This does everything right that the newest BMWs do wrong.

Used to prep these back in the day at BMW. Air con was an extra,the 735 se had it as standard.We used to retrofit Diavia systems for the princely sum of two grand! Even the radio and speakers were extra,spent about half a day doing pdi 's on these compared to an hour today.But your money went on the quality of the build and those carpets and that M30 is still one of the best ever made.Regulary picked up a red 735 se for servicing, last time it had 280,000 miles on it but you would never know,apart from the stone chips on the front.With the E34 E32 E39 E38 they were hands down the best cars on the road.

Totally agree with you about this era of Beemers. The whole range peaked in class during the mid 80's I think ☺

This was BMW at it's finest. Later models steadily lost the plot until we arrived at today's over complicated and sinfully ugly junk cars that depreciate faster than they accelerate. Oh how I miss the 1980s.

The days when you could get a manual gearbox in an executive car

One of the most beautiful luxury saloons ever made! credit must be given to Ercole Spada and Claus Luthe. After the third generation E38, I think myself and many other enthusiasts believe that the 7 series has lost its essence and elegance. I think today's BMW designers should go back to basics and take inspiration from E32 & E38.

Really enjoyed the video 👍. This car was for sale when I was looking for an e32 a few years ago. It was tempting given the manual gearbox, but I really wanted air conditioning. Ended up getting a 730i SE with the automatic gearbox. Not as fun to drive but way better equipped with leather, electric seats, computer etc. Been my daily driver for 3 years and once I took care of some deferred maintenance has been totally reliable. Took it on holiday to Switzerland last summer which was a lot of fun. Just a really solid, special feeling car.

Those thick sidewall tyres look so good, and must make the ride incredibly comfortable! In modern cars you often see these rubber bands for tyres; not only does it look silly, but the ride must be atrocious!

I owned a 735ise back in the mid 90's and it was a factory de-chromed version in black with chrome kidney grill, it looked and drove beautifully and still even now all these years later is one of the best cars I have ever owned, def BMW at their legendary best. Great video review, thank you.

Nice to see a e32 they seem abit for forgotten sadly I have a 1988 e32 730iSE shadow line they are lovely car to drive mine has been in our family since nearly new was my grandfathers then my dads and now mine for last 5 years :)

Remember seeing these in the late 80’s they were light years ahead of everything else in terms of looks and finish.

I love how low-spec this thing is! I don’t think it has ac, because I have an e34 with a manual climate control unit, and it has a little button with a light for ac. no on-board computer either, or multi-function display in the gauge cluster. In the US they all has electric seats and leather too, so this is a unicorn to me.

I too had a '87, but it was the 3.5 with full-spec, even a velvet interior, which was between the velour and the leather, as an option. 5-speed manual. I took her twice to 240 kmh and I remember that the tourque at idle was enough to climb a curb using only the clutch. Kept her 5 years and despite the foibles (electronics and head gasket) she remains the car that perhaps I remember most fondly. Thank you for the vid!

I had a 735il ex BBC and my Dad had numerous in the 80's BMW stereos were either Blaupunkt or Sony but they would also fit others. I remember they had one of those headunit stands with the push buttons in the showrooms to test the headunits. Think that grille on the dash if I remember is fresh air hence the vent switch. Prob didn't have AC as that is a Poverty Spec car and even then Radio was an extra early on. The AC units were a push button thing of beauty. Mine had electric memory seats electric reclining in the rear. Electric blinds and picnic trays. BMW seatbelts always went the other way certainly upto the 90's. Wipers designed to pool water in heavy rain to self clean. The big Six Cylindet BMW's with a manual box were always a bit notchy 1st to 2nd even the M cars heavy truck like change but strong and accurate. I remember the total closure alarm where holding the key in the close position or holding the lock button would close all windows and doors being like witchcraft.

My dad has a 92 740i, black with black leather interior and BBS RS wheels. I think the E32 is one of the best looking BMWs. I got to ride to kindergarden in the back of it and now I actually get to drive it myself! It is the best car I’ve driven, everything about it is ideal.

