The recently-unveiled 6 Series will go in sale in South Africa next year and although the range is more sports tourer than supercar, the upcoming V10-powered M6 should be a mean machine.
The recently-unveiled BMW 6 Series will go in sale in South Africa next year and although the range is more sports tourer than supercar, the upcoming V10-powered M6 should be a mean machine.
These spy pictures show a prototype of the M6 during a test session at an undisclosed European track. It will be powered by a naturally-aspirated, F1-inspired, forty-valve five-litre V10 that will début in the 5 Series flagship, the M5. The M6 will appear only after the Munich-based firm has introduced the super saloon next year, and is therefore unlikely to hit the European market until the middle of 2005.
The M6 promises to be everything the now discontinued 8 Series never was – a fully-fledged sportscar. With about 375 kW and 700 N.m of torque on offer from an all-new engine, the M6 should be able to sprint from 0-100 km/h in around five seconds. Top speed will be limited to 250 km/h, however.
CARtoday.com reported in July that BMW’s 6 Series was more muscular and aggressive looking than the 5-Series, but far more conventional than the 7-Series. According to sources, the car is due in South Africa around the middle of next year.
The car has characteristic, flowing tension lines and unusual stretched, but classical proportions. The passenger space is set far back and has a very low roof line and outlined style elements at the front side panels loosens up the car’s silhouette. As in the new 5- and 7-Series, all functions required for driving the car are located directly on or around the steering wheel.
The Six is lighter than the 5 Series on which it’s based, thanks to the use of a combination of aluminium, steel and synthetic materials in the body construction. The front section of the car is significantly lighter than steel due to weight-reduced aluminium-technology (WRAT), the rear lid is made of plastic, the front lid and doors of aluminium and the front side panels of thermoplastic. The overall weight of the car is approximately 1 600 kg, with axle load distribution close to the ideal of 50:50.
Dynamic drive control (DDC), which adds to stability and provides a faster gearshift, dynamic stability control (DSC) and dynamic traction control (DTC) are standard. As an option, the 6-Series is also available with BMW’s Dynamic Drive suspension, which helps compensate body sway in a bend, as well as BMW’s Active Steering, which provides a more direct steering ratio at low speeds, together with more indirect steering at high speeds.
Runflat tyres are standard, and adaptive headlights will be available as an option. Look out for a 2+2 convertible derivative (with a traditional cloth roof and glass rear window) of the 6 Series at the Detroit Motor Show in January. An M6 convertible model was also on the cards, reported.
