Want to feel ancient? Well, consider this. Temporally speaking, the launch of the E31 BMW 8 Series was closer to the first televised appearance of Elvis Presley than it is to today. But then the 8 Series is a car that has a rare ability to catch you off guard. Despite none finding customers during the ’80s, it’s viewed by many as a quintessentially ’80s BMW yet the technology that underpinned this car was anything but a throwback.
The BMW E31 KS8 is a legendary machine, a modified rarity few people have ever seen with their own eyes. But a lucky group of friends unearthed one of these mythical beasts and brought it out of hibernation to share with the world. This is the story of their encounter with this incredible 8 Series E31.
This 1994 BMW 850Ci E31 is a former star of TV’s Top Gear, once raced by Richard Hammond, since rescued and reborn following an eight-year lay-up thanks to a dedicated BBC crew member.
With its incredible Pandem wide-body kit, custom livery and jaw-dropping air-ride stance, this old-school 8 Series is a show-stopping spectacle that’s simply off the scale
BMW created the 8 Series to take on the GT elite. It was a technical tour de force that redefined the exotic mileeater as we know it, but does it still stack up? We try an 850Ci to find out.
