BMW M8: The Ultimate Driving Machine That Never Was

The BMW M8 is a bittersweet tale of ambition and unrealised potential.

The 1980s were an era of excess, where extravagant lifestyles led to equally outrageous cars. The race for the title of ‘world’s fastest car’ pushed the limits of engineering as the supercar market boomed.

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Porsche’s 959 and Ferrari’s F40 broke the 200mph barrier, while aftermarket beasts like RUF’s CTR Yellowbird and the Callaway Sledgehammer hit 217mph and 255mph, respectively.

This need for speed ramped up in the 1990s, with new challengers like Jaguar’s XJ220, Lamborghini’s Diablo, and Bugatti’s EB110 entering the mix. BMW M, already renowned for creating some of the best high-performance road cars, wanted in on the action and set to work.

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M GmbH’s goal? To transform BMW’s flagship E31 grand tourer into a bonafide supercar, one that would not only rival but beat its competition and solidify BMW’s name at the very top end of the automotive industry.

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The E31 was an excellent starting point. With a drag coefficient of 0.29, it was more aerodynamic than the Porsche 959, XJ220, and even the McLaren F1. BMW’s M department further refined the design with a bespoke body kit and bumpers, wide box flares, and compact mirrors, not to mention the elimination of pop-up headlights – a change driven by aerodynamics and engine bay packaging.

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In 1992, BMW launched the 850CSi, the E31’s flagship model, equipped with a 5.6-litre, 380hp S70 V12. But that engine paled in comparison to the M8’s.

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The S70/2 in the M8 was developed as the ultimate version of BMW’s V12. Though it shared the same basic block design, the M8’s engine featured custom cylinder heads and internals that turned the smooth CSi engine into a quad-cam, dry-sump, 640hp thoroughbred.

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To put that into perspective, the Bugatti EB110 in SuperSport spec produced 603hp, and the most powerful Diablo GT delivered a mere 575hp.

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It’s not just power and looks that set the M8 apart from the typical E31. To shed weight, the M engineers used glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) for the doors, boot lid, and that vented headlight-free bonnet.

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Inside the M8, comfort made way for performance: the plush front seats were replaced by Recaro Pole Positions with unique M-pattern upholstery, and the rear seat was removed altogether. Both driver and passenger were secured by Sabelt harnesses.

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The eagle-eyed amongst you might notice the M8’s solid B pillars. E31s were all pillar-less coupés, but with 640hp being sent through a 6-speed Getrag manual gearbox and 1990s-era tyres, the decision to reinforce the chassis made perfect sense.

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Despite the M8 prototype’s overwhelming potential, I’ll never forgive BMW for not putting it into production. And yes, I admit, my disappointment is deeply personal.

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This is one of those rare moments when I can’t entirely separate my emotions from my commentary because the E31 holds a special place in my heart. Why? My mother has owned her E31 840Ci Sport since I was 10.

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Seeing that shark-nosed shape for the first time blew my mind. To my young eyes, it was a supercar. As I grew older, I understood that the 8 Series was a grand tourer, but I always saw the potential for something far greater – a car that could have become a true Bavarian icon.

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The M8 is just one more in a long list of ‘almosts’ that have shadowed BMW for decades – understandable, perhaps, after the financial failures of the 507 and M1. But this one feels different. The M8 could have been incredible, a real-world-beater.

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The E31 M8 will forever remain a prototype, its full potential a mystery. Still, I firmly believe it would have shown the world that BMW was king.

Mario Christou
Instagram: mcwpnmariochristou.world
mariochristou.world

Photography by Alen Haseta
Instagram: hazetaa

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27 comments

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1

It really is amazing to see what these manufacturers were capable of creating at the time. When compared to modern day examples, it truly puts into perspective how far the mighty have fallen. Not particularly of their own accord, most of the deviation is regulatory. However, the manufacturers are guilty of being complicit.

2

Um, what? Hellcats and Veyrons and ZR1s and a host of other cars beg to differ. Power is plentiful. Tires are better than ever. Suspension tech is ever advancing. Very few "supercars" of the past are competitive with the cars of today. Yes, they grab our hearts and often exude more style, but for actual performance it's never been better than now.

3

In 2003 while working in Oman, I spotted a silver one parked outside the BMW workshop in Al Khuwair, Muscat. The dust must have been 1/2" thick I then went into the BMW dealer / workshop and asked what's wrong with the car to which I was told it misfired and required a specialist from Germany to diagnose and fix it. Point is yes the car looks gorgeous but once something goes wrong be prepared to wait months before it gets fixed If one is prepared to accept the risk then yes by any means, buy one.

4

I am a professional mechanic and have owned an 850i for over 10 years, here is my 2 cents worth on e31 v12 ownership. Most important - If you don't have good to above average mechanical skills owning one of these will not be an enjoyable experience and I highly recommend running away. If you are a half way decent mechanic however you might be surprised to find out the V12 is actually pretty reliable for a 30 year old German luxury car. The engine is essentially 2 M20B25 connected to a common crankshaft so it's a pretty basic engine with 2 valve per cylinder and no cam advance. Mechanically the bottom ends are relatively bulletproof and the only common top end issues are valve seals, oil tube bolts coming loose and intake gasket leaks. What seems to scare the hell out of everyone is that each bank of 6 cylinders uses its own engine management system which means there are pretty much 2 of everything. After living with my "fixer Upper" 850 for a decade I realize that is actually one of the best features when it comes to diagnosing engine problems. Suspect a MAF sensor issue? Take 5 minutes to swap them and you have your answer. ECU? 20 minutes to swap R and L units and you have your answer. Fuel pumps and regulators, distributors and coils, coolant and air temp sensors, throttle bodies, crank and cylinder sensors - pretty much anything that controls how the engine runs can be swapped for diagnosis. Its like towing a really good parts car with you wherever you go. I'm not pretending these cars engines are as reliable as a toyota corolla but they may very well be easier to fix.

