BMW 850 CSi
It's good, the Alpina B12 is better.
The 850 CSi is incredibly rare with only 1,500 made worldwide. Of those, only 225 examples were imported to the United States; making the 850 CSi about as rare as a Ferrari F40 or Porsche Carrera GT. The V12 in the 850 CSi formed the basis of the engine used in the famed McLaren F1.
So how do you make the 850 CSi better? Send it to Alpina. The Alpina B12 takes the BMW S70 V12 and bores it out to 5.7 liters, along with a modified intake, crankshaft, camshafts and stainless steel exhaust mated to a 6-speed manual transmission. The hood is carbon-fiber with cooling vents and an NACA duct. BMWblog reports a 0-60mph in 5.8 seconds with a top speed of 186 mph.
Crossing the Block:
A 22k-Mile 1995 BMW 850 CSi sold in January of this year for $175,000.00. According to BMWblog, a 1993 B12 will set you back $468,000.00.
If either of those are too steep, you can always go the fractional route as a collector. Social Leverage portfolio company Rally (Fund III) recently announced an initial offering for a 1994 BMW 850 CSi you might like to check out. It’s offered at $142,500.00, or $14.25 per share.
Worth Watching:
Effervescent goofball and all around car nut, Doug DeMuro, just so happens to have made an in-depth video featuring the BMW 850 CSi.