While we’re mostly enamored by its stunning beautfy, one of the more exciting aspects of the BMW M850i is its engine. It might get lost in a lot of the hubbub surrounding the new 8 Series, because, on paper, it’s nothing new. The M850i sports a 4.4 liter twin-turbo V8 and you might be thinking “well, big whoop. So does the BMW M550i and even the BMW 750i”. And that’s true. However, the 8er’s V8 has been tuned and it makes even more power than the others.
Before the BMW M850i made its debut, the most recent use of this new twin-turbo V8 was the BMW M550i. That car makes 456 hp and 480 lb-ft of torque, which is nothing to sneeze at. In fact, prior to the Big-Daddy F90-gen BMW M5 coming out, the M550i was the fastest 5 Series of all time. The BMW M850i uses a version of the M550i’s engine, except it’s been tuned to make 530 hp and 553 lb-ft of torque in the 8 Series.
So it packs quite a bit more punch than its 5 Series sibling. While BMW really didn’t change much about the 4.4 liter twin-turbo V8, mechanically, if it’s been changed at all, it’s still packing a lot more poke than before. That 530 hp is more than almost any other BMW, even more than the hardcore M4 GTS. It’s 553 lb-ft of torque also matches it with the BMW M5, the fastest production BMW of all time. So expect the BMW M850i to be seriously, properly quick, considering it also has all-wheel drive, much like the M5.
In these photos and videso, we get to watch the newly tuned V8 get hand assembled. I don’t know about you but I’ve always loved watching engine being hand assembled. There’s something fascinating about watching all of these perfectly made metal parts coming together in literal perfect harmony. It’s like watching someone assemble a fine watch movement. It’s almost therapeutic.
