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Ex-Sultan of Brunei BMW 8 Series Is Fist-Biting Gorgeous

It’s no secret BMW is bringing back the 8 Series for 2018, including something the original didn’t have: an M8 with 600-plus horsepower on tap. For all that, nothing quite lives up to the timeless design of the E31 8er, which supplanted the iconic E24 6 Series with V8 and V12 power.
Ex-Sultan of Brunei BMW 8 Series 18 photos
Photo: Autotrader
Ex-Sultan of Brunei BMW 8 SeriesEx-Sultan of Brunei BMW 8 SeriesEx-Sultan of Brunei BMW 8 SeriesEx-Sultan of Brunei BMW 8 SeriesEx-Sultan of Brunei BMW 8 SeriesEx-Sultan of Brunei BMW 8 SeriesEx-Sultan of Brunei BMW 8 SeriesEx-Sultan of Brunei BMW 8 SeriesEx-Sultan of Brunei BMW 8 SeriesEx-Sultan of Brunei BMW 8 SeriesEx-Sultan of Brunei BMW 8 SeriesEx-Sultan of Brunei BMW 8 SeriesEx-Sultan of Brunei BMW 8 SeriesEx-Sultan of Brunei BMW 8 SeriesEx-Sultan of Brunei BMW 8 SeriesEx-Sultan of Brunei BMW 8 Series
A little over 30,000 examples of the breed were manufactured by the Bavarian automaker from 1989 to 1999, not including an expansive list of concepts and prototypes that includes a 558-horsepower V12-engined M8.

In addition to mere mortals like you and me, the 8 Series was popular with the rich and famous of the era. The 850Ci featured in the gallery is one of those 8ers, a sporty grand tourer the Sultan of Brunei bought on special order from BMW.

Believed to be the only right-hand drive 850Ci in this color, the vehicle shows 31,600 miles on the clock and comes with all the bells and whistles one can expect from a BMW from the 1990s. Electronic Damper Control, Dynamic Drive Package, electric steering column, multi-spoke split alloy wheels, two-tone interior, there’s a lot to like about this 850Ci.

Offered for sale on Autotrader, the car is listed at £36,995 and comes with an extensive history file. Being a pre-1994 model, the vehicle features a four-speed automatic instead of the five-speed transmission that became available from mid-1994.

The business end of the 850Ci is the M73 V8, which displaces 5.4 liters and develops 320 horsepower and 490 Nm (360 pound-feet) of torque from 3,900 rpm in this application. BMW made 1,218 units of the 850Ci, thus rendering it the rarest model in the E31 family, followed closely by the range-topping 850CSi and lesser 840Ci.

Instead of an ending note, did you know the E31 8 Series is the only BMW other than the M1 to feature pop-up headlights? The second-generation model (G14/G15), meanwhile, will up the ante with optional BMW Laser lighting technology borrowed from the G11/G12 7 Series.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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