TWIN TEST
Which of these two V8-engined coupes from the Nineties do we prefer; the traditional Jaguar XK8 4.0 or the more contemporary BMW 840Ci?
STUDY THE history and specifications of the Jaguar XK8 and BMW 840Ci and you’d think they were separated at birth. As two-doorV8-engined coupes that arrived in the mid-Nineties and from companies that have a long history in sports cars, they have more than a little in common.
But rawdata is one thing; actually driving the cars is another. To discover whether this pair of powerful grand tourers are as alike as the facts and figures suggest, we’re comparing a 2000 XK8 with a 1997 BMW 840Ci.
BMW 840Ci 4.4
Despite arguably looking and feeling more modern than the Jaguar, the BMW arrived first, debuting at the 1989 Frankfurt Motor Show before going on sale the following year. By being more powerful and more expensive, it wasn’t a direct replacement for the 6-Series like the XK8 would be for the XJS six years later.
The idea of such a model was originally considered by BMW in 1981 with the green light for the car – internally known as the E31 – given three years later. The work of inhouse designer, Klaus Kapitza, it featured a much more angular and chiselled design than the softer 6-Series. Plus, by being based on the E32-generation of 7-Series, it was longer and wider than its predecessor.
The press weren’t always impressed by the new look, though. “It’s an old-school, square cut BMW,” said Car magazine in its November 1996 issue, “elegant but too discreet to be exciting.”
What really set the E31 apart from the 6-Series (as well as the competition) was the abundance of clever technology, much of it not seen before. This included an electronic drive-by-wire throttle, fourwheel steer and intelligent automatic transmission. Little wonder BMW managed to spend a huge $900 million on the car’s development. Yet this eye-watering amount didn’t include a convertible version and other than a handful of expensive aftermarket conversions, the 8-Series was only ever available as a coupe.
To begin with, the only engine choice was BMW’s first production V12, a 5.0-litre that delivered 300bhp resulting in a 0-60mph time of seven seconds. This decadent engine together with all that tech made the 850i an expensive choice. At £61,495 in 1992, it cost £13,500 more than its nearest V12-engined rival, the 6.0-litre XJR-S.
Yet the critics were never that impressed by the car, feeling like it lacked character. “You would always respect such countrycrossing abilities,” said Car magazine in its October 1992 issue, “but never fall passionately in love with it as a loyal and faithful servant. Somehow the BMW 850i is a shade too nice, too pinkly soft, too twee: it tries a mite hard to be friendly and accommodating, offers heart
