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BMW 850i Cabrio, the BMW cabrio supercar concept car

The BMW 8 Series, or E31 in its production code, was first unveiled at the Frankfurt International Motor Show in 1989 with the idea of competing with Porsche and Mercedes, and when the only engine offering available is a V8 or V12, the stakes are high.

But …… things didn’t turn out as they thought at BMW, sales were not as good as expected, competition was very stiff and production reached only 30,000 units when the last 8 Series rolled off the production line in May 1999.

These poor sales, which failed to make the 8 Series profitable, led to some proposals not going into production, such as the BMW M8 “Ferrari Killer” or the 8 Series convertible.

From the outset BMW considered having a convertible in its 8 Series, and although the 850i Convertible had a definitive preview version, it never went into production, as the company considered it unlikely to recoup the investment in the cost of its development. Only one example, in red, survives from the project, which can be seen in the brand’s museum in Munich.

Here you can see a video of the 8 Series Convertible

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