It was at the Frankfurt International Motor Show in 1989 that BMW introduced a car that was one of the company’s classic modern models, priced at £ 60,000 (roughly Equivalent to £ 150,000 at today’s rate), the new flagship BMW. This masterpiece was nothing more than the 8 Series Coupe, nicknamed “E31”.
The car, built from 1989 to 1999, was a completely new design that can be traced to the beautiful BMW coupes of the 1930s.
During its lifetime, BMW managed to sell 30,621 series 8 Coupe Machines, of which exactly 24 were made manually at the Rosslyn plant in South Africa (for tax reasons, it was cheaper to assemble cars there than to import them).
Then more than two – thirds – more than 20,000 units-were fitted to the V12 engine, and only one in six was fitted with a six-speed manual transmission.
Later, early engines came with a 282-horsepower 840Ci V8, but the most powerful version was the 375-horsepower 840CSi V12, which was released late in Series 8 lifespan, reducing its 0 to 100 time from about 7 seconds on both models to just 5.8 seconds.
It is clearly visible that these cars are made more for long distances on the highway with comfort and stylish appearance than for winding on narrow and winding roads.
That is why the M8 version was never sold (despite the construction of a prototype). The extraordinary strength of this car is a memorable experience, a feature that reflects the Quality of German construction, especially from a period that many consider “over-engineered”.
BMW 8 Series E31 Specification Table
| Characteristic | Description |
| Production Year | From 1989 to 1999 |
| Number made | 1989 to 1999 / 30,621 units (including 7803 units for 840 and 18 units for 830) |
| body | Steel monocoque |
| Engine | Alloy, 12 cylinders with overhead camshaft per row with a volume of 4988/5379/5576 cc or 8 cylinders with a volume of 2997/3982/4398 cc with electronic fuel injection system (EFI) |
| Output power | From 282 hp at 5800 rpm to 380 hp at 5300 rpm |
| torque | From 295 lb-ft at 4500 rpm to 406 lb-ft at 4000 rpm, maximum torque of 450 Nm at 4100 rpm |
| 0 to 100 acceleration | 6.3 seconds |
| Maximum speed | 250 km/h (electronically limited) |
| Power | 280 kW at 5300 rpm |
| tank capacity | 90 liters |
| gear box | 6-speed manual or 4 or 5-speed automatic, rear differential |
| Suspension | MacPherson struts at the front and five control arms at the rear, tubular spring; Telescopic shock absorbers, front and rear shock absorbers |
| Command | Hydraulic steering with 3.4 turns from end to end |
| brake | 12.3/4 inch cooling discs with servo |
| length | 4780 mm (15 ft 8 in) |
| width | 1855 mm (6 ft 1 in) |
| Height | 1340 mm (4 ft 4.75 in) |
| Distance between two axes | 2,684 mm (8 ft 9.5 in) |
| Weight | 1885 to 1975 kg (4152 to 4354 lb) |
| 0 to 100 acceleration | 5.6 to 7.2 seconds |
| final speed | 155 to 170 mph (249 to 274 km/h) |
| Fuel consumption | 13 to 22 mpg (5.6 to 10.2 L/100 km) |
| Initial price | £56,850 (840CI, 1995) |
With electric cars and long chassis now gaining popularity, when was the last time you saw a modern classic BMW in daily commute or outing? And when did you last see an original 8 Series?
Do not doubt that series 8 is on a different level in terms of attracting Attention, and the reason is easy to understand.
Its bizarre appearance was not only for display, as the car has a very low drag coefficient, which is also more effective than some of today’s newest Supersports. Its stunning body is complemented by the lack of a permanent B-column, which leads to a clean glass line on both sides, which gives a special beauty to the overall shape of the car.
Lowering the windows gives the 8 Series A unique look that is no longer seen in New Cars. A real masterpiece of classic BMW design.
Many technical technologies make this the most modern car made by BMW in the late 1980s. Updates include:
1. Steerable rear axle (optional)
2. New auxiliary systems such as the DSC stability control system
3. Variable speed power steering
4. The EDC is available for the 850i model.
The 8 Series is the first BMW car to have a drag coefficient of less than 0.3 and a multiple system for networking different control systems.
In 1992, we saw the introduction of an even more powerful version called the 850CSi, which provided an output of 380 kilowatts (280 horsepower) with an engine volume of 5.6 liters. A year later, a 4.0-liter 8-cylinder engine with an output power of 210 kW (286 hp) completed the set of engines. Another version of the 12-cylinder 850Ci unit was made available in 1994, producing an output of 240 kilowatts (326 hp) with a 5.4-liter engine. The 840 was also available in the Ci version in 1995.
