Latest news with #E31
Scottish Sun
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Scottish Sun
Iconic BMW model is being discontinued after 35 YEARS with ‘retro-inspired' send-off
It's getting one-last hurrah - with a selection of very cool colours and other added extras DEAD END Iconic BMW model is being discontinued after 35 YEARS with 'retro-inspired' send-off Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THE BMW 8-Series is set to be discontinued - a model that traces its roots back to the iconic 1990s E31 generation. And to send it off, the German giants are giving the stylish motor a retro-inspired send-off, courtesy of a very cool special edition called the Edition M Heritage. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 The BMW 8-Series - a model that traces its roots back to 1990s E31 generation - is set to be discontinued Credit: BMWGROUP 4 The special edition model, called the Edition M Heritage, is giving the stylish motor a retro-inspired send-off Credit: BMWGROUP 4 The motor will be limited to just 500 units and will feature five different colours Credit: BMWGROUP 4 The 8 Series' discontinuation was announced at the beginning of the year and its run will cease sometime in the middle of 2026 Credit: BMWGROUP According to the BMW Group in America, the limited-edition release will pay homage to the original 8 Series and, to that end, will mark the end of its production run with a host of nostalgic design cues. The car, based on the M850i xDrive Gran Coupe, will be limited to just 500 units, with buyers able to choose from some excellent colour finishes including Bright Red, Mauritius Blue, Cosmos Black, Oxford Green and Daytona Violet. It also comes with a carbon fibre roof adorned with M tri-colour stripes, special 20-inch alloy wheels and the M Sport Professional package - all as standard. This also includes upgraded brakes, black calipers and additional black exterior trim. Inside, buyers can expect plenty of luxury with Alcantara and black Merino leather seats featuring diamond stitching. Alcantara also lines the headliner, dashboard and parts of the door panels. Matte carbon fibre accents and M tri-colour stitching are also used throughout. As you'd expect with the 8 Series, it packs plenty of oomph - retaining the same power as the standard M850i, with a 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 producing 523 horsepower. That's good for a 0-60 mph time of 3.9 seconds and a top speed of 155 mph. The 8 Series' discontinuation was announced at the beginning of the year and various sources close to BMW have told us it will cease globally sometime in the middle of 2026. BMW M135 is a power-packed hot-hatch that's precise, solid & slick… everything about it is 'sheer driving pleasure' Sadly, no direct successor has been planned. The Edition M Heritage has been quoted at a price of $131,575, which is roughly £97,000 ,and a fair chunk pricier than the standard M850i Gran Coupe. Production of this exclusive model will begin in late 2025, with deliveries expected in early 2026. The model will be distributed to "a few select markets around the world". This comes as, back in May, BMW said jobs at its Swindon Plant "are currently being assessed," casting doubt over the futures of workers. The carmaker announced that it was axing 180 jobs from its Oxford factory amid uncertainty surrounding recently hiked US tariffs. In March, US President Donald Trump declared that a 25% levy would be put in place on all vehicles imported to America from the UK - which has put a significant strain on the British automobile industry.
Car and Driver
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Car and Driver
BMW Showcases Limited-Edition M850i During Monterey Car Week
The M850i Edition M Heritage comes only as an all-wheel-drive Gran Coupe. Buyers can choose from five original E31 8-series color profiles. The limited run of only 500 M850i special-edition cars comes at a cost, starting at $130,400. The original 8-series launched in 1990 with a wind-tunnel-designed body and a proud smirk of a front fascia. The E31 might smirk all the more had it been at the reveal of its successor during the 2025 Monterey Car Week. BMW BMW announced a special run for fans of the 8-series Gran Coupe, the 2026 M850i Edition M Heritage. Limited to 500 examples worldwide, the M Heritage pays tribute to the first 8-series with exterior paint colors that reference the original offering first shown at the 1989 Frankfurt Motor Show. Buyers can choose from Bright Red, Mauritius Blue metallic, Cosmos Black metallic, Oxford Green metallic, and Daytona Violet metallic. Rounding out the exterior dress-up are two-tone Orbit Grey 20-inch dual-spoke alloy wheels clad in summer performance tires and a carbon-fiber roof with subtle three-color M stripes. The M goodies don't stop there. Inside, the Heritage edition offers M Sport seats finished in BMW diamond-stitched black leather and faux suede. The soft stuff continues up over the headliner, dashboard, and upper door panels. The seats, door panels, and belts also get sporty red and blue tri-stripe stitching. Matte finish carbon fiber covers the center console, out of which juts a glass shift lever to remind everyone that this isn't just a performance car, but a luxury one as well. BMW Less subtle reminders can be found in the M badge on the front headrests, the numerous places sporting the model's full name—"M850i Edition M Heritage"—and a shout-out to the exclusivity with "1/500" displayed on the doorsills. Don't worry that you'll have to check all these boxes on the order form. The M850i Edition M Heritage comes in one configuration only, based on the M850i xDrive Gran Coupe with all the cosmetic upgrades previously mentioned and popular features like a Bowers & Wilkins Diamond surround sound system and BMW's driver's assistance package, all included in its $130,400 pricetag. BMW BMW Beneath the retro colors and M callouts, the Heritage edition makes use of the same engine and chassis setup as a top-trim M850i, which means that under the hood is a 523-hp 4.4-liter twin-turbo V-8 sending 553 lb-ft of torque through an eight-speed automatic transmission and to the ground via all four wheels. We're expecting no change in performance from non-special editions, so the Heritage model should go from zero to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds according the BMW, and 3.5 seconds according to our test team. It should stop well from its electronically-limited 155-mph top speed thanks to M Sport brakes. We like all the flash of the M850i Edition M Heritage, but with so much fanfare and so many M stripes, we're curious why BMW didn't just go all in and make a special-edition M8 Gran Coupe. Customers interested in the M Heritage can place orders now, with production planned for November 2025 and deliveries in early 2026. Elana Scherr Senior Editor, Features Like a sleeper agent activated late in the game, Elana Scherr didn't know her calling at a young age. Like many girls, she planned to be a vet-astronaut-artist, and came closest to that last one by attending UCLA art school. She painted images of cars, but did not own one. Elana reluctantly got a driver's license at age 21 and discovered that she not only loved cars and wanted to drive them, but that other people loved cars and wanted to read about them, which meant somebody had to write about them. Since receiving activation codes, Elana has written for numerous car magazines and websites, covering classics, car culture, technology, motorsports, and new-car reviews. In 2020, she received a Best Feature award from the Motor Press Guild for the C/D story "A Drive through Classic Americana in a Polestar 2." In 2023, her Car and Driver feature story "In Washington, D.C.'s Secret Carpool Cabal, It's a Daily Slug Fest" was awarded 1st place in the 16th Annual National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards by the Los Angeles Press Club. Read full bio
