Featured Auction - 1988 BMW M6 Coupe

3,453cc DOHC Water-cooled 24-valve I6 Engine

Bosch Motronic Electronic Port Fuel Injection

256 SAEHP at 6,500 rpm

5-Speed Manual Transmission

Independent Front and Rear Suspension

4-Wheel Hydraulic Ventilated Disc Brakes

*A fine example of one of BMW's greatest road machines

*Only 319 delivered to the American market in 1988

*Elegant black over gray color scheme

*24-valve, 256 hp twin-cam six

*A Rare and Brilliant Fast Grand Tourer

The shark-nosed M6 was derived from the handsome and well-received 2800/3.0/635CS and CSI series. It was largely identical to the 635CSI but assigned the more exotic "M" prefix by the company's Motorsport Department for marketing purposes in North America. Designed by the brilliant stylist Paul Bracq, the E-series M6 coupe bodyshells were built on a special line at the Karmann factory in Osnabruck, with final assembly at BMW's Dingolfing works. Although factory production numbers tend to vary, it is believed that only 1,767 M6 models were built for the North American market, and of those, about 135 were sent to Canada. Thus, an estimated 1,632 models ever made it to American customers.

The four-seat M6 was greeted with rave reviews after its arrival on these shores. In 1987, Car and Driver magazine waxed rhapsodic: "The BMW M6 is one of those wild, wonderful cars that throw the scales of automotive justice totally off-balance". Road & Track counted the muscular new M6 as among the ten-fastest cars available for sale in the US. Sports Car Market has called it "a rare and brilliantly fast grand tourer".

The M6 is powered by a double-overhead-cam, 24-valve inline six based on that of the M1 mid-engined supercar. In catalyzed form to meet US emissions standards, it developed 256hp at 6500 rpm, slightly less than the version sold in Europe, but still capable of hurling the big four-seater to 158 mph. That velocity made the M6 BMW's second-fastest street-legal automobile; only the exotic M1 recorded a higher maximum. Torque, more than adequate at 243 foot-pounds at 4500 rpm, was fed through a larger clutch to a Getrag-sourced five-speed, fully-synchronized manual transmission and a limited-slip differential.

The M6 coupe boasted a more sporting, fully independent suspension, with specially-developed McPherson-type Bilstein gas-charged struts and lower control arms up front, supplemented by shorter and stiffer coil springs all around that lowered the car by about half an inch. There were larger-diameter, model-specific anti-roll bars at both ends. Huge disc brakes with anti-lock were hidden behind 16-inch diameter BBS three-piece honeycomb alloy wheels fitted with high-performance rubber. To help pin the car to the road at extra-legal speeds, a narrow rear spoiler was fitted to the rear deck, and there was a deep front air dam with integral fog lamps. The two outside rear-view mirrors were both heated and electrically-adjustable. The multi-speed windshield wipers were aided by a system that fed heated cleaning solution to the blades.

The interior was as luxurious and feature-laden as one could imagine; supple Nappa leather covered most every surface and the two front Recaro-style sports seats – both heated and adjustable in eight directions - had deep bolsters to keep the occupants firmly in place during spirited driving. The M6 boasted an automatic climate-control system, of course, even offering rear-seat temperature adjustment. Electric windows were also standard fare, as was an adjustable steering column, and a high-end stereo system. The M6 could also be ordered with an electric sunroof.

Find the auction here: gaukmotors.co.uk/post/featured-auction---1988-bmw-m6-coupe