‘For a car of the 1980s, the M6 had exceptional performance: it would charge from 0–60 mph in 6.1 seconds, hitting the quarter mile in 14.7 seconds.

Buyer or Seller Questions? Let’s Talk! 310-975-0272

‘The M6 was the epitome of exceptional German styling that exudes all that BMW stood for; the firm had been founded in 1916 as Bavarian Motor Works. A high-performance version of the 6-Series automobile, the M6 is well-loved for its luxurious and aggressive styling along with its opulent features: it was critically acclaimed for its combination of elegant, aggressive ‘shark-nose’ styling, its luxury cockpit and its strong performance.

‘The only faster BMW had been the M1. The M stood for Motorsport, BMW’s eponymously named subsidiary. The M1 was a mid-engined production racing car that BMW sold to the public from 1978 to 1981. Only 453 production M1s were built, making it one of BMW’s rarest models – 399 were road-going units while 53 were made for motorsport.

‘BMW Motorsport, the same division of the company that was responsible for the BMW Formula 1 engine that won the World Championship in 1983, was a successful endeavor to re-brand and re-market the BMW marque.

‘Accordingly, the M6, assembled at BMW’s manufacturing plant in Dingolfing, West Germany, was developed entirely by BMW Motorsport. The M6 was only a bit less rare than the M1: a mere 1,632 examples, out of a total of 5,855 cars produced, were shipped to the U.S. market from 1987 to 1989.

‘At Beverly Hills Car Club we have one of these right now, a low-mileage 1987 BMW M6 with only 39,722 miles on the odometer. In Henna Red with a parchment interior, this M6 comes with a clean Carfax and a 5-speed manual transmission, cruise control, air conditioning, power mirrors, power windows, power steering, power front seats, sunroof, 4-wheel disc brakes, and spare tire. This is a very desirable 1980s classic that is mechanically sound.

‘It was when the M635CSi finally made it to America as a catalyzed 1987 model that it was marketed as the M6. With its front grille M badges, BBSRS wheels, a larger air dam in the front and a rear lip spoiler it was set apart from other BMWs.

‘Immediately it was a hit the U.S., revered as a rare and brilliantly fast grand tourer. Along with the BMW 2002, the BMW M6 will forever be feted as one of the best classic cars produced by the brand. And the M6s also made great motorsport vehicles.

‘As the chief designer at BMW, Paul Bracq developed models such as the BMW 1600ti, the BMW Turbo concept (later its design theme was used for the BMW M1 supercar), the BMW 7-series (E23) and the 6-series (E24).

‘As we have said, with its top speed of 158 mph, the BMW M6 was the second fastest BMW ever produced.

‘But in Mexico in 1989 that speed was considerably bettered, at the La Carrera Classic Race. In a slightly souped-up version of the M6 Rug Cunningham had a recorded speed of 176 mph.

The BMW M6 was (and is) a very serious motorcar indeed!

-Alex Manos, Owner