Auf Wiedersehen M5 und M6!
Motoring Staff
2010-09-08
BMW has announced the end of production of the BMW M6 Coupé and the BMW M6 Convertible. In total 14,152 of these high-performance sports cars were built: 9,087 units of the Coupé, which launched in 2005; and 5,065 Convertible models, presented the following year.
With the departure of these two models and the fourth-generation BMW M5, production will now also cease for the unique V10 high-rev engine.
The stand-out feature of this engine, developed exclusively for the BMW M5 and BMW M6 models, is power delivery that is both dynamic and smooth even at higher loads. Output is developed from a 5-litre displacement split between ten combustion chambers, with the two banks of cylinders cranked at 90 degrees to one another. The engine delivers maximum output at 7,750 rpm, with engine speed eventually peaking at 8,250 rpm, and it has maximum torque of around 520 Nm. In addition to the high-rev concept, a number of other technological details – electronically-controlled individual throttle valves, an ionic current control system and lateral force controlled oil supply – were also directly derived from motor racing.
Its power-to-weight ratio of 3.37 kilograms per kW is another key indicator in the profile of the BMW M6 Coupé. Moreover, its performance characteristics are additionally supported by sevenspeed SMG Drivelogic and Launch Control for maximum acceleration from a standing start, the speed-sensitive variable M differential lock, and model-specific chassis technology, including Electronic Damper Control (EDC) and compound brakes. Standstill to 100 km/h acceleration time is an estimated 4.6 seconds. The BMW M6 Convertible takes approximately 0.2 seconds longer.
The total combined figures for the fourth-generation BMW M5 exceed even those of its predecessor model, which was in production for six years. With that it has secured the current high point in the success story of the BMW M5, the first generation of which established the vehicle segment of high-performance saloons at its introduction in 1984.
