BMW M6 Convertible 2006 Pictures
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BMW M6 Convertible 2006
We’ve all been there; deliriously high on the very stuff of life, think we’ve found the one…and then there are two of them. Indeed the Bimma M6 convertible has a much more sinister side to its personality though it packages it well.
Impulse is a strange phenomenon, ‘follow your heart’ you hear people say, ‘live for the moment’ but nobody actually tells you that once cupid’s arrow has bedded itself, it’s not quite as easy to jump out. So you stroll past a BMW showroom – just window shopping obviously, because you’re still paying the credit card interest on the last one. You tell yourself, shish! £86,400, what were BMW thinking – the M6 convertible is only a car after all. Ok, it’s got more power in one inch of tyre tread than most other cars will ever see in their lifetime. And yes, even racing drivers would envy the facility to programme in their own set up using one ergonomic knob on the centre console, but it’s still all consumer babble, right?
So then another little voice answers; what the heck, it wouldn’t hurt if I just took one for a spin around the block and I certainly wouldn’t be tempted to re-mortgage my house once I hand back the keys. Before you know it you’re awash with a manic dose of serotonin, breezing down the high street like Brendon Urie in mid Rumba swing.
Right now even in standard mode it’s pretty heady but still tame enough for you to adjust to its controls and go a little easy on the throttle. Swanning through town, you’ve got plenty of comfort and also the easy going nature of the steering wheel. Sure the M6 feels like a bit of a bull in a china shop on tight little cobble streets and there’s no way that mirror like gloss is going to stay one colour in London traffic. However the M6 is still very posture aware (for a near two tonne heffer) and it will go where you point it even at slow speeds.
Of course top end is where this machine really comes in to its own, proving inexhaustible stamina right up to the red line. Away from the school run traffic, doddling cyclists and grannies on tour, you know there’s an opportunity to put your foot down once out on the low-hedged country roads. So, aware of its cruel intentions and yet curious about its power of seduction you touch the ‘M’ launch control button on the steering wheel. The switch is instantaneous as you squirm back in your seat and allow yourself to be corrupted by its one track mind – pleasure at the price of your soul. Hold back on those hail Marys and pledges of missionary salvation as petrol addictions are as hard to give up as any.
Now an accomplice of this crazed V10 engine, you feel it suddenly muster up an extra 107bhp, the suspension is sharpened, gearbox poised for performance and the sensibility of traction control gagged until you’re nearing the boundaries of disaster. All the M6 convertible wants to do is carve up the countryside with insatiable fury and when you’re in its embrace you’ve got no choice but to become embroiled in its passion.
Then there’s the bass line of the engine which is sensational, and even more so with the hood down. Ok, maybe not to ramblers and shepherds hoarding their sheep as blasting through the hillsides echoing more ominous chord patterns than the Kronos string quartets in Dracula is not exactly their idea of being serenaded. You see when you own a car that everyone knows is an oversized, overpriced, fuel guzzling luxury they’re not all going to be as happy as you in the understanding that it’s naughty but unexplainably nice.
Yes, sometimes it will be pretty hard to justify its stubborn demands and insatiable appetite for the high life. If its not petrol, its oil, if its not oil it wants you to master its eleven different gear changes before work. Ok you wanted some intellectual stimulation but 11 levels? In fairness the M6 convertible rewards your eager sense of inquisitiveness and once you master its seven-speed Sequential Manual Gearbox (SMG) with Drivelogic you’re feeling rather the Don actually.
Now you can try a little of that left foot braking and pivoting the car on its axels for those hairpin turns - or maybe you should save that for the circuit. The M6 certainly lends itself to flat out straights, last minute braking and tyre smoking chicanes, yes even in convertible guise. Fair enough the three piece fold away roof may make this high performance machine look more show than outright go, but it’s only lost 0.2 of a second to the coupe in the acceleration stakes and it still has all the same thrilling dynamics.
