Until 1980, Mercedes-Benz was the ultimate German luxury car maker.
The brand which set the course, which BMW tried to follow afterwards.
In the eighties however, the tables were turned.
First, there was the 3-series. And its success forced Mercedes' hand,
which resulted in the 190.
Next, in 1987, exactly 30 years ago,
BMW pulled the same trick. On the other side of the range, that is.
This BMW 750i was the first big German saloon car with a V12.
It would take another four years for Mercedes to follow.
That's why this V12 might be just as important as the 7-series itself, for establishing the luxury name of BMW.
That's why BMW has always been loyal to the V12.
In every single generation of 7-series, a V12 option was available.
The newest generation is no exception...
The BMW M760Li xDrive.
In thirty years, a lot has changed.
Still, this BMW 750i was very big news when it reached markets in 1987. Literally.
That was mostly because of the technical ingenuity of this engine, and the rumours which arose around it.
It's almost literally like they've connected two straight-sixes to each other.
So every cylinder bank had an own throttle valve, measurement electronics, even their own lambda sonds.
There was two of everything, and that caused a rumour...
People thought the engine was so powerful, if one cylinder bank wouldn't work,
the 750i would be able to do more than 200 km/h on the remaining cylinder bank.
And that wasn't the only myth...
There was another one which stated that BMW didn't want...
to specify the exact power output of the V12. Instead, they wanted 'enough' to be put in the blurb.
Of course, they didn't manage to do so, so they produced a number.
And not just any number; 300 horsepower.
And in the eighties... It was a number Ferrari wouldn't be ashamed of.
But then in a very big luxurious German limousine.
And still, after 30 years. The car feels...
Mighty. I think that's the right word.
300 horsepower isn't a lot when it comes to modern standards. If you take a Golf R, you already have 300 horsepower...
But it's the ease and the souplesse... There's nothing vibrating, nothing rattling, nothing shaking...
That V12 is completely balanced. If you put your foot down,
it's not like it's super quick, but it's such an easy wave of torque you're on.
And that has something to it. It's almost like you're driving a diesel,
but then... A completely different noise.
A very deep, singing noise. Combined with those enormous gear ratios of the four-speed...
And it's not even a problem in this car. It still goes like lightning,
and that makes it a very special car. But it's also that technical ingenuity of the E32 7-series which make it very special
Adaptive shocks first were available on this model, xenon-headlights as well.
But even things like electrically-adjusted seats, automatically folding side mirrors...
All sorts of things which were really special in 1987.
Also, some of the BMW-features we still use today, were first introduced on the 750i.
For example. A lengthened version would always be badged with a capital L,
and this 750i was the first BMW which had to be limited to 250 km/h. And those limitations to 250 km/h,
are still being applied today.
But today, that's necessary as well.
The V12 has been developed for quite a bit, the past 30 years.
So instead of a 5.0-litre, it's now a 6.6-litre.
It's got four valves per cylinder, variable valve timing, and two turbo's.
That means, this V12 is now producing 610 horsepower.
That's more than twice the power of its predecessor.
So now...
It's so incredibly quick. It's not even the 0-100 time of 3,5 seconds.
I mean, it's impressive and all, but it's the ease and superiority this...
5,24 metres long and 2200 kg weighing saloon car goes from 150 to 200 km/h.
There's nothing which seems to be able to stop this car.
And even though it's got eight gears, three would've been enough as well considering it has 800 Nm of torque.
Those torques are spread across a very big range.
It's still a V12, and it shares that balanced and quiet part with its predecessor,
but this is so much more in every way. Also when it comes to the sound experience.
If you put it "Sport"-mode, all kinds of roaring and crackling sounds emerge from the exhaust.
It's really a sporty sound. And that's also something that has changed in the past 30 years,
because a sporty 7-series would've been completely unthinkable 30 years ago.
And with all of the technical advancements, that has changed.
This car is filled to the brim with technical features. Four-wheel drive, four-wheel steering,
air suspension, adaptive dampers, all kinds of sensors, all kinds of electronics...
It really makes this car... Especially in the segment, considering this is 5,24 metres long and it weighs 2200 kg...
But the way it steers is really nice, in a way the E32 would've never been able to achieve.
For the segment, it was quite a dynamic car,
but it was still big, it was still heavy, and it would always remind you of that.
In this? You sometimes forget it's this big.
On a curvy road, it really feels good. In "Sport"-mode, the four-wheel steering really tries to shorten the feeling the car gives you.
Sometimes you just forget there's still so much car around you. And of course, you still need the room,
because if you're nearing the limits of the grip, you can feel it shoving to the side.
And that reminds you you're driving 2200 kg of car. But until you reach that moment, which is really far away by the way,
this is such a paradoxally dynamic car... You can really have lots of fun driving it.
And at the same time, when you're done playing,
you press Comfort, and put it in Comfort Plus... You can float down the road in a way,
you wouldn't have been able to in the E32.
So this is 30 years of progress, and more, in every aspect.
Sometimes, people say the car nowadays doesn't differ from the car 30 years ago.
Basically, that's the truth, but it's a little too blunt if you ask me.
Because around that base, there's so much more luxury, refinement and technological advancements,
the car from current day is on a completely different planet than the first 750i.
And with its laser lights, remotely controlled parking features, and almost fully autonomous driving functions,
it's also on another planet than most cars from this day. And that's how it should be with a total price of more than €300.000.
But even with that price in the back of your head, the M760Li will exceed your expectations.
Just like its predecessor did, 30 years ago...