BMW celebrates 25 years of V12 engines

This year, the Bavarian automaker is celebrating an important anniversary. Exactly a quarter of a century ago, it started fitting the 12-cylinder V engine to the 7 series . Let's take a moment to recall the story of this now legendary engine!

It all started in 1972 . That's when the idea was born to produce a V12 engine , which will be composed of two six-cylinder engines. The result was visible in 1974 , when the car company produced the first prototype of the V12 engine codenamed M33 . The engine had volume 5.0 liter , 300 horsepower and weighed 315 kg , which the management described as inadmissible. Therefore, the designers returned to the workshops to present another version of this twelve-cylinder in 1977 . It was labeled M66 and the designers came up with a pair of volumes – 3.6 liters and 4.5 liters . In addition, the weight was about 40 kg lower than the M33 version. Nevertheless, the project was put on ice thanks to the oil crisis, which did not favor similar units.

The twelve-cylinder project was revived at BMW in 1982 . The world had already returned to normal, and twelve-cylinders had a chance to survive again. So the designers went back to their desks and started working on a completely new unit. It was supposed to consist of two six-cylinder engines and that was the way to success. A 5.0 V12 unit was created, which was successfully installed in the top model 750i and its extended version 750 iL respectively. The engine had a power of 300 hp and a maximum torque of 450 Nm. Compared to the original designs, the engine also lost a lot of weight – it weighed only 240 kg .

The seven-series motored in this way became the first ever twelve-cylinder BMW since the Second World War . And perhaps even the automaker itself did not expect such a great success. In February 1987 , the Bavarian automaker revealed the detailed specifications of the model, which was to be presented in a month in Geneva . Until then (without anyone driving the car) 3,000 enthusiastic interested parties had pre-ordered it!

By 1994 , about 50,000 vehicles with this engine had been sold, and the first 750i (750iL) paved the way for the second generation of the twelve-cylinder model. The engine was significantly redesigned, gained 0.4 liter in volume and also 26 horsepower in power. For the first time, the unit received 4 valves per cylinder and Valvetronic variable valve timing. In addition, the 750 also had electronically controlled dampers or modified suspension. However, the second generation was not so successful, when it was sold around 23,000 units .

In the fall of 2001, the new generation BMW 7 Series was presented in Frankfurt . The twelve-cylinder version did not take long to arrive – it arrived in 2002, but no longer with the designation 750i, but 760i (760 Li) . The changed designation was due to the increase in the volume of the twelve-cylinder on straights 6 liters . Performance also jumped – to 445 hp, so that the seven could be competitive. The introduction of the most modern technologies was a matter of course. The 760i thus received the iDrive system, Dynamic Drive suspension or EDC-K electronic damper control. But in addition, she also "outraged" the very controversial design created by Chris Bangle .

8 years later, i.e. in 2009 , the current twelve -cylinder version of the 7 series was introduced. 6 liters . Nevertheless, BMW squeezed a few tens of extra horsepower out of it, so the result is a value of 544 horsepower and a maximum torque of 750 Nm (what a difference compared to the original model…). In terms of technology, the current seven is still several light years further than the previous generation. Take the initiative yourself – 8-speed automatic, active steering, dynamic damper control or air suspension..