At the Techno-Classica Essen which is taking place these days (3-7 April 2024), one of the rare BMW Series 7 prototypes will be revealed. It is a car that few people knew about, the 1990 BMW 750iL V16 Goldfisch.
It all started in 1987 when BMW engineers worked on a new engine that was installed in the then new generation E32 7 Series. However, a few years later BMW secretly produced another version, this time based on the next generation that was produced between 1995 – 2001. It was long thought that this prototype was never produced, as the Bavarian manufacturer abandoned the V16 engine, but this was not the case.
This BMW 750iL V16 Goldfisch is an example of a luxury car from the end of the last century with an unusual design of headlights, mirrors and roof line that are more reminiscent of the E32 generation than the production model E38 that was often called the most beautiful BMW 7 Series ever. It is powered by a 6.6-liter V16 engine with 348 hp (259 kW) @ 5,000 rpm, mated to a five-speed automatic transmission. Top speed was 250 km/h.
BMW has never revealed why it hid this prototype from the public and why it never went into production.
Source: BMW