Stunning V12 BMW E31 M8 Prototype (10 Photos + 1 Video)

BMW never released an official M version of the original 8. E31 series, and the only M8 prototype they made is now is in their museum.





For more than 20 years, BMW denied the existence of the M8 prototype. Why So, it remains a mystery that has not been clarified to this day. By this For some reason, there is almost no information about him, so it is not even known where the prototype was located for two decades. And so, in June 2010, BMW decided to put it on public display.



As you know, many car companies routinely destroy prototypes. models after completion of their testing. However, the M8 prototype showed us the other side, so it would be a shame if this beauty did not turn out to be in the museum.





In the history of the BMW 8 Series, the most important person is Wolfgang Reichle, who has led its development since 1987. Developed as the best model offered by the company, the 8 Series will cost BMW 1.5 billion marks. Most of it went to the automated system body design, and long-term tests in a wind tunnel allowed to achieve a coefficient of 0.29.



The 8 Series was also the first BMW with multi-link suspension and engine V12 mated to a six speed manual transmission. Introduced at the 1989 Frankfurt Motor Show, the 8 Series attracted a lot of attention, and at the same time opened up the opportunity creating an even more powerful model that could participate in championship GT.

The main detail of such a program was the new V12 unit, which had to develop significantly more than 296 hp, which he could boast the then 5-litre engine.



Engineer Shult Warwick, who already had many years of experience in division of BMW M, took care of the mechanics, and his job was to connecting two 3-liter engines. The result was a new 6.1-liter V12 codenamed S70 (BMW used the designation "S" for the mechanics of all models of the M division). New engine developed as much as 550 hp and 500 Nm of torque, most of which was available already at 2000 rpm.



Although this figure may not seem too impressive for present time, it should be mentioned that during the specified period, The Porsche 928 GT had 326 hp, the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 had 380 hp, and even the legendary Ferrari F40 471 hp The gearbox was again six-speed manual, but has been significantly modified for work with a new power unit.



The only nuance was the weight, since even the 850i weighed a whopping 1.8 tons. First removed the rear seats, and then the front changed to racing. Lightweight body materials on production models are not was, but the M8 used carbon-kevlar wherever possible.



BMW is believed to have done some testing on its famous home track Nurburgring, and the M8 was able to develop maximum speed of 320 km / h, but this information has not been confirmed. Is not made her the fastest model of the Bavarian firm, but she was enough quick to scare the best exotic cars of their era, such as Porsche 959 and Ferrari F40.



The only prototype was presented to company executives in 1990. year, but they refused to give the green light to mass production. Cause was purely financial. Even with limited supply 1500 units the price would be very high - 250,000 marks, while even the Porsche 911 was 60% cheaper. But this does not mean that the prototype is not had his own purpose. Reichle used this knowledge and introduced the 850CSi, which had a sports suspension, reinforced brakes and more powerful 5.6-liter engine with 375 hp Combined with identical six-speed manual transmission 850CSi could develop speed up to 300 km/h. Although theoretically it is easy to conclude that M8 was to be put into production, the 850CSi proved that leaders made the right decision. There were 1510 clients in total for five years of production.



BMW today offert modern M850i xDrive with 523 hp engine, but his 30-year-old cousin draws attention worse.