Isn't the baby roler supppose to "bridge the gap"??? I can't see what car BMW would produce that would better fultill that roll of ultra luxury vehicle to slot in between the 7er and Phantom.

Hallelujah!

It was about time RR engineers to contribute something to BMW R&D. I was aware Individual already had RR quality standards implied , but to set RR standards on a serial model that's a news to me. Very nice news indeed.

There is enough room for a vehicle that will bridge the gap between baby Rolls & BMW 7er. The image & price gap. Mind that baby RR base factory price will be $250k +, while eg . 760iL will be around $130k MSRP (or M7 about $150-160k). There is still a room for a BMW with a price up to $200k.


It was initial plan Bentley would fill that gap, but Bentley stayed with VAG. Also plans with AM didn't realize. So the only right thing to do is to launch a $200k BMW.

8er / 9er could be such a car. 8er über-luxury coupe (something to take on CL & Continental GT), or 9er sports luxury sedan (aka 4dr coupe - ala Panamera or Rapide). Decision yet to be made.

Like Scott said: until then F02 LWB 7er would have a role of being that "bridge" - with more luxury features than its SWB F01 brother: inside & outside (mind that SWB & LWB versions will a bit differ in design).

SCOTT27,
Are you saying that the turbo-charged V8 will make its debut in the F01, or should we espect to see it in the E72 X6 before the F01?

Correct, X6 1st.

i am being extremely satisfied by how this design is progressing, specially by how the new grill si turning out, wide, big, and long, it will exude the presence and strength that the twin kidneys lacked before, being ultimately 2 smallish sections

one thing i do lament is the passing of the twin curve rear doors, where previously all BMW rear doors were 2 near straight lines connected with a soft curve at the hoffmeister kink, now it seems with the E90 and what we can see from these spy pics rear doors are back to a series of interconnected curves

call it needless fuss about something trivial, but i have an attachment, (emotional, sexual, god knows what), to rear door design, it shows how great the designer was in incorporating a body over a wheelbase and chassis, and how efficient he was in positing the different design elements par rapport the rear overhang and the frontal section.

good rear door design is unfussy and uncluttered and blends within the overall appearance, it makes you forget the door exists and see the car more in unibody and coupe terms, like all the current BMW's

by comparison the E90 door with its oddish curve lack this interpretation, much like most mercedes's. seems Mercedes designers were never able to incorporate this element, unlike Audi who has nailed it in all their current designs, and BMW who for a long time perfected it, but lost it when all models grew that extra inch that made it that much harder to complete

it goes hand in hand with my definition of a four door coupe, where i ascertain, the great fat mind that is moi, that a car only qualifies for 4 door coupe status if you can PS out the rear door shutline and have the car look like a real coupe

the perfect door design for me at least is simple enough, i.e. either 2 lines (connected with a smooth curve a la BMW or not a la audi) or a single line almost uninterrupted like with big behemoths (i.e the phantom)

thank you for those who read on on such a meaningless element, after all the door is only useful to get in and out, and it must be practical in the first place, but call me idiotically picky and i won't mind

It's good to see someone who has strong attention to detail

But bear in mind that what we are seeing at the moment are heavily disguised prototypes. We just can't read too much from the design because we can't hardly see anything definitive at all.

A single continuous interrrupted door line is still possible.

Maybe in terms of price there's room for a pricier BMW, but it's not going to be another large car, because anyone who wants a pricey luxo barge is either going to get a 7er or baby Roller, not some big BMW that thinks it's a Roller. The only possibility I see making any sense to anyone would be a follow up to the Z8, and that's it.

Although the F01 prototypes are sporting extremely heavy cladding, one can easily sense that the cars´ proportions are nothing short of absolutely brilliant.My favorite 7-series is the E38 (1994-->2002). It may pale in comparison to the new F01.

I, for one, am eagerly awaiting this cars´ introduction and will gladly bid the ungainly, panzer-like E65/66 farewell (as fundamentally good of a car as it is...).