Richard:
I was test driving several 8 Series cars prior to purchasing the 500E. I too appreciate the look of the GT coupe. One car that really caught my fancy was a Black/Gray 91 850i 6 speed. The car had 125k miles. Though it had all the right 'things', I walked away from it because of the maintenance issues that needed to be addressed. The entire front end needed TLC. The car did not have as much performance as the 500E.
I still smile and long at the 8 Series when I see one on the road. Someday, I'd consider a CSi when the depreciation has been complete ... now that's a GT!
Check out this link for additional information on the 8 Series ...
http://www.clube31.com/ and
http://bimmer.roadfly.org/bmw/forums/e31/
The V8 (840) requires much less maintenance and funds than the V12 (850). Also, the LEDs throughout the Control Consoles tend to fail ... FYI.
Good luck on your search.