First look: BMW M6 a colossal coupe

BMW has revealed one of its worst-kept secrets, the V10-powered M6 super-coupe. But the bad news is it’s still 12 months away from arriving Down Under.

Fresh from officially unveiling its next generation 3 Series sedan (due on sale here next year) after photographs from a sales brochure were leaked onto the internet, BMW has now revealed all about the M6 – the existence of which was considered a fait accompli.

BMW confirmed long ago that dropping the new M5’s 500-horsepower V10 into the engine bay of the 5 Series-based 6 Series was a relatively simple engineering feat – not to mention a logical marketing ploy.

Combining the 373kW/520Nm 5.0-litre V10 and its seven-speed SMGIII sequential manual transmission with the two-plus-two seater 6 Series coupe layout, M6 is BMW’s new coupe flagship to rival Mercedes-Benz’s $376,900, 368kW (supercharged V8) CL55 AMG and (V12) CL600.

While local M6 pricing has yet to be confirmed, expect a pricetag closer to that of its major rival than to either the limited-edition $203,000 645Ci coupe, the $220,000 645Ci convertible or the E60 M5, due on sale here next June at around $225,000.

BMW Australia says less than 30 examples will be made available in Australia by around late December, 2005.

Of course, central to M6 is the same high-revving 90-degree alloy V10 as found in M5 – complete with 8250rpm redline, 10 individual throttle bodies, twin-chamber stainless steel exhaust, 100hp-per litre specific output and bi-VANOS variable valve timing.

Also standard will be BMW’s third generation SMG, which claims to shift 20 per cent more quickly than before along with adding an extra ratio and providing a total of 11 gearshift programs (including a vastly improved fully automatic function and launch control) via its Drivelogic function.

Knocking a tenth of a second off the M5’s (conservative) official 0-100km/h acceleration time, M6 is claimed to be capable of sprinting to the national highway limit in 4.6 seconds on its way to reaching 200km/h in 14 seconds and an electronically-limited top speed of 250km/h.

Along with announcing the M6 lapped the Nurburgring’s famed Nordschleife circuit in a benchmark time, BMW pushes the M6’s marketing to new heights by making it clear its ungoverned top speed would be a legitimate 330km/h (205mph).

While the M5’s Variable M Differential lock is fitted, a lower centre of gravity, shorter 2781mm wheelbase and specific (firmer) suspension settings are claimed to make the 1710kg M6 even more agile than the four-door M sedan, which is 120kg heavier at 1830kg.

Like M5, M6 makes all this performance more accessible than ever, courtesy of a power button that defaults to peak power of 400hp but offers to 507hp when activated, a new generation Dynamic Stability Control system with two on-demand driving programs and Electronic Damper Control, which offers three suspension settings.

Aesthetically, M6 is differentiated by a bigger new front airdam that not only gives it a more aggressive face than that of the 645Ci coupe but, thanks in part to two secondary air inlets, also allows it to draw in around double the cooling charge.

While unique side sills, 19-inch forged aluminium wheels (saving 1.8kg per wheel), exclusive wing mirrors, a diffuser-style rear airdam and four tailpipes also set M6 apart, its biggest change from the 645Ci coupe is the first-ever carbon-fibre roof in series production.

Said to offer the same stability and crash safety properties as a steel roof while being lighter than aluminium, the carbon roof is a development of that employed by the limited-edition M3 CSL and is claimed to considerably lower the car’s kerb weight, centre of gravity and forces required to accelerate and decelerate.