Although the BMW 7 Series is no longer available with a V12 or V8 engine, this now dust-free vintage example has a V16 engine hidden inside.

The current BMW 7 Series, which debuted two years ago, is available in Europe with a maximum 3.0-litre turbo six-cylinder engine, while the top model 760i with the 544bhp V8 is only sold abroad.

The previous model was also equipped with a 6.6-litre twin-turbo V12 petrol engine, and the M760Li, which we thoroughly tested, was initially produced with 610bhp, and later with 585bhp.

It is no secret that the Bavarian manufacturer has also experimented with a V16 engine before, a very powerful engine that appeared in the E32 767iL Goldfish series that debuted in 1987.

A new V16 7-series model, which had been hidden until now, has emerged from the BMW warehouse:

The car shown in the attached photos was manufactured in 1990 and is one of the developmental prototypes of the E38 series, which debuted only a few years later.

The car's 6.6-liter gasoline V12 engine, which has an exotic mix of E32 and E38 characteristics, transfers its 348 horsepower to the rear wheels through a five-speed automatic transmission.

For comparison, the 5-liter V12 of the top model 750i at the time produced 300 horsepower.

The earlier V16 prototype is more powerful, specifically at 408bhp, but it produced so much heat that strange air intakes had to be placed above its rear wheels.