After almost 7 years in development since September 1979, in July 1986,[6] BMW introduced the second generation of the 7 series, known internally as the E32. Aimed at the high end of the luxury market, the car offered some of the latest innovations in automotive technology, and (beginning in 1987) a new, top-of-the-line V12 engine. Some luxury options featured on the E32 included integrated telephone and fax machines, a wine cooler, double glazing, traction control system, and a system that automatically increased spring pressure on the windscreen wipers, to keep them firmly pressed on the glass at Motorway speeds. The E32 (750i) was the first car adhering to BMW's self-imposed speed limit of 250 km/h (155.37 mph).
The car was also available in a stretched version (indicated by an 'L' from German Lang, after the model number), in which case an extra 11.4 centimetres (4.5 in) of leg room was available to the rear passengers by stretching the rear doors, and the body at this point.
The styling has been described as classic, progressive and postmodern and is credited to then-chief stylist Ercole Spada working closely under the guidance of then-chief designer Claus Luthe.
Powertrain:
The E32 7-series cars were offered with 5 gasoline engines.
At the car's introduction, the 730 and 735 used the straight-6 M30 engine, while the 750 featured the all-new M70 V12 engine which produced 300 bhp (224 kW; 304 PS).
In 1992, a new 32-valve V8 engine was introduced, the M60. The 730i got this engine in a 3-liter version, while the new 740i got the 4-liter version. Both versions were coupled to a new, 5-speed automatic transmission made by ZF.
In some countries (notably in the USA and UK), there were problems with the M60 engine because of excessive sulfur amount in gasoline, causing corrosion problems in its Nikasil cylinder block. The cylinder lining would quickly wear, causing the engine to lose compression, which caused rough idling and eventually the engine would fail to start. Engines were replaced under warranty; the problem was corrected by using a different material, Alusil.[12] In the USA and UK sulfur rich fuel is being phased out.[13][14] Nikasil engines are unlikely to be a problem today, as cars with affected engines are off the road or have received replacement engines.[15]
Externally, the BMW 'kidney' grille indicated which engine was present under the hood: all 6-cylinder models had a narrow grille, and all 8- and 12-cylinder models had the wider version. This feature was not seen on later models . The narrow grille was available as an option on the 8- and 12-cylinder E32 models.
 |
| Narrow grille |
 |
| Wide Grille |
| Model | Engine Code | Engine Type | Displacement (cc) | Bore/Stroke (mm) | Comp. Ratio | Power | Torque | 0–100 km/h (s) | Top Speed (km/h) | Years made | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 730i | M30B30 | I6 12V SOHC | 2986 | 89/80 | 9.0:1 | 188 PS (138 kW; 185 hp) @ 5800 | 260 N·m (190 lb·ft) @ 4000 | 10.6 (auto) 9.3 (manual) | 223 (manual) | 1986–1994 | |
| 735i | M30B35 | I6 12V SOHC | 3430 | 92/86 | 9.0:1 | 211 PS (155 kW; 208 hp) @ 5700 | 305 N·m (225 lb·ft) @ 4000 | 9.1 (auto) 8.3 (manual) | 228 (auto) 231 (manual) | 1986–1992 | |
| 730i V8 | M60B30 | V8 32V 2×DOHC | 2997 | 84/67.6 | 10.5:1 | 218 PS (160 kW; 215 hp) @ 5800 | 290 N·m (210 lb·ft) @ 4500 | 9.3 (auto) | 233 | 1992–1994 | |
| 740i | M60B40 | V8 32V 2×DOHC | 3982 | 89/80 | 10.0:1 | 286 PS (210 kW; 282 hp) @ 5800 | 400 N·m (300 lb·ft) @ 4500 | 7.4 | 240* | 1992–1994 | |
| 750i | M70B50 | V12 24V SOHC | 4988 | 84/75 | 8.8:1 | 300 PS (220 kW; 300 hp) @ 5200 | 450 N·m (330 lb·ft) @ 4100 | 7.4 | 250* | 1987–1994 (USA)
1986–1994 (Europe)
| |
| * = electronically limited Performance figures may differ for long models and gearing | |||||||||||
Transmission specification :
 |
| M70B50-V12 |
| 730i | 735i
I6
| 730i | 740i
V8
| 750i | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speed (gear) ratios | |||||||||||
| Manual | Getrag 260 | Getrag 260 | ZF S5D 310Z | ||||||||
| 1 | 3,83 | 3,83 | 4,20 | ||||||||
| 2 | 2,20 | 2,20 | 2,49 | ||||||||
| 3 | 1,40 | 1,40 | 1,66 | ||||||||
| 4 | 1,00 | 1,00 | 1,24 | ||||||||
| 5 | 0,81 | 0,81 | 1,00 | ||||||||
| Rear axle | 3,46 | 3,46 | 3,89 | ||||||||
| Automatic | ZF 4HP22 | ZF 4HP22 | ZF 5HP18 | ZF 5HP30 | ZF 4HP24 | ||||||
| 1 | 2,48 | 2,48 | 3,67 | 3,55 | 2,48 | ||||||
| 2 | 1,48 | 1,48 | 2,00 | 2,24 | 1,48 | ||||||
| 3 | 1,00 | 1,00 | 1,41 | 1,54 | 1,00 | ||||||
| 4 | 0,73 | 0,73 | 1,00 | 1,00 | 0,73 | ||||||
| 5 | 0,74 | 0,79 | |||||||||
| Rear axle | 2,09 | 2,09 | 4,10 | 3,68 | 2,09 | ||||||
| Fluid capacity (L) | |||||||||||
| Manual | 1,25 | 1,25 | 1,25 | ||||||||
| Automatic | 3,0 | 3,0 | 3,0 | 3,5 | |||||||
| Rear axle | 1,7 | 1,9 | 1,7 | 1,9 | 1,9 | ||||||
