A big and heavy luxury sedan with a diesel engine is far from being a track toy but that didn’t stop the owner of this BMW 740d from taking his luxobarge to the Green Hell. It’s a previous-generation model from the pre-LCI years with the M Sport Package that has had some work done since it’s no longer stock. You can easily tell it rides closer to the road courtesy of a modified air suspension lowering the ride height by 35 millimeters (nearly 1.4 inches).

There are more changes than meets the eye because the inline-six engine has been tweaked as well. The turbocharged 3.0-liter diesel no longer produces the series 315 horsepower and 680 Newton-meters (502 pound-feet) of torque since it has received a stage 1 upgrade. That B57 now pumps out a massive 402 hp and a mountain-moving peak torque of 806 Nm (594 lb-ft). To match the extra oomph, stopping power is supplied by M Performance brakes.

The BMW 740d’s owner regularly drives his car on the track and decided to let Nürburgring resident Misha Charoudin experience that low-end torque delivered by the beefy diesel. While a fullsize saloon that weighs nearly two tons will not take down any circuit records, this thing pulls like a train and effortlessly reaches high speeds while remaining perfectly comfortable.

This wasn’t even the range-topping diesel 7 Series of its generation since BMW had the 750d with a quad-turbo version of the same engine. It had 394 hp and 760 Nm (561 lb-ft) from the factory, but sadly, the 750d has not returned for the latest-generation model. In fact, the quad-turbo setup has been phased out altogether due to high production costs, low demand, and stringent emissions regulations.

In 2023, BMW is among the last automakers that still sell performance diesel models such as the M340d and X3 M40d powered by the same B57 as mentioned above. However, with the Euro 7 standard looming, the future doesn’t look particularly bright for sporty oil-burners. Plug-in hybrids with the instant torque of an electric motor will indirectly replace diesels in the coming years.

Source: Misha Caroudin / YouTube