BMW 8 Series Registry

Passing the Torch

Registry — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 08:00:00 GMT

New Global E31 Registry Agent Named

Effective August 8, 2010, Reinhard Wolf will become the new Global E31 Registry Agent. Mr. Wolf is assuming this responsibility from Jud Spencer, who is retiring after 8 years of service to the global BMW 8 Series community.

Übergabe des Ruders
Benennung eines neuen Leiters des weltweiten E31 Registers

Mit Wirkung vom 8. August 2010 übernimmt Reinhard Wolf die Leitung des globalen E31 Registers 8coupe.com. Reinhard Wolf löst damit Jud Spencer ab, der nach 8 Jahren Dienst für die weltweite 8er Gemeinschaft aus dieser Verantwortung zurücktritt.

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Catalog Update: 1992 850i 6spd (NA)

Registry — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 23:28:00 GMT

An accounting of the highly sought-after BMW M70 850Ci 6spd manuals was recently completed for the 1992 model year. Previously the 1993 850Ci 6spd model year was completed (see news). The North American 850i/Ci 6spd was produced for the 1991-1993 model years, including one special-ordered 1994 model for the Canadian market, for a total of 847 cars.

BMW carried over the 1991 model year to the 1992 model year relatively unchanged until late 08/1991 production. For the annual engineering change, BMW had several engineering changes implemented based on the 18 months of warranty data and the movement of the seat heating switches from seat side to the console surrounding the gearshift. BMW cut production for 1992 model year over 50% from 1991 model year production because there were too much unsold 8er's on dealer lots and the effects of the Persian Gulf War and the recession..

Sweden E31 Owner Joins Registry Team

Registry — Mon, 17 May 2010 17:46:00 GMT

Mr. Per Helmer joins the Inventory Project Team from Sweden. As the proud owner of a 1992 German-spec M70 850i since 04/2004, Mr. Helmer brings his life-long 8 Series passion to the E31 Registry by coordinating the catalog effort for E31's residing in Sweden (approaching 175 8's).

Catalog Update: 1993 850Ci 6spd (NA)

Registry — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 14:00:00 GMT

An accounting of the highly sought-after BMW M70 850Ci 6spd manuals was recently completed for the 1993 model year. The North American 850i/Ci 6spd was produced for the 1991-1993 model years, including one special-ordered 1994 model for the Canadian market, for a total of 847 cars.

BMW introduced many upgrades and changed the model name from BMW 850i to BMW 850Ci, however, BMW drastically cut production of the 6spd to only 106 6spd cars for the 1993 model year.

Milestone - 5,000 8er's Cataloged

Registry — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 18:22:00 GMT

The Registry Volunteer Team is pleased to announce that we have reached the milestone of 5,000 8er's cataloged for the Registry archives. This means the archives now has at least one of the following on file: 1) photos; 2) sales ads; 3) online discussions; 4) owner-supplied information; or 5) salvage data (if applicable).

Norway E31 Owner Joins Registry Team

Registry — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 20:31:00 GMT

Mr. Terje Nordhus joins the Inventory Project Team from Norway. As the recently proud owner of a 1994 S70 850CSi, Mr. Nordhus brings his newly acquired passion to the E31 Registry by coordinating the catalog effort for E31's residing in Norway (approaching 100 8's).

8er Options Listing Online

Registry — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 23:22:00 GMT

The 8er Options listings are now online. Over 175 different options codes were used during the production of the 8 Series from 1989 to 1999. Currently, the listings are in summary format. In 2010 an updated Options detail listing is planned complete with photos.

BMW Car Mag (UK) - Great 8's Article

Registry — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:10:00 GMT

The 20th Anniversary of the 8 Series is thoroughly covered in the 12/2009 issue of BMW Car (UK) magazine. This issue is currently for sale now in the United Kingdom and is expected to arrive at international bookstores by early December 2009.

20th Launch Anniversary

Registry — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 14:00:00 GMT

Today is the 20th Launch Anniversary of the E31 platform, or better known as the BMW 8 Series. With much fanfare and anticipation, the BMW 8 Series was introduced to an enthusiastic crowd at the IAA Frankfurt Auto Show.

