Despite consumer interest, BMW has never turned the 7 Series over to its M Division for a proper working over. As such, the best we’ve ever seen in the V-12 powered, M760i which is nice and all, but it’s more about luxury and far from being a proper M car. All of that may change as BMW has apparently filed a trademark for the “BMW M7” name, hinting that the M Division may finally be able to have its way with the large sedan.

What to Expect From the BMW M7?

The reason the 7 series, even in M760i form, has been about luxury is because it’s heavy. Damn heavy. In the United States, it tips the scale at 5,128 pounds. And, the weight distribution isn’t even on point either, with 53.8-percent of its weight being ahead of the midpoint. With that in mind, a proper M7 needs to go on a strict diet, and we’re not talking about cutting portions, we’re talking about going vegan, and then some. In M760i form, 601 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque are derived from a 6.6-liter V-12. It’s a massive powerplant and, as such, is quite heavy as well. So, outside of other weight reduction, M will likely drop that V-12 for a turbocharger V-8 instead.

But, don’t start dropping bricks out of your bum quite yet. Think about the BMW M5 and BMW M6. They both use a 4.4-liter V-8 for motivation and, in the M5, that V-6 is good for 600 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque. And, keep in mind that it can hit the 60-mph sprint in 3.2 seconds. That’s 0.4-seconds faster than the current M760i. Now, that engine doesn’t necessarily have to go above that 600 pony mark as the drop in weight from the smaller engine should be enough to make the M7 quicker than the 760. And, it’ll improve the car’s weight distribution too, making it handle and steer much better than with that V-12 in tow. Add in the extra weight reduction here and there, some other performance goodies, and you could see an M7 that gets up to speed much faster than the M760 and nearly on par with the much smaller M5 – now that’s something to write home about.

Keep in mind that the Alpina B7 already uses that engine, so it’s essentially plug-and-play in that regard. It also has 591 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque, so the M7 would offer up just a bit more power than the Alpina as well. Finally, BMW may be able to massage a little more out of that V-8, so there’s a lot of unknowns at this point, but it all looks promising to say the least. And, for those naysayers out there, Sure, BMW didn’t want to do it before, but it also didn’t want to give the M treatment to SUVs and looks how that’s turned out. It also didn’t want an 8 Series, and here we are patiently awaiting its arrival. The point is that in this day and age, anything is possible, and the BMW M7 is probably happening. Who would have thought?

Further Reading

Read our full speculative review on the 2019 BMW M7.

Read our full review on the 2016 BMW 7 Series.

Read our full review on the 2017 BMW M760Li xDrive.

Read our full review on the 2017 Alpina B7.

Read our full review on the 2018 BMW M5.

Read our full review on the 2016 BMW M6.

Read more BMW news.