@BMW Pete -How does that B12 drive? Having recently driven an 850CI (auto). I would imagine quite a bit sportier.
I haven't really tested it to any limits, I owned both 850s and 840s when I still lived in the UK and there were plenty of twisty roads to test the car and its feel, sadly with only one being a stick shift CSI. I did have a few back roads I liked putting most cars I owned through their paces and the 8s were amazing, just totally solid on the bends .
I am a little older now, so high speed cornering is not often on the agenda - that said, I find it would probably react much the same as a Euro CSI, which of course is a very different car to the 225 CSI's delivered to the US.
You can definitely feel their weight as they are heavy cars, not as tactile and instant feedback as our E9s, if you think how heavy the E24 is as compared to our E9s, the 8 series (to me) feels like it increased that much again in weight and ability as a solid GT cruiser.
It's been 20 years since I drove the CSi, so I would have to remind myself of that feel to be able to judge again.