E38 & W140 | The Price of a Corolla

VIDEO – A Mercedes W140 and a BMW 7‑Series E38 with V12 Engines Bought for Less Than a New Corolla Recall the Quality of the Past

Modern cars are increasingly high-tech, with flashy design touches, ambient lighting, and interior screens aimed at eliciting wow‑factor reactions. Yet many of us feel that with each new generation, manufacturers are sacrificing genuine engineering substance. They use smaller engines paired with big turbochargers or electric assist modules to improve acceleration numbers at the cost of additional weight. Suspensions are simpler, parts often designed to last just over 100,000 km—trends vary across brands and models, but they sketch a clear direction. That's what the team from Canada's Throttle House felt too, and they wanted to revisit an almost-forgotten sensation: uncompromised engineering.

So they acquired two icons: a Mercedes S600L (W140) and a BMW 750iL (E38), both powered by massive V12 engines. The irony? As used cars in good condition, the combined price of the pair was less than a brand new Toyota Corolla.

The hosts were so smitten with these vehicles that they noted the BMW's V12 is closely related to the unit used in the McLaren F1. Meanwhile, the Mercedes' V12 also served under the hoods of the Pagani Zonda and Maybach models.

The Mercedes exudes elegance and class thanks to countless small tech details and clever interior features—engineers anticipated every conceivable scenario beyond the essentials. In such a car, it's clear they thought of everything, even things you wouldn't have considered.

The BMW, by contrast, brought a different personality: sportier, firmer, slightly more aggressive, just how a BMW should feel. Its exterior design isn't opulent through numerous details, but instead through clean lines and surfaces with inspired design and impeccable proportion.

Next to these masterpieces, today's Mercedes EQS or Maybach models can seem garish in their over-the-top luxury, according to the Canadians.

After driving through Toronto's traffic and grabbing food at a traditional market, the hosts tested the cars as high-end transports by arranging to meet two Canadian celebrities at the airport.

Even the celebs were impressed with these nearly 30-year-old classics, despite showing a bit of wear here and there. And to be fair, we can only wonder what a modern S-Class might look like in 32 years—say, around 2056.

Their tour had a couple of hiccups: the BMW's Alpina wheels ended up on a flat tire, and thieves broke into their pickup's bed and stole filming gear. But despite that, the experience clearly reminded them how fundamentally solid these cars were in their day.

You can see the full story in the video below.

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