1991 BMW 850i

*** UPDATE: This car has now been sold for £10,600 all inclusive ***

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The BMW 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 and V12 petrol engines.

The 8 is truly an iconic car and it was much ahead of its time when it was launched in 1989 at the Frankfurt Motor Show. What a spectacle it must have been back then, something space age and arguably far more technically advanced than any other car at that time.

So we all know it’s a fantastic car and its following is growing by the month. We sold a mighty and rare 850CSi earlier this year for an incredible £57,750 – this represents the rarity of the car as only 1,510 were produced. The 850i actually has the same engine plan as the 850CSi – it’s just not tuned like the CSi.

A total of 30,000 cars make up the other variants (840Ci / 850i / 850Ci) so you can see why the ‘rare’ status is well deserved. However, these variants are considerably cheaper alternatives to getting into the world of the classic 8 Series market.

This 850i is owned by Mark. Mark has owned this car for around six years and imported it from Hong Kong last year. Mark has built a beautiful car collection of over fifteen cars with the help of his brother-in-law; Rob Carrigan and loves the thrill of buying the best examples he can, once added to his collection he then enjoys driving them when he’s in the country. Mark really does only buy special cars, and we are very fortunate to be handling the sale of his collection.

So why is Mark now selling his collection? Well, Mark is based overseas and these days he doesn’t get the opportunity to drive his collection as much as he’d like, as more recently his business opportunities are keeping him abroad, so the time has come to pass the cars to new custodians.

Rob looks after the collection for Mark and no expense has been spared in the maintenance of the vehicles. Rob makes sure that whatever the cars need are actioned straight away using specialist garages and original parts. Even the finest indoor covers have been purposely made for each individual car at a cost of over £300 each, and are included in the sale. Every car is securely stored in a new and dry professional unit, as can be seen in our media footage.

Mark has driven and enjoyed this car and the bodywork and paint is in good condition, as can be seen in the images and video.

Wheels & Tyres
Original 16in factory wheels are fitted with 225/55 R16 Dunlop SP Sports with a 2014 manufacture date. The alloys are in really good condition with no curb damage.

Bodywork
The bodywork is good on this car – we didn’t notice any dents or areas of rust. There is slight cracking in the front nose cone by the BMW badge as can be seen in the media pack.

Paint
The paint work is also good – at some point over the years the car has had some paint work done, however, the colour is even across the panels. The car would benefit from a professional polish and wax. Please study the images and videos thoroughly to see the imperfections in the paint.

Glass and Trim
The glass and trim are all in very good condition – no issues were noticed that’s not in line with the age of the vehicle.

The interior of the 8 Series is a great place to be – something very special and driver focused.

Seats and Carpets
The leather seats are in excellent condition with hardly any wear, even on the driver’s seat squab and bolster. This is because Mark has had the seats professionally recovered in the past. The grade of leather is very fine. The carpets are also in good condition.

Dashboard
The dashboard and gauges are all in good condition. The wooden surround in the centre console is showing signs of age as it has the usual cracking found on many examples.

Steering Wheel / Gear Stick
The car has its original steering wheel and gear stick and both are in good condition.

We took the car out on our regular ‘on the road’ run and it performed without a problem, along with starting on the button. Please review the video footage to see the cold start and how the car performed on a run with me interviewing Rob during the drive.

Engine and Gearbox
There are no issues with the engine or gearbox. The engine and automatic gearbox all perform perfectly during our short on the road test.

Suspension and Brakes
The car has no knocks or rattles coming from the suspension. As mentioned, the car has always had the best care during Mark’s ownership, and you’ll see receipts for all work carried out. For example Mark spent £1,677 back in August on suspension work – see the media pack for invoices.

The Drive
The drive was without fault, the 5L pulling strong and all gears being selected without issue.

Electrics and Other
We checked all the main electrics and the majority performed without fault – the only exception was the horn and sunroof. However, Rob tells us both issues have been remedied since our visit. A battery conditioner is fitted when the vehicle is not in use to maintain the levels of the battery due to the complexity of the electrical system. Rob tells us the air conditioning is working perfectly. The radio requires a code and we couldn’t find it in the paperwork – however, Rob has since found the code and tried it in the unit but couldn’t get it to unlock – it may be because you have to enter a conformation at the end – Rob will check this soon.

Mark has owned the car for about six years and imported it over here from Hong Kong last year – it was MOT’d back in August and then registered in November. Please review the picture file to see the invoices and previous MOT’s that come with the car. The original service book is included and does have nine stamps.

The car is showing just over 65,970 miles as of 22.11.2018.

HPi Check Results
– This car is HPi clear and will be supported by our own HPi check.

The 8 Series is maturing nicely and moving from ‘modern’ to ‘proper’ classic status with every year that goes by.

The car’s big brother 850CSi has seen significant jump in price due to its specification and rarity – this has increased the desirability of the variants beneath it. If you can’t stretch to an 850CSi (assuming you can find one for sale) then the 850i is the next best option. Considering this has the mighty 5L V12 powerplant and circa 75% cheaper then it really does make a lot of sense.

This car has been sensibly priced considering it’s an imported car and condition. This is your chance to grab an 850 bargain for very little money that’s mechanically sorted and you can use every day, if you want to.

ADAM PURRIER
This auction listing was written by Adam from information gained from Rob (custodian of the vehicle) and having visited and photographed the vehicle.

If you have any specific questions about the vehicle then please use the comments section below. Rob will receive a notification and will reply as soon as he can.