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R-Reg November 1997 BMW E31 840Ci Sport V8 4.4L
SOLD
Absolutely beautiful example! Totally unmolested!
Finished in the classic colour combination of Artic Silver with black leather.
All 'Sport' features including:
Motorsport suspension
Motorsport II wheels
Motorsport bodykit
Motorsport steering wheel
Electric Sports seats
Sport Mirrors
Anthracite headlining
68K miles with Full BMW Main-dealer Service History. New MOT (1st October)
11 months transferrable Warranty.
SatNav, Trafficmaster, Tracker (subscription required)
Brand new Goodyear Eagle F1 tyres all round on newly refurbished M-tech II ('Throwing Star') two-piece wheels.
A computer print out from my local BMW Main-dealer confirms the following optional extras:
337 Individual Sports Package (as above)
423 Velour Floor Mats
431 Auto-dim Interior Mirror
528 Auto Air Re-Circulation
676 BMW HiFi Speaker System
812 GB Specification
877 Remote Alarm Setting
401 Electric Sliding Roof
428 Triangle and First Aid Kit
459 Electric Sports Seats & Driver Memory
669 BMW Business RDS
694 CD Preparation Kit (has boot mounted BMW 6 CD changer)
863 Dealer Network-Europe
880 English Handbook
Power is transmitted through the superb BMW 5-Speed Steptronic/Adaptive (AGS) gearbox. This changes virtually seamlessly and actually 'adapts' to your driving style and road conditons by assessing the position and degree of movement of the accelerator pedal, then selecting one of four stored programs which range from 'Highly Economical' to 'Highly Sporting'! Additonally, it compares wheel slip and engine torque, automatically deciding which of the road conditions 'Normal', 'Winter' and 'Hill Climb' applies. It is therefore also able to adapt its transmission speed stages to extreme conditions for maximum traction and dynamic stabilty on slippery surfaces.
Move the gearlever to the left and 'Sport Mode' is immediately engaged...the car still remains fully 'Automatic'. Thereafter, the lever may be moved fore and aft allowing fully manual, 'Sequential' gear selection.
The car features ASC+T...which may be de-selected as the driver chooses...
Steering is via the 'Servotronic Vehicle-speed-sensitive System'. This reduces steering effort in parking and at very low road speeds more than the engine-speed-sensitive system of most other BMW models, as is appropriate for one of BMW’s flagship models.
Consider a base OTR price of circa £60,000 and add the above options package and this was clearly a very expensive and desirable car when delivered new!
The body and paintwork are simply beautiful! There are no scratches,swirls or dents...not even the tiniest car-park dink! I have just
had the front spoiler and nose re-painted to remove any stone-chips. This was a PROPER job NOT one of those cheap "We spray the chips" jobs which in my experience are just not the same...and not appropriate for a car of this quality. I have spent approximately 24-man hours on preparing the paintwork thereafter (less than I usually have to spend!...This is testimony to the previous owners' care. The car had no significant swirls etc...clearly always washed with care and never put through a 'swirly brush car wash).
Firstly, with my usual multi-stage preparation to remove all old waxes, ingrained particles, swirls etc, but this time finished with the Zaino System which is now finally available in the U.K! Very expensive and laborious but worth every penny and minute spent for the shine it develops and the durable protection it gives! (http://www.advancedcarproducts.com/)
I have even cleaned, polished and waxed under the wheel-arches.
The only thing I could fault is a small windscreen chip (just the one!) which I've had repaired at a cost of £50...following this it is still visible but wasn't an issue for the MOT (I just mention it for the sake of completeness).
The wheels have just been refurbished, are blemish free and shod with brand new Goodyear Eagle F1 tyres (the spare wheel is as new having never been mounted on a car!).
The final result is stunning and difficult to convey in the photographs.
The interior needed very little work as it was already pristine. There are no signs of wear whatsoever on the leather of the highly desirable electric sports seats...even on the driver's seat bolsters!
Absolutely everything works as it should on this car...the is not even a single dead pixel on the dash displays!!! It even smells like new.
This car features the later BMW 4.4L V8 (NOT the earlier 4.0L version) - those considering the purchase of an 8-Series who are not familiar with the difference MUST read 'The Nikasil Issue' article! Having read this, be assured the 'Nikasil Cloud' DOES NOT hang over this car!
Of all the versions of the 8 Series the late 840Ci Sport is in my opinion the one to have (unless of course you must have the 850CSi with 380bhp and rear-wheel steering...a slightly scary prospect...for your wallet if nothing else!).The 840Ci Sport is both faster than the earlier 850i and handles better thanks to the lighter engine in the nose.The BMW 8-Series did draw criticism from some quarters when first launched for being too heavy and too expensive.
