BMW's premier luxobarge is traditionally its 7-series, fitted with all the wonder and splendor that a middle-manager's yearly salary could buy. It's also traditionally had big V8 engines, at least here in the US, so seeing a reference to a BMW 720i on the company's German site is a bit unusual.
Brief disclaimer: I just want to say before continuing, that it is entirely possible that BMW sells a tiny gasoline-fueled engine in a 7-series somewhere around the world, and that I have never heard of it. But through all of my years of being obsessed with cars, and all of my googling ever since I've heard of a new 720i, I haven't seen any reference to it.
Sent in to us by reader Oliver, the "BMW 720i Limousine" pops up as a linked image on BMW's German web site.
Click on the link, and you're taken to BMW's standard 7-series information page. Click on "Motoren," though, and the phantom Beamer is omitted, with only the standard engine lineup listed.
It's not like its completely unheard of for BMW to make a 7er that isn't quite as thirsty for other parts of the world that don't have the initials USA. In a lot of markets, the Bavarians sell the 730d, which features 250 horsepower, 413 pound-feet of torque, and many many MPG for a car of such large proportions. Plus they've got those hybrid engines, which put out over 450 horses.
And with its i-lineup of fuel-efficient vehicles, including the i3 and the i8, it's not like it's entirely impossible for BMW to do something like this, even if they do make the "ultimate driving machine."
BMW's 2-liter four-pot in the 320i puts out 168 horses, so maybe that's what would show up in a 720i, which would be a pretty small engine in such a tank. Remember, the lightest 7er still weighs over 4,000 pounds. It would probably be a bunch of fun though, having to stomp on the throttle just to go anywhere.
So is it a typo? An inadvertent leak? Or just a tiny engine that never got much press?
We've reached out to BMW, and we'll let you know if we hear anything back.
H/t to Oliver!