Like An M7... But Not

BMW’s fastest-accelerating production car is an unhinged 7-Series with a 448kW 6.6-litre V12. Meet the M760Li.

- George Kacher

AUDI has the S8 and the S8 Plus, Mercedes-AMG offers the S63 and the even brawnier S65. Maserati weighs in with the powerful Quattroporte and Bentley is laying the finishing touches on the next Flying Spur. And now BMW also wants a share of the highend, go-fast-in-total-comfort action. Surely this means an M7 badge, right? Wrong. Just as Audi deems the RS8 badge a step too far, Munich’s new flagship instead carries the M760Li moniker.

“An M7 would not work in this essentially conservative segment,” claims Frank van Meel, head of the M division. “It’s almost impossible to find enough hardcore enthusiasts for an emphatically sporty, uncompromised, radically dynamic entry. That’s why we created the M760Li which aims to combine the best of both worlds.”

Hence, if our matte brown range-topper had been designed from scratch as the big brother of the M5, it would likely boast a more aggressive stance, possess a louder livery and shed weight with composite panels. That’s without mentioning water injection, active aerodynamics and carbon-ceramic brakes. Alas, the M760Li utilises none of the above. However, this isn’t a car you can make assumptions on at face value.

This wild beast, conceived within the skunk works of the M division, weighs a substantial 2180kg, but counters that with an equally mammoth 6.6-litre, twin-turbo V12 packing 448kW/800Nm. Luckily, all-wheel drive harnesses all that oomph and rear-wheel steering subjectively shrinks the extended wheelbase and spices up turn-in at the same time. To keep the experience plush and 7 Series-esque, the package also includes air suspension, adaptive damping and active, electrically-operated anti-roll bars.