M6 rag-top debuts at UK motor show
Fastest BMW convertible ever, reckons Munich
BMW M6 Convertible
Powered by the award-winning 5.0-litre V10 engine and using a host of F1-derived technology, the BMW M6 Convertible combines all the performance of the M6 Coupé but with added fresh air. The convertible goes on sale in the UK in September 2006. It becomes the first ever BMW to make a British Motor Show debut and it is the first time a BMW M version of a 6 Series Convertible has been built.
Oily bits
The M6's 507bhp powerplant powers the car from 0-62mph in 4.8 seconds before going on to an electronically limited top speed of 155mph. Unchecked, the car could continue to a top speed approaching 200mph.
Drive is via a seven-speed sequential manual gearbox with Drivelogic – the world’s first such transmission that has already seen service in the BMW M5 and the M6 Coupé. This offers a choice of 11 different gear change options – five in auto mode and six in manual mode – each offering a different speed of gear shift. In its fastest setting, the driver of an M6 Convertible can make gear changes in just 50 milliseconds – far faster than can be achieved by an experienced driver using a conventional manual gearbox.
Fuel consumption is 18.6mpg on the combined cycle and a CO2 emissions figure of 366g/km.
BMW’s variable M differential and DSC system control traction, the former permitting up to 100 per cent of drive forces to be fed to one rear wheel to optimise traction while the DSC system in optimum M Dynamic Mode permits a greater degree of wheel slip for even higher levels of performance.
It features bespoke 19-inch double spoke light alloy wheels shod with low profile tyres – 255/40 R19 at the front with 285/35 R19 at the rear. The front brake discs -- vented and drilled -- measure 374mm in diameter while the rears are 370mm.
Interior and bodywork
Inside, BMW provides a triple-layered hood for noise and heat insulation and, like other 6 Series Convertible models, a fin structure roof for a coupé-like silhouette. According to BMW, the hood contains a middle component of polyurethane (PUR) foam and gives the car near-identical standards of acoustics and thermal insulation as a fixed-head coupé. It allows 300 litres of luggage capacity in the boot with the roof down and 350 litres roof-up.
The front wings are made of thermoplastic, lighter than aluminium but flexible enough to allow for minor bumps, while the front and rear bumpers are constructed from carbon-fibre. The rear bootlid and soft-top hood cover are made from sheet moulding compound, another flexible lightweight material. The remainder of the bodywork is a mix of steel and aluminium while many of the car’s mechanical components are also made from weight-saving aluminium. These materials combine to ensure that the M6 Convertible retains a 50:50 weight distribution for optimum balance and agility.
Prices for the M6 Convertible and full specification details will be announced nearer the launch date.
The show runs from 18-30 July at ExCel in London's Docklands, and we'll be bringing you pics of all the new and exciting metal on show.
Nice car, but what's the point? It's not like the 650i is lacking in power, so why bother dropping in the V10? It's not like a 6-Cab is going to handle like a sport car, even if you put an M badge on it!
The difference between M Division and AMG is that the latter just shoe-horn a massive engine into a car and bling it up a bit. M Cars are supposed to be driver-focused and lightweight.
It kind of exposes the carbon roof on the coupe as just "anything you can do" over the M3 CSL if they're selling the same car in lardy cabriolet form.
Nice car, but what's the point? It's not like the 650i is lacking in power, so why bother dropping in the V10? It's not like a 6-Cab is going to handle like a sport car, even if you put an M badge on it!
The difference between M Division and AMG is that the latter just shoe-horn a massive engine into a car and bling it up a bit. M Cars are supposed to be driver-focused and lightweight.
It kind of exposes the carbon roof on the coupe as just "anything you can do" over the M3 CSL if they're selling the same car in lardy cabriolet form.
Great car - M6 would get my vote over all the other super GT cars around at the moment but you're right. It's silly without a proper roof and too much like lesser AMG cars in ethos.
Totally pointless car. 4 seater convertables are built for cruising and posing in. The hair piece gets blown off when you drive them quickly dont you know. I have no idea why bmw would bother stiffening the suspension and installing a go faster engine. Either buy a proper M car, or a renult megane convirtable. mind you, for this money you could buy both several times over.
Spot on
Exactly my thoughts too. The 5 series is fresh, distinctive, masculine and purposeful.
It never made sense to me when they went down that route, and it doesn't make sense to me now. The last good looking beemer just went out of production - the 3 Series Coupe (I had 3 of them). IMO they all look shit now, and the quality is also going down the pan.
My brother rejected a new Z4 a couple of years ago as bits kept falling off of the inside (door handles), and it also had horrendous scuttle shake. On rejection, the salesman quietly agreed that the car was a bucket of poo. And how you can say the current 5 Series looks modern!
But going back to the new 5 - put it next to an E-class, and the Merc screams 'taxi'. Saw a 550i at heathrow recently, and the thing looked galactic.
Not old fashioned but defo not modern. It's obviously designed for the American market, so it'll never be modern looking. I'm sorry, but anyone who thinks the 5 & 6 look good, need to go to Specsavers!
Gassing Station | BMW General | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff