BMW 7 Series (E32)

The styling is credited to then-chief stylist Ercole Spada and Hans Kerschbaum working under the guidance of then-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]

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, world 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 to be available with traction control (called Automatic Stability Control at the time, however ASC is not considered as stability control by modern definitions). Initial versions (ASC) reduced wheelspin by reducing engine power, while later versions (ASC+T) also applied the rear brakes.[19]

The car was also available in a long-wheelbase version (indicated by an 'L' from German Lang, after the model number). These models have an extra 11.4 cm (4.5 in) of leg room for the rear passengers,[20]^(p7) by stretching the rear doors and body at this point.

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 1962 with end of BMW 501/502 production.[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 BMW's traditional Hoffmeister kink in the rear window line and circular headlights.[7]

Externally, the BMW 'kidney' grille indicated which engine was present under the hood: all 6-cylinder models have a narrow grille, and a wider grille was standard for the 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 735i (narrow grille)
• 
  BMW E32 740i (wide grille)

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

* 135 kW (181 hp; 184 PS) for 1986 models
** Electronically limited top speed

The E34 5 Series, introduced in 1988, has design cues similar 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.