In the past years, BMW has been known to continuously downsize their engine offerings, from V10 naturally-aspirated units to V8 twin-turbo, inline-six, four-cylinder and to an upcoming three-cylinder TwinPower. But many of us tend to omit the fact that the Munich-based automaker still offers a high-capacity and power V12 powerplant.
Dubbed N74, the 6.0 liter is a twin-turbocharged V12 DOHC piston engine which replaced the N73 naturally-aspirated predecessor. The powerful twin-turbo outputs 535 horsepower @ 5250 rpm and 750 Nm (550 lb-ft) of torque at 5000 rpm.
The engine is currently used in the 760Li model available for sale in the United States. An upgraded version of the N74 producing 563 bhp (420 kW) and 780 Nm (580 lb-ft) out of a 6.6 liter displacement is used in the Rolls Royce Ghost. With the engine mated to the ZF 8-speed automatic transmission, the 2013 BMW760Li runs from 0 to 62 mph in 4.7 seconds.
To emphasize that this is the highest-end 7er, the 760Li sports a slim chrome bar between the four chromed tailpipe tips in the rear apron.
In the U.S., the 760Li is only offered with a rear-wheel drive configuration and the base price starts at $140,200.
Stay tuned for our own review of the 2013 BMW 760Li.
