A nearly new BMW 850i has appeared on a Romanian car dealer’s website on sale for more than £70,000. The V12 engined 8 Series comes with the sought-after option of a six-speed manual gearbox, and has covered just 1113 miles since it left the factory in 1991. As such, the one owner left-hand-drive car is up for 100,000 euros – about £70,267 at current exchange rates.
If the dealer description and pictures are anything to go by, this 850i is in immaculate condition. The images show a near spotless engine bay, dirt-free suspension and perfectly preserved paperwork – quashing any doubts as to the accuracy of its odometer. What looks to be blemish-free paintwork also suggests the car has spent much of its life safe from the effects of weathering.
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Under the bonnet is a 5-litre V12 engine, which, assuming its internals are as immaculate as the externals, should produce a factory quoted headline figure of 295bhp. And thanks to the fitment of a six-speed manual (which was faster than the slow-changing auto of the time), this 850i should still be good for a claimed 6.1-second 0 to 60 mph sprint time. The car is electronically limited to 155mph; though derestricted 850is have been known to reach 190mph.
Not that this 850i is likely to be pushed that hard. As one of the best-kept examples of the 8 Series in existence, there’s a very good chance it’ll end up in the hands of a collector.
The car’s asking price isn’t far off the list value of a 2016 Porsche 911 Carrera (which starts at £76,412), but it is about half the value of the car’s original price – the 850i sold for £59,500 in 1990, which is about £130,000 in today’s money. And with current market trends suggesting the 8 Series is already becoming a modern classic, even at this price it’s probably a safe long-term investment.
What do you think? Where would your money go – on this or a new Porsche 911 Carrera?
