BMW 7 Series (E32)

Styling was by chief stylist Ercole Spada and Hans Kerschbaum working under chief designer Claus Luthe.[12] Design work began in late 1979. By 1983, 1:1 scale models were presented and frozen in October 1984 for production which was scheduled in June 1986.[13][14] In a later interview with then BMW chief engineer Wolfgang Reitzle, it was revealed that a last minute decision was taken to widen the car by 40mm in order to improve its stance, and to develop a V12 engine, which would give the new 7-series a competitive advantage over the Mercedes S-Class. Reitzle persuaded BMW management, despite the fact that press tooling for the bodyshell had already been manufactured, and scrapping it would cost an estimated DM300million, and would push out the car's release date by a year.

Production of the E32 7 series started with the 735i in June 1986 and the 730i in December 1986, concluding in April 1994 with a total of 311,068 units built.[15][16]

Interior

Some luxury options featured on the E32 include integrated telephone and fax machines, a wine cooler, electronically adjustable rear seats and radio controls for rear passengers (exclusive to the 750iL).[11]

In 1991, first series-production low beam Xenon high-intensity discharge headlamps (Litronic, only low beam) were introduced on the 750iL.[17][18] Other safety features include a system that automatically increased spring pressure on the windscreen wipers to keep them firmly pressed on the glass at Motorway speeds.

The E32 was the first BMW available with traction control (marketed as Automatic Stability Control, though not considered stability control by more modern standards). Initial versions of ASC reduced wheelspin by reducing engine power, while later versions (ASC+T) also applied the rear brakes.[19]

The E32 was also available in a long-wheelbase version (indicated by an 'L' from German Lang, after the model number) with an extra 11.4 cm (4.5 in) of rear leg room.[20]^: 7.

M60 V8 engine

M70 V12 engine

Over its lifespan, the E32 7 Series was produced with straight-six, V8 and V12 gasoline engines.

The launch models consisted of the 730i/iL and 735i/iL, which were powered by the M30 straight-6 engine. Also available at the E32 launch was the 750i/iL, which was the first BMW ever sold with a V12 engine. The rated power output of the 5.0 L (305 cu in) M70 V12 is 220 kW (295 hp).[21]

In 1991, BMW began production of its first V8 engine since the end of BMW 501/502 production in 1962.[22] This M60 V8 was introduced in the E32, along with the E34 5 Series. The 4.0 litre version powered the new 740i/iL models, and the 3.0 litre version was sold in parallel with the M30 straight-six in the 730i/iL models.[23] The top speed of the 740i was electronically limited to 240 km/h (149 mph).[24] Both V8 engines were coupled to a new, 5-speed automatic transmission made by ZF. The Nikasil bore lining used in the M60 engine was prone to damage when used with high-sulfur fuels.

The E32 was the first BMW to use L-shaped tail-lights, which were designed with safety of following traffic in mind.[25] Other styling features include a Hofmeister kink in the rear window line and circular headlights.[7]

A narrow 'kidney' grille correlated with 6-cylinder models, and a wider grille was standard for V8 and V12 models. The narrow grille was available as an option on the 8- and 12-cylinder E32 models.

• 
  L-shaped tail-lights
• 
  BMW E32 (narrow grille)
• 
  BMW E32 740i (wide grille)

The official specifications are as follows.[5][6][24][26][27][28][29]

* uncatalyzed
** Electronically limited top speed

Alpina B11 3.5

The Alpina B11 3.5 is based on the E32 735i and introduced in 1987 with a 187 kW (254 PS; 251 hp) inline-six engine.[30] Between 1987 and 1993 a total of 332 cars were produced.[31]

The Alpina B11 4.0 is based on the E32 740i with a modified engine producing 232 kW (315 PS; 311 hp)[32] (compared with 210 kW (286 PS; 282 hp) for the 740i) and 410 N⋅m (302 lb⋅ft) of torque.[33] Just 7 cars were made in 1993 and 1994.

The Alpina B12 5.0 is based on the E32 750i/750iL and used a modified V12 engine producing 257 kW (350 PS; 345 hp)[34] (compared with 220 kW (299 PS; 295 hp) for the 750i/750iL) and 470 N⋅m (347 lb⋅ft) of torque.[31] A total of 305 cars were made.

The E34 5 Series, introduced in 1988, has exterior design almost identical to the E32. It also uses the same M30 straight-6 and M60 V8 engines, and several other parts.

The E31 8 Series, introduced in 1989, uses the same M60 V8 and M70 V12 engines as the E32.