Spy Shots: BMW M7 prototype or 7 Series hybrid?

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BMW M7​

After a couple of near-misses WCF can finally reveal the first spy pictures of the upcoming BMW M7... or whatever BMW decides to call it. Looking like the sportiest non-Alpina 7 Series variant to date, telltale details include the power bulge on the bonnet similar to the one found on the M3, an aggressively styled pseudo M-style front bumper with gaping air intakes plus sport wheels with huge brakes just beneath. Since the camouflage is so minimal hopefully the car will not stay such a big secret for much longer.
If in fact the M7, it will represent the ultimate BMW super saloon. It will target cars like the Mercedes-Benz duo, the S63 AMG and the S65 AMG, as well as the upcoming Jaguar XJR. Currently the most powerful 7 Series in the lot is the twin turbo 760i which has a 6.0-litre V12 engine. Maximum power is rated at 400kW (544hp) and peak torque is 750Nm made between 1,500rpm and 5,000rpm.
The assumption is that the M7 will eclipse these figures but whether it goes beyond the 450kW (612hp) made by the S65 AMG remains to be officially confirmed. What we can say with a fair degree of confidence is that the M7 will become the most powerful mass series BMW car ever built and one of its quickest in the current range.
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Normally, I'd ask why? But after seeing BMW actually offer M versions for the X5 & X6, I'm not surprised.
 
That front end is a nightmare. Partly because it looks a little strange, but mostly because that thing would suffer with too big a bump. Not really something you want between this being huge and already hard to park and it being a big luxury car that shouldn't be compromising usability.
 
Interesting that Autoblog came to a different conclusion:

02-bmw-m7-hybrid-kgp-580op.jpg


It seems like every 12 months rumors of an M variant of the BMW 7 Series surface, and this year things are no different. A decidedly aggressive looking 7 Series mule was caught testing in Germany with a slight power bulge tacked onto the hood and a new fascia sporting a set of gaping air intakes and a sculpted splitter. Peer passed the twin-kidney grille and you'll discover what appears to be a front-mount intercooler similar to the unit fitted on the X5M and X6M, and that could mean this 7er is packing the same twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8, putting out 555 hp and 500 lb-ft of torque.

Although the wheels and brakes appear to be upgraded, the traditional quad exhaust found on all modern M cars is missing – something that even the M-fettled SAVs had when they were undergoing testing. That small point has KGP considering the possibility that the prototype is actually packing BMW's Active Hybrid system, which is due to arrive early next year. Either way, there's a good chance BMW will unveil whatever 7 Series is up its sleeve at the Frankfurt Motor Show this September.
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Question is: Is this an all-BMW developed Hybrid system, or is this the one that they decided to "co-develop" with GM?
 
They put a power bulge/airdam on the new 7-series? It already looked awful from the way the front end looked before.
 
slowman
I don't know... seems more like a 760 facelift to me. It just doesn't seem "M" enough.
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Could be, but the 760 is the pinnacle of BMW's luxury, but that front body work is definitely screaming something else.
 
hmmm.... looks like..... uh... hmm.. let's see what happens next..
 
I'm wagering the front airdam and hood bulge are not necessarily associated. The airdam looks like an "M Sport" product that happens to be on the mule at the same time as whatever it is they're testing under the hood. It is typical for BMW to release an M Sport pack shortly after the basic model goes on sale.

I agree with Autoblog that this does not seem to be a full blown M7, due to the rear exhaust they're reporting plus my own observation that there is too much use of plastic mesh covering the brake ducts, which is not a typical M design cue.

However, I do not agree this car is packing the ActiveHybrid motor. The concept car shown last year did not need a hood bulge.

Given the amount of selling out BMW M GmbH has done recently, an M7 would not surprise me in the least. But I'm not sure this is the car. That being said... there does seem to be an odd smudge on the front fenders where an M style side vent would be located. Perhaps body colored tape masking something?


I also don't get all the negative comments about the car's styling. The F01 is the most conservatively styled new car BMW's done in about a decade.


