Pillarless V12 Coupe: 1993 BMW 850CI
Buying a former flagship is always a risky proposition, especially when it’s a car like the BMW 850CI that’s powered by a lusty V12. However, the perception of risk is often inflated by owners who choose not to properly look after a car that never hid from the fact that it would require a fairly generous annual maintenance budget, as cars like the E31-chassis BMWs are known to be incredible GT-style cruisers when found in good health. This 850CI appears to be such a car, with the seller claiming that it runs well with 123,000 miles on the clock.
When development of the E31 began in earnest, BMW was the embodiment of the phrase, “Go big or go home.” An estimated $900 million was sunk into its development, which featured a number of firsts. It was the company’s first production V12, and the first time the automotive industry saw the combination of a V12 and a six-speed manual in a car you could drive off the dealer lot. To say BMW threw everything it had at the 850CI is an understatement, and the driving public responded enthusiastically to the model when introduced. Pre-orders flooded in and the motoring press praised the 8-Series for its roadgoing manners.
This particular 850CI is the version we see come up for sale the most often: a V12 model (a more affordable V8 was later offered) with an automatic transmission. The good news is that if you can settle for the slushbox, you get a pretty decent car for reasonable money. However, if you want an 8-Series that delivers maximum driving enjoyment and has a strong likelihood of growing more valuable over time, the manual transmission-equipped E31 is the one to buy. This example presents well, with the interior in respectable condition and the factory cell phone still installed.
It all comes down to maintenance history with a car like this, and the seller doesn’t say much about how it’s been looked after. The throttle bodies are known failure points, and vacuum leaks and engine leaks can cause serious headaches. But the good news is the engine pre-dates BMW’s finicky VANOS systems and it has a timing chain versus a belt, so the V12 has a things working in its favor. This 850CI presents well and looks striking in red over tan. You can find the full listing here on Facebook Marketplace where it’s listed for $17,000 in Southborough, Massachusetts. Thanks to Barn Finds reader RichardinMaine for the find.
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Comments
I’m not a BMW fan, but to me the 850 aesthetic is flawless…absolutely perfect. That said, I’d put the v12 on a run stand in the shop and swap in a more practical LS/6 speed driveline. Properly sorted, it would be the perfect daily driver.
Not asking very much for the car. I wonder what’s wrong with it?
Seems like it’s difficult to find a low mileage 850. These cars are still stylish today
It’s going to be a maintenance nightmare- and most buyers already know this.
Some years back I found a low mileage 850 with a manual transmission. IDK how many were made, but it changed the whole driving dynamic. It only had 27k miles, and it was needing a good maintenance going over from sitting unused so much. When I found out the prices, I passed. That was a mistake. The other primary reason was, it was black . That’s not for me. Either way, it’s still a cool car
Many of these over here , given to kids in high school by parents, all had check engines and would be sitting in driveways unwanted like a 12 cylinder jag. Same thing.
Must be 1 hell of a strong roof, or the US Feds were caught napping – or were paid off by BMW. The last true US hardtop(where you could roll down all 4 side windows) was in, what, 1972?
There was an active “roll bar” system built into the high back seats. This is how they passed rollover tests with no B pillar.
I gather BMW developed these V12s to operate as essentially two independent straight-6s, so there’s two distributors, two ECUs, two throttle-bodies, etc.
The 850 series had a rollover protection system, hence the approval for no b pillar.
I had one of these in the late 90’s. You’d think that they would pack a super punch but they don’t. Its more of a leisurely jaunt to over 100 rather than screaming to speed. The biggest issue I had ( and why that I got mine cheap) was that the front struts were SUPER expensive at somewhere around $2000 each. Inserts were not available for it either and even BMW mechanics said that they couldn’t be rebuilt. I reverse engineered a strut insert from something else (7 series??) and it turned out great. Ground issue to the transmission caused limp home modes as well. But easily sorted.
Since Michigan is a “road tax”/ license plate tab by original price- the yearly fee for the plates were ridiculous since originally it was such a pricey car.
I’ve owned two of these: a ’91 850 with the 6-speed manual, and a ’95 840 with the A/T. Both were awesome. The 6 speed makes it MUCH sportier and faster, too, but it’s still a GT. There’s good support out there for fans of these. I used some on-line tutorials to fix some electrical trouble spots. After that, they were both trouble free daily drivers. Just be sure to buy a good one with a solid maintenance history, and you will be very happy with it.
I luv these !!! not really in a position to get one, too many wheels in the driveway, and a 6speed would be way better.
But they are a sharp looking car for sure, much better than a lot of the newer crap everyone is pumping out
Fixing, rebuilding, or replacing that V-12 would likely be more than the car’s worth.