I've had two E32's both 740i. Wish I'd kept one. Half a herd of cattle supplied the leather, heated front seats, not the best AC in the World but the best toy ever was the cruise control... They were one of those cars that the harder you pushed them the better they handled. But the fuel consumption though, oh dear does not do it justice. Both of mine would pass almost anything on the road, except a service station. The second one had the speed limiter bypassed and it was a little worrying to watch the speedo pass 160 on the Autobahn and keep going (I was running late to get back into the low countries to get my ferry back to the UK. Like all German Engineering she had no issue at all passing through Belgium and France........

The best BMW ever produced. BMW have gone so wrong these days

When luxury meant engineering excellence, craftsmanship, quality and comfort. Something pretty much all so called modern luxury cars fail at. The only company that's really continued the old philosophy is Lexus, but even they are now starting to add the bling. Sad.

In the days back when I was working for a BMW dealer, this was my favourte 7 series (of course with automatic, AC and heated leather seats). It was the most cultivated 7, when starting the engine you didn't even notice that it was running (smoother than the V12 due to much less mechanical parts running). The V12 always had this mighty basic grumbling (here I am, I'm a big engine) and obviously the sheer power. The 730 IL6 was much more subtle, maybe more refined. Of course it was less powerful, but for a nice and smooth ride, the 730 6cylinder was my choice. And btw these cars had definitely a sweet soft ride comfort (you can't get it today, they are all so hard...).

I had one of these and drove it around London,great fun. My favourite trip was Paddington to Docklands at 01.00 in the morning. The standard sunroof was metal,so there was no retractable screen,that only came with a glass sunroof which was an optional expense. What I loved about the wiper system was that if they were on standard,and you stopped at traffic lights or a junction,they automatically switched to intermittent. It was also the first car I ever owned that would give you a frost warning,plus other information on the lcd display at the bottom of the instrument panel.

I’ve Always been intrigued by older cars but, the more I watch this channel the more I want to buy a Older New Car. I almost forgot these came in manual! This was the Golden Era for Vehicles!☺️

1987.... Back when owning a BMW was something to aspire to and set you apart from the crowd. The E32 and E34 that followed are models of tasteful restraint, subtle elegance, excellent build quality and reliability. You would struggle to apply any of those statements to BMWs of today. It is interesting to see a review of a "basic" E32 with velour seats, manual box and few options. It must seem incredibly basic by today's standards, but it also makes you wonder how many of these electronic gadgets and gimmicks in modern cars do we actually need. I personally find this a much more likable car than the current 7-Series, which has become a bloated caricature of its former self.

This one of the most base spec e32 I've ever seen pretty I think Mr hubnut would approve!

I used to own an 88 735, sold it when the heater broke and stuck on full on. Still have sellers remorse for this car. I had both the Dinan engine and transmission chip as well as a Dinan exhaust. Love how it drove.

My grans sister & husband bought a 730i new in 1990. Light metallic blue, blue leather, auto, climate control and no radio. Nice and smooth car

What a beautiful model. You don’t see many with no leather. I had a D reg 735i back when I was 19 (17 years ago). I have such a love for the e32, when my dad had a few year old Alpina b12 750 back in the day. It was perfection. It would of scored even better on the tea shelf score, as it had picnic tables and in front of the fridge you had had space for 6 more mugs lol

As an owner of a 1990 750iL, 525i and 535i, I like this! US cars had many more options - all leather, in the 7 Series, reclining and heated rear seats, heated outside mirrors and steering wheel (mind you, this was the 750iL). The 5 Series, still all leather, dual AC (like the 7) many other items, I suppose, only for the US model? Still, I've always wanted a short wheel base 7 series but they are hard to come by in the US. Love the vid! :)

Oh, yes. A BM from the days when they really were the ultimate driving machine - and what a beaut. Cheers, Matt. Have a great weekend.

That’s brought some memories back - I had the 735i and would have it again if i found it and it came up for sale - great video!

I love the E32. It was my first car back in 2001, a 1990 735iL. I now have a 2017 740i.

Lunchtime viewing sorted, that's a real BM of my era...

