Top of the line BMW M760Li confirmed in website leak

If you have been waiting for a new BMW 7 Series sedan with 12-cylinder power, we’ve got news for you. Images of what look like an M Performance 7 Series variant have been spotted by BMW enthusiast site Bimmertoday when it was specifying a car using BMW’s online configuration tools. The top of the line 7 Series has been rumored all year long and now official images have given away its existence.

From what we can gather right now, it seems like the M Performance variant of the 760 will be powered by a revised version of BMW’s V12 engine. The models revealed are called ‘760Li’ and ‘M760Li’, which is most likely BMW-speak for a pair of long-wheelbase sedans powered by a V12 petrol engine - one more sporting than the other, probably the 6.6 litre twin-turbo unit used in the Rolls-Royce Ghost, which produces 600PS and 800Nm. If so, expect the fastest 7-Series to sprint from 0 to 100km/h in around 4.5 seconds and top out at well over 300km/h without the 250km/h limiter in place.

It is unclear yet whether the M760Li will get BMW’s xDrive four-wheel-drive system or if it will maintain a rear-wheel-drive layout. What’s certain is that the car will have an eight-speed automatic gearbox, just like the rest of the range. The ZF-sourced 8HP gearbox is fitted to most of BMW’s current models excepting the FWD variants and some M cars.

As you’d expect from the M badge in front of the 760Li model designation, this isn’t a fully-fledged M version of BMW’s flagship. Instead, it’s an “M Performance” variant of the car, something between a standard and a full-on performance model. Curiously, BMW has yet to launch a series-produced performance variant of its flagship, like its German counterparts have been offering in their ranges for quite a while.

The M760Li will be a natural rival for the Mercedes-Benz S65 AMG when it goes on sale next year, and will most likely be priced around the same mark.