5

Your comment triggered a memory of mine. My high school shop teacher used a BMW v12 in a Diablo kit car and one of the packaging issues he had was mounting both ECU discreetly.

I honestly completely forgot about this bit of random information until reading your comment.

6

I lived 20km outside of Amsterdam where each neighbor on each side of me owned E31s, an 840 and an 850 that made my e36 M3 coupe feel inadequate.

Both had their cars serviced at the dealer 4km away, as did I. Nobody had their Bimmer sitting strong waiting for a specialist from Germany.

Of course, we weren't in a Sultanate in the middle of nowhere.

7

Well Holland to Germany is just hours drive away but Oman is 5 - 6 hours flying plus the German specialist may not want to just diagnose one car as he probably waited till 5 - 6 cars needed diagnosis. Those expats (many of them Dutch) who worked in Oman at that time can verify my comment.

8

Fact check: E31 in any guise is NOT more aerodynamic than any of the cars you mention, and the drag coefficient for the standard E31 is not 0.29. do more research than forum diving. Anyone that understands frontal area and wheel well dissipation will see immediately this is a vastly inferior air puncher to an F1.

That ridiculous statement aside, THIS is when BMW actually made Driver’s Machines. Love this article’s short and sweet passion at the fact BMW had an incredible trajectory they, for whatever reasons, failed to live up to as the years past. This engine is insane, and to see it between stamped out, standard looking dampener mount forms is so 80’s it makes me wanna drive something with a LCD dash.

9

Hi StraightR, please find excerpts from the manufacturer releases of both the BMW E31 and McLaren F1 GT (the low-drag prototype). I’ve taken the liberty of highlighting the drag coefficients for you! Not quite a forum post, eh?

Please don’t question the research I do for my articles. I do my best to write good articles for all of our readers.

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10
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11

Thanks for reading!

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12

Beautiful Engine Bay...

13

Thing is, the E31 850CSi is legally registered as "M8/E" in the German market (& possibly the rest of Europe but I can't verify). It might not be as spicy as this particular example, but BMW technically did make an E31 M8

14

That’s a cool bit of knowledge Steve thank you!

But with the existence of this as the only ‘real’ E31 M8, and with such comprehensive changes versus a standard car, I can’t comprehend anyone calling a CSi an M8.

Homologating rear-wheel steering isn’t enough to brand the CSi as an M-car in my books, especially when the system could be optioned on the non-CSi E31s.

The E12 530 MLE may have been BMW M’s first car according to its VIN plate, the E28 was the first M5 after all.

15

I"m not a big BMW guy and I'm not qualified to get into a debate on what an M car is or isn't but I think it's important to mention a CSI is far more than just a regular e31 with rear wheel steering. Although the engine design is fundamentally the same as the regular e31's, The M GmbH developed/tuned S70B56 with 375Hp was not available on regular 850's that had a maximum of 322hp. The csi also had many less important but unique changes like springs,shocks, bushings and steering ratios as well as lots of cosmetic differences. Bmw somewhat recognized these as M cars by giving them a few discrete M badges and gave them M vehicle serial numbers. The CSI may not have as many radical changes as a lot of M cars but isn't far off some others (north american e36's?)

16

A car this heavy has no right to be associated with the ///M brand
...Is what applied in the 90s. It was just ahead of its time, 30 years later obese vehicles can identify as M's

17

I'm very much enjoying the smackdown Mario and Alen are dishing on the reliably exasperating "ACKSHUALLY U R WRONG" commenters. You guys brought receipts for your work. Great article.

18

Sounds like you watch keeping up with the Kardashians a lot. The drama. Oh the drama.

19
Abdulmateen Ahmed

Same. Some people just LOVE to be heard

20

One of my all time favorites! Actually saw one the other day (its been a LONG time since I have) and they're just gorgeous!
On the M8s wheels though...I'm assuming with 90s tech that they're not a full carbon center. Whats the story there? A carbon wrap? Paint? Its hard to tell from the pics.

21

I just upgraded my M8 comp to 800hp … all the pretentious GTR owners can watch my tail lights … and talk about the ghost that was M8 ;)

22

Mario. As a fellow e38 fan, I admire all of speedhunters work. I was merely trying to defend (whoever) wrote the article, and it looks like the said b3llend that started this argument has since deleted his comment! Keep up the good wrting & photography guys. Regardless of what some consider the 8 series to be (or not to be), it's a damn fine looking piece of kit. I was torn between that and my 740i, with 'practicality' winning the day. Over & out :)

23

LOL, it was Mario not Alen.

24

I mean, I just took the pictures. But you know, what ever makes you happy.

25

You’ve not even paid enough attention to realise that I wrote this article, not Alen, even though it’s very clearly stated at the top of the page.

I’m therefore not surprised that you’re lacking the logical ability to understand that they’ve strengthened the chassis in case of a crash, *because* the car has 640hp, a manual gearbox and old tyre technology - making it a handful to control.

Stop harassing my colleague please, it’s incredibly tedious now. Thank you!

26

quacksqeen, read the

27

read WHOLE sentence quacker. The tyres are just 1 factor in the mix. If you tried driving a 90's car with thtat sort of power and a manual gearbox (assuming u know how to use one...), you'd see what Alen is getting at. Muppet.

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