Cars.co.za has shared a video story about a lesser-known project of the South African branch of BMW – a BMW M7. As it turns out, the regional office of the Bavarian company worked on it in secret from the HQ and even produced the car in small batches for local racing events – something BMW never did with the 7-Series in Europe.
The idea to build a particularly fast and powerful 7-Series based on the M1 powertrain was born in South Africa in early 1980s. One theory claims that the local representative of the brand had tried to import the European BMW 745i saloon to the continent only to discover that those cars could not be converted to right-hand drive: the massive engine got in the way of the steering mechanism.
Looking for workarounds, BMW SA ultimately came up with a solution. It took the 3.5-liter inline-six engine of the M1 model, known as the M88, and reworked it to be compatible with the 7-Series. The result was a homegrown, half-official BMW flagship delivering more than 280 PS (276 hp / 206 kW) to the wheels.
According to different estimates, between 209 and 255 such cars were produced from 1984 until 1986. The jury-rigged BMW M7 took part in a local championship in 1985, marking the only time in history when a 7-Series was officially sanctioned by BMW to participate in a race. Cars.co.za points out that the information, however intriguing, is not officially confirmed and could be a rumor.
The video showcases one of these sedans restored to peak condition by SAR-based body shop Evolution 2 Motorsport some 17 years ago.