Morning Matt! Great video! Hat and stickers arrived in Hungary with me yesterday! Very Happy! Thanks again :)

Owned one years ago, never failed a single MOT, only ever cost me fuel, brake pads, tyres and the odd bulb, great motorway cruiser

Love the 80s!!! Very interesing that the E30 is really an E32 scaled down to a smaller size. I'm not a BMW person by any means (I always use turn signals), though I do have a fondness for the E30. The exterior on this isn't as attractive to my eyes, but I do like the interior. And of course, I am sure that it is enjoyable to DRIVE. As to drink tea or any other beverage of choice, this American bristles at the thought of consuming any food in a vehicle. I thought cupholders were an American invention, but FD, I swear that you must get a royalty on each tea shelf or cup holder built into each car. But to each his own, and if your "tea shelf" is my "coin holder" or "phone receptacle", we can both agree on this point! All kidding aside, always a fantastic and informative presentation ....and to present this in Central London without skipping a beat due to random passersby, I salute you! (PS...yes, that little compartment between the driver's door and steering wheel reminds me of my 1980s Honda Civic, and I stored my license in there for any traffic stops....that only happened once due to a headlamp failure.)

Great video! Wish we'd gotten these with manuals here in the states. When you started talking about "tea shelves" it all sounded like gibberish to me and gave me a laugh once I finally realized what you were talking about.

Loved these and owned a couple of them a few years ago. Brilliant car with understated looks. the V12 came in '87 (first post war German car with a v12) and the V8's replaced the "sixes" in '92. My late '93 car had double glazing windows and rear ultrasonic parking sensors, a first! In Portugal, cars would be manual by default and Autos would be an optional extra, except on the V12. That car would be a "poverty spec" with no aircon and the analog clock instead of the on board computer. Absolutely spot on with the pedals/steering weight. Great review as always!

My daily drive is a Fiat Bravo HGT (or an Abarth 500). The indy mechanic who looks after the Bravo mainly services BMWs. Dropped the Fiat for a service and while organizing a loan car he asked, "Do you have to parallel park at work?". Answering No meant I got a 730i like this (same colour even) as the loaner*. Quite a change from the usual old 3 series typically on offer. Concur with your comments regarding control weights, it was an auto but everything felt heavy in comparison to the Italians! * Apparently some customers commented it was difficult to park!

This video brought me memories from my '88 E30. I miss that car. It would be nice to see a video of one of those, particularly the 318i with the M40 engine. Nice video again!

When *W's* were cool, stylish, elegant and pretty much more reliable than today.

BMW were really in touch with their consumers. A nice big tea shelf for the UK or a nice big tray for chicken nuggets and two kinds of dipping sauce for the US market. Brilliant! 🐓

Understated elegance - beautiful looking car. How the BMW brass could sign off on Chris Bangle's nightmares, I do not know.

I had one of these, H reg, with the 3.5litre engine. I loved it. Still have the booklet presentation for the build of the e32. These 2 books were given to the first 50 owners of the 750il. My dad gave the books to me I think back in '88, the photography and story is excellent. When BMW built cars back then they were fantastic and special.

Wonderful car. I would have one of them over the current 7 series anyday.

I must say that here in the US we received the 735i and the 750iL, the later was the LWB V12. I do not remember if the model had the V8 during its production run, I do remember the next incantation did. BMW was known for its controlled ride, and certainly its sports like handling, for accident avoidance. All US models came with leather seating with full power controls and electronic climate control. As well as the trip computer. And the steering wheel was thickly padded, most likely for US safety regulations. A great review Matt, thank you!

Great video. I wanted one in the 80s, and I want one again!

All these years later,you can still see the quality shine through from the design and materials.

Great review. I remember a friend of mine had one 25 yrs ago. Nice long distance cruiser.

Apart from the headlining the interior looks absolutely immaculate!

Had one of these at the back end of the 90s it had obviously seen a hard life before I got it but still went well, mine was a auto as I stopped buying manuals decades ago (I was a truck driver and I did enough gear stick swinging during the day but I got paid to do that I saw no reason to do it for free) it was probably even more comfortable than my previous Granada 2.8i ghia x estate which I kept for 14 years

Lovely example. I have a 1986 e23 so interesting to compare.

