All very true. this is marginal here, but we should also remember the context of the 8 series and the 850 CSI. The previous decade, in the 80s, BMWs 6 series was occupying a space quite close to the Maranellos space a decade later, as a sporty grand tourer. Remember the M635 CSi (M6) had a race derived engine and there was very little to touch it. Fast, manual only, thoroughbred engine, two seater (more or less), sharp around the corners. 928 was more cumbersome, Mercedes had no rival, Ferrari then had Testarossa as its two seat V12 and 400 as a 2+2 which was softer. Other Italian GTs were not good then. Aston and Jaguar had nothing of real merit. So BMW was rightly a bit of a cult in the late 80s. You could say the M6 was the best sporting GT in the world in the 1980s, irrespective of price. then come the 90s and BMW say they are producing an 8 series, with a V12! The anticipation was enormous. Better than a six series, and V12 powered, what could go wrong? But the 8 was more like a two door 7 with added tech. The V12 was quiet and refined, not gnarly (despite being developed for the F1). The car was a cruiser, but a bit hard, like a 928. Then the CSi grabbed attention, maybe this would be the true successor to the M6, sharper, better, faster. It wasn’t, but a slight cult lives on. Meanwhile the 550 came out and did the sharp sports grand tourer better than anything that had ever come before. But I guess lots of BMW guys from then are getting old and wealthy now and pushing up 850 prices. Ferrari guys were already older and richer then, so no great change in buying power 25 years on. this is the kind of thing the article should have covered, with no disrespect to both beautiful cars featured in it.
As fun as is, E31s feel like they want to take off over 300kph. One thing I rarely ever see mentioned about the 8 is that it is the first production vehicle to use a full CAN system for electrical systems. It doesn't seem like a huge deal now but the full integration of controller area network is really what allowed pretty much every convenience system people have come to know in modern automobiles. It may not seem like much but the six year difference in initial production dates was a very quickly advancing time in automobile electronics. They look weird in red. Image Unavailable, Please Login
A nice 600SL is a bargain boulevard cruiser. I have watched a few videos where they are modified with a loud exhaust system and opened up on back roads. Sounds great and all that for less than a new loaded Camry.
If I remember right, for the first years of production, the 8-series had power coat paint finish. That was pretty special. But they went to spray paint later, because the powder coat finish was almost impossible to repair at normal paint shops if a car got an accident or needed to be re-sprayed. High tech for its time
