Our friend Jason Cammisa of Hagerty tells today the story of the BMW 850 CSi. And what a story that is. In 1993, BMW introduced the 850 CSi, which has become the holy grail of the 8 Series as only 1,519 were made worldwide, with just 225 reaching the United States. As Cammisa explains in the video below, reviews of the E31 8 Series were far from kind. But BMW had an ace up its sleeve: the M Division. This is how the BMW 850 CSi was born.
An M Engine Under The Hood
The 850 CSi, the M8 that wasn’t, boasted 375 horsepower from its now-5.6-liter V12 and had handling to match its engine and good looks. The S70B56 engine was a significant upgrade from the standard M70 V12 found in the 850i, with a new engine code to reflect the extensive modifications. It allowed the car to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in just six seconds and reach an electronically limited top speed of 250 km/h.
The 8 Series was BMW’s first car completely designed on a computer. BMW used CAD to create it the 8 Series’ sleek shape that punches through the wind with a low 0.28 coefficient of drag. The 8 Series was designed as a grand tourer, an autobahn bomber. It just simply devours open road and begs for long road trips at high speeds.
Ahead Of Its Time
The 850 CSi came with pioneering technology for its time, such as the integral rear axle five-link suspension, Automatic Stability Control plus Traction (ASC+T), speed-sensitive power steering, and Electronic Damper Control (EDC). BMW 850CSi’s modified suspension included stiffer springs and dampers, and reduced the car’s ride height. The 850Si also had wider wheels, and optional forged M Parallel wheels. The 850CSi’s front and rear bumpers were reshaped for improved aerodynamic performance. Four round stainless steel exhaust tips replaced the square tips found on other 8 Series models. A 6-speed manual gearbox was the only transmission option for the 850CSi and came at a time when most other cars were just 5 speed manuals. Euro 850CSi models came with four-wheel steering. BMW Motorsport-branded door handles paid homage to its heritage, while a poised rear spoiler and black bodyside trim added sporty allure.
Even though BMW never called it an M8, this car was as close to an M8 as it gets. Of course, there was a one-off E31 M8 which was first spotted in Munich back in 2011. Let’s take a look at this great review by Hagerty:
