1987 BMW L7 | Retro Review
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- Опубліковано 15 чер 2024
- The only thing that could make this super rare 7-Series any cooler is if it were painted Burgundrot Metallic like Steve "The Hair" Harrington's in Stranger Things.
Show 612 | Original Airdate 02-03-1987
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Ah, the 80s. The phrase "upwardly mobile." Shoulder pads. Satin jackets. Theft resistant car radios. Thanks Beth!
I didn't know how good I had it.
@@jamescalvin902 No social media, no internet, no cell phones, no "smart"phones, ... Life was so much simpler.
@@Stijn5 and way better!
@@futurepath Yep, the only thing that wasn't as good is what can be achieved on the medical front.
And people were more socialize then today's world where they are always on the screen.
I don't remember the L7....
Wow, $47,000 in 1987 was a ton of money!
That would be $129,000 in todays money and much cheaper than a top of the line BMW 7 series is today
Not many were sold here in the U.S. also the upcoming 735 was a drop dead gorgeous car.
That turned it into an unintended collectible.
@@user-yc2oz8kc5k They were always significantly less expensive than the Mercedes benz sedans
For example...an E class of this time period was about the same price
BMW's used to look so much nicer than they do today. They never recovered from Chris Bangle's tenure. Sad.
Yet their cars still sell just fine
I had an '87 745i when I lived in the England, with a 3.4L M106 turbo and a 5-spd, tuned-up to 320+ whp, with all the performance options and Recaro seats. Man, that was a fun car, in sleeper dark grey, I could terrorize supercars all day.
What happened to it?
Only 6 psi of boost from the factory. Can take way more
@@hazzaknox1069 It's in a friend's garage near Bristol, and he keeps up on maintenance and takes her out for exercise.
@@Just_Pele That’s awesome! That’s what I call true stewardship of a now relatively rare classic car that deserves it 👍
I lol'd watching that slalom test and hearing "body roll was minimal." Great car, great vid. Thanks for the memories.
In 1987 you could have a M6 and an L7 from the BMW dealership for all your upwardly mobile needs, what a time.
This L7 is a real treat to cruise around in to this day in 2024. It’s 80s slow but oh so luxurious in old school analogue style. Everything in mine works for now and after sorting the fuel system and vacuum leaks the engine has no business running so smooth as this car approaches 40 years old.
At age 21 I have had a '79 Bimmer 730 with a 4barrel carburetor and a manual transmission. It was one fine car putting a smile on my face everyday except when I had to fuel her up.
I was driving a 323i while stationed in Germany at this time.
Cruised the Autobahn effortlessly! 🇩🇪🇺🇸
Thanks Beth. Your welcome John.
This was available only for model year 1987. BMW also offered a similarly equipped version of the 6 series called the L6, of which approximately 1200 were produced.
If only the 7-series weighed under 3700lbs. now!! Heck the 3-series can’t get under 3700!!
I'm an E28 guy for the most part. My 88 535is was $35K with LSD and they weigh about 3,200.
The mustang almost is that heavy and it’s not electric
The 2 series is 4000 pounds too
Yeah. It's a mixed bag. They're so much safer, have loads more tech, more luxury features, but they're portly. My M340i weighs 3,860. I don't care as much about that as the fact that new BMWs don't have the steering feel they were always so lauded for. It's correctable, and I've done that with monoballs, but unacceptable IMO. Still absolutely love the car, though.
Bought one out of a basement garage in West Seattle around '02 for $1500. 65K miles, needed new tires, full detail & service. Drove it a year & sold it for $6500
Should've kept it.
@@futurepath Nah, I moved on to other things. It was nice, went to a collector
Me and my ex wife had one of these L7 BMW and it was a really nice car, very happy with it, very long time ago to...
Back when 250hp was a dream
Amazing how much automotive technology has evolved in the past 40 years. Most family sedans accelerate and handle as well now as full on sports cars did then.
Not that amazing
It’s pretty amazing
@@Hintonbro. I upvoted both views. The automotive industry has had perhaps trillions of 2024 dollars to throw at engineering in the last 40 years. Horsepower per displacement has certainly increased. But given the sheer manpower, brainpower and money involved, a lot of the other "advancements" are less than impressive.
beth talks like she has been rehearsing for weeks
The L7 was a luxury version of the E23 BMW 7-Series that was only sold here in the US
The poster vehicle for wealthy elite new rich folks in the 1980s.
If you had one of these in the 80s, you were of the elite class lol.
I was stationed in Germany during the 80's and the exchange rate favored the dollar. Quite a few GI's opted for BMW 7 and 6 series. Manual transmission s were the norm.
Big, beautiful, and those classic rims.
back when made in germany ment quality
Still better than made in the USA
they had a lot of problems back then like they do today. unlike japanese cars
@@zillsburyy1 i love Japanese cars but to say Japanese cars never had problems is just false. Do you see the twin turbo v6 issues that Toyota is having which is forcing them to recall hundreds of thousands vehicles? Or Nissans infamous cvt transmission problems, Subarus head gasket issues or Hondas 1.5 turbo engines oil dilution?
@joskjj3625 is that turbo v6 recall for the trucks? I'm not saying that toyota has never had problems but they have less of them and take care of their customers quickly not as good as lexus but it's still high up.
It still does
Amazing these were still being sold through the 87 model year. The E32s were still a year away.
In the U.S., because the E23 ended production in Europe in 1986. There, the E32 was introduced that same year as a 1987 model, whilst in the U.S. the E32 was introduced in late 1987 as a 1988 model.
I wonder that is was still available in March 87, herein in Germany the E32 was lauschen in Fall of 86.
This thing feels luxury even by today's standards!
Today's standards for luxury is shit
Looks so much better with euro bumpers
Yeah. I think BMW should bring back the shark nose of the 80's. Much better than the huge grills popular today.
I disagree, I like how the N.A. bumper balances the shark nose, especially on the 635 CSI, with the deep chin spoiler. Back in the '80, I remember seeing lots of BMW's with dents ahead of the hood emblem. I can only imagine how much worse the damage would have been on euro cars. The U.S. bumpers gave much better crash protection and low cost of ownership too.
No
@@carlosborrasetaylor7630 To each his own. Cheers
At 7:21 was that a Radio Shack TRS-80 Computer on the desk?
It is. Available in 1978 for $599.
"Body roll is minimal" while the car is swaying from one side to the other like an old ocean liner. 😂
My parents had this exact car. It was a beautiful beast. Amazing build and ride quality.
I wouldn't mind having one of these sitting in my driveway
Amazing - 20 years ahead of it’s time. The interior looks modern.
What a gorgeous car.
Oh wow, the original “Alpina B7!”
The interior looks really nice!
My dad has the the 83 version top spec in uk electric seats back and front ABS only difference was no heated seats and no air bag the Uk did not get an airbag until the next gen. A bit unpowered compared to the v12 5.3 jaguar of the time but way more space in the back and unlike the S class of the time the electric seats in the back moved separately , the S class electric rear seat was a bench. Those 7s also had iffy handling my dads rolled over and was written of by a friend
Poor John, can't get oil pressure and volt meter even on this luxury car.
It must be very frustrating for him
Minimal body roll 😂
For a behemoth.
😂😂
another great as always, Another great car we miss and looked so much better and hella relative and well engineered
That STARTING price equates to $135,000 in 2024 dollars!!! I think I’ve seen 1 or 2 (L7’s) my whole life
I absolutely need one.
Finally, a BMW for squares!
Beautiful E23. It just needs a manual transmission. If I recall correctly, eurospec versions were available with one.
They were also available with a manual transmission in the U.S. However, I think that the L7 was automatic-only.
Nevertheless, Americans could buy a 7 Series E23 with a manual transmission. Fun fact: few did.
2:44 John: TYPICALLY GERMAN, THERE ARE NO READOUTS FOR VOLTS OR OIL PRESSURE! LOL
Yet all Mercedes of that era did have a oil pressure gauge
Not just typically German but also typical Japanese, French, Italian as well!
A Shelby Lancer was just a POS K car with a ridiculous badge on it
Aye, a K(Mart) derivative car...but I was a sucker for hatchbacks and digital dashes.
A shocking revelation! 😂
I know how you feel, I want one too!
$46 grand, that's equal to $128K, that's equivalent to a 740I x drive
Still kind of crazy that a 740i xDrive is 128k.
It's funny how BMW means 430 credit score today
It's a great point. I think part of the nostalgia for the '80s automotive scene was that there was no faking it back then. If you were driving a 560sl or a 735i, you had serious cashflow at a minimum.
E32 was on sale in 87
$140,000 in today's money, though $47k in those days must've felt like a lot more.
80s BMWs still look the best of all the generations, they just had their own unique personality in those years.
80s were great but peak was the 90s. E31/E34/E38.
This and the next generation were the only good 7 series.
