Pour one out for the twelve-cylinder BMW, folks. The car company has just announced its final run of M760i xDrive vehicles, fitted with what BMW is calling the very last V12 engine ever to be fitted to a BMW series production road vehicle. The party comes to a halt in June.
An even dozen of these machines will be made available for the American market. They’ll be distinguished by typical niche touches like unique badging and wheels, plus buyers will be given the run of the place in terms of colors and permitted to choose from the vast collection of exterior colors and upholstery offered by BMW Individual.
It’s been 35 years since BMW first offered a road-going V12, a naturally-aspirated 5.0L making just shy of 300 horsepower. Now, the configuration belts out twice that amount from 6.6L, aided by two turbochargers and tricks like variable valve control. Despite being lashed to an extremely large sedan, it can scoot to 60 mph from rest in about 3.5 seconds.
As one would expect, the Final V12 comes in one spec: Fully loaded. Plaques shouting “The Final V12” and “1 of 12” will pepper the car like confetti at a Macy’s parade, including inside on the center console and also under the hood affixed to its namesake engine. Other goodies include the luxury rear seating package which cleaves the area in two while pouring on the extravagance, plus the BMW ‘sky lounge’ LED headliner which does a good job of mimicking a similar feature found in its British-branded corporate cousin.
None of this should be a surprise, of course, not with plug-in hybrid powertrains heaving out equivalent (or more) levels of grunt while paying service to Johnny Polar Bear. There’s also a solid argument to be made that electrified powertrains, whether it’s a hybrid or full EV, are more than capable of besting these huge traditionally-powered engines off the line since they have access to world-destroying amounts of right now power from electric motors. If it’s pure accelerative thrills you’re after, it is tough to beat the rush of a 1,000 hp EV. There’s no replacing the soul of a V12 exhaust note, however, with some powerful all-electrics simply sounding like one of those Movators at the airport.
Want one? You’ll have to wait for your invitation. BMW says they’ll be clients with a long history of owning 7-Series machines with a V12 under the hood. Since they’re only making a dozen, that shouldn’t be too difficult a task. Production starts in June with deliveries planned for this summer.
[Image: BMW]
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“BMW says they’ll be clients with a long history of owning 7-Series machines with a V12 under the hood.”
So, suckers with FU money.
How many will be allocated to third-world plutocrats? Middle East party bros? Russian oligarchs?
I have this nagging feeling that you don’t really understand the meaning of “third-world”
None. Because the people you mention prefer Mercedes-Benz S-classes, Rolls-Royces and Bentleys. Can’t risk being mistaken for the pleb in the BMW 318i. BMW’s different models are too similar-looking for comfort for them.
kurkosdr,
soon Russian oligarchs will be required to ride in Aurus
They should be so lucky, the Auris is fricking nice.
“fricking” does not cut in Russia. Make it higher.
Not to mention that I’m sure the commie apparatchik in China will be taken care of!
Russian oligarchs do not care about budget brands like BMW -it is for teenagers. They drive or are driven in Bentleys, RR or McLarens. Britain rules.
My tears are large and fall to the floor with a splash
Slavuta, like most slav you are too sentimental
And now a word from The Man Who Was Almost President:
https://www.ted.com/talks/al_gore_how_to_make_radical_climate_action_the_new_normal
Unfortunately he failed – after just one colder winter with NG shortages Europeans began to renege on the promise of brighter future with climate change in action…It is not like BRICS want to live without NG or oil.
It sounds to me like this is really just the end of the current G11/G12 7 Series (which has been around since CY2015), with a ceremonious announcement that the next version will not offer a V12. The seventh-generation 7er is due about now.
Still, what does this mean for Rolls-Royce, BMW’s subsidiary? I could see Rolls-Royce moving to EVs, since they embody everything (silence, effortlessness and massive torque) that the brand values…but when does Rolls-Royce plan to phase out the V12 engines in its own cars?
My thoughts as well and meanwhile will Rolls use the BMW V8?
They will all use the same new drivetrain IMO. Maybe the 7 Series will pioneer the first year but eventually it will power the Rolls as well.
Since they’re only making 12, it means that nobody actually cares.
Inline 12-cylinder is what you want.
Uh, crankshaft whip?
It’s what killed straight 8s.
The v12 in a luxury sedan was all about smoothness and silent running, an anti le trick is simply way better at that. As lucid shows for 200k an electric can go 500+ miles on a charge so range is not the concern either.
The v12 is fun in a visceral car. A bunch of scrapped 7 series v12s will make great donor powertrains for replicas. It’s also pretty weak that even with two Turbos this motor can’t crack 100 hp per liter.
I also wouldn’t count the v12 out, where there’s a market there’s a way. I can see hydrogen burning v12s or more likely 0 carbon synfuel burning ones with el citric flywheels well into the future.
But yeah at bmw the v12 may be dead, for now and it’s future in a luxury sedan may be pointless.
Dirty Dozen aka D12!
Always dreamed of having a V12 as a kid. If you wanted smoothness and great power when I was young, a V12 was it. Modern engine tech makes so much power though. If I was in the market for a 7-series I’d go as base model as I could find. Powerful inline 6 is very smooth and 335 HP backed by an excellent 8 speed transmission is more than enough.
Rolls could always go back to a straight 6 which they once had which means they could use the BMW straight 6. Lighten the weight of the Rolls and possibly turbo it.
https://www.rolls-royceandbentley.co.uk/most-iconic-bentleys-and-rolls-royces.html
V12s, like all larger engines, should be normally aspirated. There’s no need for more 2000rpm torque than a 6.0 V12 delivers even without turbos. And a major part of the charm of V12s, is the way they sing up top. Which gets muffled and bagged up in all turboed engines.
At least in my world, even an I6 has no use for turbos in a road car (diesels excluded). The legendary long stroke NA Bimmers being effectively unimproveable already. With, literally, two of them joined together, turbos really are gilding the lily to the point where it is (somewhat literally even…) truly choked of its charm.