When I was in my mid-forties, the BMW 8 Series was introduced. I fell in love with it and vowed I would buy one as soon as possible. As you can see in my post titled “Cars I Have Owned,” a few years later my dream came true.
It is a very special car, different from the rest because of the way it looks. I find it hard to believe that over 28 years have passed since the company’s flagship model first made me fall in love with it. But even today, the 8 Series still looks as sexy as it was back then. It’s truly a testament to the incredible design of the car.
When it was first introduced at the 1989 Frankfurt Motor Show, the 8 Series captivated a lot of people’s hearts. It became even more special when BMW decided to offer a massive 5.0-liter V-12 under its hood, allowing it to produce up to 380 horsepower. It had an electronic limiter that would not allow you to exceed 150 MPH. I actually took mine up to that speed once and what a thrill it was.
The 8 Series ended up becoming a classic when BMW decided to stop offering it in the U.S. in 1998. But to this day, the 8 Series is still held in high esteem, so much so that BMW took the time to mark the 25th anniversary for the coupe .
They even prepared a commemorative video to celebrate the occasion, bringing in “BMW 8er: Power & HIghtech” author Niels Hamann to properly encapsulate the magnificence of this model.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hpDHN4bVqA?rel=0]
There aren’t a lot of people who know the 8 Series more than Hamann, so when he says that the model remains the “most successful German 12-cylinder coupe ever”, I’m not going to dispute the man. As a former owner, it is the best car I have ever owned. I am still temped to buy another one and restore it.