BMW’s first V12 engine was installed in a 7 Series sedan in 1987. Its last found its way into another 7 Series this week. A BMW spokesperson confirms, “the last BMW 7 Series vehicles with the V12 have been produced.”
Though 12-cylinder engines are normally the exclusive province of Italian supercars, BMW built them into immense luxury sedans for 35 years.
The company built a special edition of its 2022 7 Series to showcase its last V12 engines. Called “The Final V12,” it mated the twin-turbo 12-cylinder to an 8-speed automatic transmission and sent power to all four wheels. It was good for a 3.6-second 0-60 mph sprint. Yes, in a nearly 5,000-pound full-size luxury car.
And it was sold out before it was even built. BMW built just 12 of the cars. The company invited buyers who’d owned a V12-powered Bimmer in the past to pay a little over $200,000 for one of the last ever built. A BMW spokesperson says the model “sold out really quickly.”
The end of the 12-cylinder doesn’t mean the end of sprinter-fast, lineman-big BMWs. The Munich-based automaker recently revealed an all-new 2023 7 Series. Complete with optional cashmere seating and more screens than your local multiplex, it includes an electric version.
BMW says an M-badged high-performance variant is coming, though the luxury automaker hasn’t revealed whether that model will be electric.
