BMW BLOG

Just days ago, BMW dealerships across the country reported that the new 2010 BMW 760Li is available to order. With a base price of $136,000, the 760Li is far from being considered a bargain, but so far the media reviews have been unexpectedly positive.

Even though the new 760Li doesn’t differentiate itself by much from the regular 750Li, the technology and performance available in this new model is quite impressive and unique. The top of the line 7er is powered by an all new 6.0 liter V12 Twin-Turbo engine which produces 535 horsepower and 550 lb-ft of torque.

For the first time, the new ZF eight-speed automatic transmission is featured in a BMW model, beside the upcoming 550i GT.

Autocar UK has given the 760Li a fairly positive review and today, our friends at Motor Trend are sharing their thoughts on the 760Li:

John Dillinger, the Chicago gangster, passed away 75 years ago this month. It was he who was said to have written to Henry Ford to compliment him on the excellence of his getaway cars. Okay, the letter, in the Henry Ford Museum, is now thought to be a fake, but were Dillinger still with us, we’d suggest a BMW 760Li might be the perfect replacement for the aging Dearborn jalopy.

For the rest of us, it’s a little hard to spot the point of the 760Li. Does anyone consider the current top Seven, the twin-turbo V-8 750Li, too slow? Too unrefined? Doesn’t BMW look a little flat-footed for launching such an engine into today’s constricted market?

Well yes, the engine (it’s pretty much all-new) was given the go-ahead in better times. Times when it was envisioned the now canceled — or at least stalled — concept CS coupe would have provided another home for the V-12.

But on the other hand, the BMW engineers don’t hide the fact that much of the base engine and its production line are shared with the unit in the forthcoming Rolls-Royce Ghost, which helps defray the cost. And of the 760i and 760Li, global output is expected to be a respectable 10,000 units annually. That’s not a bad little trade. About a quarter of those BMW V-12s will go to the USA and another quarter to China. You read that right: equal sales for the USA and China.

But who are those buyers? People who want the best, says BMW.

Continue reading at Motor Trend