The prospect of a project can either excite or beleaguer you. I know personally after having sold a few non-runners this year that I am about done with taking on major restorations (by my standards, at least). The seller of this desirable E31-chassis BMW 840CI coupe is at the point many of us get to where the desire to drive a vehicle is outweighed by our desire to have the space in the garage back. This 840CI hasn’t run since 2009 and is now listed here on eBay with bids to £5,300 and the reserve unmet.
This is another find from the other side of the pond, where our friends in the UK seem to have the same problem as we do with letting special cars go to pot. The 8-Series was a significant car both from a design and performance standpoint, and sold in limited numbers compared to other models in the lineup. They ride a very thin line between being worthy of restoration or doomed to parts car status given the cost and complexities of restoring one. The eight-cylinder cars like this one are less daunting to put right, but the upgraded 12-cylinder models are more sought-after when in running condition.
The other determinant around value is transmission choice, as BMW did offer a manual gearbox with either the eight- or twelve-cylinder engines. Those cars obviously find buyers fairly quickly even when in non-running condition because there’s a good chance it will still be worth more than what you put into it given the desirability of three pedals. This 840CI has the automatic which further limits its appeal as project. The interior is said to be dusty (obviously) but I can’t tell if the seats are mismatched or if there’s black leather on the driver’s seat. The electronics are another major cost center on these cars, so any moisture in the cockpit can be problematic.
Fortunately, the bodywork looks to be in decent shape with no obvious rot. The E31 is a gorgeous design, likely one of the prettiest that BMW has offered in the last few decades. Will we be dragging these cars out of garages in barns in 50 years, sending them off for full restoration? It’s hard to say for sure. A manual 12-cylinder car, yes; an automatic eight-cylinder like this one? Harder to say for sure. Hopefully, the reserve is close to being lifted on this garage find example.
Looks like the pond flooded the shed.
A few years ago I saw a 12, with engine problems, where they put a small block Chevy with 2 turbochargers.
One sin though….
Besides asking how you get that much dust inside a car with windows I’d also ask what body of water they pulled this one out of.
Those seats look mouldy.
LS it and drive it.
Was this discovered buried in someone’s backyard?
I’ve seen a few of these in the USA with left hand drive & all 4 side windows down!!, like many ’60s domestic 2 door hardtops, & like this overseas version:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a5/BMW_840_Ci_Sport_rear.jpg/1280px-BMW_840_Ci_Sport_rear.jpg
How it got by USA rollover standards is beyond me & there must be some, else modern pony cars would not have a roof support post between the 2 side windows.
How do you get that much dirt on a car stored in a shed? Ok drives window not all the way up explains the dust inside but I didn’t know the UK had dust storms capable of creating that much mud.
If you can’t be bothered to clean it then just give it away. It really looks worthless in this state. No need to be offended, just my opinion. I would give exactly zero dollars for this.
Agreed.
Spend a few hundred dollars on a detail and triple your money.
Seems a simple choice.
That thing is totaled. They were electrical nightmares even when new; can’t imagine sitting all those years in those conditions has done it any favors.
Looks like it was fished out of the Thames.
This car isn’t that old…..1994. What a shame it was let go like this.
Cause the 8 series 2 door coupes (which I just happen to mention when discussing the autobahn on the ’68 Charger bio post) were bitchin cars.
Blistering on the autobahn !
I really like these, if I could find a left hand drive manual trans car cheap enough , I believe I could do the work on it myself [ my brother has a killer set of tools, lol] but my dream car is really a CL55 or65 AMG Mercedes
In another 50 years these cars will be pushing 70. Just like right now it won’t matter if it has an automatic or not, it will be cool because it is a 70 year old car.