On the face of it the new 500bhp, £80,755 BMW M6 could be regarded as one of modern motoring’s more ambitious follies. After all, it has two fewer doors and significantly less room in its rear seats than the M5 on which it is based, and yet it costs an entire Golf GTi more than its accomplished four-door cousin. Logic, you therefore conclude, is not one of the M6’s watchwords.
See this car in the car in the metal, however, and you immediately understand why BMW has had the confidence to charge such a premium for it above the already expensive M5. From its beautifully sculpted 19in forged alloy wheels to its aggressive new nose cone and carbonfibre roof panel, the M6 is very obviously a more exquisite animal than the ‘Is-it-a-real-one-or-isn’t-it?’ M5.
The M6 is rather more than just an M5 wearing a smarter set of threads. It may share the saloon’s thunderous 5.0-litre V10 engine and seven-speed SMG gearbox, but there are a range of technical differences beneath the skin, all of which combine to lend it a quite different personality to the M5. And it’s a sharper personality – let’s be clear about this from the outset.
Full review here