BMW sports

BMW sports cars are products of the same exacting engineering that created the world's top performance sedan. In this article, you will find profiles and pictures of some of the best of the breed.

Bayerische Motorenwerke, or Bavarian Motor Works, was established in 1916, producing first engines for aircraft and then for motorcycles. It moved into automobiles in the 1920s, assembling for the German market small British cars under license. BMW began to manufacture cars of its own design in the 1930s, and from the start, most had a sporting bent. The prewar highlight was the quick, pretty, and advanced-for-its-day 328 roadster.

BMW 7-Series 2011 Specifications
Body
Wheelbase 2968 mm
Chassis
Brakes (Front) Single-piston aluminium swing-calliper disc brakes in frame structure: 330 x 24 / inner-vented mm
Brakes (Rear) Single-piston swing-calliper disc brakes: 330 x 20 / inner-vented mm
Front Suspension Double track control arm axle with separate lower track arm level, aluminium, small steering roll radius, anti-dive
Rear Suspension Integral-V multi-arm axle, aluminium, with steering function, anti-squat and anti-dive, double acoustic separation
Engine
Bore X Stroke 90.0 / 84.0 mm
Engine & Transmission
Torque lb-ft (Nm) at RPM: 450/332
Exterior
Length 4899 mm
Width 1860 mm
Height 1464 mm
Performance
Acceleration (0-100 km/h) 7.2 (7.2)
Size, liters/cu. in. 3.0/182 4.4/268 6.0/364 4.4/268
Horsepower @ rpm. 315@5800 400@5500 544@5000 455@5500
Torque (lb-ft) @ rpm. 330@1600 450@1800 553@1500 516@1800
Availability Standard Standard Standard Standard
EPA City / highway mpg
6-speed automatic NA/NA 15/225 –/– –/–
8-speed automatic –/– –/– 13/19 NA/NA

Specification BMW 7-Series 4-door sedan
Wheelbase, in. 120.9
Overall Length, in. 199.8
Overall Width, in. 74.9
Overall Height, in. 58.3
Curb Weight, lbs. 4564
Cargo Volume, cu. ft. 17.7
Standard Payload, lbs. –
Fuel Capacity, gals. 21.7
Seating Capacity 5
Front Head Room, in. 40.6
Max. Front Leg Room, in. 41.2
Rear Head Room, in. 38.5
Max. Rear Leg Room, in. 38.4