Turkey E31 Owner Joins Registry Team

Registry — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 20:05:00 GMT

Mr. Fatih Aloglu joins the Inventory Project Team from Turkey. As the proud owner of a 1990 M70 850iA and a 1996 M73 850CiA Individual, Mr. Aloglu brings his lifelong passion to the E31 Registry by sharing a number of interesting E31's, including a long-lost Alpina B12 5.0 and reportedly the "last" delivered 850CSi by a BMW dealer in Turkey in 1997.

The First Factory 8er

Registry — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 20:00:00 GMT

CB00000's 20th Anniversary is coming July 28, 2009.

BMW AG's first production 8er occurred on July 28, 1989, with chassis CB00000. It rolled off the Dingolfing, Bavaria factory assembly line with little fanfare because it was a test run. Although there were other BMW 850 prototypes produced prior to July, 1989, this particular vehicle was the very first factory revenue 8er vehicle.

Dinan 8 TT/6L Registry Launch

Registry — Wed, 27 May 2009 18:06:00 GMT

With 15 Dinan 8 TT/6L cataloged, the registry is officially activated. In cooperation with Chris Knauer, the Dinan 8 TT/6L Registry Agent from Dinan8.com, the Registry will be continually updated with the shrinking inventory of Dinan TT's still on the road.

Update: Active E31 Register: 4,221

Registry — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 22:32:00 GMT

Thanks to growing 8er community efforts, the E31 Registry again increased the number of collected information on specific 8er's worldwide since August 2002 to 4,221 or 13.8% of all 30,621 8er's produced. This information includes photos, advertisements, service history, and owner provided data.

Plans are now in place to launch the Dinan Twin Turbo (TT) Registry during the month of May 2009.

Milestone: Active E31 Register: 4,002

Registry — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 20:05:00 GMT

Since last month's news update, the E31 Registry at 8Coupe.com dramatically increased the number of collected information on specific 8er's worldwide since August 2002 to 4,002 or 13.1% of all 30,621 8er's produced. This information includes photos, advertisements, service history, and owner provided data.

Active E31 Register: 3,832

Registry — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 08:30:00 GMT

The E31 Registry at 8Coupe.com has collected information on 3,832 specific 8er's worldwide since August 2002 or 12.5% of all 30,621 8er's produced. This information includes photos, advertisements, service history, and owner provided data.

2009 - The 8er 20th Anniversary

Registry — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 04:27:00 GMT

Happy New Year.

The year 2009 is an important milestone in 8er (E31) history. It will be 20 years this coming September that the 1990 (Euro) 850i was introduced at the IAA Frankfurt (Germany) Auto Show. BMW AG had hoped to use this ocassion to launch the new 2010 BMW 8 Series, however, with the global recession upon us, BMW made the smart decision by cancelling the program.

Registry is Closed for the Holidays

Registry — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 21:00:00 GMT

The E31 Registry at 8Coupe.com is closed for the holidays. We will return Saturday, 10-January-2009. All new registrations and registry inquiries are offline.

BMW Cancels New 8 Series Platform - Concept CS

Registry — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 19:31:00 GMT

BMW AG announced today that due to deteriorating market conditions and lack of profitability in the new model line, the Concept CS (the new 8 Series) is cancelled.

USA Public Salvage Registry Lawsuit

Registry — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 22:45:00 GMT

On Monday a federal judge ruled in favor of consumer groups and gave the government a deadline to finally implement a law Congress passed in 1992.

Under the ruling, insurance companies, salvage yards and junkyards will be required — by the end of next March (2009) — to provide information on vehicles so badly damaged by floods, fires or crashes that they are written off. That information is to go into a national database that consumers can use to avoid being victimized when purchasing used vehicles.

E31FAQ.com is Closing 25-Sept-2008

Registry — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 22:21:00 GMT

E31FAQ.com will be closing its website by 25-Sept-2008. The site’s existing content of 100+ articles will be transferred to the 8er.org forums during the month of October 2008.

ClubE31.com Merges with 8er.ch

Registry — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 20:00:00 GMT

Bern, Switzerland - ClubE31.com and 8er.ch are pleased to announce their merger, effective Monday, 28-July-2008 to form 8er.org, creating a new organization dedicated to the BMW 8 Series (E31) with over 1,000 members.

The Next 8 Series

Registry — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 17:32:00 GMT

The Concept CS Coupe is confirmed to be the basis for the next BMW 8 Series. According to BMW CCA columnist Bob Roemer in his July 2008 "Heard on the Strabe"column, BMW will be launching the new coupe as a two-door coupe/convertible and four-door coupe.