M
 
///M-Spec
I also don't get all the negative comments about the car's styling. The F01 is the most conservatively styled new car BMW's done in about a decade.
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Conservative ≠ improvement over the previous car, regardless of how much hate was piled onto it. The pedestrian safety laws have not been kind to the 7.
 
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^ I think it's much better looking than the previous car. Much less visual bulk. The slab-sides are gone. The Bangle butt is much less obvious. Almost everything objectionable about the last car has been addressed. From certain angles, it looks almost graceful, albeit somewhat conventional and very reserved (for a post-Bangle BMW)

In fact, it looks like a big E46... a car near universally admired.


M
 
I can't say I agree with you. Looking at them side by side, there isn't a single detail on the new car that I don't find to be exaggerated beyond to point of no return. The integrated tailpipes, the huge grill that looks to be pasted from a different car, the "this didn't work on the 1-series but why not" taillight integration, the butch way the hood flows into the front, the headlight line flowing back exactly like it does on the Camry. None of it flows. It looks like a BMW kit car more than a BMW.
 
Okay; toe-MAY-toe, toe-MAH-toe. I think it looks pretty good. The tail pipes look good on the Lexus LS and they look good here. The grill looks huge because it is larger than the old one (sounds rhetorical --I know, but like I said in my S4 thread with Duke, proportions are all about what you're used to seeing)

I'll give you the tail lights do look strange at first (though I don't see any serious resemblance to the 1er). But at the ripe old age of 35, I've learned that my tastes, as most peoples', evolve and change over time. And what I don't appreciate at first often slowly warm to me as the years pass. I didn't like my first sip of beer either...

But the Aztek will remain forever hideous ;)


M
 
I'm with ///M-Spec on this one, it is more conservative and all around better looking than the previous 7 series. I still say the E38 is the best looking 7 series produced, ever, but alas that was a while ago.

I could see there being an M7 as well, given how there is an M everything now. I just wish M would do something with the 1 series allready... give us a tti before an M7 please.
 
I also agree that it is a car that grows on the viewer. Much like the new Impreza.

With BMW already offering that 135, I'm not sure how much more they can wring out of the 1 series before it becomes too crazy...
 
Philly
I also agree that it is a car that grows on the viewer. Much like the new Impreza.

With BMW already offering that 135, I'm not sure how much more they can wring out of the 1 series before it becomes too crazy...
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A mechanical limited slip differential is what I am suggesting. Electronic differentials, while neat and helpful in some causes, do not replace a proper LSD at the track. That and weight savings would be enough to make one a far more appealing to me.
 
I'd love to be able to buy even a 128i body-in-white, stripped of all the unnecessary heavy crap that BMW is putting in their cars these days.

Steelie rims of course... "I don't need no stinkin' carpet!"
 
BMW's M Sport 7-series (2009) spied

By Ben Pulman
Spyshots
16 June 2009 13:15

This (unfortunately) is not a BMW M7. Contrary to rumours elsewhere, BMW’s famed M Division isn’t working on a hardcore 7-series with its new 547bhp twin-turbo V8. Instead BMW is readying a round of sporting interior and exterior cosmetic tweaks for its 7-series limo.
So if this car isn’t a BMW M7, what is it?

It’s BMW’s M Sport 7-series, with cosmetic tweaks rather than full mechanical changes. As with M Sport packs on other BMWs, the 7-series gains a completely new front bumper, and on this test car, a mildly revised rear valance with re-located reflectors. There are also new wheels, but in a break with M Sport tradition, the suspension settings of the Seven will be left alone. BMW has chosen not to touch the air suspension, and will let the big car's Drive Dynamic Control cater for customers sporting pretensions.
Inside the M Sport Seven there's a three-spoke sports steering wheel, sports seats, aluminium trim, new kickplates and anthracite headlining.
The new M Sport-equipped 7-series is expected to be on display at the Frankfurt motor show in September and be available as an option on all Sevens, but those wanting a hardcore 7-series will have to opt for the Alpina B7.
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