SPIED: BMW M7 mule proves Munich still has secrets

The last time we heard about the on-again, off-again BMW M7, the mythical high-performance 7 Series variant that BMW has long been rumoured to be building, it was firmly off. Last month, Munich introduced the monstrous 600 hp M760Li, and we thought that would be the closest we would ever get to an M-badged 7er.

However, we’ve received spyshots of an mysterious mule lurking in the Arctic, featuring a regular G11 7 Series body (with BMW Individual badging, oddly enough), but sits on 19-inch BBS cross-spoke wheels – the same ones fitted to the next-gen F90 M5 mules – shod with Michelin Pilot Alpin winter tyres.

The sight of a luxury sedan on sporty wheels is odd enough, but the biggest difference that suggests that this is rather more than a standard 7 Series are the massive brakes with cross-drilled discs, a definitive M cue – even the M760Li doesn’t have them. They look like the M compound brakes from the F10 M5, albeit shorn of the usual blue paint and M badging. The presence of an M5 next to the mule only adds fuel to the fire.

There’s very little information to go by as yet, but we expect an M7 to utilise an uprated version of the M5’s 4.4 litre twin-turbo V8 – tuned to deliver upwards of 600 hp – rather than the M760i’s heavier 6.0 litre V12. With that much power at its disposal, it’s also rumoured to feature xDrive all-wheel drive as standard, like the M760Li. So, what do you think of a BMW M7 – an M-badge too far?

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