Still looks very fresh today, wonderful balance between design and engineering, I do miss blue interiors! When I worked at a Jaguar dealership in the 90s we never got these p/x'd however S Classes were

Nice video, thank you. I learned something about tea shelves 😊 But the door air ducts was also on the VW deluxe bus from 1968, so not really a new invention in 1986.

Speed Sensitive Wiper Force, Wow! I was attending a wedding around 1986/87. At the time Wedding cars would be mainly Sheerline Princesses, Daimler Limos, Silver Shadows, W123s or Coach built Grovener Granadas. This wedding had 2 brand new black 730i s and I remember thinking how magnificent they looked, stately and the height of technology at the same time. Still look amazing today.

A wonderful example of this classic, eye catching design. Peak BMW and timeless.

Gorgeous, the E32 was always my favourite 7 series. Was thinking maybe the viscous fan coupling is seized as you shouldnt really hear it whirring like that all the time. Maybe it was on as it was a hot day and in town traffic but I suspect its faulty. Great vid thanks.

I love the exterior look of this era of 7 series, think they look super understated and extremely classy. I almost bought an F reg 730 in 2002, but just didn't gel with the interior. Nothing I could particularly put my finger on, just didn't feel it lived up to the exterior. Bought a W126 S-class of the same year instead and went on to own 3 more of them. The BMW might surpass for the driving experience, but the interior was way short of W126 standard in my opinion. This is a gorgeous example though and thanks for the informative video, love the fact about the pressure sensing wipers.

I adore these cars! My dad had a dark blue 730i manual back in the day. Always wanted to get one of these and drop in a torquey BMW 4.8 V8 & 'box etc. whilst keepng the orignal looks.

I could not agree with you more on the underratedness of this E32 and your E39 episodes .. what great cars these were!

One of my favorite cars!! Even though I am, in general, not into BMW's that much ... especially not into the current ones which are horrible to look at. But these 7 series E32 and also the 5 series E34 are absolute marvels. Engine, design, interior, ride, comfort ... they just got it totally right!!

One of the most beautiful luxury saloons ever made!

I owned the 750iL back in early 90s.. only in 2020 I learned “tea shelves” 😂 I vaguely remember mine had the sport suspension setting next to the gear selector.. great review!! Thank you for bringing my down memory lane 😉 👍🏻

"Suits you Sir!" Great video, thanks Matt.

That does not look like a car from the 80s! No wonder they were considered 'posh' in those days. Obviously very well looked after this one too it's in great condition.

This was the first car I ever bought with my money. It was a 1.000€ car that was destined to be forgotten. Owned it for two happy years and proudly gave it a second lease of life. There was not a single time it didn't impress me with its quality. There is so little chance the current BMW's will be anything close to what my car was in 30 years time. Proper quality product, comfy cruiser and bargain classic. Can't recommend it enough.

Hi Matt,what a awesome car,the sound when you put your foot down sounds nice,in the time these seem built strong.

I sold a lot of these cars in the late 80's. Never had one back for warranty work. Nice old boats.

Love these old bmws and mercs from this era

Lovely Jubbly video, a car from when luxury cars were bought by Gentlemen and Business owners or leaders. This particular car has worn its miles incredibly well.

You are surprised of The lack of electrical equipment, its a 730, almost no extra in the cheapest model. Great video👍👍

This was my dream car - if i had the money i'd love to rescue one. I have a 750Li now but, i'd still love one of these... the 80s, great days.

One of the best looking BMWs ever. All down hill from there, in quality too. Shame.

Great video! I had the absolute pleasure to own this car before the current owner. So clean and simple. Had some great trips, perfect luxury cruiser if you're not in a rush ;)

Beautiful example! One of my most favourites. Very classy and functional inside and out. A real gentleman's car. If only we could buy something today with the same level of class.

Class car from BMW’s golden era. Great video as always 😎

Great vid man...really enjoyed it...

