1 of the 3 Australian Delivered 850 CSi’s.
“The Sydney Car”
26K Kilometres from new.
Stunning condition.

BMW’s iconic 1990’s halo car, has never shone brighter and it looks like it’s only warming up.

True car geeks can tie themselves in mental knots, debating why a car is seen as one of the greats; Is it courtesy of comparison, or purely for what it is? For the 850 CSi, with its McLaren F1 linked V12, silky 6 speed manual and Nurburgring honed suspension, all of which was breathed heavily upon, by BMW’s “M Division” allowed the ridiculously good looking 850 CSi, to smoke nearly everything, in every way from Bavaria, short of the seminal 507 and M1. That’s right, in BMW’s 110 year history, the BMW M8 has quietly risen to be one of the greats, both from a comparison and stand-alone perspective. In my opinion, it was the dawn of the 2020’s intensive enshittification process, that has forced the market to realise, what a special car the 850 CSi is.

Why the late start on something with all the right formula of V12, Manual, low build numbers and gorgeous? I am pretty sure the original 850i, with it’s V12, manual option and gorgeous looks, but effortless to the point of sleepiness performance, placed a stigma on all of the E31 8’s, that it never really shook off. In short, BMW took the Ferrari formula, then added some Rolls Royce and Lexus, but ended up with something neither here nor there. Neither a sporting fish, nor a luxury fowl.

Say “Whoops” in your best German accent.

Luckily for BMW they had the Motorsport division to call upon and they took the excellent in theory 850i and created “what BMW should have started with all along” (Car & Driver 1993). BMW Motorsport began with the heart of the issue and took the standard 24-valve SOHC M70 engine and created the mighty S70 with the following mods:

Increasing the bore (from 85mm to 86mm) and stroke (from 79mm to 80mm) for a total displacement of 5,576cc (Up from the M70’s 4,988cc)

Lighter pistons that increased compression (from 8.8:1 to 9.8:1)

Modified valve timing to handle the S70’s higher revving nature and power

ECU managed variable rpm limit (6,400 in 1st+2nd, 6,200 in 3rd, 6,100 in 4th. 6,000 in 5th+6th)

Manually adjustable throttle sensitivity, via dual mode console-mounted switch.

Engine oil cooler (N/A on the USA spec cars.)

And of course, a proper exhaust system to free the S70 up and get some V12 sound happening.

These modifications resulted in an 80HP increase in power, to an impressive for the 90’s 380 hp. More importantly for the portly super coupe, maximum torque was increased 70 lb/ft to 402 lb/ft at 4,000 rpm.

Rather than fish about looking for the S70 code, the engine can be identified by the attractive "Powered by M" inscription, on the central cam cover.

With that important issue finalised, M Division moved onto the following matters;

Feel:

Steering rate was increased 15% with actuation changed from engine speed to vehicle speed. Full lock was now 2.8 turns, down from 3.3 turns lock to lock. Optional rear steering system was now standard.

Suspension spring rate was increased and modified Bilstein shocks installed. The car was lowered 1cm front and rear, improving cornering (CoG) and aero (Cd). Front hubs were modified for greater strength and would have helped with a more solid steering feel.

The gearbox was a revised Getrag 6 speed, that has become renowned for being a smooth shift and extremely robust, with custom ratios (5th 1:1 and 6th .83; perfect for a GT.) and an external oil cooler. This was coupled to a lower 2.93 diff’ ratio, also matched to an external oil cooler. The combination of lower gear ratios and diff ratio, helped guarantee some extra driving spark, in the Bavarian Sport Coupe.

The brakes weren’t overlooked, with 13.6” (345mm) floating and ventilated discs’ on the front, with new “M5” type four piston calipers and 12.8” (325mm) ventilated rears. These pulled the CSi up in a manner that had Stuttgart’s finest worried.

Performance:

The Porsche 928 GTS was the M Division’s performance benchmark and it shows with the following figures:

0 – 100 KMH in 5.3 Seconds.

¼ mile in 13.9 seconds.

100 – 0 KMH in 130m.

All of which shadowed the GTS, with the CSi winning most comparisons, due to superior aesthetics and ergonomics. Terms like “Thug in a tuxedo” and “Iron fist in a velvet glove” were used liberally by the press.

Aesthetics:

The CSi external look was devine. The functional aero treatment to the front, rear and sides were both effective and sent the 850 from very good-looking status, to jaw droppingly beautiful (IMHO). The car was badged and even VIN’d by BMW Motorsport everywhere, except on the rump, with 850CSi chosen, over the M8 moniker nominated on the German TUV/ registration papers. An odd choice, but I’m sure they had their reasons.

The CSi internal look was pure class and showed exceptional build quality, much like every E31 to leave the Dinglofing BMW plant. Upon opening the door, you were greeted with the iconic "M" logo on both door sill scuff plates. The trim was available in CSi exclusive two-tone configurations, one of which, the Dark Grey / Light Grey is the only 1990’s grey interior, that I don’t think is a huge mistake. I will actually go so far as to say that I love it. With the high-quality leather and exposed stitching, it looks sporty, opulent and perfectly Teutonic. Bravo BMW. As with most of the early 90’s airbag steering wheel options, it was a mixed bag of OK to not-so OK. Luckily little M Division tri colour stitching came along and to the grasp, all are a great size, for super-coupe style driving. The instrument cluster was unique with red needles, a 300 kph/180 mph speedometer and a unique tachometer with a graduated redline (Remember the gear specific variable rev limiter?).

This particular 850CSi we proudly have for sale, is quite unique, as it’s not only one of the 7 built in RHD with metric gauges, it has lived the perfect, trophy car life, that we wish all our dream classics have lived.

Yes, it is one of the famous 3 Australian delivered CSi’s, this was the “Sydney Car”, that has only had 3 owners from new and has a mileage of 26K K’s that is backed up by documentation and the near perfect condition of the car. It cannot be overstated, just how much this car presents as new, for an unrestored 30+ year old car. The Calypso red, a deep burgundy metallic, is divine on the perfect E31 proportions and the light Grey / dark grey trim combination is both classy and in as new condition. A testimony to the first long term owner, clothing magnate Barry Bennett’s excellent taste and ability to care for a car. I will assume from the condition of the drivers seat bolster, that he was pretty svelte too. Kudos Mr. Bennett.

The car comes with complete books, including super cool personalised “M Card” and all the documentation needed, to make this time-warp cars amazing condition make sense.

If you are looking for the perfect “Ultimate Driving Machine” era Super Coupe, I strongly recommend you jump at this opportunity. Schnell!

What the experts thought:

“Wingless jet-fighter” Jeremy Clarkson, Top Gear circa 1994.

“BMW has perfected the species” John Phillips, Car & Driver, circa 1994.

850 CSi by the numbers:

Made from 1993 to 1996.

1510 total global production.

225 USA spec’ .

160 RHD with 153 to UK (115 accounted for, circa late 2025).

With the following 7 non-UK delivered, with metric gauges.

2 to HK,

2 to Singapore,

3 to AUS;

Melbourne Car, Mr Lindsay Fox, Alpine White, CC88154, 1st Rego LEF 000.

Sydney Car, Mr Barry Bennett, Calypso Red. CC88160, 1st Rego’ BB 851.

Melbourne Car, Unknown, Orient Blue, CC80165, 75,000 kms, circa 2014.

Freude am Fahren AF.