Nope, this thing really does have a V12. One of 6.6-litres, twin-turbochargers and 602bhp and 590lb ft. Basically the same engine you get in a Rolls Royce Ghost. It is brilliantly, unarguably and brazenly superfluous. BMW M760iL – iL for ‘incredibly long’, no doubt , we welcome, everyone to the most powerful BMW production car of all time.And you might think that, what with it weighing as much as a small moon and being roughly the size of one too, that for all its cylinders, turbochargers and driven wheels (all four of them, incidentally), the M760 isn’t actually that quick. Well you would be wrong. It accelerates from 0-62mph in 3.7 seconds (yes, three) and won’t stop until you get to nigh-on 190mph!

But happily, things don’t fall to pieces when you get to a corner. Because the 760 is LWB-only you’re dealing with much mass and length (5.2-metres and 2.2 tonnes), but all-wheel steering means it corners purposefully and quickly. xDrive grip helps here. It’s not ‘fun’ to drive down a winding road in the traditional sense, but there’s certainly something to be said about having so many readily and easily deployable horsepowers beneath your right foot. 

The gearbox is the same eight-speed auto you get on regular 7 Series, and it handles the power/torque just fine. There’s the odd thunk at town-speed, but for the most parts shifts are smooth and incisive.