BMW 840Ci for auction, but engine doesn't add up...

[LunarOne]

I've been looking at adding an E31 to my collection and there's what looks like a lovely example being auctioned on C&C.
https://www.carandclassic.com/auctions/1999-bmw-84...

It's supposed to be one of the final edition 840Ci cars with the 4.4L V8 engine, yet the info panel contradicts this with 3982cc capacity which is the same as the vehicle enquiry service says. If that's true, the 4.0 would make it an older car. There are photos of the engine bay - does anyone know enough to say which engine it really has?

If it really has the 4.4L and it's incorrectly registered, what are the likely knock-on effects of that if any?

[d_a_n1979]

LunarOne said:

I've been looking at adding an E31 to my collection and there's what looks like a lovely example being auctioned on C&C.
https://www.carandclassic.com/auctions/1999-bmw-84...

It's supposed to be one of the final edition 840Ci cars with the 4.4L V8 engine, yet the info panel contradicts this with 3982cc capacity which is the same as the vehicle enquiry service says. If that's true, the 4.0 would make it an older car. There are photos of the engine bay - does anyone know enough to say which engine it really has?

If it really has the 4.4L and it's incorrectly registered, what are the likely knock-on effects of that if any?

That's an M62 4.4 engine in that; it also states it in the ad:

"This example is among the last to be produced being a Final Edition, fitted with the far superior 4.4 Litre V8 M62 engine, offering more torque and much greater reliability than the older 4.0 M60’s"

Have you seen an unrevised edit I wonder?

States it further down too:

"The Mechanics
4.4L V8 M62 Engine
Automatic transmission
282bhp and 420 Nm of torque
0-60 mph in 6.6 seconds"

[LunarOne]

d_a_n1979 said:

LunarOne said:

I've been looking at adding an E31 to my collection and there's what looks like a lovely example being auctioned on C&C.
https://www.carandclassic.com/auctions/1999-bmw-84...

It's supposed to be one of the final edition 840Ci cars with the 4.4L V8 engine, yet the info panel contradicts this with 3982cc capacity which is the same as the vehicle enquiry service says. If that's true, the 4.0 would make it an older car. There are photos of the engine bay - does anyone know enough to say which engine it really has?

If it really has the 4.4L and it's incorrectly registered, what are the likely knock-on effects of that if any?

That's an M62 4.4 engine in that; it also states it in the ad:

"This example is among the last to be produced being a Final Edition, fitted with the far superior 4.4 Litre V8 M62 engine, offering more torque and much greater reliability than the older 4.0 M60’s"

Have you seen an unrevised edit I wonder?

States it further down too:

"The Mechanics
4.4L V8 M62 Engine
Automatic transmission
282bhp and 420 Nm of torque
0-60 mph in 6.6 seconds"

That's the whole point of my query - the text of the ad says it's the 4.4, yet the info panel on the side and the vehicle enquiry service say it's the 4.0.

[mmm-five]

Do you have the VIN so you can check on a VIN decoder / RealOEM?

According to RealOEM, anything manufactured after 1996 would be an 4.4L M62...but there's nothing to say this wasn't manufactured earlier and left sitting for a few years before registration.

The VIN should sort that query out.

[LunarOne]

mmm-five said:

Do you have the VIN so you can check on a VIN decoder / RealOEM?

According to RealOEM, anything manufactured after 1996 would be an 4.4L M62...but there's nothing to say this wasn't manufactured earlier and left sitting for a few years before registration.

The VIN should sort that query out.

Very good shout. I found the VIN on a photo of the paperwork and it does indeed seem to have the 4.4L M62 engine. But I still wonder how it got registered as being 3982cc. The car has spent much of its life in Dublin apparently, which means it must have been re-imported back to the UK. I wonder whether the "mistake" is a deliberate or just carelessness.

[mmm-five]

LunarOne said:

Very good shout. I found the VIN on a photo of the paperwork and it does indeed seem to have the 4.4L M62 engine. But I still wonder how it got registered as being 3982cc. The car has spent much of its life in Dublin apparently, which means it must have been re-imported back to the UK. I wonder whether the "mistake" is a deliberate or just carelessness.

Maybe the DLVA's systems at the time only listed one engine type/size for that vehicle?

I've seen it on Alpina's where it just says BMW and 3.2L instead of 3.3L.

[LunarOne]

I emailed the auction team for clarification and it looks like they have updated the side panel to show 4400 and confirmed by email.

[d_a_n1979]

LunarOne said:

d_a_n1979 said:

LunarOne said:

I've been looking at adding an E31 to my collection and there's what looks like a lovely example being auctioned on C&C.
https://www.carandclassic.com/auctions/1999-bmw-84...

It's supposed to be one of the final edition 840Ci cars with the 4.4L V8 engine, yet the info panel contradicts this with 3982cc capacity which is the same as the vehicle enquiry service says. If that's true, the 4.0 would make it an older car. There are photos of the engine bay - does anyone know enough to say which engine it really has?

If it really has the 4.4L and it's incorrectly registered, what are the likely knock-on effects of that if any?

That's an M62 4.4 engine in that; it also states it in the ad:

"This example is among the last to be produced being a Final Edition, fitted with the far superior 4.4 Litre V8 M62 engine, offering more torque and much greater reliability than the older 4.0 M60’s"

Have you seen an unrevised edit I wonder?

States it further down too:

"The Mechanics
4.4L V8 M62 Engine
Automatic transmission
282bhp and 420 Nm of torque
0-60 mph in 6.6 seconds"

That's the whole point of my query - the text of the ad says it's the 4.4, yet the info panel on the side and the vehicle enquiry service say it's the 4.0.

Ah; had no idea you were referring to the DVLA details!

They don't always get things right; you can ask them to amend if you end up buying it; but cannot see why it'd cause any issues in the long run

[mmm-five]

LunarOne said:

I emailed the auction team for clarification and it looks like they have updated the side panel to show 4400 and confirmed by email.

Tell them it's actually 4,398cc

[2.5-16]

Final Edition...never heard of one of those.

[Riek]

DVLA details suggest it's been imported used (Japan?) and the details when that happens are sometimes not perfect.

only takes one old boy from the days when BMW numbers actually matched the engine sizes to go "840i? 4.0 it is!" and bosh.

[LunarOne]

Riek said:

DVLA details suggest it's been imported used (Japan?) and the details when that happens are sometimes not perfect.

only takes one old boy from the days when BMW numbers actually matched the engine sizes to go "840i? 4.0 it is!" and bosh.

First registered in the UK, then Exported to Ireland and then imported back to the UK a year or two ago.

[alpinab3]

2.5-16 said:

Final Edition...never heard of one of those.

The grim grey interior doesn't help

[LunarOne]

Well I bid but my top end was below the reserve. In the end it went for over £25k. If it's as good underneath as it looks on the outside, then it's probably worth it.

[The Conflated Outlier]

That's definitely an M62 from the pics.

M62's were not more reliable than the older M60, plenty of timing chain guide and cooling system dramas.

[Mark-insert old BMW]

Irish section of DVLA always seem to make mistakes. I've had 2 occasions where I had to request they remedy their mistakes.