The BMW 8 Series combines the best in technology, aerodynamics and design. Leading elegance and exclusive luxuries are associated with extraordinary performance – features that were revived with the new BMW 8 Series (G14, G15, G16 models) in 2018. By the end of production in 1999,more than 30,000 units of the luxury coupe had been derailed.
The 8 Series was supplied with a 6-speed manual or 4-or 5-speed Automatic Transmission, and from 1990 was optionally provided with five-connection rear Suspension, stability Control, traction control, speed-sensitive power steering, and even auxiliary control (EDC). These features, according to the standards of the time, made the car almost like a product of the future.
In 1991, ultra-powerful prototypes were built with an important purpose: an 8 Series with a 550-horsepower V12 engine and custom chassis technology to harness this additional force.
The car, jointly developed by BMW and BMW Technik, was kept secret for years before BMW finally admitted that it was planning to build an “M8”. Imagine!
However, the car never went into mass production, and instead, the M8 was used as a mobile testing platform for technology and innovation. One of the most interesting uses of this test car was its engine: the V12 giant was later used as the basis for the powerful V12 engine that propelled the McLaren F1.
Common Problems of BMW 8 Series (E31)
This was one of the first cars to use the fly-by-wire. They are filled with Electronic Control Units (ECUs), each costing hundreds or even thousands of pounds to repair in the event of a breakdown.
Common failures include a viscose fan, water pump, and a camshaft door washer that requires hours of work to replace.
Beware of oil leaks from the top and bottom oil tanks, as well as timing cap washers on 12-cylinder engines: all of these items will require a minimum fee of £1,500 to be repaired.
However the engines are very durable. The nicasil liner problems on the 4-liter V8 engines have been almost completely resolved and the operation is normal without problems up to 180,000 miles. Some 12-cylinder engines have worked up to 220,000 miles.
To check for incomplete combustion (misfire), in park or free mode with a warm engine and in a quiet round mode, press and release the gas pedal to the end – look for uneven noise when increasing the engine’s circumference. Gas hard at 30 mph in test driving and look for exhaust smoke. Poor operation is often due to worn oxygen sensors (Lambda) or lack of synchronization of the throttle, although it may be due to valves, valve felt bowls, or compressor drops.
With a 2-ton weight and superb performance, the suspension components are subjected to a lot of pressure: the bushings of the front brake reaction arm, plus the Upper Mounts of the rear shock absorber and the hub of the wheels (six or seven on each side) break down: listen to the cracking sounds, pay attention to the irregular wear of the tires and feel the unusual handling. The new front electronic helpfunders cost £ 800 each, but replacing the £ 150 internal bushings is an acceptable alternative.
The braking system should be excellent, but in cars that are rarely used, calipers may get stuck. Automatic Stability Control Units (ASCs) can have leaks – it costs £3,000 to replace, unless you find a second-hand one.
In the CSi model, check that the rear steering wheel works; you can feel it in fields or sharp turns. 3,000 Pound stimulant selonoids get stuck, but are often releasable.
Pioneering Technology
But the above specifications were not the only part of the affair.
With modifications made to the exhaust exhaust track, BMW’s M section achieved the best possible balance between performance, fuel consumption and noise levels.
Finally, the exhaust system with four outlets was equipped with elementary pipes with a larger cross-sectional area of three millimeters and two special metal catalysts, which reduced the pressure drop while maintaining a compact design.
Another technical highlight of the 850CSi was the steerable rear axle, which rotated up to 1.8 degrees depending on driving conditions, thus allowing for unprecedented screw dynamics.
The steering system, known as the “active hinterachskinematik – AHK”, was one of the first on the market and is a technology that is still used in some models today.
Complex Electronics
850CSi drivers also benefited from the convenience of electronic control components that were at the start of the run at the time. Thanks to the electronic performance control of the engine (EML), they could choose between the specifications K (comfort) and S (sport) using a shortcut key. Accordingly, the engine responded directly or indirectly to the position of the gas pedal. In both cases, full power of 380 hp was available.
The EML also operated a gear-dependent engine speed limiter for a 6-speed manual transmission and adaptive point-of-place detection exclusively at 850CSi without driver intervention.
Other Technologies
The example of the “mass airflow sensor” shows how much engineers have cared about the details when developing the E31 high-end model. The large plastic grid of the sensor had less current resistance and was equipped with shorter platinum wires optimized against vibration.
All the components of this sports coupe were pre-examined to discover the smallest improvements. For example, the rear axle gearbox had a separate cooling oil system so that it could perform well even at the highest workloads.
For more agile steering, the steering gear ratio was changed, and for the rear axle with a 20-inch “Toe-in” and a minus 1 degree and 23-inch vertical angle of the “Camber” wheel was considered a much more sporty design.
Sources:
wikipedia
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