Photo: Cars & Bids
Back in 1990, when the E31-generation BMW 8 Series first went into production, Bavarian radiator grilles were considerably less intrusive (visually) compared to what you get on a modern day 8 Series model, let alone something like the X7 or the 4 Series.
Car designs (in general) were very different during that era, and BMW was focused on making premium automobiles that looked elegant in very non-pretentious ways, shall we say.
For that reason alone, we’re not exactly sure how to feel about this particular E31 BMW 850i, because on the one hand, it’s an E31, one of the most beautiful two-door coupe models of its time. On the other hand, it’s been modified with a custom widebody kit, which gives it kind of a rally-like appearance. It’s not bad if you like that sort of thing, but it’s not exactly paying tribute to anything either.
The vehicle is currently up for grabs through Cars and Bids, and even Doug DeMuro considers it to be one of a kind – albeit again, not necessarily in a good way. DeMuro usually writes about custom cars that he likes with a little more intensity. Regarding this one, we see zero exclamation points. Safe to say, his take would drive Elaine Benes crazy.
Anyway, let’s run through some of the features, starting with factory-standard ones like the pop-up headlights, sunroof, leather upholstery, heated and power-adjustable front seats (with driver memory function), air conditioning and so on. Pretty much everything you could want in the early 80s.
As for the modifications, the car comes with Wokke Performance chips, K&N air filters, custom 18-inch wheels, custom widebody kit, white exterior (it used to be green), tinted fog lights and turn signals, black kidney grilles, tinted rear lights and windows, Alcantara upholstery on various interior surfaces, aftermarket switches on the center console, plus an aftermarket sound system with a Pioneer touchscreen.
Under the hood is a 5.0-liter V12 engine, which used to have 296 hp back when it was new. It might have a little more now with all the mods in place, but an exact number wasn’t provided in the source material. We do like the fact that it comes with a six-speed manual gearbox, instead of BMW’s old four-speed automatic that you might find on certain E31 models. This should be a fun car to drive.
For that reason alone, we’re not exactly sure how to feel about this particular E31 BMW 850i, because on the one hand, it’s an E31, one of the most beautiful two-door coupe models of its time. On the other hand, it’s been modified with a custom widebody kit, which gives it kind of a rally-like appearance. It’s not bad if you like that sort of thing, but it’s not exactly paying tribute to anything either.
The vehicle is currently up for grabs through Cars and Bids, and even Doug DeMuro considers it to be one of a kind – albeit again, not necessarily in a good way. DeMuro usually writes about custom cars that he likes with a little more intensity. Regarding this one, we see zero exclamation points. Safe to say, his take would drive Elaine Benes crazy.
Anyway, let’s run through some of the features, starting with factory-standard ones like the pop-up headlights, sunroof, leather upholstery, heated and power-adjustable front seats (with driver memory function), air conditioning and so on. Pretty much everything you could want in the early 80s.
As for the modifications, the car comes with Wokke Performance chips, K&N air filters, custom 18-inch wheels, custom widebody kit, white exterior (it used to be green), tinted fog lights and turn signals, black kidney grilles, tinted rear lights and windows, Alcantara upholstery on various interior surfaces, aftermarket switches on the center console, plus an aftermarket sound system with a Pioneer touchscreen.
Under the hood is a 5.0-liter V12 engine, which used to have 296 hp back when it was new. It might have a little more now with all the mods in place, but an exact number wasn’t provided in the source material. We do like the fact that it comes with a six-speed manual gearbox, instead of BMW’s old four-speed automatic that you might find on certain E31 models. This should be a fun car to drive.
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