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22 economist suntribune wheels thursday aug 8 2002 hes got a pacemaker shes got a grandfather your donations help give someone a second chance this message brought to you as a community service of the economist sun withinreight days of its unveiling 5000 orders for this new bmw were placed delivery others waited g ermany didnt quite know what hit it during that unseasonably warm fall afternoon in 1 989 it was the second day of the internationale automobilausstellun in the middle of industrial ultrachic frankfurt big news was on the auto- show horizon an even beefier bmw was ready to be rolled out of the automakers lair direct from dingolfing deep in the heart of the black forest with testing still in progress and with bimmer executives unaware that demand would quickly outstrip supply the bmw 850i took the main stage for the world press you could have heard a pen drop what bmw couldnt have possi bly imagined in its sleek sporty super- car coupe was the initial hysteria that would instantly trail it like a shadow within eight days of the frankfurt auto show 5000 orders for the new bmw were placed five months before production was even slated to begin once the assembly line began to roll some of the first buyers paid twice the price to avoid waiting six months for three years a classic bmw was born a clas sic bmw would die a decade later in between it was considered the ultimate in the ultimate driving machine experience from a company that prides itself on building the absolute best car money can buy the reasons for its appeal were obvious in the simplest form the 8- series stood on its own for what you couldnt possibly get anywhere else the twodoor 850i roared in with a 1 2- cylinder engine that spewed out 300 horsepower and served up a top speed of 250 kmh 155 mph it was truly autobahnminded muscle and it was smooth refined unique and some what unbmwish some owners said the classic shape reminded them of an astonmartin lagonda others simply bathed in its beauty for bmw it had been a long time coming the notion of producing an upperclass coupe was brewing in bavaria in 1981 long before the e31 the bmw 5 serii a for our time perhaps all time 8 8 motortrendus the bmw 5 series the perfect combination of safety performance and luxury with this terrific lease rate and 619per month along with nocharge scheduled maintenance if s easy to see that the bmw 525i offers the2 james cochrane best overall value in its class come in and test drive one today sjw p towncountry bmw hwy 407 kennedy 9054772212 8111 kennedy road toll free 18778863100 morftadowpeyteftof6fflis taxes are raip signing are av acrcowiefsriprigmshtte offer may not be combined with any other offer delivery must be taken by august 31 2002 see dealer for complete details visit our web site at wwwtcbmwcom tjwricourjtrybh w hwy7 407 steeles c c platform as it was known had been given the green light this was groundbreaking stuff three years later bmw would build the 8series from scratch and it would charge a hefty sum about 1 00000 the decision for bmw wasnt an easy one after assembling more than 100 prototypes after spending millions in crash tests after tests in death valley at 40 c and in the polar regions at 40 c the final prototype was unveiled on june 1 5 1 989 to the staff of more than 2000 engineers technicians and developers instantly it was a mouthwatering proposition from a car company that regularly served up delicious entrees crowds loved it heads turned to fol low it designed to be a highly desirable status symbol the 8 was the ultimate elegant luxury performance coupe and a technological statement but as fate would dictate it was hardly perfect criticized for its size price and weight it would go through a few incarnations before fading into the sun set by 1993 the 850g had replaced the 850i and eventually two more models would roar into town an eight- cylinder 286hp version 840ci and a 12cylinder 380hp 850 csi that had the option of bmws m sport per formance package which meant more oomph than oaf more than anything in any model the 8series offered something few bmws could claim machismo it started with the sharklike nose in front and ended with a sharp back end and an aggressive powerplant but ultimately the longterm interest wouldnt keep pace with the initial euphoria one disgruntled 8- series owner summed up the cars early inaccuracies in a 1995 issue of road track boulevard cruiser the showrooms wouldnt dis agree despite an initial flurry of activi ty the 8 never really caught on the first year of production bmw sold nearly 2000 units in north america was the best for the e31 the prob lem was that the years following would never quite match the steep price tag didnt help nor did nagging reports of the perform- anceforluxury tradeoff by august of 1 997 bmw decided to cease us production two years later it was done completely a total of 30609 e31s were built over nearly a decade fewer than 7000 found their way to our shores although the 8series never sold in the numbers bmw had hoped it appealed to a seriously wellhealed audience many of bmws european customers modified their 8s or added special equipment including larger wheels and tires many took pride in the fact they owned a rarity it was a curious page of bmw his tory conceived in the me generation of the 1 980s when consumption was politically correct the 8series made its debut just prior to the collapse of world markets and changing values sales just seemed to follow suit at its core however the 8series was nothing if not silky smooth it reached terminal velocity in no time but it was a legend with a limited life if only for one glorious day in 1989 jason stein is a feature writer and the editor of wheelbase communications raceweek racing page he can be reached at fsteinwheelbasecomcom wheelbase communications supplies automotive news and features to newspapers across north america