You can also distinguish the new convertible from its plainer 6 series cousins by its meatier wheel arches, more prominent rear bumper and extended side sills. The colour scheme for the drop top M6 is also as adventurous or as corporate as you want it, from Miami-style whites and bling golds to understated greys, you name your shade, you’ve got it. Let’s face it if you’re paying over £80K the finer details matter and BMW has ensured that the options list makes Harrods personalised service seem like an every day affair.
Its not like you could be an awkward customer anyway as once you clunk those solid doors shut and mould yourself in to the soft leather seats which were probably designed by an uber trendy German chiropractor you know you look the business. For your convenience there’s a slot style key and a press start and stop button, you’ll also be thankful for the Head-up display when you’re pulling some serious G’s and the Sat Nav is another handy feature when you want to focus on the driving experience rather than directions. You’ll find the controls are all within easy grasp and the chunky wheel is nipped in by the paddles give you the maximum range of wrist flexion. There’s plenty of space to stretch out, store luggage and even take your kids along for the ride. You’ll also note the carbon fibre dash, plush materials and masses of safety features which are all branded with excellence but the technology is what really sets it above and beyond.
Its MS S65 engine management system is proudly the most advanced electronic control unit ever fitted to a production car. It’s capable of up to 200 million individual calculations per second and working alongside other associated electronic components, it monitors the entire operation of the engine from throttle inputs to exhaust gas management. The V10 engine in the convertible has been hailed the best in the world. Of course it has proved its worth in both the M6 coupe and M5 which also exhibit this very loveable bi-polar disorder in that they are cool, calm and collected in standard mode but once you press that ‘M’ button its all hell fire from there on.
Falling in love was never going to be easy and there’s no rhyme or reason for having such a tempestuous relationship other than the fact that no other motor can do what it does quite the same. It’s the unforgettable trails of lust it leaves behind and the way no two journeys are ever the same. It’s the thrill of the roof down speed, its soft grippy leather, low slung seats and explosive performance which is surely enough to alter anyone’s brain chemistry.
Verdict
FOR: The M6 is techy heaven and for anyone who ever dreamed of being an astronaut but never got much further than O’level Physics, you’ll be pleased to know that the launch control on the Bimma does everything for you. Without the roof it still handles impeccably and that engine sound track is among the top ten most evocative.
AGAINST: It makes you work hard for the pleasure and you can bet your life it’s a gold digger, yet if you compare it to the price of its rivals you’ll realise you’ve been let off rather lightly.
CONCLUSION: Temptation is sweet but the delivery will blow your mind. Don’t even think of splashing out big bucks until you’ve experienced the M6’s earth moving V10.
Spec
ENGINE: 4999 cc 40 valve V10 petrol
Co2 (g/km)/tax: 366/-
POWER: 500 bhp 7750 rpm
TORQUE (lb/ft): 383 lb/ft @ 6100 rpm
0-62mph (sec): 4.8
TOP SPEED: 155mph (limited)
MPG: -/-/18.5 mpg (urban/extra-urban/combined)
TRANSMISSION: seven-speed Sequential Manual Gearbox with Drivelogic
SUSPENSION: Front: Double-joint thrust rod spring-strut axle in aluminium; traverse force compensation; anti-dive Integral axle (aluminium), wheel suspension with special effect anti-squat/anti-dive.
BRAKES: Single-piston floating-caliper Compound vented disc brakes. Front: 348×36mm. Rear: 345×24mm. ABS, CBC, DSC.
WHEELS: Front: 8.5J x 19-inch EH 2 IS 12 alloy. Rear: 9.5J x 19-inch EH 2 IS 28 alloy.
TYRES: 255/40 ZR19. Rear: 285/35 ZR19
WEIGHT: 2005kg (kerb weight)
PRICE: £86,400
RIVALS: Mercedes SL55 AMG, Bentley Continental GTC
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