In one of many first demonstrations of hands-free driving, a remote-controlled E38 BMW 750iL lit up the display screen in Tomorrow By no means Dies from the James Bond sequence. As iconic as this motion scene was (see the video under), we assure you will have extra enjoyable driving the E38 your self. This peak of the 7 Sequence nameplate had all of it, from its near-perfect proportions to its posh inside, glorious efficiency, and tidy dealing with. It felt and regarded lithe, whereas the Mercedes S-Class of the time – the overengineered W140 – was overly cumbersome and purely targeted on occupant consolation.
The E38 had many new applied sciences, comparable to an built-in tv and accessible curtain airbags, nevertheless it was nowhere close to as mystifying to function as its successor, the E65. The V8 and V12 engines had been silky easy, with nicely over 300 hp within the case of the V12 750iL. It was thirsty, although, and the V8 within the 740i was ok that it made the V12 appear superfluous.
Like several huge BMW, the E38 is dear to take care of and will not ship Lexus LS-like reliability. Some fragile suspension parts and timing chain failures for the V8 are among the many points house owners confronted, however when all the things was working, it was an outstanding sedan.
Now that even the latest E38s are over 20 years previous, you possibly can choose up used examples for little or no. This 12 months already, we noticed a 2001 740i that bought for $20,500. Final 12 months, a stunning Alpina B12 5.7 LWB went for $70k, however this can be a a lot rarer E38.
