E39 M5 V8 + E31 8 Series = classic BMW perfection
Manhart has been at the classic restoration again - this one's pretty special
We’ll all have our favourite BMW engine swaps: the S85 V10 into M3s or 1M Coupes, old 3 Series Tourings made into M3 wagons, E30s given twice the horsepower and so on. Manhart is very proud of its classic BMW optimisation, suggesting that the company’s ‘credo’ has been to bring together car and engine combos not offered from the factory ‘since the early days’. Recently it’s shown what a straight-six E30 M3 might look like; now they’ve conjured up something really interesting: an original 8 Series, with the running gear of the E39 M5. Say hello to the MH8 5.0 V8.
While the E31 8 Series always boasted big engines and lots of tech, it was never much of a sports car. Even the 850 CSi was more of a sporty GT than a proper V12 M monster, Manhart thinks it has the solution, taking a regular 850i - no CSis were harmed in the making of this restomod - and switching its 5.0-litre V12 for the hallowed 5.0-litre S62 V8. Though both famed '90s BMWs, the final few 8 Series will have been made at the start of 1999 as the M5 was coming on stream. It makes a lot of sense, though it’s the first time we’ve heard of this sort of swap happening. If there’s space for a 5.0-litre already, why not put a more exciting one in?
Manhart reckons that the switch from M70 to S62 has transformed the car, changing it from ‘luxurious Gran Turismo to powerful thoroughbred sports car’, which sounds fantastic. Beforehand the V12 would have been making 300hp at 5,200rpm and 332lb ft at 4,100rpm; a standard M5 V8 is 400hp strong (at 6,600rpm), supported by 369lb ft at 3,800rpm. So already it’s easy to see where a performance and character change would come from, especially with the switch from four-speed auto to six-speed manual as well, but Manhart hasn’t left the V8 standard. Thanks to ‘performance optimisation’, the M5 lump makes 420hp, and thunders through a stainless steel sports exhaust.
There’s a whole lot more to an MH8 than just the engine, too. The base 8 Series is stripped and repainted, with some CSi goodies and M add-ons fitted to pump up the attitude. The interior is reupholstered, with Alcantara splashed across the contact points for a sportier feel. And it looks fantastic for it - for anyone reading this who works at BMW, this is a good diameter, design and thickness.
The restomod overhaul continues for the chassis, the 8 Series refreshed with big 340mm brake discs up front clamped by four-piston calipers, Bilstein B6 dampers and H&R lowering springs. All rubbers and bearings were replaced, and everything that wasn't new was refurbished. Manhart’s Concave One wheels are perhaps a bit large (at 20-inch diameter) and a bit modern-looking to really suit the MH8, but they’re easily changed.
Just five of these M5-engined 8 Series will be produced by Manhart, and it sounds like there’s still availability for now. This one is actually for sale immediately, priced at €149,000, or just under £128,000 at current exchange rates. A heck of a lot even with 8 Series prices strengthening of late, but then there’s also that M5 donor to think about, plus the recommissioning, the paint… it soon adds up. Given the performance potential on offer, and the timelessly cool design of the E31, it’s easy to imagine all five MH8s being spoken for very soon.
I'm sure that a modern continuation of this, reinterpreted into a modern design, with todays technological advancements would have sold like hot cakes.
Unlike the current 8 series (which is a bit larger and renamed previous 6 series) that almost no one wants even discounted. At those price levels you have better alternatives in that niche.
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