The Fabulous 858 CSL Is a Carbon-Fiber E31 BMW 8 Series Restomod With a V10 Heart

Rey Rivera Of Reyn Speed Shop is a big fan of the first-gen 8 Series, but as opposed to E31 loyalists, he wasn't afraid to modify his once-stock 850i into a completely different animal with the heart of a much newer vehicle from the Bavarian manufacturer. Which vehicle?

Lovingly dubbed 858 CSL after the 8 Series, the 5.8-liter V10, and the E46 BMW M3 CSL-style front bumper, this fellow is an E60 BMW M5 underneath. The original engine displaces close to 5.0 liters. Obviously enough, a stroker kit enabled the 5.8-liter displacement of the 858 CSL, which features a three-pedal box.

Only North America received that generation of the M5 with a manual, and to this day, it's hard to understand why BMW made such a big mistake. After all, manuals continue to sell in bigger numbers in Europe. Some 1,300 units of the sedan-bodied E60 were finished with the manual, whereas the SMG-only E61 wagon totaled a few more than 1,000 examples.

The carbon-clad 858 CSL further sweetens the deal with carbon-ceramic brakes from Brembo, functional DSC and ABS from the donor E60, as well as light-emitting diodes in custom-fabricated clusters. The original pop-up lights were yanked out in favor of hood vents. If those mirrors appear somewhat familiar, that's because they're sourced from an 850 CSi.

Admiring the vehicle from either the front or the rear three-quarter view, you will notice box flares inspired by the E30 M3. Rey produced the appropriate carbon door skins for said box flares, giving the car that classic DTM-like aesthetic we all know and love. Out back, the carbon-fiber widebody kit makes the car about 8 inches wider than the standard 850i.

Finished in the very same silver gray metallic of the E46 BMW M3 CSL, the pillarless coupe also runs custom wheels that harken back to a classic Alpina design. The wheels feature 18 spokes compared to 20s for the Alpinas. Pictured on Michelin rubber, the 858 CSL also boasts E31-inspired custom taillights, a very neat carbon-fiber aerodynamic diffuser, and a quad-pipe exhaust system with black tips.

Stepping inside will be a shock to many E31 enthusiasts, for the cockpit is a mix of E31 and E60 with Vader seats, Alcantara for the headliner, and lots of black leather on the door cards, transmission tunnel, and dashboard. Care to guess how much time Rey and company needed to convert a white-painted 850i into the one-of-one 858 CSL? According to the man himself, around four years.

Although the owner didn't mention how much power and torque it produces at the crankshaft, we do know that 5.8 stroker motors can take upward of 600 ponies. To put that into perspective, BMW quoted 500 horsepower at 7,750 revolutions per minute and 383 pound-feet (520 Nm) of twist at 6,100 revolutions for the E60 M5 and the much rarer E61 M5.