Caught in the classifieds: 1995 BMW 8 Series 840ci
After taking a break from highlighting BMWs for a few weeks, I’m back at it again. This time though, I’ve got a bit of a hidden gem to show you. Today, I’m showcasing a car which is undoubtedly a future classic in the making but is still a bit of an underdog in the classic car scene. That bodes well for you and me though, because it means you find one at an absolute steal these days. In today’s “Caught in the Classifieds” article, I’m shining the spotlight on what is possibly the UK’s cheapest 840Ci currently on sale.
Making its debut in early 1990, the 8-Series was BMW’s answer to Mercedes’ SL-Class. Although it would ultimately come to compete against the CL-Class, it was undoubtedly an SL rival at the beginning. By the time the car first appeared at the Frankfurt Motor Show, BMW had already been working on it for almost ten years. The project was conceived in 1981 but the final design phase and production development didn’t start until 1986.
The 8-Series was offered in four different trim levels: the 840Ci, the 850i, the 850Ci, and the 850CSi. The 840Ci came with a V8 while the rest of the lineup featured a V12. I know everyone thinks the flagship model is the one you want, and while that’s generally true, it’s not the case here. The V8 is much lighter than the V12 and it’s a lot less complicated to work on.
At £7,995, the example I’m highlighting today is the cheapest one on sale right now. It needs a bit of TLC, but for the money, it’s just stunning. The next cheapest 8-Series I was able to find sits at £12,450 at the time of the writing of this article. If you’ve got the time and patience, and especially if you love to work on cars yourself, this could be an excellent simple project car. Its mechanicals are all solid as it only has 99,000 miles on the clock, so it’s just the exterior that needs a bit of love.
Exterior
Why did the late eighties and early nineties spawn so many great-looking cars? From the Ferrari F40 to the original VW Golf, the 90s were the golden era of car design. BMW’s brilliant-looking 8-Series is no exception to the rule. Styled to be as elegant and sculpted as possible, it represents the pinnacle of 90s design.
It’s got pop-up headlights, an elongated bonnet, a sweeping canopy-like roofline, and large rear taillights… all the hallmark features which make a car great. Stepping away from boxy shapes and sharp angles which dominated car design in the 70s and 80s, the 8-Series is still one of the most gorgeous cars on the road you’ll ever come across.
It’s got an immense amount of road presence, even when it’s sitting still. It’s a two-decade old design that seems to capture the heart and spirit of everyone who sees one in the flesh. People stop to take pictures of it and appreciate its curves at supermarket parking lots, let alone dedicated car shows and meets.
Interior
Inside, the 8-Series is a lesson in driver-oriented layout and design. Everything is angled towards the driver, as witnessed by the massive centre console tilted towards the driver’s side. Before the 8-Series, most cars had a flat dashboard and relatively minimalistic layouts. Marketing it as a sporty grand tourer, BMW knew they had to make it luxurious and comfortable just as much as they did sporty.
To that extent, most 8-Series, including this one, have features like leather seats, a sunroof, remote central locking, A/C, electric door mirrors, heated seats, cruise control, electric windows, lumbar support, and a whole plethora of other things I can’t list in this article without running out of space.
You get the gist of it, don’t you? The 8-Series was the pinnacle of GT cars in the 1990s, so much so that I think its popularity was a large reason as to why Bentley decided to build the Continental in the early 2000s. The 8-Series represented the ultimate way to conduct long-distance travel, and it definitely didn’t hurt that it proved to be a decent daily as well.
Engine and Performance
Like I mentioned earlier, you can find an 850 if you really want a big V12, but I’d advise sticking with an 840 for reasons of simplicity. Not only is it lighter than the V12, but it’s much easier to work on and maintenance will cost significantly less. On nearly three-decade old cars, that surely has to be something worthy of consideration.
This particular example is the earlier 840Ci with the 4.0-litre V8, not the later 4.4-litre unit which was more efficient but produced the same amount of power. To that extent, this car makes 282 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque, more than enough for brisk motoring experience.
Power is sent to the rear wheels through a 5-speed automatic, though you were able to get it with a 6-speed manual. As big of a fan of manual gearboxes as I am, this is one car which is best enjoyed through the comfort of an auto, not a manual.
It being a BMW and all, the 8-Series is surprisingly sporty to drive. It still wafts along and it likes to deal with road imperfections in several suspension strokes, but it certainly doesn’t fall apart when you show it a corner. There’s a decent amount of body roll and it’s somewhat understeer-y at the limit, but it’s composed and predictable at sensible road speeds.
Compared to most modern GT cars, it obviously loses out on driving dynamics, but there’s something about the way it drives that makes it extremely charming and charismatic. It cocoons you and isolates you from the outside world, at the same time delivering a fun driving experience very few GT cars of its era cars can offer.
Model: BMW 8-Series
Year: 1995
Trim: 840Ci
Mileage: 99,000
Price: £7,995
Conclusion
I’m a big BMW ‘M’ fanatic, but even I have to concede this is one BMW product which is made better by not being an ‘M’ car. It’s not necessarily harsh or stiff, nor is it too aggressive to look at or be in. If you’ve got the cash, buy one while you can, because prices will skyrocket over the next few years. There’s no better place to find excellent used BMW 8 Series cars for sale than on the DesperateSeller.co.uk website.
DesperateSeller.co.uk rating: 8.5 out of 10
