As I’ve said many times, new kids are much more likely to make friends if they’re attractive. Sure, some people really care about Genesis GV80 handles, but I’m willing to bet most buyers like the way it looks. Back in the 90s, BMW understood the same thing. When it Introducing the 8 SeriesIt gave us a gorgeous coupe that made the Mercedes SL look old and sloppy. Unfortunately for customers, the 12-cylinder 850i’s looks wrote checks that its performance couldn’t pay.
As Jason Cammisa explains in the video below, the reviews of the BMW 850i have not been kind. You might even call them harsh. One magazine called it “an embarrassment to all who drove it.” So what should BMW do? Send it to the M division, of course. Those guys know a thing or two about building the ultimate driving machine, and they did just that. Except BMW doesn’t plan to call the car they’re building the M8. No, it’ll just be known as the BMW 850 CSi.
The M8 that isn’t an M8 makes 380 horsepower from its current 5.6-liter V12, and actually has the handling to match its engine and its handsome looks. In fact, one magazine said it was “a radical departure from the original; a symbol of power and a statement of supreme technical achievement.” Another said it had “blossomed into a serious sports car.” Car and Driver even said it had “perfected the species.” Talk about a makeover.
Sadly, BMW never made many 850 CSi. Only 225 were brought to the US, and only 1,510 were ever made. That makes it one of the rarest M cars of all time, so if you see one for sale, buy it. Sure, the plastics can crumble, and the V12 that runs like two inline-sixes can be a reliability nightmare, but come on. Surely it’s worth owning the car that perfected the species, right?
