Top in Automotive: BMW 7-Series

Showing posts with label BMW 7-Series. Show all posts

Yippee Ki-Yay, Munich Rivals: Mercedes Stars in New Die Hard Film, BMWs Get Blown Up

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Has it really been 25 years since officer John McClane saved the day, or rather Christmas Eve and the hostages, including his wife at the Nakatomi Plaza? Oh yes, but that didn’t stop Bruce Willis from reprising the role thrice in the intervening years – or rather four times, since he’s also starring in the fifth Die Hard installment that’s coming out on Valentine’s Day.

In “A Good Day to Die Hard”, McClane travels to Moscow, meets his estranged son Jack and, as usual, accidentally gets involved in a terrorist scheme that he has to avert.

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

As if Chris Bangle's E65 BMW 7-Series from the 2000s needed the extra cosmetic attention, some folks over in Florida have donked out their rides with massive 28-inch tall spinners and are darn proud of it.

On the blingy bright side, these huge Dub Revolution wheels draw our eyes off the 7-Series' infamous Bangle-butt, which can only be a good thing…

Thursday, December 27, 2012

General insurance company Swiftcover has released a list with the top 10 vehicles that are most likely to be stolen in Britain.

The company states it analyzed more than 2,300 theft claims among the UK vehicles it insured from February 2011 to February 2012, while taking into account the estimated numbers of cars on the road and removing models with less than ten cases of theft per year.

Thursday, November 15, 2012

If you see a police car approaching you on the road with its lights and sirens on, you slow down and move to the side and let it pass through, correct?

Well, that's the right thing to do if you're an ordinary citizen, but some individuals in Russia, like drivers of high-ranking government officials, think that they're above the law, the police and everybody else, for that matter.

Monday, October 29, 2012

Bad news for several thousand owners of BMW's previous flagship model, the E65 and E66 7-Series sedan, which is the one featuring the pronounced boot(ie) that came to be known sarcastically as the "Bangle Butt."

The Bavarian carmaker filed two separate recalls on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) website, the first concerning a transmission flaw that could cause the car to roll away, and the other, because of a faulty software concerning the door latches.

Friday, October 26, 2012

Just like Deep Purple sang in Soldier of Fortune, I feel I’m growing older. Not only because of the receding hairline (or what’s left of it, anyway), the back-aches or my firstborn being less than a year away from high school, but also because BMW has just informed us that its creamy V12 has being powering the top versions of the 7-Series flagship saloon for no less than a quarter of a century.

Some of you may point out that other engines, like Porsche’s flat-six, have been around for much longer, while others may wonder what the big fuss is all about. Hopefully, not too many of you reading this article prefer Justin Bieber to Ritchie Blackmore and David Coverdale.

No matter; on February 1987, seven years before the inexplicably successful young singer was born, BMW released the technical specifications of its then brand-new V12 engine that would power the range-topping 750i and make its debut a month later at the Geneva Motor Show.

Thursday, October 25, 2012

For decades now, German carmakers have dominated the premium segments from top to bottom with only a few notable exceptions questioning their 'authorita' along the way.

Two of the most successful luxury brands from the land of engineering excellence are BMW and Audi, both of which offer a high performance version of their flagship limousines.

Audi chose to go alone to create the S8 sports sedan, which it equipped with the most potent version of its new 4.0-liter TFSI V8 pushing out 513hp (520PS) and 479 lb-ft (648Nm) of peak torque towards all four wheels via an 8-speed automatic transmission and a permanent all-wheel drive system.

Monday, October 8, 2012

In 2001, BMW launched a hugely successful campaign called "The Hire", which was a series of eight short films, each roughly eight to ten minutes long.

The movies were directed by established filmmakers like Ang Lee and the late John Frankenheimer, with actor Clive Owen taking on the role of the "Driver" who was hired by a different person in each movie to transport important people in a number of BMW cars.

While over a decade old now, BMW's film series remains wonderfully entertaining to this day.

Friday, September 7, 2012

In 1987, BMW took a big step towards being a real premium carmaker with the launch of its first ever V12-powered automobile, the 750iL E32, which was followed shortly after by the 850i that offered the first V12 engine mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox on a road car.

The 5.0-liter naturally-aspirated V12 unit generated 295hp (300PS) at 5,200 rpm and a peak torque of 450Nm (330 lb·ft) at 4,100 rpm. Ever since, BMW has offered a V12 engine option on its flagship sedan series.

Thursday, August 16, 2012

In the beginning of August, BMW reported selling 21,297 vehicles in July in the United States - a considerable 1,986 more cars than the rivaling Mercedes-Benz brand. According to sales figures, the 7-Series luxury saloon accounts for 1,696 of them.

So what, you might ask; BMWs are upmarket cars and there are certainly enough people in the US willing to cash up for a 7-Series, which is a very competent car indeed.

The problem is that the exact same model managed only 539 sales in June. A 300 percent increase in a single month is extraordinary and, according to The Wall Street Journal, there is a simple, but ethically questionable, explanation.

Monday, July 23, 2012

BMW has dropped a comprehensive photo gallery of its facelifted 2013 model year 7-Series saloon covering all the changes and then some more while also releasing prices for the U.S. market model.

