This is a BMW M70 V12 engine from 1988. This was BMW’s first production V12 engine and a version of it, named the BMW S70/2, would power the legendary McLaren F1 supercar.
The M70 was an advanced engine for the time, with an alloy block and heads, a single overhead cam per bank, throttle by wire, dual ECUs, and twin fuel pumps, distributors, mass air flow sensors, crankshaft position sensors, throttle bodies, and coolant temperature sensors to provide ample redundancy.
The BMW M70 V12 essentially operates as two straight-sixes, and it can run with one bank of cylinders not functioning thanks to its dual ECUs, and twin fuel pumps, distributors, mass air flow sensors, crankshaft position sensors, throttle bodies, and coolant temperature sensors.
The M70 V12 has been compared with the earlier 2.5 liter BMW M20 straight-six engine as each bank of cylinder shares the same bore, stroke, compression ratio, single overhead camshaft valvetrain, and the combined displacement is exactly double at 5.0 liters.
Unlike many V12s developed by exotic automakers, the M70 wasn’t originally intended to be fitted to a supercar at all. It was designed for use in luxury four-door sedans like the BMW 750i/750iL (E32). It would later be fitted to the luxury two-door BMW 850i/850Ci (E31) grand tourer, and a version of the engine would power the Alpina B12, and the BMW Nazca M12 and Nazca C2 concept cars.
Later versions of the engine, in highly modified form, would power the BMW V12 LM and BMW V12 LMR racing cars, the BMW X5 LM concept car, and as noted above, the McLaren F1 supercar – including the McLaren F1 GTR which took overall victory at the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Perhaps the engine’s saddest claim to fame is that it was factory-fitted in the black BMW 750iL that Tupac Shakur and Death Row Records CEO Suge Knight were shot and killed in 1996.
The BMW M70 V12 Shown Here
The engine you see here is a BMW M70 V12 that was originally installed in a 1988 BMW 750 iL, and the listing notes that it would be forward compatible with later years of the same model from 1988 through to 1994, though any prospective buyer would want to verify this independently.
The M70 V12 wasn’t without its issues, many owners will warn you about aging wiring causing electrical gremlins, but this is true on a vast array of cars from this era and earlier. It’s also worth keeping a close eye on the cooling system, the timing chains, and the fuel system for issues that couldn’t leave you stranded.
This engine is said to have been removed in running condition from a 1988 750 iL with 126,000 miles on the clock, so it would be wise to budget for a full rebuild before installing it into the car you’re buying it for.
This is the car the engine was sourced from, it apparently has 126,000 miles on it and as a result, the engine should really be rebuilt before it’s put into another vehicle.
It’s now being sold on eBay out of Rancho Cordova, California with an asking price of $1,326 USD, making it the cheapest running V12 engine for sale (that we’ve been able to find) in the country right now.
If you’d like to read more, visit the listing, or enquire about buying it you’ll find it here.
Images courtesy of Yota Auto Parts
Articles that Ben has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
