i kinda disagree about this car, i thought it looked odd back then, it looks worse in videos and pictures. for a V12 it should've had over 400 hp, but it only puts 295, 323. a Vette would smoke this thing, and that was cheaper. i usually like 90's BMW's, but not this one.
I've said it before and I'll continue to say it when relevant, so many beautiful cars came out in the early '90s. The 850i is no exception. You know design is good when people still drool over it 33 years later.
ANOTHER one of the most beautiful cars ever built, the BMW 8-Series coupe. George Carlin had one that he bought new, & kept until his passing in 2008. You probably wouldn't know it from the way he spoke of his cars in his stand-up, but he apparently was a Bimmer fanatic.
Such a beautiful car, especially the 850 CSi version. Driven by Robert De Niro in the old movie, "The Score". Glad I have the CSi version (as a 1 to 18 scale model)
He also drove one for only one scene in Heat (1995) and we see another 8 series in action at the start of the 1997 film Excess Baggage - put thru its paces by Benicio Del Toro.
I always thought this design was 10 years ahead of its time, always looked cool & the good ol' days where a manual was "standard" and the automatic was considered "optional."
It’s always cool to see the average cars on the roads in these videos. Not a single cross over on the road, just trrucks, suv, vans, station wagons, cars, coupes. Alll have that 80/90s boxy looks, so cool
I remember that I didn't warm up to that BMW model when it first came out since it was a sharp departure from how BMWs looked at the time, but it didn't take long for me to fall in love with the looks of it and I still love it 33 years on!
Gorgeous,Very expensive and advanced for its time...A manual With a v12 is just insane and almost impossible to get these days...That stopping power from 60 in 108 ft for a car of this weight was Outstanding by any standard...Being a bmw, God only knows what reliability issues lurk in these cars.
I'm thinking this car would have been a major money pit after a few years of use, but a hell of a lot of fun. I had a pair of tony lama boots that looked similar to the one the guys got on here.
I've owned 3 BMWs, never once had a desire to check my oil pressure. Also I like that they went around the building to find the most yuppie looking person they could find to sit in the car, that made me laugh.
Gorgeous. The build quality of that generation of BMWs was phenomenal as well. One of the greats right here. I’d prefer the V8 though for maintenance reasons.
Didn't realize this had so many of the same components that are in my 1995 740i, strangely enough though my car has a shorter stopping distance. BMW brakes from the 90s are still better than most performance cars today.
Especially the 90s m5. It has a stopping distance in just 95’ on motor week which is STILL the best braking distance I’ve ever seen on this show; even vs modern cars.
@@cflynn3684 Wow didn't know that! The younger generation today always talks about Brembo brakes as if they are the best. Not knowing BMW stock brakes were more impressive 30 years ago. The e34 M5 is debatably the most beautiful car ever made. But yea I had a 2009 Porsche cayenne GTS to for awhile, and the stopping distance on that was 107 feet. It was unbelievable to learn my more luxury focused, 14 year older BMW stopped faster.
This car fascinated me when I was a college student in 1990. I drive a 2011 Maybach 57s sporting a V12. I'm the driver that I am due to my 1973 VW Superbeetle that I drove during those college days.
Man one of the most beautiful BMW ever made!👌😍👍and still holds up beautifully today! I never could afford one back then! But I bought a 1/18 scale model of that beauty that I still have today on display!
I just recently watched the TG episode where Hammond bought this (it was a '94) and Clarkson bought a Merc for the same price as the cheapest new car in the UK. A beautiful BMW with a V12, what more could you want?
This car was one of the very few manual equipped units that rolled off the line. The total number of similarly equipped cars is in the low double digits if I recall. Most test cars are pre production models, so it’s likely this car went into the crusher not long after all the journalists finished having their fun with it. It’s possible it survived. If it did, finding it would be very easy thanks to the registry.
847 “regular” 850i’s from ’91-’93 (in the USA). Not including the CSi. I own one of these (6-speed). This also looks like the same car that C&D tested in ’91 as well. Hopefully it was sold on after testing was completed…
Wheels are wider and bigger these days. Even the e46 coupe has larger tires and they also make great comfortable reliable long distance GT with 320+ miles range.
Loved 🥰 this one!! Look at 1 today,, which is rare to see, it looks modern and still relevant a testimony to its greatness!! I would buy one today given the opportunity and availability of extra cash 🤣🤣🤣
if you had $75,000 in a tax deferred fund in 1990 it would be worth $800,000 today. I think most 850is are either worth less than $20,000 and should be or are in the scrap yard.
