Confession time: to these eyes the Bangle-era BMWs are looking quite good now. You might agree, you most probably don't, but there it is. That's proper Bangle Beemers too, the more Bangle the better, not the half baked ones. An ordinary E90 3 Series, where BMW toned down the Bangle influence for fear of its biggest seller tanking, now looks bland and forgettable. Compare that to an E60 generation 5 Series, or an original Z4, both launched 15 years ago, and they look fresh and modern in 2018. The E65-era 7 Series still does it for me too, yes - apologies.
Now while the E63 6 Series was never top of the 21st century BMW fascinations - unless we're talking about an Indianapolis Red M6 - this particular car has made the big Bangle bruiser a lot more interesting. Because it has the six-speed manual gearbox. And, truth be told, nobody at PH actually knew such a car existed - yes, yes, membership cards to be handed in at the end of the shift.
But here it is, a manual, V8 6 Series for sale in an agreeable colour combination and for just £8,750. Very, very interesting. HowManyLeft reckons only 15 such cars reside in the UK currently; contrast that to the 1,100 autos on our roads and you'll get an idea of just how rare a 650 with a clutch pedal is. It also helps explain why we hadn't heard of this particular model, but let's not dwell on the point.
As the only such 6 Series currently for sale - indeed one of just four manual 6 Series on the whole of PH - it's fortunate that the rest of this 650 looks so agreeable. In orange with brown leather some curio appeal would remain, but in black with black and some sensible wheels it's just a 6 Series. Quite a smart one, in fact. It doesn't require any special justification as a poster car for saving the manuals.
Moreover, it's just been serviced, has 341 days of MOT left, comes with a pair of new rear tyres and sits on 98,000 miles; not low, granted, though also not much for a car approaching its teenage years. The big 6 is also pictured at a household with two other BMWs parked in close proximity, which has to be a good sign. Oh yes, and the only modification to this car is a pair of electronic exhaust valves to give "a bit more noise when wanted"; because if you're going to have a V8 manual you'll want to make the most of it, right?
Attempting to think of similar cars is tricky. A Vauxhall Monaro offers a similar configuration, albeit in a less prestigious package, while cars like the Mercedes SL and Jaguar XK were of course never offered with a manual gearbox. A Porsche 911 is probably a bit too sporty here, and good luck finding a working one of those for less than £10k...
In fact, the most tempting alternatives are arguably those from BMW - the 5 Series saloons and estates that were offered with the 4.8-litre V8 alongside the 6 Series. Manuals are of course as difficult to find here, though this debadged 550i Touring is rather cool.
What more do you need to know? An expensive car new will of course not be cheap to run secondhand, regardless of the price, and it's easy to understand the anti-Bangle viewpoint. If you like this 650i though - and we can well understand why you would - then having a manual makes it look well worth investing in. If this generation of Six follows the original, too, then having that third pedal will be made to look even more desirable a few years down the line. You read it here first...
SPECIFICATION - BMW 650I
Engine: 4,799cc, V8
Power (hp): 367@6,300rpm
Torque (lb ft): 361@3,400rpm
MPG: 23.7
CO2: 286g/km
Year registered: 2006
Recorded mileage: 98,000
Price new: £53,965
Yours for: £8,750
See the original advert here.
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