The E31 BMW 8 Series is a favorite among collectors and enthusiasts. Even though the car is closing in on 40 years old, its clean lines and delightfully retro styling keeps prices and desirability arguably at an all-time high. Of course, that holds especially true for the range topping model of its day: the legendary 850 CSi. Touting an incredible V12 engine related to the even more exclusive McLaren F1 — and a manual transmission to boot — the 850 CSi is arguably the true Ultimate Driving Machine. Now, YouTuber and 80s/90s BMW mechanical wizard Sreten (aka M539 Restorations) has unearthed an incredibly rare example that, in some ways, has never been seen before. Meet his 1995 BMW E31 850 CSi finishing in Santorini Blue. No, it’s not the car pictured above.
Exploring the Santorini 850 CSi
Before we dive deeper into Sreten’s car, a little bit about the 850 CSi. Now, any 850 CSi is a fairly rare car. Only 1,510 examples ever left the factory during the car’s production run, which lasted from 1992 and 1996. U.S.-spec cars are exceptionally rare, with only 225 cars coming Stateside. So, perhaps it’s not surprising that despite this Santorini car being found in the U.S., it’s a European-spec car. That being the case means Sreten had the joy of combing through the vehicle’s rear-steer system. It’s a complex system known as Active Rear Axle Kinematics, or AHK. AHK, a computer-controlled electrohydraulic four-wheel steering system, debuted on the 850 CSi in 1992 before being effectively replaced by Automatic Stability Control Plus Traction (ASC+T) just a couple years later. The lower price point and complexity of ASC+T meant was a no-brainer for BMW to replace AHK.
Early four-wheel steering systems aside, the Santorini 850 CSi is an amazing find. Only five cars ever leaving the assembly line with Santorini Blue paint. What’s more, only two of those received a black interior. So, this is one heck of a special car. In addition to being exquisitely spec’d, this 850 CSi comes with the usual highlights: a V12 engine and six-speed manual gearbox. The S70B56 is a 5.6-liter V12 engine producing around 375 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque. In-period tests returned solid results, rivaling the Porsche 928 GTS of the day. Zero to 60 mph occurred in 5.3 seconds; meanwhile, the CSi dispatched the quarter-mile in 13.9 seconds at a speed of 102 mph.
If you didn’t know, Sreten runs a YouTube channel, M539 Restorations. It will feature videos documenting the extensive repairs necessary to get this 850 CSi looking picture-perfect as it does now. As you can read on his Instagram post, it was apparently quite a battle to get the car presenting as well as it does in these pictures. We look forward to tuning in and seeing exactly how extensive the restoration process got. For now, we’ll settle for the awesome pictures. Good enough for a car “never seen before” on the internet.
