Gone are the days when carmakers reserved their top performance variants for mid-range models; cars that are prestigious and luxurious but still small enough to warrant high performance engines, agile handling and athletic design. If recent years have shown us anything, it’s that the old rules no longer apply, as technology and engineering allow even larger prestige vehicles to be configured with high performance engines in luxury executive architecture. I’m talking about cars like the Mercedes S63 AMG or the Audi A8 W12; vehicles that boast the sporting prowess of their smaller and more agile siblings, but retain the luxury and exclusivity of a flagship model.
BMW was relatively late to the party when it announced last year that for the first time ever, it would put an M badge on its flagship 7 Series exclusively for the Middle East, courtesy of the company’s bespoke BMW Individual division. The M760Li would feature the same whopping 6.0-litre V12 twin-turbo engine capable of producing 544 bhp and 750 Nm of torque as the standard 760Li, with the addition of signature M touches.
When a silver BMW M760Li Alpina edition was delivered to our office on the back of a pick-up, we weren’t entirely sure what it was. Nor was the internet. Nor was the PR company. After driving it around for two days, another Google search came back with two of our own Twitter posts of the car, and little else. The M760Li Alpina is a very rare vehicle indeed, created for a market where power, prestige and exclusivity are as important on the road as they are in day-to-day life.
If this is the first time you have seen an M badge on a 7 Series, that’s because it is the first time BMW has put one there. Inside, the design is elegant and uncluttered, impressing with a clean black and white palette whose simplicity is its strength. Attention to detail on the finishing is immense, with 100 percent Nappa oyster leather seating, Bang & Olufsen sound system and piano black wood trim with V12 stitched into the headrests. The small things work well; I love the precision feel of the indicator stalks, the position of the paddles that control the eight-speed gearbox, and the controls for the computer are fluid and intuitive.
The monster engine provides quiet, relentless power and acceleration that belies its massive size. There are a few downsides that remind me why super-powered engines are rarely forced into luxury saloons. There is virtually no engine noise for starters; the V12 is quiet with the windows down, and almost silent with them up, as the virtually soundproof cabin blocks off most of the noise pollution from outside the car. It’s not the end of the world, but driving in manual transmission takes some getting used to, and I would prefer to hear that V12 growl.
But the engine is not unique to this model. The exclusive touches come in the form of M-styling on the exterior: 20-inch M light-alloy wheels, M sports steering wheel and chrome embossed V12 M Bi-Turbo stamp, as well as the aggressive Alpina body kit which adds even more sporting kudos to the chunky front and rear bumpers.
“It’s a passenger’s car,” says a colleague after sitting in the huge rear cabin, complete with fridge, fully reclining seats and built-in mobile and WiFi network. While its build and interior certainly makes this a possibility, the sports-styling means the M760Li doesn’t come across as a vehicle for passive back-seat drivers, not unless they expect their chauffeurs to have to make swift getaways.
This is a car for discerning, passionate BMW lovers who want the ultimate in driving pleasure packaged in a unique status symbol. It is a vanity purchase and at $204,000, you certainly need to put your money where your mouth is in order to wear the badge of honour, but it’s worth it just for the looks on the faces of confused pedestrians, whose raised eyebrows and furrowed brows say silently: “I’ve never seen one of those before.”
NUTS & BOLTS
Engine: 6.0-litre V12 twin-turbo
Power: 544 bhp
Torque: 750 Nm
0-100kph: 4.6 secs
Top speed: 250 kph
Fuel consumption:12.9 l/km
CO2 emissions: 303 g/km
Origin: Munich, Germany
Cost: from US $204,000