After previewing
its modified version of the BMW M850i late last year, tuning company Manhart
has officially unveiled the car. When Manhart first started work on the M850i,
the BMW M8 had yet to be launched and Manhart’s creation appeared to have the
right recipe to be the aftermarket world’s answer to the M8. Fast forward to
August and we all know the M8 has arrived with some very promising figures.
Will Manhart’s M850i be able to compete?
The twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 now puts out 621 hp and 850 Nm of torque. That’s significantly more than the 523 hp and 750 Nm of the standard M850i and is also a touch above the 617 hp and 750 Nm promised by the range-topping M8 Competition.
Manhart has also
worked to make the M850i handle better, and to that end fitted a set of H&R
lowering springs and 21-inch wheels. It also added some visual modifications
including four carbon-tipped tailpipes, a carbon fiber front splitter and a
carbon fiber rear lip spoiler.
While the tuning
company’s M850i has more power than the stock M8 and M8 Competition models,
it’s worth pointing out that it lacks most of the upgrades which are promising
to make the M8 so great. For example, there isn’t an advanced all-wheel drive
system with an Active M differential that allows for all-wheel drive and
rear-wheel drive driving nor a highly-technical braking system.
