The listing of Option Codes specific to the 8 Series continues to be refined and validated. There were at least 175 different option codes available for the E31 during its 10 year production run.
This validation effort has experienced slow progress due to the following challenges:
- Researching the details of retired option codes. During the mid-1990's, BMW updated a lot of codes. Some option codes retired were re-used for other purposes than originally intended.
- Consolidating model-specific versus option coding. The 850CSi was packaged with option codes that were model-specific, depending on the market (e.g. Euro vs USA). However, there were model-specific codes that are listed as option codes. Granted, extra work is in progress to figure this out.
- Identifying unpublished internal option codes. There are some codes that appear in no other published source but appear on the Vehicle History Report. Currently we're in the process of reconciliation.
- Contemplating best way to present data. Initially, the plan was to numerically list each option with deep descriptions, categorize by model-specific and general availability option codes, and provide some production statistics.
The estimated time of completion of this effort is unknown. It is one of the top five initiatives in progress.