BMW automotive engine families listed as M70, S70. Specifications below retain the source's separate family and variant labels.
Family specifications
BMW M70 engine
| Field | Reported value |
|---|---|
| Production | 1987–1994 |
| Configuration | 60° V12 |
| Displacement | 5.0 L (4,988 cc) |
| Cylinder bore | 84 mm (3.31 in) |
| Piston stroke | 75 mm (2.95 in) |
| Cylinder block material | Aluminium |
| Cylinder head material | Aluminium |
| Valvetrain | SOHC |
| Fuel type | Petrol |
| Power output | 220 kW (295 hp) |
| Torque output | 450 N⋅m (332 lb⋅ft) |
| Predecessor | None |
| Successor | BMW M73 |
BMW S70 engine
| Field | Reported value |
|---|---|
| Production | 1992–2000 |
| Configuration | 60° V12 |
| Displacement | 5.6 L (5,576 cc) 6.1 L (6,064 cc) 6.0 L (5,990 cc) |
| Cylinder bore | 86 mm (3.39 in) |
| Piston stroke | 80 mm (3.15 in) 87 mm (3.43 in) 85.9 mm (3.38 in) |
| Cylinder block material | Aluminium |
| Cylinder head material | Aluminium |
| Valvetrain | DOHC , with VVT |
| Compression ratio | 11:1 |
| Fuel type | Petrol |
| Cooling system | Water-cooled |
| Power output | 280–500 kW (375–671 hp) |
| Torque output | 550–705 N⋅m (406–520 lb⋅ft) |
| Dry weight | 265 kg (584 lb) |
| Predecessor | None |
| Successor | None |
Variant specifications
Versions
| Version | Displacement | Power | Torque | Redline | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M70B50 | 4,988 cc (304.4 cu in) | 220 kW (295 hp) at 5,200 rpm | 450 N⋅m (332 lb⋅ft) at 4,100 rpm | 6,000 | 1987–1994 |
| S70B56 | 5,576 cc (340.3 cu in) | 280 kW (375 hp) at 5,300 rpm | 550 N⋅m (406 lb⋅ft) at 4,000 rpm | 6,400 | 1992–1996 |
| S70/2 | 6,064 cc (370.0 cu in) | 461 kW (618 hp) at 7,400 rpm | 617 or 651 N⋅m (455 or 480 lb⋅ft) at 6,700 rpm | 7,500 | 1993–1998 |
| S70/3 | 5,990 cc (365.5 cu in) | 467 kW (626 hp) at 6,500 rpm | 670 N⋅m (494 lb⋅ft) at 4,500 rpm | 8,000 | 1998–2000 |
Recorded vehicle applications
M70B50
- 1987–1994 E32 750i/750iL – this was mated primarily to an automatic ZF 4HP24 transmission
- 1989–1994 E31 850i/850Ci – this was mated to either the automatic ZF 4HP24 transmission or the optional Getrag 560G
- 1988 Alpina B12
- 1991 BMW Nazca M12
- 1992 BMW Nazca C2
S70B56
- 1992–1996 E31 850CSi
- 1993 BMW Nazca C2 Spider
- 2011 Simbol Design Lavazza GTX-R (twin-turbo version)
S70/2
- 1993–1998 McLaren F1
S70/3
- 1998–1999 BMW V12 LM racing car
- 1999–2000 BMW V12 LMR racing car
- 2000 BMW X5 LM concept car
BMW automotive engine directory
Design, development and variant notes
The M70 is a 60-degree SOHC V12 with an aluminium block, timing chain and two Bosch Motronic 1.3 control units, one for each bank. It also duplicates several fuel, ignition and air-metering components.
The S70B56 is an M70-related engine used in the 850CSi. The McLaren F1's S70/2 is a substantially different twin-cam, four-valve design with individual throttles, VANOS and dry-sump lubrication.
Data adapted from the cited Wikipedia revision by Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0. Production dates and fitments reflect that revision; verify the exact engine code, market and vehicle before applying a specification.
Sources
Curated reference notes. Applicability follows the cited sources; hardware testing by this wiki is not implied.
- Wikipedia: List of BMW engines. Wikipedia contributors; CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision oldid 1382309748; accessed 2026-11-10.
- Wikipedia: BMW M70. Wikipedia contributors; CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision oldid 1373603705; accessed 2026-11-10.
Further Wikipedia-sourced details
The following additional information is drawn from the cited Wikipedia revision by Wikipedia contributors, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. An open-ended date reflects the source snapshot, not confirmed current production or fitment.
Additional technical and variant notes
The M70 duplicates several systems by bank, including fuel pumps, fuel rails, distributors, air-mass meters, crank sensors and throttle bodies. The article gives 91 mm bore spacing and 8.8:1 compression for the M70 design.