It wasn’t too long ago that the first-gen BMW 8 Series could be had for affordable prices. Due to a bad reputation of poor reliability and high cost of maintenance, a lot of enthusiasts didn’t want to invest a ton into a car that wasn’t all that incredible to drive anyway. Now that this new 8 Series is out, though, and a sort of cult-following has quickly grown around the first-gen car, it’s gaining value and this specific 1994 BMW 850CSi sold for a quite a hefty amount of money.
At first glance, this specific car isn’t really all that special. It has 105,000 miles-ish on its 5.6 liter, 372 hp, naturally-aspirated V12. It does have one special attribute, though — its color scheme. It’s apparently the only BMW 850CSi for its model year to wear Alpine White paint with black interior. Also, the 850CSi is rare in itself, with only 225 coming to America. Still, $76,000 is a lot of money for a car of its age that isn’t perfect.
There’s some rust on the sunroof and some minor scuffs on the body. So while it’s in nice shape, it’s not perfect. Yet it sold for more than a brand-new BMW M2. For that money, you can get a perfect, lower-mileage 1 Series M and have a lot more fun.
Don’t get me wrong, the BMW 850CSi is an awesome car. It pairs a free-breathing V12 with a six-speed manual gearbox and rear-wheel drive, all in a seductive grand touring body. So it’s very cool but you can get cooler cars, cooler BMWs even, for the same money. It’s possible that it keeps accruing in value, though, and we’re hoping so for the buyer’s sake. So maybe it’s a wise investment.
Still, it’s wild to see values of first-gen 8 Series’ shooting up, as they weren’t big hits all that long ago.
[Source: Bring-A-Trailer]
