1991 BMW 850i

1991 BMW 850i

One of my all-time favorites! I love the old 8-Series Beemers. They're fun to drive, perform fairly well, get a LOT of attention, and generally make you feel like a million bucks. The only problem is you might need that million bucks to keep them running. 

I had owned an 8-Series previously and decided I wanted another one. I searched far and wide before buying this one from an individual in California - Beverly Hills actually - and it didn't really cost me an arm and a leg. It was badged as a rare CSi, but it was just a regular 850i.

This bad boy had a purring (or coughing, depending on the day of the week) V12, black interior, and most importantly a full CSi body kit and a perfect set of CSi rims. They're hard to find and cost a fortune when you do.

When I first got it I put the car up on blocks for about a month or so and sent the rims off to be chromed. I thought they looked pretty good.

I also had the heads removed and powder coated red. I'm not sure why I chose red, but it ended up looking good. The car looked great and drove pretty well. I loved it, but it was just too mechanically challenged so after a few years I made the decision to let it go.

Here I am waving bye-bye to another car that I wish I still owned. I ended up selling this one to a very nice police officer from Dallas who drove down with his wife to pick it up. He even called me a few months later to tell me how much he was enjoying it. 

BMW has brought back the 8-Series this year, but it won't be as unique or interesting of a car as these older ones were - guaranteed! It will end up as a rebodied 5-Series or something. 

This thing made even ME look cool (OK, well maybe not cool, but at least interesting). I still look for these periodically. They have to be future collectibles. They're a little tricky to maintain, but not difficult to live with.