The final press preview day here at the 2016 Chicago Auto Show saw an unusual phenomena take over the floor of the McCormick Center. A new car that wasn’t in attendance at the show became big news on the convention center floor in absentia.
BMW announced its top of the line 7 Series will finally receive the sport tuned M badge treatment with the V12-powered 2017 BMW M760i. Those words are so sweet to type, In an era when more automakers are going with turbocharged V6 engines in their performance cars, BMW is bringing 12 cylinders.
For the uninitiated, the M badge at BMW means the car in question has been sport tuned for a more elite performance. The extensive success of the M program produced some iconic machines, including the M5 and the M3 in both its sedan and coupe versions.
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A technological feat in every way, the 2016 BMW 7 Series is already a considerable car, whether as an elite daily drive or as a limousine. It includes a suite of in-car and driving features that will now trickle their way down the entire BMW line.
The standard 7 Series is already smoothly powered with a 3.0 liter, 320 horsepower V6 engine. This new M version doubles the engine size and, naturally enough, the horsepower up to 600. Such numbers might shift up or down when the car actually arrives for sale later this year. We also won’t know the car’s final price for a while yet.
The M760i comes standard with all wheel drive mated to a ZF, eight speed automatic transmission.
The car will make its actual international debut off American shores at the upcoming Geneva International Motor Show later this year. However, the arrival of a V12 BMW made for dominating news in Chicago. That’s the reach of German luxury.
