All Entries Tagged With: "BMW 7"
On BMW’s Outstanding E32 7-Series
by Gunnar Heinrich ::: YouTube ::: img Sara (1997) via IMCDB ::: BMW e32 7 Series
PRECIOUS little’s written of the BMW e32 7-Series (1986-1994).
What’s online, generally, is content posted by owners that enthusiastically showcase their 735i’s aftermarket performance mods or 750iL’s 0-60 time on YouTube. Fine ‘n dandy, but none of these casual entries really do justice to the vintage e32 7er – a sharp, powerfully understated sedan with true Continental swagger.
Truth is – BMW’s e32 stands as one of the best model lines ever to roll off the line at Dingolfing.
When the second generation 7er debuted in 1986, the über-saloon launched the Roundel well into the 90s with pioneering technology and engineering that set the benchmark for performance in the luxury sedan market.
An ungoverned 750i/iL could sail past Mercedes’ 560SEL to 185 mph. At the time, that was no small feat.
Auto, Motor und Sport via Fuenfkommasechs.de
Catch is – the e32 started the industry trend towards a heavy reliance on electronics that’s hurt the model’s longevity. Good, functioning examples of 735i/iL, 740i/iL, and certainly 750iLs are increasingly rare due to high running costs. In particular, repairs of the 750iL’s 5.0 Liter, 300 horsepower V12, Germany’s first automotive 12 cylinder engine since the Weimar, are notorious for being Jaguar-involved and costly.
Still, sterling examples expertly showcase Bavarian road-going finesse and classic Teutonic taste. All the more reason that more should be written on the great e32.
Knight Rider Themed BMW 7er Spot
By Gunnar Heinrich | YouTube
OKAY, I’ll admit it.
In the beginning, this video post had me fooled. I actually considered – for a moment (!) – that back in the day (1982 to be more or less on target) BMW actually negotiated the rights to use the Knight Rider Theme song and open narration to synch with this TV spot.
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The signature duh-denahnahnah-duh-denahnahnah - seemed to perfectly suit our technologically equipped (E23) 7er driving through some mysterious, post-doomsday automotive landscape (they must’ve filmed this last year) somewhere in the desert.
The eclipsing sun, the misty (desert) fog, the clearly 80s purple blues and yellow reds. It’s so perfectly plausible. The haunting narrators VO’s perfectly match that self-righteous pitch that we’ve come to expect from B.M.W. advertising.
And then, about 0:23, we see the driver adjust his seat and the audio for the seat control is a telephone being dialed. Pop! Goes the illusion… and a little bit of pride along with it.
Very clever. And nicely done. The musical synchronization is poetry in motion at the flip of the wheel during a the high speed maneuver at 0:43.
Sharks among whales, my friends. Sharks among whales.
L’originale:
Why I Did It
Q: I thought you were a Mercedes-Benz enthusiast?
A: Growing up, there were four or five cars that were seminal to my appreciation of what a luxury sedan should be. Of those, one stands alone and the other takes a vaunted second place.
1st: 1986 Mercedes-Benz 560SEL
2nd: 1988 BMW 735i (E32 gen., 5-Speed Manual Trans.)
Q: Why the E23 7-Series?
A: In 2000, BMW of North America formed an online 7-series club in advance of the E65 (current gen.) launch. In the forum, there was one disgruntled owner of an E23 7-Series – the first recognized generation of BMW’s now-signature flagship line – who complained bitterly that his was “the black sheep” of the 7-Series lineage.
At the time, I agreed with his assessment.
Then, some years later, I actually drove the model in question and my perspective changed for the better. The E23 proved to be a solid car.
Will it ever approach the exalted view I hold for the E32 or E38 generations? No. Those generations were, simply put, vastly superior designs. But for a start, the E23 was a giant step for BMW and remains a durable classic.
And, I must say, from some angles the cross-marque, Teutonic resemblance between the E23 and W126 S-Class is uncanny…
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