For Sale at Auction: 1995 BMW 850 in Newport, Rhode Island

Chassis No. WBSEG9323SCD00180

Though it never wore the M badge, the 850 CSi was engineered by BMW Motorsport and is regarded by enthusiasts as an M car in all but name. Its 5.6-liter 'S70B56' V12 was reworked by M engineers from the M70 to produce 376 horsepower, the 'S70' designation denoting its Motorsport origin. That provenance is written into the car itself: 850 CSi chassis carry the WBS Motorsport VIN prefix used on BMW's genuine M cars, rather than the WBA of standard BMW AG production. The absence of a badge is reportedly explained by the shelved M8 prototype-a more extreme, lightweight V12 that BMW ultimately did not put into production-leaving the 850 CSi as the model that quietly delivered M-division engineering beneath 8 Series bodywork.

Completed on 3 February 1995 and destined for California, this 850 CSi was ordered in the executive and sporting combination of Jet Black over Black leather, along with the six-speed manual transmission and limited-slip differential. A rare beast in period with a lofty MSRP of $100,950 in 1995, just 225 examples are understood to have been delivered to the United States.

Its first owner registered the car in Tarzana and retained the 850 CSi for approximately 15 years, the clean CARFAX Vehicle History Report showing that it was driven sparingly and maintained regularly within the Los Angeles BMW network. The maintenance booklet carries Beverly Hills BMW stamps in 1997 and 1998, with later services entrusted to BMW of Sherman Oaks through 2008. A second owner acquired the coupe in 2011 and registered it in New York, where dealer care continued at BMW of Manhattan.

The car returned to California by 2017, and invoices on file document coolant, brake, and power steering fluid flushes at Beverly Hills BMW, followed by replacement of the Servotronic steering unit and both batteries at Rusnak BMW in October 2018, an air conditioning service in August 2019, and replacement of the bank two ignition coil, distributor cap, and rotor that September.

By 2021, the BMW had joined a new owner in Massachusetts. Invoices on file from this ownership record replacement of both power steering return hoses and the oil pan gasket in 2021, and in 2023 and 2024 both DME main and fuel pump relays, both fuel filters, front thrust arms, a front lower control arm, all rear control arm bushings, and a set of Bilstein Sport dampers, accompanied by a four-wheel alignment.

Shown at the Greenwich Concours d'Elegance in 2025, more than a quarter century after it left BMW's Dingolfing assembly line, the coupe was recognized with a class award. The current owner acquired it later in 2025 with 59,619 miles and reports that it has been maintained and exercised sparingly since, showing 59,560 miles today. Seldom seen when new and seldom offered now, this is a well-documented example of BMW Motorsport's most opulent V12-powered grand tourer with a six-speed manual transmission, handsomely specified in black-on-black from the factory and accompanied by the stamped booklet, invoices, and records that chart three decades of attentive care.