BMW 850

[Vipers]

Quick question, probably wrong forum.

I always thought a BMW 850 meant eight series, five litres.

Checking out a 1995 BMW 850i on the DVLA site shows it as a 3.9 ltr, and googling spec on a new one shows 4.4 just curious.

[Pica-Pica]

Perhaps a motorcycle
F850GS
https://www.motorcyclenews.com/bike-reviews/bmw/f8...

[kambites]

The last two digits of BMW's model names haven't been engine size for... well ever really. At best it's a vague indication of power, perhaps a statement of "this has roughly the power of a naturally aspirated engine of this size".

[_Marvin]

[engage adenoids]That is theoretically true, but in reality there have been so many exceptions that it's a bit like the 'i before e except after c rule' in English. The 90s 850i was a 5.0L V12 at launch, the 840i was a 4.0L V8. When the '95 facelift happened, both went up by 0.4L, but their designations remained 850 and 840.

These days it's even less of an indicator of engine size with the advent of multiple versions of the same engine capacity with the turbo turned up or down, so it's merely an indication of relative performance within the range (although even that can be skewed by different fuel types).

[Scrump]

I thought that generation 850 had the 5.0 v12 and that generation 840 had the 4.4 V8.

I know with the new ones that the last two numbers no longer equates to the engine capacity.

[ncbbmw]

Vipers said:

Quick question, probably wrong forum.

I always thought a BMW 850 meant eight series, five litres.

Checking out a 1995 BMW 850i on the DVLA site shows it as a 3.9 ltr, and googling spec on a new one shows 4.4 just curious.

Wiki expalins the models but the 3.9 and 4.4 were called 840's 840i and then 840ci

The 850i and 850ci always had the V12 (at least in europe)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_8_Series_(E31)

[Touring442]

Broadly speaking the 850i's had the 5.0 V12 M70, and the 850Ci the 5.4 M73 E38 engine from late 1994 although the engine and i/ci designation overlapped. From memory, the 850i was renamed Ci when the 840Ci arrived and got the 5.4 engine a few months later.

I've a feeling the UK didn't get the 5.4 car or the 850Ci full stop once the 840Ci arrived.

840i's were 4.0 M60 until 1996 and 4.4 M62 from then on.

[Vipers]

ncbbmw said:

Vipers said:

Quick question, probably wrong forum.

I always thought a BMW 850 meant eight series, five litres.

Checking out a 1995 BMW 850i on the DVLA site shows it as a 3.9 ltr, and googling spec on a new one shows 4.4 just curious.

Wiki expalins the models but the 3.9 and 4.4 were called 840's 840i and then 840ci

The 850i and 850ci always had the V12 (at least in europe)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_8_Series_(E31)

Thank you for that, but as I said DVLA showed it as 3.9, and my son who asked me confirmed it was an 850i no worries, I now know my original understanding of the last digit referring to engine size, every day is a school day, thank to everyone for your comments.

[carl_w]

Vipers said:

Thank you for that, but as I said DVLA showed it as 3.9, and my son who asked me confirmed it was an 850i no worries,

Sounds like it's an early 840i with an 850i badge?

Edited by carl_w on Sunday 23 May 11:10

[Vipers]

carl_w said:

Vipers said:

Thank you for that, but as I said DVLA showed it as 3.9, and my son who asked me confirmed it was an 850i no worries,

Sounds like it's an early 840i with an 850i badge?

That would do it. Thank you very much one and all.

[4rephill]

Vipers said:

carl_w said:

Vipers said:

Thank you for that, but as I said DVLA showed it as 3.9, and my son who asked me confirmed it was an 850i no worries,

Sounds like it's an early 840i with an 850i badge?

That would do it. Thank you very much one and all.

Not unheard of for owners of the "cheaper" 840 models to put 850 badges on their cars "back in the day", to give neighbours/friends/work colleagues/total strangers the impression that it's really a much more expensive model.

Also not unheard of for owners of 840i's and 850i's to fit 850 csi badges to their cars, to give other people the impression that they're driving the ultimate 8 series.

Easy enough to spot the difference, just by looking at the engine - Especially an 840i V8 (4.0 or 4.4) pretending to be a V12 850i

And funnily enough, these days, the 850i's [ not the 850 csi] tend to be cheaper than the 840i's, because buyers are put off the costs of running the V12, which in reality, offers little performance advantage over the 840i's (especially the 4.4 840i's)