by A true rarity has been spotted on Ukrainian roads – a 1979 BMW 728 in an E23 body with Chernivtsi license plates. This is the first generation of the 7 Series, which today is extremely rare to find in such condition not only in Ukraine but also in Europe as a whole.
The BMW E23 was produced from 1977 to 1986, and it was with this model that the history of BMW’s flagship sedans in the modern sense essentially began. The 728 version is equipped with an inline carburetor six-cylinder engine with a displacement of 2.8 liters and an output of 170 horsepower – an old-school motor valued not for dry numbers but for its character, smoothness, and the feel of a true BMW. It is paired with a 4-speed manual transmission.
This specific example looks as if it has just left the dealership, not having lived for several decades. The condition of the body, chrome, optics, and interior strongly hints at a complex and clearly expensive restoration path. No modernization, no tuning, no experiments – everything is maximally authentic, in the spirit of the late 70s and early 80s.
The thing is, the car was used extremely little. It also has an interesting history. As Focus writes, the BMW 728 belonged to Ivan Kadenyuk – the cousin of the first Ukrainian cosmonaut, Leonid Kadenyuk. He served in the GDR and purchased this car used after the reunification of Germany, and before that, it served the Bundeswehr academy in Hamburg. Of course, Leonid Kadenyuk also sometimes drove this BMW.
It is noteworthy that the BMW 7 Series drove under its own power from Chernivtsi to Kyiv. The new owner began restoring the car, and it is now preserved in the capital’s “Wheels of History” museum, where anyone interested can see it.
Against the backdrop of modern BMW 7 Series with giant screens and aggressive design, the E23 looks calm, restrained, and very engineering-focused. It seems that this is precisely why it is valued today more than ever.
