Highlights

No. 149 of only 160 made
Comprehensive service history
Recent £12,000+ mechanical rebuild
MOT to August 2023

The Appeal

Welcome to the M car that isn’t an M car. Built by M division, and offering the kind of performance usually reserved for the marque’s M vehicles, the 850 CSI is a rare and highly exclusive grand tourer.

Fitted with a raft of enhancements and technological advances over the standard 850 model, it’s a very desirable and collectible machine.

This example comes with a very intriguing history, a fine service record and a recent engine and mechanical rebuild that cost more than £12,000 and is fully documented.

Add to that the deeply attractive specification and Oxford Green Metallic paintwork and you have what must surely be one of the finest examples on the road today.

The History and Paperwork

First registered in 1996
Number 149 of 160 right hand drive cars produced
Believed to be the last Oxford Green Metallic car produced
Original bill of sale included – showing the car cost almost £90,000 when new
4 owners from new
Comprehensive service history with 19 stamps, a mix of main dealer and specialist
Last service in June 2022 at 88,177 miles
Numerous invoices in the history file
Full engine rebuild and mechanical refresh by BMW specialist in May 2022 - at a cost of more than £12,000 (under warranty to May 2023)
Appeared on the cover of BMW Car twice, on the cover of Straight Six magazine and was featured by Petrolicious
Requested by SONY as the base car for their 850CSI model in Gran Turismo 7 (fully documented)
History file contains all MOT certificates back to 1999
Current MOT to August 2023
88,700 miles, with less than 1,000 miles covered since the engine rebuild
Complete with the original owner’s handbook and four keys

Ev8lPWPtWX3zP0ktYXMmAi4lr0EvFGyudinJC4VN.jpeg 908.8 KB

The Interior

Black and Silver Grey Nappa leather upholstery
Electric sunroof, windows, rear blind and mirrors
Electrically operated seats with driver’s 3-memory function
Original radio/cassette system with CD changer
Dual zone air-conditioning

With the interior of the car recently having been professionally valeted, it presents in very good condition. The carpets look in fine order, and the vendor tells us that the overmats are the original items.

Looking at the upholstery, the leather is in excellent condition. The front seats show little in the way of wear considering the age and mileage, with just a little creasing evident on the driver’s seat outer bolster. The rear seats look like they’ve barely been used and are in excellent condition.

The headlining looks to be secure and free from damage or staining, while all of the trim in the cabin presents well, with a very light patina from age and use, but no significant marks or damage we noted.

There are a couple of minor issues the new owner may wish to address – the volume button is missing and the rubber window trim on the driver’s side is slightly frayed (but still perfectly effective). Otherwise, everything is in good order.

Much the same can be said for the instruments, switchgear and driving controls. There are slight signs of wear, as should be expected, but overall everything is remarkably clean, tidy and undamaged.

Even the digital displays, a known weak point on this vintage of BMW, are in fine working order with no evidence of pixelation.

With a commodious boot space, the 850 CSI is a very practical grand tourer. The boot itself looks in great condition, trimmed with a light grey carpet which has just a few small marks. Underneath there is a full-size spare wheel. The usual BMW toolkit is also present and correct.

The Exterior

Oxford Green Metallic paintwork
Pillarless coupé design with functioning pop-up headlights
Original alloy wheels

With its sleek, streamlined design, wide arches and iconic pop-up headlights, the 850 CSI is a beautifully styled grand tourer.

This example is further enhanced by being finished in gorgeous Oxford Green metallic paintwork.

We’re informed by the vendor that this has been treated to a full stage-two machine polish and ceramic coating, with the wheels and glass also being ceramic coated. As a result, they describe the exterior of the car as “spotless”.

As far as we can see, all of the trim elements and badging look to be in excellent condition, with nothing missing and no damage to note. Likewise, the light lenses look nice and clear, with no cracking or chips we could identify.

It rides on the correct factory 17” five-spoke alloy wheels, shod in a matching set of Continental tyres. The wheels appear to be in very good order, with no signs of kerbing or lacquer damage apparent. Also, the tyres look in fine fettle, with good tread levels reported by the vendor.

The Mechanics

5,576cc naturally aspirated V12
6-speed manual transmission
Engine and front suspension rebuilt
Engine under warranty to May 2023

With extensive work having been carried out by M division to produce the CSI’s engine, it is so different from the standard 850 unit that BMW gave it its own engine code. The 5.6-litre V12 produces an epic 386bhp and 550Nm, all of that power being pushed to the rear wheels.

As well as that incredible powerplant being upgraded, the suspension was lowered and stiffened, while the UK and EU spec CSI also features four-wheel steering. All of this makes the car a great drive with deep wells of power.

At the time of writing, the vendor had driven 850 miles of the 1,000 miles running in period since the £12,000 engine rebuild. At 1,000 miles the car will have a ‘running in’ service and be completely ready to go.

They tell us that the engine is warrantied to May 2023, adding even more peace of mind. They have also had all of the front suspension refreshed and refurbished, at a cost of £1,700. All of the work is documented and has been completed by marque specialists.

A custom stainless steel exhaust system has also been fitted, as the original rear boxes were corroded. While the engine was being rebuilt, the vendor tells us that they had the engine detailed, which has resulted in a lovely clean and tidy engine bay.

We’re assured that the car drives extremely well, with no mechanical issues and no warning lights showing.

Summary

As one of the rarest and most desirable models BMW have produced in recent times, the 850 CSI is already a true poster car for many car enthusiasts.

We love the excellent history and comprehensive maintenance record of this particular model, which is well complemented by that lovely Oxford Green Metallic finish and overall fine condition of the car.

With just 160 RHD examples having been made, we can’t help but feel that this must be one of the finest examples on the road in the UK today.

If you’re in the market for an 850 CSI, or indeed any modern classic grand tourer, this simply has to be considered.