M6 cab and CSL on the way

BMW uber-coupé companions arrive next year and beyond

By PH Staff / Tuesday, 3 May 2005 / Loading comments

Open-top and CSL on the way...

Autocar reports that BMW is planning both a cabrio and a lightweight version of the upcoming über-coupé, the M6, whose UK launch is in November.

The open-top M6 will arrive first and is likely to emerge at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September and turn its wheels on UK roads in summer 2006.

The car will use the same 19-inch alloy wheels and aero kit as the coupé, and house the same 507bhp V10 engine and seven-speed sequential gearbox. But instead of the coupé’s carbon fibre roof, overhead will be a multi-layered folding canvas that can stow electrically in 20 seconds at speeds of up to 20mph. Autocar’s sources suggest that the M6 Convertible could weigh 1,900Kg, which compares poorly with the coupé’s 1,710Kg.

The underpinnings are likely to be in a softer state of tune than the coupé's. It'll have slightly less aggressive suspension, gearbox and engine calibrations, and will accelerate to 62mph in just over five seconds. The price should make your eyes water: around £85,000.

But real speed freaks will want the CSL which isn't due until 2007. Autocar reports that BMW's M-division is experimenting with a lightweight body and lower suspension set-up, with rumours of a 50bhp power boost. No more news yet...