As it was hot, I'm surprised you didn't demonstrate or use the sunroof - I love the electric tilt/slidesunroof on my Vauxhall Omega Elite, a feature standard or optional on so many cars but no manufacturers fit this type any more ! Personally, although the style of this car is nice and restrained, I fi d it a bit of a Plain Jane compared with the 'sharknose' E28 5-Series of the same period, the only BMW I would ever want to own.

This is my favorite BMW era. I simply love the E28, 32, 34 and 36 with their simple, sharp and perfectly proportioned design. They have aged (at least in terms of how they look) gracefully.

I have one of these. But with the 3 liter V8 and with a bit more posh trim. Love it.

Simply stunning. A beautifully kept example, well done to the owner. And thanks Matt.

Top tip: If you drive north of Muswell Hill for a few minutes, you can park right next to the N Circular for some real drowning traffic noise

love the chrome, rubber, body color combo bumper. so classy.

One of the best looking BMWs ever. Really classy and elegant.

the grille in the middle is actually an airvent. It provides a sort of ambient cooling or heating. And if there isnt the little button with the snowflake there isnt AC :)

It's a great classic. Wish people would stop moaning at the newer BMs they're just as good made for 2020. The only thing I'd say is if all manufacturers would remake these models with today's tech without changing it too much.

A manual in a 7 series! WTF! Didn't think they existed! Beautiful interior. I'd never have one though. The 7 series just seemed too big; particularly aft of the C pillar. Just looks weird. A "sushi bar"! Hilarious! Great review as always.

And this is a video properly made that this classic vehicle fully deserves 👌

i got a 92 730i and its so cool to see how simmilar yet diffrent. mine come with a airbag and arm rest. and instead of the analog clock i have a driving computer

I drive the longer and slightly more powerful 735iL, a 1992 model year. It's a wonderful car, I wouldn't trade it for anything new. Great video, thanks for letting the world know about the E32, which is often overshadowed by the smaller, more dynamic E34.

That’s a nice Beemer, I like the 7 series in particular, I’m sure it holds a nice presence on the road. I think the E39 5 series is my favourite though, good looking car despite the one I owned being a unreliable disaster! Great vid once again Matt, thanks.👍

Very, very nice, sir! I like it. Shame that you were restricted to quite slow speeds on your test drive near Alexandra Palace.

Nice car, a lot like the e34s I had. Couple of things which have probably been pointed out already. There's no AC on this car it would have its own button, its not a speaker in the centre of the dash its an air vent, and electric seats would have been an option. Couple of interesting points; the switch on the alarm indicator light is to enable/disable closure of the windows with the alarm activation, and the intermittent wiper speed is set by the amount of time between turning the wipers off and on again.

Such a nice design these 1980s BMWs. Note how the two rear air vents has just one rotary control (a bit of a Doug DeMuro observation! ). The 730i was base model so it probably didn't have air con as standard.

I think there was some reasoning for the rear seat belts being done this way in the brochure - the idea was that in a crash, having the rear seat belts this way would prevent the two rear-seat passengers banging heads in the middle of the car! Brilliant video, makes me miss mine 🙁 though it was a bitch to park and terrible on fuel!

Absolute elegance👍🇩🇪 Looking at the front end of a modern BMW, one cant help wonder what went wrong...😳

Umm..the V12 was offered immediately in the E32. It wasn't a late addition like the V8s were. Great video and enthusiasm, though! You mirror how I feel about my '93 740i. It's the perfect all around car with plenty of power and great fuel economy, easy to work on and a timeless design.

As always very enjoyable post 👍

Amazing how spartan these German cars were in terms of equipment regardless of the fact it was the late 80's. I remember the 3 series of this era didn't even come with a stereo as standard. Hardly anything was standard equipment.

Made the mercedes W126 look like a dinosaur when this was released in 86 D reg. Waaay ahead of its time.They had retracting bumpers which absorbed impacts of up to 15 kmh! Btw Matt not all luxury cars had A/C but it was approx a £1000-£1500 option on the 7 and S class! (ex. 560 + 750iL where it was standard).

Congrats on 30k subs Matt!! 🥳🥳

Really enjoyed this video, perfect car to go wafting about London. Really do like the BM's from this era