der Bayerische November/December 2020 - 30
T
H
E
2
0
2
0
B
M
W
M
8
5
(Above) A 1990 BMW 850i (E31) - the subject of my first car review. (Below) The M850i's 20-inch wheels and
low-profile tires match it's low-profile body lines.
T
hirty years ago I convinced
the editor of my hometown
newspaper to give me the
chance to start a weekly auto section.
His "demand" was simple - provide
him with eight reviews that met his
standards and he would do it.
30
I was faced with a "I can do that
- How am I going to do that?"
situation. After limited success
working with the local car dealers to
schedule vehicles for review, a friend
who was the PR person for the
Chrysler Shelby Performance Center
introduced me to the newly formed
Southern California based auto
journalist organization: the Motor
Press Guild. The first person I called
to arrange for test vehicles was
Patrick Prieto.
That phone call led to an in-
0
i
person meeting. From his reaction, it
was clear that most auto journalists
don't appear for meetings wearing a
suit. After reviewing my presentation,
he agreed to help. Soon, I was on my
way back to the Antelope Valley
driving a 1990 V-12, 6-speed
manual transmission BMW 850i with
an MSRP of $90,000. No need to
convert to 2020 dollars to know that's
darn pricey.
The 1990 E31 8 Series and the
1990 E32 7 Series were BMW's onetwo punch into the ultra-premium
performance luxury market. Both
vehicles put their "three-pointed star"
nemesis on alert. BMW did not mean
to just enter a market owned by
Mercedes, they meant to lead in that
market.
The E31 8 Series was a design
AND technology leader. Images of
the 8 Series adorned exotic car
calendars and posters. The E31 was
one of the first BMWs to feature a
"throttle by wire" system, dynamic
stability control, windows that would
automatically raise and lower when
the doors were opened, an autodimming rear-view mirror, and a
tire pressure monitoring system.
The 5.0 liter naturally aspirated V-12
derBayerische
der Bayerische November/December 2020
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of der Bayerische November/December 2020
No label
der Bayerische November/December 2020 - intro
der Bayerische November/December 2020 - No label
der Bayerische November/December 2020 - Cover2
der Bayerische November/December 2020 - 1
der Bayerische November/December 2020 - 2
der Bayerische November/December 2020 - 3
der Bayerische November/December 2020 - 4
der Bayerische November/December 2020 - 5
der Bayerische November/December 2020 - 6
der Bayerische November/December 2020 - 7
der Bayerische November/December 2020 - 8
der Bayerische November/December 2020 - 9
der Bayerische November/December 2020 - 10
der Bayerische November/December 2020 - 11
der Bayerische November/December 2020 - 12
der Bayerische November/December 2020 - 13
der Bayerische November/December 2020 - 14
der Bayerische November/December 2020 - 15
der Bayerische November/December 2020 - 16
der Bayerische November/December 2020 - 17
der Bayerische November/December 2020 - 18
der Bayerische November/December 2020 - 19
der Bayerische November/December 2020 - 20
der Bayerische November/December 2020 - 21
der Bayerische November/December 2020 - 22
der Bayerische November/December 2020 - 23
der Bayerische November/December 2020 - 24
der Bayerische November/December 2020 - 25
der Bayerische November/December 2020 - 26
der Bayerische November/December 2020 - 27
der Bayerische November/December 2020 - 28
der Bayerische November/December 2020 - 29
der Bayerische November/December 2020 - 30
der Bayerische November/December 2020 - 31
der Bayerische November/December 2020 - 32
der Bayerische November/December 2020 - 33
der Bayerische November/December 2020 - 34
der Bayerische November/December 2020 - 35
der Bayerische November/December 2020 - 36
der Bayerische November/December 2020 - Cover3
der Bayerische November/December 2020 - Cover4
https://www.nxtbook.com/mercury/derBayerische/derbayerische-july-august-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/mercury/derBayerische/derbayerische-may-june-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/mercury/derBayerische/derbayerische-march-april-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/mercury/derBayerische/derbayerische-january-february-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/mercury/derBayerische/derbayerische-november-december-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/mercury/derBayerische/derbayerische-september-october-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/mercury/derBayerische/derbayerische-july-august-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/mercury/nxtbook/MercuryTest
https://www.nxtbook.com/mercury/derBayerische/derbayerische-may-june-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/mercury/derBayerische/derbayerische-march-april-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/mercury/derBayerische/derbayerische-january-february-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/mercury/derBayerische/derbayerische-november-december-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/mercury/derBayerische/derbayerische-september-october-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/mercury/derBayerische/derbayerische-july-august-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/mercury/derBayerische/derbayerische-may-june-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/mercury/derBayerische/derbayerische-march-april-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/mercury/derBayerische/derbayerische-january-february-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/mercury/derBayerische/derbayerische-november-december-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/mercury/derBayerische/derbayerische-september-october-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/mercury/derBayerische/der-bayerische-july-august-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/mercury/derBayerische/der-bayerische-may-june-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/mercury/derBayerische/derBayerische_MarApr2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/mercury/derBayerische/derBayerische_JanFeb2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/mercury/derBayerische/derBayerische_NovDec2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/mercury/derBayerische/derBayerische_SeptOct2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/mercury/derBayerische/derBayerische_JulyAugust2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/mercury/derBayerische/derBayerische_MayJune2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/mercury/derBayerische/derBayerische_MarApr2020
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com