BMW 8 Series

BMW 8 Series at a glance

The 8 Series sits at the top of the coupé range in our BMW catalogue; the E31 also belongs in our classic cars section.

Generations and model history

The M8 versions of the second generation (441-460 kW) are left out of the table and described separately below.

E31 (1990-1999)

Development started in July 1981 and the design, by Klaus Kapitza, was completed in 1986. BMW used computer-aided design, then unusual, and wind-tunnel work to reach a drag coefficient of 0.29, against 0.39 for the earlier 635CSi. The car debuted at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 1989 and went into production in February 1990.

The E31 was technically ambitious. The 850i was one of the first cars with an electronic drive-by-wire throttle, and, with the Z1, the 8 Series was one of BMW's first models with a multi-link rear axle. Its unibody was about 3 kg lighter than the E24 6 Series shell, but the big engines and luxury equipment made the finished car much heavier, at 1,855-1,975 kg.

BMW also built a prototype M8 with a 6,064 cc version of the S70 V12, estimated at 471 kW (640 PS) and a top speed of 320 km/h. It was scrapped in 1991 during the recession and first shown in public in 2012. The 850CSi, tuned by BMW Motorsport, was effectively a detuned version of that project. Production ended in May 1999 after 30,609 cars; North America took 6,920 before BMW withdrew the car there in 1997.

G14, G15 and G16 (2018-2026)

BMW announced the new 8 Series on 15 June 2018 and started sales in November 2018 with the G15 coupé. The G14 convertible and the G16 Gran Coupé, a four-door on a 201 mm longer wheelbase, followed. The cars share the CLAR platform with the 5 and 7 Series. An update in 2022 brought a 12.3-inch central screen in place of the 10.25-inch unit and an optional illuminated "Iconic Glow" kidney grille.

Production figures show the market for such cars: 923 in 2018, 12,219 in 2019, 20,703 in 2020 and more than 14,165 in 2021. The M8 was dropped in 2025, and the regular 8 Series ended at the end of April 2026, after BMW announced in autumn 2025 that there would be no successor.

Engines, transmissions and performance

E31 engines:

The V12 cars were offered with a four-speed automatic, from mid-1994 a five-speed automatic, or the Getrag six-speed manual; the 850CSi was manual only. The V8 had a five-speed automatic, with a six-speed manual in Europe.

G14/G15/G16 engines:

Every G-series car used the ZF eight-speed automatic. The 840d xDrive, sold only in Europe, has a 48 V mild-hybrid system with an 8 kW electric boost. The 840i and 840d were available with rear-wheel drive; the V8 cars were xDrive only. The M8 Competition coupé was shown at the 2020 Geneva Motor Show. Alpina also built the B8 Gran Coupé with 456 kW (620 PS) and 800 Nm.

Dimensions and weight

The Gran Coupé is 5,072 mm long. The convertible weighs about 100 kg more than the coupé: 2,030 kg for the 840d xDrive and 2,090 kg for the M850i xDrive. The E31 measured 4,780 mm on a 2,685 mm wheelbase.

Running costs

These are expensive cars to run. A V12 E31 needs specialist care, and even the six-cylinder G-series cars weigh close to two tonnes. The 840d xDrive, with 700 Nm and mild-hybrid help, is the most economical choice in the later range.

Equipment

The G-series was built as a luxury car, with the eight-speed automatic standard on every version and xDrive on most. Early cars had a 10.25-inch central screen; the 2022 update replaced it with a 12.3-inch unit and added the optional Iconic Glow grille, which lights up the kidney outline.

Safety

The E31 was never tested by Euro NCAP, which published its first results in 1997. We could not find a Euro NCAP test of the G14/G15/G16 8 Series either, so no star rating applies.

Reliability and known issues

We do not list specific faults, as we found no source we could cite. Buyers of any E31 should budget for the complexity of a 1990s V12 luxury coupé and check service history carefully; the G-series uses the same engine families as other current BMWs.

Rivals

In the 1990s the E31 faced the Mercedes-Benz SL and the Porsche 928. The G-series competed with the Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupé and S-Class Coupé, the Porsche Panamera and the Bentley Continental GT at the top end. Use our comparison tool to set any of them against the 8 Series.

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