In answer, I would say the critics failed to understand two fundamentals: Firstly, the E31 was never intended to be a lightweight sports car...It is a Grand Tourer in the truest sense! A GT car that is as capable of taking you down the road to pick-up your shopping at Waitrose as it is of conveying two occupants with all of their luggage at high speed, in style and comfort, for long distances over twisty Alpine roads and across the Continent! This type of GT car is a BMW tradition the lineage of which goes all the way back through the 6-Series, E9 CS Coupes and earlier 3200CS and 503 Coupes. In answer to the 'price' criticism: "When did BMW ever build a GT car that wasn't astronomically expensive new?" Look at the lineage...the were all very expensive new (all were criticised for this...as is the current 6 Series. I previously owned a 1972 3.0CS for 13 years...the original bill of sale showed it cost close to the price of two V12 E-type Jaguars when new and a similar price to a Ferrari Dino! People who buy this sort of car expect something with exclusive styling and exemplary build quality. No other BMW I've ever owned has such a 'carved from the rock' quality about it! everything is solid from the weight of the doors down to the quality of the smallest trim features! Everything functions with a satisfying weighty 'clunk'!
The engine in this car develops 286 bhp at 5700 rpm and a whopping 420 Nm of torque at a mere 3900 rpm! At tickover, it is virtually inaudible even when standing outside the car. With the bonnet raised you have to feel, with a flat palm, that the engine is on, so free of vibration is it. Inside the car it is quiet at all 'reasonable' road speeds. Firm pressure on the accelerator translates to 'V8 burble' and then 'roar'(more audible than in the equivalent E38 740i for example) with the horizon and once distant traffic ahead approaching at an alarming rate!...There is none of the usual BMW six-cylinder snarl.
Even accepting BMW's own, usually conservative, performance figures this engine will propel the car from 0-62 mph in 6.6 secs and on to an electronically limited top-speed of 155 mph!
These figures are indeed impressive for such a large and well-appointed car, but for me this somehow misses the point. It is the truly effortless feeling of power from the engine and control via the sports suspension and servotronic steering that is conveyed at all speeds...at all times!
The above will understandably raise concerns for prospective buyers regarding fuel consumption. I drove this one back, after purchase, about 120 miles on A-roads and motorways at 70-ish mph and averaged 28 mpg. This is in no small part due to the fact that at 70 mph the engine is turning at a mere 2000 rpm (ie little over tick-over!).
Of course, it would be crass to suggest that if the 'performance envelope' is regularly explored, in a car of this power, that the mpg figure would not drop significantly... that is then down to driver choice!
The full servicing schedule is thus:
Pre-Delivery Inspection: 4 miles BMW Rydale Central
Oil Service: 9223 miles BMW Rydale Central
Inspection I: 18703 miles BMW Rydale Central
Oil Service: 27958 miles BMW Royal Ascot
Inspection II:36201 miles BMW Royal Ascot
Oil Service, Brake Fluid and Coolant: 45563 miles BMW Jack Williams
Inspection Iand Micro-filter : 55152 miles BMW Chandlers
Oil service and Brake Fluid: 64847 miles BMW Wollaston
The service indicator is still showing three 'green lights'. Given that the car appears to have consistently averaged 9000 miles between services one might estimate the next one not to be due for another 5500 miles.
I have just renewed the pollen microfilters.
Additionally, the car has 11 months remaining of transferrable warranty: Motorplan Platinum Warranty. Whilst not from BMW this is a very good warranty scheme from a reputable company and is their highest level of cover. Essentially everything except consumables are covered. The benefits of this are two-fold. Firtly, the reassurance that should anything go wrong it can be fixed under warranty. Secondly, a car with a full BMWSH that has always been under warranty is likely to have any previous faults promptly attended to!
The car is discretely fitted (no nasty holes drilled) with Trafficmaster Touchscreen SatNav System...cost over £800 (annual subscription required). In addition to navigation this
system also identifies traffic problems, speed cameras and accident blackspots. It also encorporates a 'Tracker' device in the event of theft.
Of course, all tools (unused), warning triangle, torch, first-aid kit, document folders, manuals and 2 keys are present and correct. The car is HPI clear and registered in my wife's name.
Also included is a mint condition original 8-Series Sales Brochure!
IN SUMMARY, THIS CAR LOOKS AND FUNCTIONS BEAUTIFULLY IN ALL RESPECTS!
SOLD
About Me
Relevant articles:
The Nikasil Issue
BMW Servicing
Fuel Calculation
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