Welcome to The Shadowchaser E38 M7 Project. This page is a work in progress that will chronicle my journey to build the ultimate BMW 7 series. I currently drive a silver on black 95 E38 740I.

The pages within this site are here to describe how this car is to be built and give an idea of what the finished product will look like. Alot of these pictures are of a prtotype M7 kit Hamann created. I have attached an archive of these pictures on page 2. While I do like the front bumper of the car, I am not crazy about the other components. My desire is to make it more subtle and closer to the understated beauty of the current E39 M5.

For More Details Please see: The Definitive Guide To The Vision MotorSport M7 Appearance Package

Ladies and Gentlemen I give you Christabella.

The Shadowchaser E38 M7 Project

The Front



As you can see in the above pictures this 7 series has the M-technic front bumper. This is the look I am striving to achieve. Since the bumper you see in the picture is a "one-off" by Hamann, I will be custom fabricating my own. I will be making additional bumpers available for those interested. More details can be found on page 5 of this site. I want the car to be aggressive however, it must possess a subtle sophistication with a balance between grace, beauty, and power. Like the pictures above you will see the clear lights and european license plate frame in the front of the car. Modifications you don't see in the pictures above will include 6000k HID Angel Eyes, high/low/fog beams with 6000k HID lamps, and a special custom headlamp assembly which is a hybrid of the current 2003 euro-spec E39 headlamps and the E38 headlamps which I will be creating as well. The car will also be lowered with an H&R stage II setup. The strut will also be upgraded to bilsteins all the way around. The brakes will also be upgradded with new Brembo cross drilled rotors, calipers, pads, & SS brakelines. With large power increases the most overlooked spot is usually the brakes. That is not so here.

The 5 series you see above is here to show the M-Technic splitter that will be installed into the lower bumper of the M7. The splitter, which can be seen directly below the european license plate, adds a sporty aggressive look and is functional as it redirects incoming air to brake ducts thereby cooling your brakes.

The Side

Modifications to the side of this vehicle will include clear side markers and a custom M-technic folding mirror. Adapted from the current M5 it will retain all functions and work exactly like the one in the M5. I am not sure who made the videos you see below, but I would like to extend a very special thanks to them.

Mirror Video 1
Mirror Video 2

The Rear


The rear of the car will have the 01' red/clear taillamps and the exhaust setup you see pictured above. The Eisenmann dual catback racing exhaust will be installed with a set of quad round chrome tips showing out of the back of the rear valance. Though the exhaust is classified as race it is not an obnoxiously loud sound. It gives the car a commanding presence when given full throttle, however it gives a low growl at idle. I would also like the euro-spec trunk lid with the wide license plate area as shown above. I think it adds a bit of individuality and it looks very trick too.

The Rims

The wheels you see above are the BMW factory 19" E65 rims. Shown above is Robert Levinson's Project X 6-Speed 750IL. Rob is the owner of UUC Motorsports and was one of the first to put these rims to this car. He is the first to have a 6-speed conversion on an E38 750il. A very special thanks to Rob for these pictures of his beautiful car.

The Interior

The above pictures are of the Black/Silverstone leather interior offered on the E39 M5. The M7 will have a custom interior very siniliar to the one shown above. Instead of aluminum trim, the stock E38 trim will be powdercoated in a metalic silver to accent the two tone interior.

The BMW S62 V8/Getrag S6S420 Engine/Transmission Transplant

To create a true M7 I believe the M heritage/bloodline should be reflected. By installing the S62 E39 M5 Engine & Getrag S6S420 6-Speed Transmission into the E38 chassis, you can confidently say your car would be the closest thing to what the Motorsports division of BMW would build if they did it themselves. Below is an example of what would be required for this project. Thanks to Rennwerks for the pics seen below.

RMS Stage IV S62 Supercharger Upgrade



As you can see above this will be a very pretty install. Custom carbon fiber abounds in the engine compartment. This install is not only pretty though, it is highly functional. With a whopping 615hp at the crank this is without a doubt the heart of a very serious competitor. Special thanks to Race Marque Systems (RMS), Race Tuned Imports (RTI), and most of all our friend from Bahrain, Abdullah whose car you see in the pics and videos.

Dyno Run 1
Dyno Run 2

SMG II

Sometime in the not too distant future I would like to experiment with customizing my M7 with the latest in transmission technology. I believe it would be a fantastic addition to an already unique piece of machinery.

The second generation Sequential M Gearbox identical externally to the standard Getrag S6S420 six-speed manual transmission. The self-shifting transmission comprises a different shift lever and gate, a paddle behind each side of the steering wheel - and no clutch pedal. One of the few true sequential manual transmissions available today, unlike the plethora of semi-automatic transmissions on offer, SMG takes full control of clutch operation and provides full-throttle upshifting (via the right-hand paddle or by pushing the gearlever forward) and seamless downshifting (via the left-hand paddle or by pulling the gearlever backwards). Apart from greatly improved shift times, SMGII is also vastly improved in the area of shift quality and offers six different shift programs: from a slow but smooth-shifting fully automatic mode through to more abrupt but super-quick shifting sports modes. There is even a launch control mode, called "acceleration assistant", which provides blisteringly quick automated take-offs at full throttle.

Below you will find some technical pictures to help you understand what it is. The link below is very informative. After the intro, click on downloads and then click on the film icon. There you will find several videos that explain in much more detail. Make sure you have a high bandwith connection.

Click here for SMG II explanation

SMG Drivelogic overview of control units shown above.
1.Drivelogic Control
2.Selector lever sensor system
3.Shift paddles
4.Accelerator module
5.Pressure and temperature sensor -hydraulic unit
6.Travel sensor clutch
7.Position sensor for gate travel
8.Gearbox primary shaft speed
9.Gearbox temperature
10.Hood contacts
11.Longitudinal acceleration sensor
12.Engine control unit (ECU)
13.SMG Drivelogic control unit