At the 1989 Frankfurt Motor Show BMW premiered the first generation E31 8 Series. It was the first road car to offer a V12 engine mated to a 6-speed manual transmission and was one of the first vehicles to be fitted with an electronic drive-by-wire throttle. It was produced until 1999, and one of them, a 1991 BMW 850i, is up for auction.
This car was owned by one of the best NBA basketball players ever, Michael Jordan, and is powered by a 5.0-liter M70B50 V12 with 296 hp (221 kW) and 332 lb-ft (450 Nm) of torque. Power is sent to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual transmission. It is mounted on 17″ multi-piece AC Schnitzer wheels wrapped in 235/45 front and 275/40 rear Continental ExtremeContact tires.
The car is finished in Mauritius Blue Metallic, well maintained and in good condition. It is equipped with pop-up headlights, fog lights, a power-operated sunroof, and black bodyside trim, refinished front bumper cover, hood, and front fenders, four-wheel ventilated discs with ABS, and a MagnaFlow exhaust system.
Inside, the power-adjustable front seats are upholstered in Light Parchment leather that also covers the door panels and the lower part of the dash, with matching door panels and carpets. In front of the driver are a four-spoke leather-wrapped steering wheel and a digital odometer showing 30,112 miles. Additional equipment includes an onboard computer, dual-zone automatic climate control, an AM/FM/cassette stereo with a trunk-mounted CD changer, driver position memory, a power-adjustable steering column, and air conditioning.
The car has a clean Carfax report that shows no accidents or other damage. It comes with documentation bearing Michael Jordan’s signature, manufacturer’s literature, a stamped service booklet, and a clean Illinois title in the owner’s name.
The auction ends on January 8 and the highest bid at the time of writing was USD $70,023.
Source: Bring a Trailer
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