BMW 7 Series
The BMW 7 series is the flagship car for german automaker BMW. It is a full size, 4-door luxury sedan and has been in production since 1977. At BMW7Series.com you can find specifications and images for every 7 series car ever produced by BMW.
BMW 7 Series - E38 1995 - 2001
The BMW E38 automobile platform was the basis for the 1994 through 2001 BMW 7 Series automobiles. It replaced the BMW E32 in 1995 and itself was replaced by the BMW E65/E66 for the 2002 model year.
The E38 models were offered with either a five-speed automatic or manual transmission. The engine variants in Europe were 725tds, 728i, 730i, 730d, 735i, 740i (4.0 and 4.4 L), 740d and 750i (with a 5.4 L 322 bhp (240 kW) engine, as was used in the Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph).
In the Americas, the models were sold as the 740i, 740iL and 750iL. The 740i and 740iL share the same 4.4 L V8 engine. The 740iL is essentially a long-wheelbase 740i (hence the "L" in the model name). The considerably rarer 5.4 L V12-powered 750iL was only available as a long-body; there was no E38 750i in the US lineup. The 750iL was BMW's flagship sedan.
Features of the E38 7 Series included high-pressure headlight washers, auto-leveling xenon HID headlamps, power moonroof, a sound system with 14 speakers and four subwoofers as well as 6-disc CD changer, onboard satellite navigation and rain-sensing wipers. Other features included an automatic climate control system with separate controls for the driver and passenger and a 3-position memory system for the driver’s seat, safety-belt height, steering wheel and outside mirrors. Front-seat side airbags and a Head Protection System (HPS) were also standard. The car featured an all-leather interior with burl walnut trim. The continuous-motion Active Comfort Seat technology was introduced in 1998 to improve comfort and reduce fatigue for the driver and front passenger.
The base prices in 2001 were US$62,900 for the 740i, US$66,900 for the 740iL and US$107,400 for the top of the line 750iL which famously inherited technology developed by NASA.
740iL and 750iL Protection Line light-armored vehicles were built from 2000-2001, and cost US$99,100 and US$124,400, respectively. These models included body armor, bullet-resistant glass and run-flat tires.
A rare executive V12-powered stretch limousine was also produced, called the BMW L7.
When the E38 was phased out in 2001 to make way for the new E65, sales of E38s increased noticeably in the car's final months of production, as people moved to buy the car before it went out of production. The E65 was received so poorly by consumers that demand for the E38, out of production and obsolete at that point, rose and the value of used E38s actually increased.