The BMW 8-series, factory internally called E31, came in 1989 on the market and is a luxury coupe to the manufacturer BMW. It was produced until 1999.

The 8 in 1989 at the IAA in Frankfurt and inherit the BMW 6 Series (E24 series), however, was larger and more expensive than its predecessor. The main competitors of the E31 were the coupe models C126 and C140 of the S-Class from Mercedes-Benz. The 8er as there was only coupé. There were prototypes of a convertible 8er developed, where it is due to the lack of C-pillar of stability lacking. By the end of 2004 there were three running 8er convertibles.

The technology and engines came partly from the then current 7er, the E32. Later, newer engines from the E38 and 5er piecewise introduced.

The E31 was until 1999 the setting its most expensive model in the BMW program. The sales success of the E31 remained far behind expectations, in ten years, only about 30,000 copies were built. Especially in the U.S., BMW had expected higher sales figures, where the buyers expected, however, of such a serious and more expensive vehicle performance.

A successor for the 8, there was not. In 2003 BMW added its model range with a coupe of luxury, the BMW 6 Series E63. This is based on the 5-series and is priced below the current CL Coupes Mercedes-Benz positioned.