BMW has never made a proper M7. For whatever reason, the M Division has never felt that the 7 Series made an sense as an M car. I heard an old story once that BMW M engineers thought about making a proper BMW M8 but said that the 8 Series was far to heavy for an M Division product. So that’s likely why an M7 was never made, as the 7 Series is also too heavy. Although, BMW M did end up creating two SUV models and is now creating an M8, so the weight thing is a bit hypocritical. And the M Division may have realized that, as it seems as if BMW has recently filed a trademark for the name “M7”.
A BMW M7 would be an actual M Division product, unlike the current BMW M760Li, which is an M Performance car and made by BMW, not BMW M. Because of that, the M760Li is far more luxury-oriented. We’ve driven multiple 7 Series’ and we can fully admit that, while good, the 7er isn’t the best luxury car on the market. It’s a pretty good drive, though, and its chassis is impressive for such a big heavy car. So we can actually imagine what a BMW M7 would be like and it’s an exciting idea.
The BMW M760Li uses a twin-turbocharged V12 to make its 600 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque. However, a BMW M7 would likely use the same twin-turbocharged V8 as the M5 or maybe even the newly revised version in the upcoming BMW M8. Either way, it would almost certainly lose four cylinders from the M760. That’s not to say it will be slower, though. The ALPINA B7 uses a 4.4 liter twin-turbo V8 and it’s faster than the M760Li with its monster V12. So BMW could absolutely make an M7 that out-accelerated the M760Li.
Ditching the V12 for a V8 would also make a BMW M7 significantly lighter than its M Performance counterpart. That lack of weight would not only allow it to be faster but handle better and have sharper steering.
We can see the potential for a BMW M7, even if it is a bit too heavy to be a proper M car. Its chassis is dynamic enough, has some carbon fiber bits in it and high-tech. Plus, there’s a market for such a car, with the existence of the Mercedes-AMG S63 and the upcoming Audi S8. This is no guarantee that BMW will be making an M7 but it’s certainly opening the door for the possibility.
The article BMW Files for “BMW M7” Trademark — Could it finally be happening? appeared first on BMW BLOG
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