Past masters: BMW 8 Series E31

What was more, as the 8 Series was launched in 1989, the world went into recession, and the idea of a 5.0-litre GT that weighed almost as much as HMS Ark Royal rather lost its appeal. Sales withered on the vine and BMW realised it had the makings of a failure on its hands. 

Fortunately, it acted quickly. Plans for a range-topping M8 were promptly shelved; instead, M division was tasked with fettling the 850i to enhance the driving experience. The sharper 850CSi was the result, and it was joined in the range by a more frugal, 4.0-litre V8-powered 840Ci – no longer a technological tour de force, but instead a burbling, squarejawed grand tourer. The 8 Series had, belatedly, found its place in the world. In 1995 the range was revised.

The V12 was expanded to 5.4 litres and 322bhp, while the V8 was switched out for a new 4.4-litre unit with the same 282bhp as its predecessor, but more torque and better fuel economy. And an 840Ci Sport version was added, taking the 850CSi’s bodykit and stiffer suspension and applying it to the less powerful model.

The 840Ci Sport is arguably the best-resolved 8 Series of all. Driving it today, it’s easy to see how BMW fought valiantly to solve the 8 Series’ problems. The wider tyres and stiffer suspension all but eliminate body roll, giving enormous amounts of grip and allowing the 8 Series to gather and maintain speed well through flowing bends. On such roads, it really is good fun.

But in tighter stuff, the 840Ci still comes unstuck, grinding its nose wide as the momentum of all that weight takes effect. To get it to handle competently, the ride is stiff, so much so that potholes and ruts send crashes through the structure in a manner most unbecoming of a big GT. Even in this form, then, the 8 Series is still a car of compromises.

Flawed as it is, the 8 Series is still an easy car to love. Nothing detracts from its pin-sharp looks, nor the sweeping, enveloping interior, nor the way the V8 in this 840Ci gurgles to itself even on a light throttle, nor the pillarless doors and vast sunroof, which all but turn it into a convertible when the weather is kind.

BMW is unlikely to take as many chances with its range-topper this time around, so while both cars will share a name and a bodystyle, don’t expect many more similarities. Rather than being a ground-breaker, the new 8 Series will slot into a class that already exists. That should make it ultimately more competent, even if it is also less ambitious.

Is the E31 a car BMW would rather forget? Perhaps. Yet for all its failings, the technological advances should not be forgotten. Nor, indeed, the high-end image its suave looks and moneyed status imparted by association on the rest of the BMW range. It was, and remained throughout its life, a desirable car that doubtless helped seal the deal in terms of BMW’s prestige status.