In the States, prices range from $74,195 for the regular-wheelbase 740i to $140,200 for the long-wheelbase 760Li, including an $895 destination and handling fee.

Friday, June 15, 2012

The recent presentation of the updated for the 2013 model year BMW 7-Series range inevitably led to the facelift of the sportier Alpina B7, which was revealed today in advance of its world premiere at the historic Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in August.

In addition to being enhanced with all the styling and technological updates to the 2013 7-Series sedan, the Alpina B7 also benefits from improvements to its powertrain.

Friday, May 25, 2012

After providing all the juicy details and plenty of pictures of its refreshed 2013 7-Series limousine, BMW has now released a string of videos explaining the changes it made and showing the car inside and out as well as on the road.

In addition, we also got our hands on full UK pricing. The updated 7-Series goes on sale in Britain on September 22, 2012, priced from £58,115 OTR for a 730d SE rising to £104,050 OTR for a 760Li M Sport.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Some four years after its market debut, BMW is updating its flagship 7-Series limousine with a mid-life facelift for the 2013 model year.

When we hear the word facelift, we usually think of styling tweaks, which holds true for the latest 7-Series, but not to the extent you would rave about it. On the other hand, there is much more than meets the eye to the updated model as it has undergone several changes under the skin.

On the outside, the most evident change concerns the new LED headlamps with corona rings, which are accompanied by the modified grille with nine slats instead of the previous 12, a revised front bumper, new indicators under the mirrors and a thin chrome strip connecting the two slim reflectors in the rear apron.

Moving on to the interior, the 2013 model year brings newly designed leather front seats, a new 1,200-watt Bang & Olufsen High End Surround Sound System and an optional Rear Seat Entertainment package with a new 9.2-inch monitor.

Thursday, May 3, 2012

BMW has evidently completed the development of its refreshed 7-Series limousine as the Bavarian company's CEO Norbert Reithofer revealed that the 2013 model will arrive at dealerships in July during a conference call on Thursday.

The BMW boss did not provide further information on the car, though our spy shots suggest that the styling tweaks on the 2013 7-Series will be limited to the redesigned bumpers, LED headlamps, the front kidney grilles and the alloy wheel designs, along with new trims and better materials inside.

Thursday, April 19, 2012

The crew over at Car&Driver magazine recently sat down for a chat with the president of BMW’s M division, Friedrich Nitschke, who had some very interesting things to say about the sub-brand's future products.

While Nitschke made it clear that the upcoming M135i that was displayed in concept trim at the Geneva Motor Show this March won't be coming to the United States, he confirmed that the six-cylinder turbocharged hatch will be offered in the rest of the world with optional all-wheel drive as well as a choice of manual and automatic transmissions.

Monday, April 16, 2012

A series of complaints concerning select 2002-2008MY BMW 7-Series sedans that relate to incidents of unattended vehicle rollaway or vehicle movement after the driver expected the vehicle gearshift to automatically shift to park, have caught the attention of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Federal safety regulators said BMW provided the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) with 1 complaint and 46 field reports, while the ODI also identified three additional reports in its database alleging vehicle roll-away incidents of which 2 resulted in crashes.

Overall, ODI said that it found 16 crashes and 5 alleged injuries since it began investigating the cars last August. For this reason, it has upgraded the probe to an engineering analysis, which brings it closer to a recall.

The ongoing investigation potentially covers 121,708 BMW 7-Series sedans from the 2002 through the 2008 model years.

Saturday, April 14, 2012

With an MSRP of around $250,000, the most affordable model in Rolls-Royce's lineup, the Ghost, costs about four times as much as the top (non-M) BMW 5-Series in the States, the 550i (MSRP: $62,000).

Still, that doesn’t mean you won't find common parts in these two models, and not only, as the BMW Group's latest recall proves.

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Abu Dhabi, home of all things extravagant such as the largest indoor and first Ferrari theme park, can now lay claim to having the world’s largest showroom for BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars and BMW motorcycles.

BMW Group’s long-standing importer for the region, Abu Dhabi Motors, invested some AED 300 million (roughly €62 million or US$81 million) in the new 35,000-square-metre showroom over its three-year construction.

The facility features separate showrooms and sales areas for the BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce cars, and for BMW motorcycles, with more than 70 automobiles and 10 motorcycles on permanent display.

Friday, January 20, 2012

In 1987, BMW made history with the presentation of its first ever V12 automobile (the company had made V12 engines before but they were used on aircrafts) and the first 12-cylinder German car in almost half a century, the 750i and its long wheelbase sibling, the 750iL from the E32 series.

Codenamed M70, the 5.0-liter V12 engine produced an output of 300bhp (304PS/224kW) and a peak torque of 450 Nm (332 lb·ft) and was linked to a four-speed ZF automatic transmission. The same powertrain also found its way under the hood of the 850i in 1989.

With more than two decades on its back and a hefty price tag at its time, the E32 750i / 750iL is not an easy find today - let alone in pristine condition, which makes this 1989 750iL that's up for grabs on eBay all the more interesting.

Located in Florida, the burgundy colored 750iL has only a mere 3,000 miles (about 4,800 kilometers) on its odometer, which virtually makes the car brand new!