The BMW 8 Series is a V8

V8 engine

A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of four cylinders, in most cases set at a right angle to each other but sometimes at a narrower angle, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft....

- or V12

V12 engine

A V12 engine is a V engine with 12 cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of six cylinders, usually but not always at a 60° angle to each other, with all 12 pistons driving a common crankshaft....

-engined 2-door 2+2 coupe

Coupé

A coupé or coupe is a closed car body style , the precise definition of which varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, and over time...

 built by BMW

BMW

Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...

 from 1989 to 1999. While it did supplant the original E24

BMW E24

The BMW E24 series was the first BMW 6 Series coupé, produced by the German automaker BMW between the 1976 and 1989 model years. The 6 Series name reappeared with the BMW E63 chassis beginning in the 2004 model year. The E24 borrowed heavily from contemporary 5-series cars .- Model history :The...

 based 6 Series

BMW 6 Series

BMW 6 Series refers to several generations of executive coupés produced by BMW.The first was the E24, being derived from the E12 & E28 5 Series 4-door sedans. The E24 launched in 1976 to replace the 3.0CS & 3.0CSi . 14 years later, in 2003, BMW released the all new E63/E64 which was available as a...

 in 1991, a common misconception is that the 8 Series was developed as a successor. However, it was actually an entirely new class aimed at a different market, with a substantially higher price and better performance than the 6 series.
It was BMW's flagship car and had an electronically limited top speed of 155 mph (250 km/h).
Design of the 8 Series began in 1986, with construction starting in the same year.