This car is very nice-looking, to be sure, but I still think the 635csi is the best-looking car BMW ever made, hands down. A friend of mine had one with a manual transmission and *WOW* was that a fun car!! If I were ever going to buy a classic BMW I'd have that over any of the others.
I always have loved the look of this car and still do. Given it's a GT and a very different car with a very different purpose. But to compare apples to watermelons - the BMW 5 L V-12 makes about the same HP and torque (as well as almost the same weight) as a 1.6L turbo I-3 Toyota GR Corolla
23 years later it's still a breathtaking beauty. I'm not sure if current mega-grilled cars will age as well as this 850.....
33 years.... trust me... I still think of the 90s as 20 years ago.
@@tall_dude1233
Ahahahahahahahahahahaha - same here. Obviously!
33 years holms
@@tall_dude123333 years ago in 2023
i kinda disagree about this car, i thought it looked odd back then,
it looks worse in videos and pictures.
for a V12 it should've had over 400 hp, but it only puts 295, 323.
a Vette would smoke this thing, and that was cheaper.
i usually like 90's BMW's, but not this one.
@6:40 Can we all take a moment to appreciate those subtle front grilles?
I think there was an editing error at the time of not showing the headlight open...
Let it go smh
@@netowork3dI think they realized how much better it looked with them down compared to up
I loved this cars styling. Even looks great today!
Very nice and beautiful the BMW 850i, best styling and fantastic performance
It's almost vulgar how beautiful and stunning and lustfully gorgeous this thing still is. Still on the bucket list!
Same here definitely a beautiful car perfect proportions
And I believe it had quality back then too.
Definitely one of the cars they could recreate with exact same look and it would sell like freshly baked buns.
At the time it was new it's one of the few cars I ever aspired to own. Unfortunately I couldn't even pretend to afford one at that time either.
Particularly compared to the actual vulgarity of modern BMWs
This is one of my favorite cars, to be honest. I'd love to have an all black V12.. this car looks good even standing still.
hell yea
Pretty sure cars don’t have to be moving to show their good design
I've said it before and I'll continue to say it when relevant, so many beautiful cars came out in the early '90s. The 850i is no exception. You know design is good when people still drool over it 33 years later.
They had the perfect lack of safety requirements vs chassis design technology at the time
I will never get tired of just looking at the E31. A true machine.
I’m so glad that MotorWeek still reupload their old videos..
The BMW 850Csi and the Lexus SC400 of the late 90s era were Beautifully made and built
I agree, I think the SC400 was just as good looking if not better even…..both stunning designs
10000x better looking than current hideous bmws
ANOTHER one of the most beautiful cars ever built, the BMW 8-Series coupe. George Carlin had one that he bought new, & kept until his passing in 2008. You probably wouldn't know it from the way he spoke of his cars in his stand-up, but he apparently was a Bimmer fanatic.
The interior is so clean with that monochromatic design
Still looks fresh after all these years.
Gorgeous car, SO much better than any new BMW. This will forever be a classic GT!
One of the most beautiful BMW designs
Such a beautiful car, especially the 850 CSi version. Driven by Robert De Niro in the old movie, "The Score". Glad I have the CSi version (as a 1 to 18 scale model)
He also drove one for only one scene in Heat (1995) and we see another 8 series in action at the start of the 1997 film Excess Baggage - put thru its paces by Benicio Del Toro.
the golden era of BMW. oh how times have changed
BMW has lost it's way multiple times since then, and it keeps on going deeper into the woods.
Always thought they were pretty cool looking cars. Love the Radio Shack sound meter 😄
Beauitful the BMW 850 CSi 1991, i love the design and excelent perfomance
I always thought this design was 10 years ahead of its time, always looked cool & the good ol' days where a manual was "standard" and the automatic was considered "optional."
It’s always cool to see the average cars on the roads in these videos. Not a single cross over on the road, just trrucks, suv, vans, station wagons, cars, coupes. Alll have that 80/90s boxy looks, so cool
Definitely one of BMWs best looking cars if not the best looking. A 12 cylinder manual BMW GT definitely wont happen again
I remember that I didn't warm up to that BMW model when it first came out since it was a sharp departure from how BMWs looked at the time, but it didn't take long for me to fall in love with the looks of it and I still love it 33 years on!
