BMW 8 Series (First Generation)

BMW 8 Series (E31) BMW E31 at Arkhangelskoye Estate (Moscow Region, Russia) The BMW E31 is the first generation of the BMW 8 Series. It is a grand tourer built by BMW from 1990 to 1999 as a 2-door coupé, powered by either a V8 or V12 engine. Whilst it did supplant the original E24 in 1990, it was not a direct successor, but a new model class with a substantially higher price and performance than the 6 Series. Models 840Ci The 840Ci was offered with two different engines. The first used the 4.0-litre M60B40 V8 engine having a power output of 210 kW (286 PS) and was produced from mid-1993 to late 1995. From mid-1995, production phased in the newer 4.4-litre M62B44 V8 engine, which had better fuel economy and more torque, though power output remained unchanged. The 840Ci was available with a 5-speed automatic transmission, though European cars were given the option of a 6-speed manual transmission. The only external features distinguishing the V8 model from the V12 models were the quad round exhausts, which were square in the V12 models. The 840Ci stayed in production until May 1999. 850i/Ci The 850i was the first model of the 8 Series launched in 1990 with the 5.0-litre M70B50 V12 engine having a power output of 220 kW (300 PS). It was available with either a 4-speed automatic or a 6-speed manual gearbox. Around the time of the introduction of the 840Ci in Autumn 1993, the 850i was renamed the 850Ci. From October 1994, BMW installed the new M73B54 V12 engine in the 850Ci, the new engine being from the newly launched E38 750i. Thus, cars with 850Ci badging used both the M70 and M73 engines, with those built before 10/94 using the older E32-type M70. As the displacement of the M73 increased to 5.4-litres and the compression ratio went up, the power output increased to 240 kW (326 PS). 850CSi As a top-of-the-range variant of the 8 Series, the 850CSi took over from the prototype M8 variant. The 850CSi used the same engine as the 850i, which was tuned so significantly that BMW assigned it a new engine code: S70B56. The modifications included Bosch Motronic 1.7 fuel injection, a capacity increase to 5,576 cc (5.6 L) and power increase to 280 kW (381 PS) at 5,300 rpm and 550 N⋅m (406 lbf⋅ft) of torque at 4,000 rpm. Production ended in late 1996 because the S70 engine could not be modified to comply with new emission regulations without substantial re-engineering. Characteristics Manufacturer: Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft (BMW AG) Assembly: Dingolfing (Germany) Years of production: 1990—1999 Length: 4780 mm Width: 1854 mm Height: 1335 mm Engine: 8–12 cylinders; 3982–5576 cc Power: 282–375 HP Max speed: 250 km/h Fuel consumption: 13 l/100 km Weight: 1790–1955 kg See also Transport blog See also Cars blog See also Motorcycles blog See also Buses blog See also Shipbuilding blog See also Motors and Engines blog See also Trains and railways blog See also Trucks and Cargo Vehicles blog See also Tractors and Special Equipment blog See also Tanks and Armored Vehicles See also Airplanes blog See also Helicopters blog See also Artillery, Missiles and Rockets blog See also Bicycles blogThe post BMW 8 Series (First Generation) first appeared on All PYRENEES.