Oh what a world we live in when even the most plebeian can potentially afford a V12-powered luxury sedan. Today's Nice Price or Crack Pipe 750i is just such a twelve for the masses, although its custom body will assure that you still stand out.
Do you remember your teen years, that time in your life when you first were able to stay out late, maybe got a part-time job and perhaps started experimenting with booze and sex actually with other people? That was a whole lot of growing up that you did in just a few short years, and as long as you didn't kill yourself doing so, it was pretty good practice for being an adult.
The Automotive industry went through a similar growth period in the 1980s. Despite having been around for more than eighty-years, the safety, emissions, and fuel economy demands of the 1970s sent the industry reeling back to the car company equivalent of Kindergarten.
By the time the '80s rolled around they kind of got their act together when it came to smog, safety and sipping gas. In fact, they had matured their products to the point that other desirable aspects, like performance (rowl, rowl), could be obtained. On average, cars in the '80s were leaps and bounds better than those in the '70s, and they set the stage for those of the '90s and onward, which we enjoy as some of the best and most competent cars ever built.
One thing that the '80s brought with this new-found confidence was a profusion of V12-powered cars offered late in the decade. Originally the province of Italian exotic makers and hanging-by-a-thread Jaguar, V12s came to both Mercedes Benz and BMW, both of which offering them in their range-toppers during that decade.
In fact, the E32 BMW 7-series expanded the range's engine lineup from nothing but sixes to embrace both V12 and V8 engines. The M70 V12 arrived in '87, while the M60 V8 debuted in'92.
This 1988 750iL rocks the 300-bhp M70. That's 4,988-cc's and stands as a derivation of the M20 straight six, sharing bore and stroke with the smaller engine, and featuring two ECUs to control each bank separately, just like a pair of sixes.
The engine is backed up by a ZF 4-speed automatic, and of course sends its power back to an independent rear end. This being the L, or Long that IRS is 5-inches further back than the standard wheelbase car. That allows for a ton of leg room in the party pit in back, plus electric seat adjustment back there too, for when you need to really get down.
This one's interior looks to be in good shape, showing some signs of wear on its leather seating surfaces, but nothing untoward. Being dealer offered, it's also been nicely detailed and probably smells inside of lavender or something.
It's the outside that is probably having you talking however, as that's where this car proves that baby got back. And front! This 750 has at some point in its life been blessed with some serious fender flares. Those extend into the doors and give the car a really unique appearance- sort of like a 4-door Maserati Shamal.
Is it all kittens and kumquats? Well, no, there are a number of places on the body - notably the rear bumper and the leading edge of the front doors where there seems to have been some issues with the paint. Then there's the paint itself which seems to be black primer rather than a matte finish. From the open-door pics, it appears the car's original color was white. On a positive note, the later 7-series alloy wheels do set off the dark paint nicely.
The ad notes that the car comes with a clean title and Carfax report showing it to be accident free, lest you think the bodywork was the result of a previous shunt. The odometer reads 113,000 miles and it comes with both a modern radio and an old-school mobile phone to amaze and confuse all your tech-loving friends.
Hopefully they won't be equally confused by the price, which, while a plebeian-friendly $3,985, might not seem a value for the car as presented. Of course, that's what you're here to decide.
What do you think about this wide-body Bimmer for $3,985? Is that a price that should have it narrowing some new owner's wallet soon? Or, is that still too big a price for this big sedan?
You decide!
Pittsburgh Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to p00pman for the hookup!
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