I normally don’t like BMW, but I LOVE the old ones!
Gorgeous,Very expensive and advanced for its time...A manual With a v12 is just insane and almost impossible to get these days...That stopping power from 60 in 108 ft for a car of this weight was Outstanding by any standard...Being a bmw, God only knows what reliability issues lurk in these cars.
I think it is impossible to get these days. Unless Ferrari or Aston is making a manual V12, I really can’t think of one.
@@sonnyblack0870Aston is probably the last and I think they are gone now within the last year.
@@thetechlibrarianand they're now using merc engines I believe
The engine operates as two inline sixes. It’s as reliable as two inline sixes at the same time. Quite reliable, but with twice as many parts.
Very simple engine, but the chassis electronics arent easy to maintain
I have owned both an 850i and a 840ci....wonderful driving cars and the most beautiful coupe BMW has ever created.
100 comments in 6 hours. That alone shows how great this car was and is all over.
A lot of comments gushing over how beautiful this car is. It looks like an elongated Geo Storm
Amazing to see what was state of the art in accessories 33 years ago. Beautifully styled car inside and out!
I've waited a few years to see this "Retro" video again. Thank you Motorweek.
Very Beautiful and timeless car .❤These Retro reviews !!
34 years later, the exterior design still looks fresh.
5:39 John: OIL PRESSURE AND VOLT READOUTS, IF YOU PLEASE! LOL
This & Porsche 928 are My Favorite German 1990s GTs.
most beautiful bimmer ever built
Top 10 of the Best looking cars ever!
That OBC betraying the 16 mpg average 😮💨
Not too shabby for a V12
5:34 - 5:43 this has to be the record for longest John has spent complaining about the missing oil pressure and volt meter gauges
Cutlass in the right lane 👍
I saw this introduced in Frankfurt IAA back in the day. Quite stunning still today when compared to the classic 635.
Amazingly well equiped and beautiful!
Probably the best BMW ever made
Beautiful. New Bimmer designs are ghastly.
And how! If you took off the badges nobody would believe that they were made by the same manufacturer.
They’re absolutely hideous, especially those electric monstrosities.
The new X M looks like a big piggy with big piggy nostrils.
the overlayed shot of the shifting and clutch action is one of the funniest things ive ever seen in one of these
80 and 90 Bmw ❤
I'm thinking this car would have been a major money pit after a few years of use, but a hell of a lot of fun. I had a pair of tony lama boots that looked similar to the one the guys got on here.
I seen this car cruising the Hwy recently and man oh man what a beautiful car
I have this exact spec auto been refurbishing it as I use it ...but every time I drive the car makes me feel special ...
I am a Jag guy but this is one of the best BMW ever did.
V12 and 6 speed manual!!! Those were the days!!! Now every GT Cruiser and stuper Car is autotradgic!!! Oh how we have fallen!!
Amazingly it still looks modern on the outside. Save the manuals!!!!
I've owned 3 BMWs, never once had a desire to check my oil pressure. Also I like that they went around the building to find the most yuppie looking person they could find to sit in the car, that made me laugh.
GOD I drove one of these with the V12 and a manual.. so gorgeous but soooo fragile. Death Becomes Her car (Goldie Hawn's characters car)
73k was a lot of $ 30 years ago.. but it's a classic that's aged well.
$73k invested in 1990 would now be $1.2 million in 2023. It goes to show what a bad investment cars are. :-) But, it is beautiful!
@@Gr8thxAlotinvested in what?
I had a BMW 850CSi in burgundy red with Alpina wheels.
Gorgeous. The build quality of that generation of BMWs was phenomenal as well. One of the greats right here. I’d prefer the V8 though for maintenance reasons.
a manual 850... what an absolute dream car
My favorite BMW of all time and it had british green color
Didn't realize this had so many of the same components that are in my 1995 740i, strangely enough though my car has a shorter stopping distance. BMW brakes from the 90s are still better than most performance cars today.
In an earlier review I believe a 325i is one of the few to do 60-0 in less than 100' during their test.
Especially the 90s m5. It has a stopping distance in just 95’ on motor week which is STILL the best braking distance I’ve ever seen on this show; even vs modern cars.
