1995 BMW 750i – Project Profile

We love an E38 BMW. We’ve even gone on record to say it’s peak BMW – exactly how a three box saloon should look – with the V12-engined 750i variant at the tip of that particularly pointy spear. We also know what we’re talking about. For fear of sounding a little Terry Tibbs we’ve been in this game a while. We see thousands upon thousands of vehicles bought and sold through Car & Classic, whether it be via auctions or our classifieds. The point is we can spot trends. Nothing is ever 100% certain but we have the data and we can predict, with a certain degree of certainty, how the market for certain marques is going to behave based on that data. We can see when prices bottom out and when they start to rise and one such group that falls into that category is the E38 7 Series BMW. Pick the right one and you could very well be tucking into a rather tasty chicken dinner in the future.

But what is the right one? Well, it all depends. Condition, price, mileage, spec. All of these factors will play a part. Obviously low mileage, pristine examples will command a higher price, as will the higher specification models with all of the bells and whistles one could possibly need from their ’90s executive saloon. They’re well built, reliable, comfortable and beautifully equipped. It’s why the top of the line models cost over £70,000 when new. Nowadays you can pick one up for less than five grand. Granted, it won’t be a V12 but it’ll still be a hell of a lot of car for the money. Sometimes opportunities do arise, however, to grab a potential bargain beast, if you’re willing to expend a little elbow grease and perhaps a few pennies left over from the initial purchase price, and that’s why this particular 750i piqued our interest. The numbers 7, 5 and 0 in the title of the listing certainly had a hand in grabbing our attention but more specifically the two words ‘no’ and ‘reserve’ were what really intrigued us.

What is it? 

This maroon masterpiece (techincally Calypso Red Metallic) is the flagship of BMW’s E38 7-Series executive saloon which means it’s the 750i with a 5.4-litre V12 engine and five-speed automatic waft box. It has full cream leather interior with all of the optional extra boxes ticked from the factory, including a very in period phone nestled in the centre console. It has covered a mere 69,000 miles from new and been with the same owner for the last 20 years. It’s a rare beast too because only 8,000 750i models were built, and yes, one of them was Bond’s whip in Tomorrow Never Dies and it remains the perfect BMW for the suave British super sleuth. You can quote us on that.

Why is it a project? 

This 1995 750i has been off the road for most of the last 15 years but it did pass an MOT in 2016, the last time it saw a testing bay, in fact. That’s not to say it’s a rusty lump that’s been left to tide and time in a bush. Far from it. This particular E38 is in surprisingly solid condition with no obvious signs of any rot. The interior too is pretty fresh considering and despite a little mildew here and there the cream leather upholstery has held up well. A good valet should easily bring it around.

What should you look for? 

Because this particular luxury 750i is currently on Car & Classic’s Auction platform we’ve done a lot of the legwork already, detailing the car’s various merits, as well as its negatives, so head on over to the listing and have a good read through. There are also over 230 photos of the car too so there should be plenty to inspect and pore over ahead of any potential viewing in person.

What should you do with it?

As we’ve shown with our Rover 827 project, a good paint correction and detail can work wonders which should take care of a lot of the issues with the bodywork and interior of this E38. As for the mechanicals the car is listed as non runner that has been off the road for some time but the good news is that it seems to have survived its sabbatical from the streets remarkably well.

The fact that the car managed a successful MOT test in 2016 is encouraging and whilst there is work to do here the appeal of an early, top spec BMW E38 750i is one that is incredibly difficult to resist. Remember, this is a no reserve auction so there is the potential to steal this car. (NB: Car & Classic do not condone thievery of any kind, unless it’s a V12 Beemer for pocket change).