BMW’s fastest ever soft-top, the M6 Convertible, will make its debut at the British Motor Show next month.
Powered by the award-winning 5.0-litre V10 engine and using a host of F1-derived technology, the BMW M6 Convertible combines all the performance of the M6 Coupé but with added fresh air. The convertible goes on sale in the UK in September 2006. It becomes the first ever BMW to make a British Motor Show debut and it is the first time a BMW M version of a 6 Series Convertible has been built.
Oily bits
The M6's 507bhp powerplant powers the car from 0-62mph in 4.8 seconds before going on to an electronically limited top speed of 155mph. Unchecked, the car could continue to a top speed approaching 200mph.
Drive is via a seven-speed sequential manual gearbox with Drivelogic – the world’s first such transmission that has already seen service in the BMW M5 and the M6 Coupé. This offers a choice of 11 different gear change options – five in auto mode and six in manual mode – each offering a different speed of gear shift. In its fastest setting, the driver of an M6 Convertible can make gear changes in just 50 milliseconds – far faster than can be achieved by an experienced driver using a conventional manual gearbox.
Fuel consumption is 18.6mpg on the combined cycle and a CO2 emissions figure of 366g/km.
BMW’s variable M differential and DSC system control traction, the former permitting up to 100 per cent of drive forces to be fed to one rear wheel to optimise traction while the DSC system in optimum M Dynamic Mode permits a greater degree of wheel slip for even higher levels of performance.
It features bespoke 19-inch double spoke light alloy wheels shod with low profile tyres – 255/40 R19 at the front with 285/35 R19 at the rear. The front brake discs -- vented and drilled -- measure 374mm in diameter while the rears are 370mm.
Interior and bodywork
Inside, BMW provides a triple-layered hood for noise and heat insulation and, like other 6 Series Convertible models, a fin structure roof for a coupé-like silhouette. According to BMW, the hood contains a middle component of polyurethane (PUR) foam and gives the car near-identical standards of acoustics and thermal insulation as a fixed-head coupé. It allows 300 litres of luggage capacity in the boot with the roof down and 350 litres roof-up.
The front wings are made of thermoplastic, lighter than aluminium but flexible enough to allow for minor bumps, while the front and rear bumpers are constructed from carbon-fibre. The rear bootlid and soft-top hood cover are made from sheet moulding compound, another flexible lightweight material. The remainder of the bodywork is a mix of steel and aluminium while many of the car’s mechanical components are also made from weight-saving aluminium. These materials combine to ensure that the M6 Convertible retains a 50:50 weight distribution for optimum balance and agility.
Prices for the M6 Convertible and full specification details will be announced nearer the launch date.
The show runs from 18-30 July at ExCel in London's Docklands, and we'll be bringing you pics of all the new and exciting metal on show.
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