BMW has finally released pictures of the 2009 7 series and it looks to be one of the most handsome luxury barges on the market today. While originally planned to drop on 7/7 (how appropriate), the slew of leaked spy photos has prompted BMW to release the info earlier.

The new 7 series will feature more gears than ever, with an 8 speed automatic transmission that has roughly the same dimensions as the old 6 speed transmission. Under the hood, the 7 series will either feature the 5.0 twin turbo V8 engine from the X6, a 3.0 inline 6, or a 3.0 Inline 6 diesel. A twin turbo V12 engine is rumored to be in the works, which will be put in the M version. Power will be put to the rear wheels on most models while X-Drive all wheel drive variants will be on sale down the line.

Performance figures with the twin turbo V8 are already out thanks to Road and Track. The 7 series gets to 60 miles per hour in just 4.8 seconds and has a quarter mile time of 13.3. Those numbers are seriously impressive; it looks like BMW has built a huge luxury tourer that will blow the doors off a number of sports cars in a straight line. No word yet on the handling yet but I would not put it past BMW to engineer a 4200 pound sedan to out step many smaller cars.

Of course, comfort comes first in this car and just LOOKING at the high resolution interior pictures of the interior makes me dream about melting into those cream colored leather seats. The aluminum center console shifter returns to the 7 series and looks as futuristic as ever. Leather or suede material covers the dash with perfect stitching that’s right in your face. I-Drive / Navigation screen is seamlessly integrated above the HVAC controls and this is all touched off with a subtle touch of dark grey colored wood trim.