The Bavarian Luxobarge: A Look Back at the BMW 7-Series

                          40 years ago there was no 7-series and the S-class was 3 years old

We tend to think of the BMW 7-series as the Mercedes-Benz S-class' perennial rival, but the 7-series as we know it today has only been with us since 1977. Until the 1960s BMW was a company that offered small cars, some of which were reasonably sporty, but for periods of time there were simply no large four-door sedans in the lineup.

That began to change with the debut of the New Six lineup in 1968, codenamed E3, with six-cylinder engines powering what were then considered large sedans, at least in Europe. We received the E3 generation as the Bavaria, with legendary importer Max Hoffman convincing BMW to import the lower-spec BMW 2500 with the beefier 2800 engine. The Bavaria would gain the larger 3.0-liter engine before the models were split into the 5-series and the 7-series in 1977.

BMW E23 (1977-1987)

The first-generation BMW 7-series, codenamed E23, debuted in 1977 and was designed by Paul Bracq. Noticeably larger than the E3 sedans it was replacing, the E23 was also plusher inside. The M30 six-cylinder engine, however, was carried over from the E3, ranging in displacement from 2.5 liters to 3.4 liters over the years. Those weren't the only engines offered; there was also the 3.5-liter inline-six codenamed M88, as well as a 3.4-liter engine and a 3.2 liter engine.

The 7-series debuted a number of technologies over the years like ABS brakes, which would be come standard equipment on the car by the end of the product cycle. The plushest model in the U.S. market was the L7, but it was the European-spec 745i that everyone wanted. The 745i initially started out with a turbocharged 3.2-liter engine good for 252 hp, but later grew to 3.4 liters. The 745i was not available in the States, but that didn't prevent private imports of this flagship model.

The E23 would stay in production until 1987 -- an impressive ten years on the line -- with the company deciding against offering diesels or a station wagon version. The E23 would end up playing second fiddle to the W126-generation S-class, which debuted in 1980, when it came to sales and popularity, and almost forty years later it's much more difficult to find an E23 than a W126 Mercedes from the same time period.

Trivia: BMW dealer and coachbuilder Firma Euler GmbH, among others, produced station wagons based on the E23 7-series.

BMW E32 (1987-1995)

The E32-generation 7-series arrived on the scene in 1987, just in time for the stock market crash, borrowing its looks from the E28 5-series while pushing the boundaries of in-car tech and luxury. Styled by Ercole Spada and Hans Kerschbaum, the new 7-series was taller and longer, and was offered in two wheelbase versions. The M30 engine was carried over for the lower-spec models, though a 3.0-liter and a 4.0-liter V8 was also available. The range-topping engine was the 5.0-liter V12, and this is what the car is probably best remembered for. The V12, offered in the 750iL, produced 300 hp and 330 lb-ft of torque.

The E32-generation 7-series helped popularize the model in the U.S. as a V8 and V12 alternative the the S-class.  The E32 managed to raise the bar when it came to technology, offering traction control as well as electronic stability control in addition to even more luxury features for the cabin. The E32 would not be the first 7-series to offer an in-car cellular phone -- its predecessor had that feature as well. Unfortunately, V8 models had problems with the cylinder block linings, with the sulfur content in some gasoline versions of the car causing the Nikasil lining to wear out.

Trivia: Alpina-tuned E32s are coming out of Japan as they turn 25 and become importable.

BMW E38 (1995-2001)

BMW redesigned the 7-series for 1995, with the E38 making its debut in 1994 as a 1995 model. Styled by Boyke Boyer, the new 7-series was offered in three wheelbases, and with diesel power for the first time. The U.S. would once again receive a truncated range of engines, with the 740 in long and short wheelbases, and the V12-engined 750iL solely in long-wheelbase form. But the true range-topper was the L7 personal limo stretched with a short insert at the B-pillar that was available with or without an interior partition separating the passenger compartment. A very small number made it to the U.S. with V12s and V8s on board, out of a total of approximately 800 made.

In other markets the 7-series was offered with a manual transmission, as well as a diesel engine. Models like the 725tds used the inline-six diesel, good for 141 hp, while the base gasoline model was the 728i with an inline-six producing 190 hp and 207 lb-ft of torque. A diesel V8 was also on the menu: a 3.9-liter unit producing 241 hp. The E38 Security model with factory armoring would also become popular overseas in the armored limo market, with the State Department signing a contract for a substantial number of vehicles for use in overseas missions.

The E38 would become the best-selling 7-series to date, though by now the model was facing stiff competition from the Lexus LS and less stiff competition from the Audi A8.

Trivia: As BMW acquired Rolls-Royce, the Silver Seraph received the V12 engine from the 750iL for a short period of time, until that model was withdrawn.

BMW E65 (2001-2008)

The popular E38 was replaced for the 2001 model year by... something that looked very different. Styled by Adrian van Hooydonk, the E65-generation debuted the new Flame Surfacing design language that drew a polarized response from the market, with then-head of design Chris Bangle absorbing the critics' reaction. The styling of the E65 would be softened for the second model year and then again in 2005, though another feature would continue to draw a polarized response: the iDrive infotainment system which was controlled by a rotary knob -- a much more novel item in 2001 than 15 years down the road. The gear shifter, meanwhile, became a small stalk on the steering column.

U.S. models were once again the better-equipped and larger-engined ones, with North America receiving the 4.4-liter V8 as the base unit in the short-wheelbase 745i. The range-topper, meanwhile, would be the long-wheelbase 760Li which packed a 6.0-liter V12.

The E65 received a heavy facelift for the 2005 model year that softened some of the styling, offering substantially different front and rear fascias. The L7 wouldn't hang around for the fourth-gen 7-series -- the E38 would be the last to offer this mini-stretch, though coachbuilders and armorers would pick up the baton and offer E65 limousines of their own.

Trivia: Alpina's B7 was officially sold through BMW dealerships in the U.S. Fitted with a supercharger on top of the 4.4-liter V8, it churned out 500 hp.

BMW F01 7-series

BMW F01/F02 (2008 - 2015)

The F01 generation 7-series' design, which debuted in 2008, smoothed out the edges of the previous flagship while continuing with the Flame Surfacing design language. An evolutionary rather than revolutionary design, the new 7 was penned by Karim Habib and sported looks that would be adopted by the 5-series a couple of years later. The base model for the F01 would be the 730i, which used a 3.0-liter inline-six producing a very impressive 254 hp.

The base model for the U.S. market would be the 740i which would add a twin-scroll turbocharger to that same inline-six -- the 740i would not be a V8 this time around as the six-cylinder engines had effectively caught up. For the first time ever, the U.S. got a diesel engine in the 7-series with the debut of the 740Ld, while the ActiveHybrid7 paired a inline-six engine with an electric motor producing 54 hp.

A revised version of iDrive also smoothed out the kinks of the first-generation system, though BMW didn't abandon dash buttons completely. xDrive all-wheel drive would also make its debut on this 7, a little later than Audi's Quattro in the A8 and Mercedes-Benz's 4Matic all-wheel drive on the W220-generation S-class at the beginning of the decade.

Trivia: The F01 was the first diesel BMW 7-series offered in North America.

Read more: http://autoweek.com/article/classic-cars/history-bavarian-plutobarge-look-back-bmw-7-series#ixzz3kTID4kua

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