A BMW 850i coupe, seen at the parking lot of my apartment building in central Beijing in 2011. The pretty Bimmer belonged to one of my neighbors, a somewhat mysterious Chinese gentlemen who owned lots of interesting cars, usually for a short time. Some were recent imports and others were bought in period. The 850i was in a reasonable shape, a bit dusty and the bonnet didn’t fully close, but overall it was fine for its age.
It was painted in a cherry kind of red and fitted with non-original 5-spoke alloys. They had BMW logos but didn’t really look like a genuine BMW product. The side windows were darkened with black film for a bit more privacy. Makes sense, a car like the 850i surely draws a lot of attention in China!
The first generation BMW 8-Series (E31) was produced from 1990 until 1999. The 850i was powered by a 5.0 liter naturally aspirated V12 engine with an output of 296 hp and 450 Nm. Gearbox was a 6-speed manual sending horses to the rear wheels. Top speed was limited at 250 km/h and 0-100 was gone in 6.8 seconds. The 850i was succeeded by the 850Ci in 1993.
The first generation BMW 850-Series was not officially sold in China but there was some semi-official input, where Chinese dealers were able to order cars one a one-by-one basis. This is likely one of these cars:
It had a dealer sticker on the rear window of a large BMW and Land Rover dealer in Beijing. I know it pretty well, it is located alongside the 4th Ring Road and they always had a lot of cool stuff there, rare M-cars and the like. So probably this 850i was imported, or at least maintained, by this dealer.
The license plate is pretty special too; 京C·C2777, with a double C and a triple 7.
This 850i stood in the parking lot for a year or so and I never saw it driving. Then, one day, it was suddenly gone, just like all the cars that neighbor owned. Hope it’s somewhere around today.
[table id=383 /]