@@cflynn3684 Wow didn't know that! The younger generation today always talks about Brembo brakes as if they are the best. Not knowing BMW stock brakes were more impressive 30 years ago. The e34 M5 is debatably the most beautiful car ever made. But yea I had a 2009 Porsche cayenne GTS to for awhile, and the stopping distance on that was 107 feet. It was unbelievable to learn my more luxury focused, 14 year older BMW stopped faster.
Masterpiece of BMW of the decade 90 .
Two Escort Wagons on the highway back to back? I didn't realize those were that popular back then.
"Optional traction control"... what a time 😅
and you have to turn it on!
I am on my third E31 and I love it. One 840 and two 850s. I am about to do an LS swap in my current one. The V12 is very smooth but she is tired.
Wish I bought one of these years ago!
Such a beautiful car)))
Light years ahead of its time, one of Bavarian Motor Works best.
This car fascinated me when I was a college student in 1990. I drive a 2011 Maybach 57s sporting a V12. I'm the driver that I am due to my 1973 VW Superbeetle that I drove during those college days.
3:46 Well that's a blast from the past. Radio Shack, a Tandy Corporation.
So beautiful
Man one of the most beautiful BMW ever made!👌😍👍and still holds up beautifully today! I never could afford one back then! But I bought a 1/18 scale model of that beauty that I still have today on display!
My high school brain tried to calculate how I could save up for one back then. :-) Some of these are pretty cheap now, but I'd hate to repair them.
I just recently watched the TG episode where Hammond bought this (it was a '94) and Clarkson bought a Merc for the same price as the cheapest new car in the UK. A beautiful BMW with a V12, what more could you want?
This car was one of the very few manual equipped units that rolled off the line. The total number of similarly equipped cars is in the low double digits if I recall. Most test cars are pre production models, so it’s likely this car went into the crusher not long after all the journalists finished having their fun with it. It’s possible it survived. If it did, finding it would be very easy thanks to the registry.
847 “regular” 850i’s from ’91-’93 (in the USA). Not including the CSi. I own one of these (6-speed). This also looks like the same car that C&D tested in ’91 as well. Hopefully it was sold on after testing was completed…
0:15 - I don't trust John's claim of America's pronunciation of "gran turismo" given his butchering of "Cam-ray". 😂
Wheels are wider and bigger these days. Even the e46 coupe has larger tires and they also make great comfortable reliable long distance GT with 320+ miles range.
$176,000 in todays money. And it’d get its doors blown off by a $28,000 4 cylinder Camry. 🤣
Which 4 cylinder Camry can do a trap speed of 100mph in the quarter mile?
4:56 please name of this guy ?
On most motorweek videos from 1991 to 1996
what a dream GT
wow it has amazing technology where the windows go up and down when you close them :)
Still looks good 👍👑💪🏻
A Bavarian Super Model. Still stunning today.
❤ You Motorweek
Loved 🥰 this one!! Look at 1 today,, which is rare to see, it looks modern and still relevant a testimony to its greatness!! I would buy one today given the opportunity and availability of extra cash 🤣🤣🤣
$77,000 is equivalent to $181,000 today. Yikes!
What’s that song on the tape inserted at 5:50?
Strut by sheena Easton
Easily one of the most beautiful cars of the time.
This looks good even 33 years later
STILL one of the sexiest cars ever made!!!! Not sexiest BMWs ever made. One of the sexiest cars PERIOD!!!!
if you had $75,000 in a tax deferred fund in 1990 it would be worth $800,000 today. I think most 850is are either worth less than $20,000 and should be or are in the scrap yard.
Love the pop up headlamps.
The original car enthusiast
Just stoning ❤
This car is very nice-looking, to be sure, but I still think the 635csi is the best-looking car BMW ever made, hands down. A friend of mine had one with a manual transmission and *WOW* was that a fun car!! If I were ever going to buy a classic BMW I'd have that over any of the others.
Carro bonito até hoje!
5:52 Strut !!!
To say you had 2 doors with a V12 back then people KNEW you were someone and you did a different job than everyone else.
I always have loved the look of this car and still do.
Given it's a GT and a very different car with a very different purpose. But to compare apples to watermelons - the BMW 5 L V-12 makes about the same HP and torque (as well as almost the same weight) as a 1.6L turbo I-3 Toyota GR Corolla
How many other cars got slapped with the MPG tax? Was this the first?
The guy testing the interior of the car with the suit and tie looks like the perfect yuppie who would buy that car..
Whoa...$77,500 in 1990 is over $180,000 today...
Still beautiful
5:53 - Hey, Sheena!