31
8 Series (E31)
Rear-wheel-drive vehicles
Vehicles with four-wheel steering
Cars introduced in 1989
Coupés
Grand tourers
2+2 coupés