Photo: Screenshot from BMW Configurator/Bimmertoday.de
BMW’s flagship will still get a V12 version and it looks like the M division has tweaked it into a rival for the Audi S8.
The BMW configurator in Germany accidentally unveiled the M760Li version of the freshly-launched 7 Series. For now, the range-topping version of BMW’s flagship doesn’t reveal its specs but is expected to deliver around 600 HP.
The V12 unit is known internally as the N74 and the future M760Li is supposed to receive the revised version of the engine. Company insiders quoted by the Germans at Bimmer Today also suggest a less powerful V12 variant that could bear the 760i/760Li name and feature the same powerplant, but with a lower output. We might add that we don’t expect the V12 BMW 7 Series to be available in a standard wheelbase version.
For now, it’s unclear whether the M760Li will get BMW’s xDrive four-wheel-drive system or if it will maintain a rear-wheel-drive layout. What’s certain is that the car will have an eight-speed automatic gearbox, just like the rest of the range. The ZF-sourced 8HP gearbox is fitted to most of BMW’s current models excepting the FWD variants and some M cars.
As the M in front of the 760Li model designation suggests, this isn’t a fully-fledged M version of BMW’s flagship. Instead, it’s an “M Performance” variant of the car, something between a standard and a full-on performance model. Curiously, BMW has yet to launch a series-produced performance variant of its flagship, like its German counterparts have been offering in their ranges for quite a while.
According to insider reports, the M760LI will be available in most European BMW dealerships by the fourth quarter of 2016. Its starting price tag of approximately 140,000 euros will make it one of the most expensive BMW models on sale without the application of the Individual customization program.
The V12 unit is known internally as the N74 and the future M760Li is supposed to receive the revised version of the engine. Company insiders quoted by the Germans at Bimmer Today also suggest a less powerful V12 variant that could bear the 760i/760Li name and feature the same powerplant, but with a lower output. We might add that we don’t expect the V12 BMW 7 Series to be available in a standard wheelbase version.
For now, it’s unclear whether the M760Li will get BMW’s xDrive four-wheel-drive system or if it will maintain a rear-wheel-drive layout. What’s certain is that the car will have an eight-speed automatic gearbox, just like the rest of the range. The ZF-sourced 8HP gearbox is fitted to most of BMW’s current models excepting the FWD variants and some M cars.
As the M in front of the 760Li model designation suggests, this isn’t a fully-fledged M version of BMW’s flagship. Instead, it’s an “M Performance” variant of the car, something between a standard and a full-on performance model. Curiously, BMW has yet to launch a series-produced performance variant of its flagship, like its German counterparts have been offering in their ranges for quite a while.
According to insider reports, the M760LI will be available in most European BMW dealerships by the fourth quarter of 2016. Its starting price tag of approximately 140,000 euros will make it one of the most expensive BMW models on sale without the application of the Individual customization program.
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