Monster Ball

BMW finally gives its 7 Series a dose of magic

- Nelson Ireson

At first glance, the 2017 BMW M760i xDrive A looks an awful lot like a standard 7 Series. But ogle a little closer, and you’ll notice some unusual bits: a snoutier nose, lower sills, a racier rear end, and on the rear pillars a little badge that says “V12.” That’s right, this thing has 12 cylinders. Salivary glands, engage!

Answering a question nearly everyone has asked, the BMW M760i is at long last the application of M division wizardry to Bayerische Motoren Werke’s largest sedan platform. It’s not an all-out M car (no M7 badges, see), but it’s as close as we’re likely to get because, let’s face it, no one is buying a 7 as a track-day car first and daily driver second. But this one has the chuff and the stuff to wend its way through the corners like a rabid hound, and that’s certainly good enough for most. It’s definitely a few steps sharper than the previous hot 7 Series, the Alpina B7, which adds power but otherwise focuses on luxury and appearance enhancements.

Why is this BMW’s first application of M’s sharper-edged performance tuning to the 7 Series? Because this is the first car the division felt it could truly work with even if it’s an M Performance vehicle rather than a true M. The chassis is stiff enough, thanks to its aluminum and carbon structure, and the core engineering is conducive enough to the rigors of track work that some medium scale dressing of key components yields a car that’s fun to drive—and able to survive having its two-and a-quarter-ton ass thrashed around a track like a rental Mustang.