Vehicle Description
1996 BMW 850ci Coupe
BMW's Art Cars are very cool, and in 1995 an 8 Series was given the
full treatment. Artist David Hockney added stylized intake
manifolds on the bonnet and silhouettes of the driver and steering
column on the driver's door. And, cleverly moving the canine-art
genre from the immortal Dogs Playing Poker fresco, the Brit artist
painted a picture of his beloved dachshund Stanley onto the rear
side panel as if it were a passenger. A dog! The madness!
No fooliin' around with this car and current consignment as you
have the availability of V12 power at your toes. The 8er had a low
drag coefficient, 0.29, ranking close to a Porsche 928 - and was
drawn up entirely on a computer, (something of a novelty back
then), with a lot of wind tunnel testing to get that swoopy, wedgy
shape. It looks good, retro-good, but still good. Plenty of BMW
bells and whistles, and by the standards of the day, this made it a
virtual visitor from the future. This 1 of 363 imported to the
states between 1994 and 1996 car is sporting a mere 76,556 title
verifiedactual miles and has been fastidiously maintained by our
consignor who has owned the car since 2007 when it had 46,000
miles. A full breakdown of all the services performedis included
with your purchase along with a thick thick thick folder of
receipts so you can rest assured that this car is in top notch
condition. Oh, and I cannot forget the custom fitted car cover,
full tool kit and factory wheels that are included with your
purchase...THE Ultimate Driving Machine!!!
Exterior
Although greatly thinned down and not very tall, the iconic BMW
front grille with its dual openings can still be seen, only this
time above are hidden headlights which make up the wedge form of
the front of this car. Some running lights and signals are also
within this grille, and in the center is the blue and white badge.
All steel bathed in original Black II, Schwartz II for those of you
in the Motherland, and there is a smattering of black trimmings for
the window surrounds and a mid body thin black trimming encircling
this car. On the back is a gracefully descending rear glass and
back pillar which seamlessly meets up to form the rear trunk/deck
lid. Integrated wrap around tail lighting is above a dual exhaust
rear roll pan on the bottom. Polished multi-spoke 17" German
Breyton wheels are on all 4 corners wrapped in 235/45ZR17 like new
rubber, and as mentioned earlier, the factory wheels are included
with your purchase.
Interior
Plenty of Parchment tan and black accenting are within the
ergonomically designed cabin of this Autobahn time saver. Molded
door panels using shades of tan and parchment seamlessly create a
beautiful design and these are just the door panels! Slipping
inside into the Parchment leather covered high backed buckets we
are grabbed and are able to fine tune this adjustment of these
seats to our exacting comfort level. A nicely designed dash is
upfront and contains lots of technology for the climate controls,
stereo, drive modes, and an orange LED thin bar display which
contains an amazing amount of options to display. A power
adjustable steering column holds the black airbag equipped steering
wheel at its end and a variety of functions are controlled from
stalks also on the column. Uber clean tan carpeting covers the
floors, and in back are a nifty set of 2 buckets to grip the rear
passengers during the thrill ride they may experience. Hanging
above is a new fuzzy tan broadcloth headliner framing the power
moonroof. A huge shout out to the trunk with fuzzy gray lining and
optional CD changer.
Drivetrain
Shoehorned in under this wedge shaped hood is a beautifully
preserved and shiny V12 EFI 5.4 liter mill. EFI is feeding this
mill and a ZF 5HP30 5-speed automatic is attached to the rear. 2.81
is the rear axle in this version. All fluids were recently changed
and new accessorydrivebelts were installed.
Undercarriage
Up on the lift we note German engineering at its finest with all
neatly molded and sculpted panels to fit all the underpinnings of
the mechanicals needed to handle and propel this car down the road.
Some extremely slight rust and plenty of patina but all
structurally sound and looking good. Fully rebuilt 4-wheel
independent suspension, and power disc brakes all around with clean
dual exhaust is seen underneath.
Drive-Ability
A turn of the key and one needs to experience the smoothness of a
V12 power plant. It's waiting to be unleashed on the test track, so
off I went, and here it showed up with plenty of acceleration,
smooth limitless power, good braking, and excellent handling. It is
best described as a luxury sports coupe and offers up a comfy ride
to boot! All functions worked as designed save for the ashtray door
hinge being broken, an occasional MID system display drop out, (we
didn't experience this, but our consignor notes it does happen),
and the car phone is not in service.
Being fastidiously and meticulously maintainedby our loving
consignor has left this example in very good condition. V12 power,
tons of service records, and leather luxury, along with sporty
wedge design ahead of its time in the early 90's! Interestingly
enough, this car was favored by the F1 drivers of the day.
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special
interest automobile showroom, featuring over 850 vehicles for sale
with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle
barn find collection is on display. This vehicle is located in our
showroom in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, conveniently located just
1-hour west of Philadelphia on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The
website is www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888)
227-0914. Please contact us anytime for more information or to come
see the vehicle in person.