Back when BMW and Mercedes were actually special
And were actually worth buying.
They still are if you know which ones to buy.
They're still amazing cars to drive and be in but not for long term use. 80s MB and BMW lasted forever tho.
@@8MunchenBayern8 they're very good for long-term use. Especially if you know how to take care of them yourself. Other than that you need some pretty deep pockets lol
@@therealjayseh AGREED. you just have to know which generations are good and which ones are bad. I daily drive a 14 year old MB lol.
Body roll is minimal…except body roll is quite impressive
Imagine if they seen the new 2025. Makes this thing look like a model T.
Dream car ❤
The leather interior in the BMW L7 looks luxurious!!
It must be a pain to keep that white leather clean.
@@taunuslunatic404I agree. My mom had a 2017 Ford Edge with the ceramic interior color which is a silver white beige color and it was a huge pain to clean. I don't like white colored interiors.
Good old times...
John…again with oil and voltmeter gauges
Get this man a volt meter !!!
Body roll is minimal!?
What's bizarre is I don't think they ever tested the M30 E28. Go find me one.
Man I remember those being driven by spoiled yuppie kids! I know because I had friends who drove them! 👌😂👍 their father had the Benz and their kids the Beamer!
Today BMW is comfortably outselling MB for 2 years in a row.
Wait. Isn't there a refrigerator in the rear armrest?
I would love to have one of these beamers but I imagine these are getting hard to find
The OG
A twin turbo “m” version would have been a beast. The only thing it lacks is power.
The “L” in L7 could mean “Lucky 7”.
4:39 "Anti Skip Brakes (ASB)" is that early version of ABS?
Anti skid.
Body roll was minimal 😅
0 to 60 11 seconds, ugh. I was 22 in 1987 and didn't realize they were so slow.. awful..
To be fair, this was a mid-70s design on its last gasp. The next gen was a killer.
ya but "body roll is minimal".
You had enough time to j-walk across the street in those days 😂. Today I have to cross the street in my quiet neighborhood like the Frogger game.
Long live 1980s luxury cars. I will always like them better than modern luxury cars. Each had their own very distinct identity and driving personality. Today's cars seem too samey. Aggressive styling. Firm suspensions. Blah.
This is a sharp car Cadillac is one of my favorite cars manuo
You get the feeling deep down, Beth hates John.
I think it's a hatred that comes from love, and being rejected.
Back when BMW truly was the ultimate driving machine!
How will we survive without an oil pressure gauge?
Is that $130,000 in today’s money??
"Body roll is minimal."
ASB.
Anti-skid brakes.
Body roll is minimal?!
Drivers Choice Award
These were solid cars then and on the autobahn a lot of fun.
Hell that’s an expensive car in todays money!
Beth is no Joyce
"body roll is minimal"....
В 1987 уже была Е32.
А откуда бы она в США в то время взялась, лол?
@@runoflife87 Из Германии лол, как и все остальные.
@@borshchagovkajunkyardgarag655 так омологация же шла на американский рынок, отсюда и позднее появление.
@@borshchagovkajunkyardgarag655 омологация сама себя не пройдет🤷🏻♂️
With inflation, the price would be $130k today.
It is the top of the line 7 Series of the day. Today, the top o the line is well over 200k.
LTZ
🇹🇳🇹🇳🇹🇳🇹🇳🇹🇳🇹🇳🇹🇳🇹🇳🇹🇳
German sedan**, not eUrOpeAn Sedan
In 1987 our choices were watching Tawny Kitaen in a white dress dancing on a Jaguar on MTV. And on PBS, there was……Beth
Beth was alright. Pretty good in fact.
Beth was straightforward
Reagan was crooked alright
You look at this and think how down we are in 2024, in terms of cars (not only).
Can anyone (who's a Milennial like me) see "L7" and not think of the 'Sandlot'? 🤣
I think of the all-female grunge band. Better than Hole, but not as successful.
BMW
Is Beth a robot???
About as useless as a pedometer he says hahaha
So in other words, the ultimate Driving Machine 7 series IS the OG 7 E29😂
Slow that
These were the last days of good cars. They were complicated. But you could still work on them. Unlike modern vehicles. Garbage crossovers with their giant screens and unnecessary technology
Well said. I’ve always been a German car driver. In 1987 u would never mistaken a 7 series for a Town Car etc. now everything looks like a Hyundai. Buicks are made in China. An F150 pickup is up near the price of an S class. VW only has the Jetta left as something affordable. And no dealers have any ! What a time we are in
THiS is BMW