850CSi USA Colors 100% Identified

Registry — Sat, 31 May 2008 20:01:00 GMT

Through the key help of a German 8er owner, the exterior colors for USA-spec 850CSi's are now 100% identified. The last remaining unidentified USA-spec 850CSi (chassis CD00002) with code 490 (Special Order Color) has now been identified as FJORDGRAU METALLIC (code 310).

Update - 8er Specific Option Codes

Registry — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 13:54:00 GMT

Progress has been made to narrow the list 8er-specific option codes from the BMW 8 Series Inventory Project. There are at least 175 option codes for the E31 platform. Each option code will have the English and German language details.

Claus Luthe: Supervised E31 Design, Ex-BMW Chief Dead at Age 75

Registry — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 22:39:00 GMT

Claus Luthe passed away on 17 March 2008. He was 75 years old. Mr. Luthe was the chief designer at BMW from 1976-1990 where he supervised the design team that developed the 3 Series, 5 Series, 7 Series, and 8 Series models with timeless designs during the 1980's and early 1990's. Mr. Luthe is often credited in positioning BMW into one of the most sought after brands in the world.

Update - VBS-R Reports Status

Registry — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 10:30:00 GMT

The Vehicle Build Sheet Report (VBS-R - an expanded version of the factory build sheet) is stil in development. Current plans are to make this report available during the 4th Quarter of 2008.

New enhancements are being incorporated into this report based on feedback from 8er owners.

Japan 8er Colors - Now Online

Registry — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 08:30:00 GMT

Japan (JP) BMW 840/850/850CSi colors are now online. Presented are the final audited numbers.

For Japan, blue is the number one exterior color group with 28.29% of all 2,513 JP market version 8 Series (code 807). built. Overall, there were 25 different exterior colors applied to the JP E31's.

2007: A Look Back

Registry — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 21:12:00 GMT

In 2007, the E31 Registry at 8coupe.com expanded the information output from the Inventory Project. Specific data released:

Salvage Listings (routinely updated)
Exterior Colors - Global
Interior/Upholstery Colors - Global
Colors by Market Version (North America, Germany, UK)
8 Series Models by Market Version

Color Combinations - Coming Soon

Registry — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 05:01:00 GMT

The global color combinations summary produced for the 8 Series will be online soon. With 125 exterior colors and 34 interior/upholstery colors applied to the 8 Series, there were potentially 4,250 different possible color combinations.

The number one global 8er color combination?

DIAMANTSCHWARZ METALLIC (code 181) with
LEDER NAPPA/SCHWARZ (code 0226/M4SW)
1,765 cars

Legacy Registry Transfer Completed

Registry — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 23:12:00 GMT

The last 207 E31 owners were transferred from the legacy registry to the new registry at 8Coupe.com.

Since 2002, the E31 Registry has registered 1,129 vehicles. This represents 3.7% of all BMW 8 Series produced. The Registry's goal is to register 10% of all BMW 8 Series produced wordwlide, or 3,062 vehicles.

Update: Vehicle Build Sheet Report (VBS-R)

Registry — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 15:36:00 GMT

Since 2005, 8er owners have requested the "expanded" Vehicle Build Sheet Report (VBS-R). On September 14, there will be an update of the queue that requires "reconfirmation" by each 8er owner.

Salvage 8 Series Listings

Registry — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 20:41:00 GMT

The registry will begin publishing salvage 8er vehicles, effective Monday, 20-August-2007.

Germany 8er Colors - Now Online

Registry — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 09:00:00 GMT

Germany (DE) BMW 830/840/850 colors are now online. Presented are the final audited numbers. Germany is defined as Austria, Deutschland, and its territories.

United Kingdom 8er Colors - Now Online

Registry — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 09:00:00 GMT

United Kingdom (UK) BMW 840/850 colors are now online. Presented are the final audited numbers. The UK is defined as Ireland, Great Britain, and its territories.

North American 8er Colors - Updated

Registry — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 09:00:00 GMT

North American BMW 8 Series colors are now updated and refreshed. Presented are the final audited numbers.

Existing 8er Owners Access

Registry — Sun, 03 Jun 2007 18:35:00 GMT

Access to 8Coupe.com for existing 8er owners is coming online soon.

External and Interior Colors Now Online

Registry — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 04:35:00 GMT

The first output of aggregated data from the BMW 8 Series Inventory Project is now online.