The distinctive 'shark nose' BMW 850 was launched in 1990. The powerful csi variant boasted 380bhp from a 5.6L V12 engine, enough to propel it to an unlimited 170mph. The 850 was not only luxurious but featured many state of the art features such as traction control, electronic dampers and an 'adaptive' gearbox.
Emissions regulation led to the V12 being replaced by a v8 in the 850's successor the 840. Power was down but due to a lighter weight performance remained the same. The flagship BMW never really caught on and was dropped from the model line up in 1999.