2003 BMW 760Li

As an ‘E66 Li’ this imposing example is one of the long wheelbase models with an extra six inches or so of rear legroom. Built on the 31st January 2003, the online build sheet shows the equipment that was fitted to it at the time. All 46 items of it.

Most 7 series were pummeled up and down the backbone of Britain delivering their charges to the boardroom. In more recent times, many of those left have reached stratospheric mileages on the ‘exec’ airport run, so it is a joy to find one that has escaped both forms of punishment. It’s been used sparingly over the years, averaging around 3,500 miles p.a. totalling a frankly remarkable 55,000 miles. In BMW 7-series years, that’s the equivalent of an ex-athlete in their mid-thirties: no longer capable of competing in the top flight against younger competition but still reassuringly competent and able to hold its own in most pub fights.

The direction Chris Bangle took BMW is the stuff of Internet legend but we think time has been kind to the design and you cannot argue that you aren’t getting an awful lot of expensively finished metal for your money.

Finished in Orient Blue metallic (paint code 317), the coachwork is in wonderful condition for a 13-year-old car with only minor blemishes. The extra length over the standard-wheelbase model lends the LWB car an elegance and grace that has rarely been surpassed, even now. And you will have seen the optional Alpina wheels...

Beautiful as it is, this car is all about the interior. The Leder Nasca Schwarz leather (option code U6SW) is nothing short of magnificent, while the wood veneer panelling and sheer simplicity is the antithesis of the Bentleys and Jaguars of the time; this was a car designed for the Apple generation rather than a Roberts’ radio from the fifties.

And it’s loaded: you might pretend twin car phones are a bit passé, but how about heated AND cooled seats in the front AND rear? Airbags too, even for the rear-seat passengers who are also cossetted by soft-close automatic doors. Their tinted windows also come with electric sunblinds and if that isn’t enough to keep them cool then they can rely on their very own air-conditioning system - and if they get thirsty, they can dig into the refrigerated cool box for a glass of something chilled.

BMW didn’t forget the staff sitting upfront, either; the driver gets an electrically adjusted steering wheel, rain-sensing wipers, parking sensors, tyre pressure monitoring, an electrically operated boot lid, xenon headlights and active cruise control.

Faults are limited to a CD holder that opens by itself. Not bad, eh?

The driver should enjoy the performance that’s on offer, too. The six-litre, V12 engine develops 445bhp and 442lb/ft, which is more than enough to move the 2.2-tonne BMW to a top speed of 155mph by way of a 0-60mph time of around five seconds. Remember too that it has some relations living under the Phantom bonnet.

The owner tells us that the six-speed automatic gearbox changes gear as well as the day it was built. The pictures suggest that it all looks clean and tidy under there, although a prudent owner would ask an independent BMW specialist to change the oil in the sealed-for-life gearbox as a cheap precaution against any unwelcome expenditure in the future.

Everything else works flawlessly too, including the active, self-levelling, electronically controlled anti-roll suspension, which has to be experienced to believed!

The car comes with an impressive service history and maintenance folder and all the original handbooks, which should allay any suspicions about the mileage, plus a new MOT. Speaking of which, the online MOT history check shows nothing that would concern anyone in our office either, which is reassuring when you’re buying so much complex German metal…

Please visit the ‘Records’ section of this listing where you will find more than 80 photos.

The BMW 760Li is not something that we would usually list on The Market. It's not a classic car nor, to be honest, is it an emerging classic either. And yet, despite all that, we think a car like this represents two of the things any petrolhead looks for in a luxury car: outstanding value and epic bragging rights. Forget the standard 7-series beloved of Pistonheads whenever the subject of cheap barges comes up; with this V12-powered slice of fried gold you’ll be strutting around like a bull moose in a forest full of roe deer.

And how much are we expecting it to go for? Well, with a list price with options when new that exceeded six-figures, the guide price of £8-9,000 seems like a real bargain to us, especially when you consider that the mighty V12 engine hasn’t even hit 55,000 miles yet, so is nicely run in and eager to sooth or stimulate depending on your mood. That it drives brilliantly and is surprisingly economical is the icing on what is a rather lovely Germanic cake.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this car can be seen in Essex; to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car, AnyVan for transporting it, and Footman James for classic car insurance.