#ThrowbackThursday | Remembering the BMW E32 7-Series

This week BMW is launching its latest 7-Series in SA.

By now you know the internally dubbed G70 quite well, mostly for its assertive grille arrangement, which seems to be the thing noticed about most BMW models these days.  The model is enjoyable to pilot and is laden with future-forward technologies, as we learnt on an exclusive drive in Palm Springs last year.   

But this week I want to discuss one of its forebears. Not the loathed E65, or the exquisite E38 that came before it. I want to talk about the E32, probably the most significant expression of the breed in the context of our market. It was the only 7-Series to scoop a South African Car of the Year title.

It also starred in a television commercial that took a serious jibe at Mercedes-Benz, “beating the bends” around Chapman's Peak. I know, I know, the E23 was also extremely notable, especially for the legendary local motorsport activities of the 745i. But that is a throwback for another day.   

It was the E32 735i that clinched the 1988 Car of the Year title, a victory that was probably more controversial than the time Porsche's Boxster took victory in the 2013 competition. 

Quite obviously, as the flagship sedan of the range and the torchbearer for the latest in BMW technologies, it was an expensive machine.   

A price list from the January 1989 edition of Car magazine tells me a 735i automatic cost R139,150 new! An online inflation calculator pegs this as R1,330,774 in today's money. Back then, the least expensive BMW listed was R32,330 for a 316i manual two-door. The most expensive was the V12 750i L automatic, for R215,000. No prices were listed for the 6-Series range, which must have been even dearer.   

An extremely well-preserved South African E32 brochure for the 730i and 735i gives me an inkling of how exciting it must have been shopping for such a car when it was new. It was among the literary treasures that came with an epic collection of local motoring magazines I bought over the holidays. My girlfriend is upset that the entire apartment lounge is now littered with boxes of ancient, musty car stuff, but the insights make the cold silence worth it.   

Back to the brochure. It's filled with stunning, crisp colour images and assertive, confident copywriting. Here's one for you: “BMW's position is completely unequivocal, BMW does not build passive cars and never will. This attitude, which has been a cornerstone of the company's philosophy from the very beginning, is now more relevant than ever ...”   

Wonder if the person who wrote that lived long enough to see stuff like the 2-Series Active Tourer. The brochure reveals some fascinating bits of trivia about the E32. For example, the negative rake of the frontal section. That means it leans forward ever so slightly — which, according to the manufacturer, aided airflow to the cooling system. It had a drag coefficient of less than 0.32 — the new one is as low as 0.26, even if it does look less sleek than its grandparent.   

On the topic of the six-cylinder power units (3.0 and 3.5); they talk about new (for the time) hydraulic engine mounts, aluminium pipes, fuel pumps and alternators with purpose-designed air ducts. Both vehicles were equipped with four-speed automatic transmissions. The 730i delivered 145kW and 275Nm, while the 735i produced 162kW and 315Nm. The former managed a claimed 0-100km/h sprint time of 10.8 seconds, the latter, 9.2 seconds.

They boasted the third generation of “BMW Digital Motor Electronics”, which handled engine management using sensors that calculated engine speed, accelerator position and outside temperature. Standard stuff in today's world, but cutting edge in the 1980s.  

"[Motronic] can regulate the idling speed of an engine with absolute precision throughout its life, because it knows how that engine has been driven, what stresses have been put on it, and how friction values have changed,” reads an excerpt.   

The E32 was progressive, offering amenities such as climate control, electrically operated everything and an on-board computer that warned of low fluids, among other maintenance-related issues. Cruise control was part of the deal, so was a Becker sound system and “Bubinga” wood finishes. Then there were the simpler conveniences that were not standard in all cars at the time: illuminated vanity mirrors, footwell illumination and access lights. The only option listed was an electric steel sliding sunroof.  

More than three decades later the latest 7-Series can just about drive itself, while pampering occupants with a massage, entertaining rear passengers with their favourite Netflix series in ultra-HD.

We've come a long way indeed. But wouldn't you just love to have a turn in a reference quality example of that stylish, imposing old E32? Has to be along Chapman's Peak Drive, no doubt.