BMW M6 190 Mph Potential
Intended to compete with supercars like Porsche and Ferrari, the BMW M6 has the same 500 bhp V-10 engine as the M5 but in a more sporty package. The M6 is lighter than the M5 so it should be even quicker. BMW expects a 0-60 time of just 4.6 seconds, but will limit the M6 to 155 mph, even though it could reach 190-200 mph unlimited.
Still, a limiter cutting in at 155 mph shouldn’t be a problem unless you take the car onto the track, where the car could be very quick, despite the big body and rather ordinary suspension compared with most supercars.
More sporty
With the M5 out there, you might be wondering why BMW came up with an M6 as well. Because it has a lower center of gravity than the M5 it will corner faster, despite using the same basic wheels and tires and suspension. The M6 is lighter, shorter and has a smaller frontal area. The cars will appeal to slightly different people, and the aim is that the M6 will compete with Ferraris and Porsches.
Magnificent V-10 engine
Like the M5, the heart of the M6 is BMW’s new 90-degree V10 engine which stonks out 507 bhp at 7,750 rpm, and is red-lined at 8,250 rpm. It is coupled to the seven-speed sequential gearbox claimed to give faster shifts than previous boxes of this type and so far as we can judge, faster than the other sequential boxes ono road cars.
Other mechanical are similar to the M5, but the car is lighter by 260 lb at 3,765 lb. TheM6 will cost more than the M5, but will be quite a sensation.
Looks almost ordinary
As with the M5, the car has a deep front air dam with extra intakes for the brakes and engine. The car looks more aggressive than the standard car, and the massive wheels and tires help give the impression of massive grip and cornering power. There are four tail pipes at the rear, just so people know what’s overtaken them, and to improve airflow under the car there’s a diffuser help extract the air from the below the car, reducing drag and lift.
Otherwise, the car looks more or less like the 645 Ci. A reasonable shape that has not quite got it, especially at the back end.
Under the hood, it’s a very different story
So it may not be the prettiest coupe you ever saw, and you might not notice it as it went past, but under the hood it is a very, very different story. Apart from the likes of Ferraris, Lambos, and a few others, the M6’s under-hood credentials are staggering. Makes you wonder when BMW will put this V-10 in a true supercar.
You might think that a supercharged 4.4 liter V-8 would be just the ticket for a big coupe like the M6 (or a sedan like the M5), but no. Because BMW, like Honda, hates supercharging, they’ve gone for the high revving new V-10 engine to keep up with the Jones’s.
This engine is a beautiful piece of work, built by hand at great cost to compete with the best. It is a 90 degree V-10, although some argue that a narrower angle is not only better for a V-10, but also takes up less space in the car.
BMW might want to be able to machine the blocks on machines that can also do V-8s, which have 90 degree angle. There are other advantages, such as greater rigidity and more space to fit a complex two-stage inlet manifold between the banks of cylinders.
To save weight the block is aluminum, of course. To ensure the bottom end is rigid enough to cope with the power, the bearing caps are formed in a platform that is bolted all round to the cylinder block. Inserted in the castings are cast iron blocks around the lower half of the bearings to further stiffen things up.
Shallow chamber, narrow valve angle
The cylinder heads are conventional in that they have four valves per cylinder and variable valve timing. They’re not so normal in that the valves are very close together in an almost flat combustion chamber, but this is in line with new trends.
There is a very complex Bosch engine controller, and a butterfly valve in the intake port of each cylinder. The controller can change the angle of each one separately in less than the blink of an eyelid to suit conditions in that cylinder. This ensures maximum efficiency.
Semi-dry sump lube
Realizing that some people will corner the M6 very fast indeed, BMW’s M engineers have adopted a new type of lubrication system they call it semi-dry-sump. They added a pair of electronically controlled oil pumps which extract oil from the cylinder heads and pump it back to the sump whenever the car is cornering at over 0.6 g.
Sequential 7-speed gearbox
Although this engine is reckoned to offer good torque over 3,500 rpm, BMW knows that it’s a screamer and so will need plenty of gears. The answer: the SMG sequential gearbox, now with seven speeds. It is claimed to be able to shift very quickly 20% quicker than previously, and evidently twice as fast as Ferrari’s sequential box.
This SMG box is unusual in that it has loads of shift patterns for the driver to choose from. He can choose from a menu of 5 automatic and 6 manual gear modes, which each give slightly different shift patterns according to the driver’s choice. Seems a lot to me…
By the way, you can also select how much power you’ve got: 400 bhp for tooling around, or 500 bhp when you want to show just how your M6 really goes!
Of course, you need to be able to get that power on the road, and BMW has thought of that, too. There’s a speed-sensing differential lock to transfer power to the wheel with most grip.
Fat tires, 19 inch wheels
And what about that grip? Should be enough for most of us, with 255/40 ZR front and 285/35 ZR at the rear, all on massive 19 inch forged aluminium wheels. Most firms use castings which are not as strong as forgings.
The basic suspension is from the 645 Ci, and might be a weak link in the plot, but it has all been modified extensively. Both suspension frames and several components are aluminum, and there are strong anti-roll bars.
The dampers are controlled electronically, and the driver has three settings at his disposal; if that’s not enough choice, he can also select ‘comfort’ or ‘sport’ steering assistance.
Stability control with a difference
There’s plenty more electronics around. Most important is the ultra-sporting DSC stability control which allows the driver to use plenty of controllable tail-sliding over steer without getting into danger. Or that’s what they say.
In fact, the driver can select various combinations of modes for the SMG box, steering, damping and DSC according to how he or she wants to drive.
Also new is BMW’s head-up display, which shows the instruments on the windscreen. Again, the driver can choose what is shown.
Genuine weight reduction
With all this in the standard BMW coupe, this would be quite a lump once you start shoving 500 bhp through the car a lot of things have to be beefed up. So, BMW put the car on a weight-reduction diet (it’s a sort of vegan coupe).
What’s the result? A weight of 3,765 lb (1,710 kg), which is more than the standard car with V-8 engine by about 200 lb. It sounds a lot until you compare it with some competition not that there is much. For example, the Jaguar 400 bhp XKR weighs 3,820 lb, which is close, but the Aston Martin Vanquish, now nearly 500 bhp weighs 4,100 lb, and the Mercedes-Benz SL600 and SL 55 AMG weigh 4,300 lb 535 lb more than the M6.
Performance is up in this league, too, with 0-60 in 4.6 seconds according to BMW. The XKR takes 5.2 seconds, the SL 55 AMG takes 4.7 seconds both being handicapped by their slush-box automatics, and the Vanquish takes about 4.6 seconds to 60 mph, so the M6 isn’t really in a class of its own. Expect it to be priced higher than these maybe near $150,000.