BMW shows the secret 7 Series with a V16 engine for the first time

Feel free to call this BMW Another gasoline benderBecause this 7 series can turn the liquid in the tank into vortex on demand. Because under the extended hood of this never-before-seen prototype is a V16 engine. BMW built this prototype in 1990, but kept it hidden from the public for more than thirty years.

The attentive reader might get one deja vu, but you're probably thinking of a different prototype. Two years earlier, BMW had built the 'Goudvis', also with a V16 engine, but based on the E32 generation. The newer V16 sedan looks more production-ready without a huge amount of air over the side.

The newer BMW's engine is 6,646cc, slightly smaller than the Goudvis's 6,651cc V16. Power is also lower: 348 hp versus 408 hp. The just-revealed 7 Series has a top speed of 250 km/h and transmission is transmitted via a five-speed automatic transmission. Goudvis had a manual gearbox.

The engine isn't the most interesting aspect of the BMW

Power isn't even the most interesting thing about the V16-powered BMW 7 Series; By modern standards, it's actually quite tame. No, the interesting thing is the bodywork. It's somewhere between the E32 and E38 generations. If we look at it from the side it is definitely something strange.

The 34-year delay of the car's unveiling raises questions about how many more BMWs could be found in the depths of Munich. Is there also a version of the newer M3s with a V8 engine? Or are there more M5s with a V10 engine – or even a V12? Hopefully it comes out again someday.