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If we're speaking manufacturing vehicles, the 16-cylinder membership is a small one. Cadillac offered the V-16 between 1930 and 1940, Cizeta started manufacturing of the V16T in 1993 and constructed about 13 items, and all of Bugatti's Twenty first-century vehicles use the W16. The model additionally has a brand new V16 engine. BMW may have joined this listing: It spent years growing V16s, which it examined in two generations of the 7 Collection.
We've recognized concerning the E32-based V16-powered Goldfish for many years, however BMW has highlighted a brand new prototype belonging to the E38-generation 7 Collection offered from 1994 to 2001. The take a look at mule was not constructed for the auto present circuit. It was largely hidden from view, and 34 years after its development, it made its public debut on the 2024 version of the annual Techno-Classica classic-car present in Essen, Germany.
Probably the most engaging a part of this lengthy wheelbase sedan is underneath the hood. It’s powered by a 6,646-cubic-centimetre (6.6-litre) V16 tuned to develop 348 horsepower at 5,000 rpm. The engine is mounted longitudinally, it drives the rear wheels by a five-speed computerized transmission, and it sends the 750iL to a high pace of 155 mph. These figures might not appear spectacular in an period when Mercedes-AMG produces 416 horsepower from a 2.0-liter turbo-four and Volkswagen builds a 315-horsepower Golf able to reaching 155 mph, however remember That prototype was inbuilt 1990. Probably the most highly effective engine you can get within the 7 Collection that yr was a 296-horsepower 5.0-liter V12.
And but, the second prototype had much less energy than the primary. It seems as if the engine was modified: the Goldfish used a 6,651-cubic-centimeter (6.7-liter) V16 rated at 408 horsepower and its high pace was examined at 175 mph. As a trade-off, the second prototype was developed with this big drivetrain in thoughts from the beginning (the V16 was nearly a foot longer than the V12!), so it had a extra constant design. The primary main hurdle the engineers confronted was that the 2 radiators that cooled the V16 didn’t match within the engine bay. They have been moved to the trunk, and required chopping a gap in every quarter panel to flow into cooling air and protecting it with a fiberglass scoop.
This doesn't imply that the 1990 prototype regarded just like the regular-production 7 Collection. It was constructed 4 years earlier than the E38 went into manufacturing, and differed from the usual mannequin in a number of key methods. On the entrance, it had sealed-beam headlights with shiny bezels that gave it an old-school look. It used older-style exterior door handles, and its C-pillar was extra upright. It’s unclear whether or not BMW designed the automotive this option to distinguish it from much less highly effective variants of the E38 then arriving or whether or not the outside design was not locked in at the moment. Nevertheless, the model notes that the intention of the challenge was to discover what a sedan positioned above the 7 may appear to be and have an aluminum physique.
We haven't seen the total inside of the prototype but, however the one photograph launched by BMW reveals one of many important choices of the Nineties: a automotive cellphone. It seems to be built-in into the rear armrest, which suggests the cabin was designed with the rear seat passengers in thoughts. Rear occupants additionally benefited from leather-based upholstery, power-adjustable seat bolsters, and their very own controls for the radio.
Evidently, BMW canceled the challenge. It by no means launched a sedan above the 7 Collection, and it by no means launched a automotive powered by a V16 engine. That is unlikely to vary quickly: a brand new flagship – such because the 9 Collection talked about by obscure rumors years in the past – will stake out its share within the territory beforehand occupied by Rolls-Royce, which additionally owns BMW, and with the present technology 7 Not obtainable V12.
In the meantime, in Stuttgart…
As a small comfort prize, BMW isn't the one German model to desert plans for a large engine within the early Nineties. Arch-rival Mercedes-Benz experimented with an 8.0-litre 18-cylinder engine it reportedly deliberate to put in on a range-topping, ultra-luxurious evolution of the W140-generation S-Class and might be a brand new sports activities automotive. Which can be positioned above it. R129-generation SL. The engine was constructed and examined, and appears to be an enchanting piece of engineering: it consisted of three straight-sixes organized in an uncommon W configuration.
Internally known as M216, the W18 engine was canceled in favor of the 6.0-litre V12 (M120) that went into the 600 SEL amongst different fashions.