German Tuner Gives BMW 8-Series Restomod the Engine Swap It Always Deserved
Manhart tosses out the 8-Series V-12 in favor of a more powerful V-8 from a familiar source to produce arguably the ultimate 1990s driving machine.
Besides being name dropped in Will Smith’s hit single Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It, the E31 BMW 850’s greatest accomplishment is being one of the most desirable coupes of its era. It’s 5.0-liter V-12 made 296 horsepower, which is pretty low by today’s standards but back in the '90s it was newsworthy. Over its lifecycle the E31 8-Series got gradual bumps in power until it reached its final form in the 850CSi. Unfortunately, the original 8 Series coupe fell victim to the economic downturn that hit in the late '90s and was discontinued. It has since been resurrected, but the original E31 chassis still has throngs of fans; us among them.
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German tuner Manhart must be fans as well because it just announced an extremely limited custom E31 8 Series build called the MH8 (via CarScoops). Manheart tapped its “Classic Cars division” to imagine what the E31 could have been if it lived long enough to have an M-variant made. The MH8 is the end result.
The tuner started by scrapping the 850i’s 5.0-liter V-12 in favor of the S62B50 V-8 engine from the BMW E39 M5. Despite losing four cylinders, the V-8 is equal in displacement to the outgoing V-12 and makes 120 more horsepower, bringing the MH8’s total output to 420 hp. Manhart mated the V-8 to a six-speed manual transmission but it didn’t specify if the gearbox is also sourced from the E39 M5 or a different off-the-shelf unit.
The MH8 is given a set of staggered 20-inch custom forged wheels wrapped with Continental Sport Contact 7 tires— 255/30R20 in front and 295/25R20 in the rear. The suspension is upgraded with Bilstein B6 shock absorbers and all other underpinnings like the axles, bushings, and bearings are refurbished or replaced with new parts.
The MH8 is then finished off with a custom front spoiler, rear diffuser, and rear deck spoiler though the aero pieces are so subtle that anyone would be forgiven for thinking the exterior was stock. The interior is reupholstered in Alcantara with classic BMW M stitching.
If MH8 is the kind of '90s throwback you want in your driveway, be prepared to spend a lot of cash. The Manhart MH8 will set you back $162,000—and only 5 units will be built. That kind of exclusivity and desirability isn't cheap, but if the E31 was a bedroom-poster car for you, it might just be worth it.
Andrew Beckford’s passion for cars started as a middle schooler when his friend Richie explained how an internal combustion engine works. He was bitten by the bug and the rest, as they say, is history. He dug deep into the tuner scene and eventually wrote for Turbo Magazine, Import Tuner, Super Street. He covered car shows, feature builds, and reviewed racing games for those magazines in addition to covering motorsports including Formula Drift, Indy Car, and F1 for his personal blog. Eventually Beckford joined MotorTrend to cover the daily automotive news beat. Besides being a gearhead, Beckford has been a gamer since the ’80s and is a huge fan of the arcade racing games of the ’90s like Daytona USA, SEGA Rally, and Ridge Racer. Beckford’s a movie buff as well, especially comic book films from DC and Marvel. When car culture crosses over with gaming and entertainment, rest assured Beckford is aware of it. In addition to serving as a consultant on a “triple A” racing titles, he’s reviewed major racing games such as Forza Motorsport, Need for Speed, Gran Turismo, F1, and more. He’s also interviewed blockbuster directors including Steven Caple Jr. (Transformers: Rise of the Beasts) and Neill Blomkamp (Gran Turismo). His biggest profile to date was with Robert Downey Jr. on his love affair with cars and his show Downey’s Dream Cars on MAX. Beckford’s profile of Downey Jr. was the first print cover story written by an African American in MotorTrend’s history. Along with KJ Jones, Andrew Beckford also heads up MotorTrend’s celebration of Black History Month by spotlighting diverse voices in the automotive industry and motorsports. Beckford’s first car was a 1982 Nissan Stanza affectionately named “Stanley” by his late mother.
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