BMW 8 Series

The BMW 8 Series (chassis code: E31) is a Grand Tourer built by BMW from 1989 to 1999 powered by either a V8 or V12 engine. While it did supplant the original E24 based 6 Series in 1991, a common misconception is that the 8 Series was developed as a successor. However, it was actually an entirely new class aimed at a different market, with a substantially higher price and better performance than the 6 series. It was BMW's flagship car and had an electronically limited top speed of 155 mph (250 km/h). However, de-limited the manual 850 will do 190 mph (305kmph)

History of development

Design of the 8 Series began in 1984, with the final design phase and production development (starting) in 1986. The 8 Series debuted at the Frankfurt Motor Show (IAA) in early September 1989. The 8 Series was designed to move beyond the market of the original 6 Series. The 8 Series however had substantially improved performance, as well as a far higher purchase price.

Over 1.5 billion Deutschemark was spent on total development (2008 USD nearly $1 billion). BMW used CAD tools, still unusual at the time, to design the car's all-new body. Combined with wind tunnel testing, the resulting car had a drag coefficient of 0.29, a major improvement from the previous BMW M6/635CSi's 0.39.