BMW Classic has shown a prototype of the E38-generation 7 Series with the internal name "BMW M7", which the company never took into series production. The car is based on a 1997 740i, but under the hood sits a naturally aspirated 4.9-liter V8 S62 taken from the E39 M5. Output is 394 hp (400 PS) at 6600 rpm, the same figure BMW quoted for the M5. For a flagship sedan this combination looks unusual, since BMW never officially sold an M version of the 7 Series.
The main difference from a regular sedan is the manual gearbox. Instead of an automatic, the prototype is fitted with a six-speed manual, and the shifter sits in a console trimmed in wood, as in the 740i. This means engineers had to adapt the interior for manual transmission control while keeping the classic look of the production car. The claimed top speed is 250 km/h (155 mph), and the car is limited by the same electronic cutoff as the E39 M5. The stated curb weight is 1875 kg (4134 lb), noticeably higher than that of a sports sedan of the same era, given differences in layout and equipment.
Externally, the prototype is almost indistinguishable from a standard 7 Series: the body is painted in a dark colour, as on standard E38 cars. Its distinguishing features are dark BBS wheels with cross-shaped spokes, four exhaust tips (a pair on each side), and a two-tone interior in black and beige leather. The interior also includes a three-spoke M-style steering wheel, and the rear seat retains the car phone handset, a reminder of the era in which the car was built. These details make the car recognisable to enthusiasts while hiding its sporting underpinnings from casual observers.
In the video material, BMW Classic does not explain why the project remained a prototype or whether the company had official plans for series production. Questions about the origins and development history remain open: the exact stages of the car's creation and the internal decisions of management are not disclosed in the available materials. The author of the material notes that a series M7 could have competed with the V12-powered 750i, but this is the author's own opinion, not the manufacturer's position.
Private owners have already made similar modifications, fitting engines from sportier models into old 7 Series cars, so the idea is not new. Such homemade cars show that the combination of a large sedan and a sports engine has long attracted enthusiasts. Against this background, BMW Classic's official prototype looks more like an attempt to showcase the company's archive than an announcement of a new model.
Today the flagship of the lineup remains the electric i7 M70 xDrive with 650 hp, and against this backdrop the story of the E38 M7 recalls how far BMW has moved from the days when its flagship sedan could receive an engine from the M5 sports car. The shift from a naturally aspirated V8 with a manual gearbox to an electric all-wheel-drive powertrain reflects a change of priorities not only at BMW but across the whole industry. The prototype remains an example of how the company preserves the memory of its own experiments and shows the public cars that never entered production.