ah,Yes, the E24! ctxt (archive)

I love the 850, and think it is superior to almost all cars ever made. I do prefer the M6, however, in terms of appearance. The profile of the 6 series defined a generation of vehicles, not just from BMW. Copycats included the Thunderbird, Diamante, and ElDorado, not to mention Maserati and even Jag. To me, the 6 series was the coupe that set BMW apart from all others in the 80's. The 3.0 cs is also a very beautiful car, but it's crash technology is inferior to that of th E24.

The 850 is gorgeous, but the car is strkingly similar in front view to the old Supras, which is odd, as the Supras came out 3 years prior to the E31. Of course, the nose is where these similarities end, as the 850 required 10 times the labour and steel to produce, and was not made in (eeek) Japan! I am not trying to disrespect the 850, I wish I had one. I do, however, wish that BMW had retained the round hedlichts somehow. Pop-up lights are a bit too cheesey for a car as badass as the flagship BMW should have been.

Looks aside, the M6, with the EURO spec M suspension was also far superior in handling to the US M6, and the US 850. With the Self Leveling System bypassed, however, and a set of H&R coils, the e31 can hang with the best handling cars on the planet. Pretty impressive for a coupe weighing more than a Caddy! Why Bimmer ever went with the self leveling is beyond me! A well tuned standard setup is FAR superior in corners.

JFM

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