The BMW 6-Series began its life back in 1976 with the E24 6 Series and saw its second generation unfold in 2003 with the E63/E64 6 Series. This generation 6-Series was powered by a 3.0L inline-six engine (petrol and diesel), a 4.8L V8, and a 5.0L V10 BMW M6 engine. These engines were mated to a choice of a six-speed manual or automatic, and a seven-speed SMGIII.
The third generation of the 6-Series is nearing with the first model appearing as the 650i Convertible. The vehicle will be powered by two gas engines: a 6 cylinder twin turbo engine producing 320hp at 5800rpm and a V8 twin turbo engine producing 407hp at 5500 rpm.
If anyone ever has a really good secret, then an automaker wouldn’t be the best person to tell it to. Seriously, these guys are useless for keeping secrets and we love every minute of it! BMW will be bringing the new generation 6-Series to the Paris Motor Show in October, but that model won’t be alone. BMW! Product development chief Dr Klaus Draeger has let his tongue flap and in doing so, let all of us know that they are also considering a Shooting Brake version of the 6-series. The first concept version is believed to be unveiled this year at the Paris Auto Show possibly using the "Gran Turismo" name. A final decision on whether or not the Shooting Brake will go to production will depend on the reaction of the concept from the public.
If the Shooting Brake does go into production, it will definitely be after the two-door coupe and the convertible that are set to come out early next year. It will also have to stand behind a Gran Coupe version that will compete with the Mercedes CLS. The Gran Coupe will arrive in 2012 and will feature a standard saloon body style, and not a hatchback tailgate like the Audi A7 or the Porsche Panamera. It will be powered by the same engines as the next 6-Series, including a 3.0-liter six-cylinder petrol and diesel units, as well as a range-topping 4.4-liter V8. "Since we use the same drive architecture as the 5, 6, and 7-Series, we are [also] able to bring a hybrid version," Draeger added.
BMW will unveil the next generation 6-Series in September at the Paris Motor Show and we know you are tired of seeing renderings for this vehicle, but this is a pretty good one. The next 6-Series design will be inspired by the recently launched 7-Series and Z4. It will feature a new front bumper with a massive air dam, reshaped headlights, a more prominent double kidney grille, and a redesigned rear-end. However, there seems to be a little nostalgia when it comes to the 2007 CS Concept because the German magazine Auto Motor Und Sport has added a few design elements from that concept to the new 6-series.
Under the hood BMW is rumored to keep the same engine as the current model. The only change will be the 4.8 Liter V8 that will replace the smaller 400 HP 4.4 Liter turbocharged V8 from the BMW 750i.
The next 6-Series will be offered in both coupe and convertible versions, but a GT version is also under consideration.
Using only a spyshot that didn’t leave much to the imagination, Bimmerpost forum member ’Alpinece325ci’ worked his Photoshop magic and gave us his rendered interpretation of what the 2011 BMW 6-Series could invariably look when BMW finally decides to break cover sometime down the road.
We know it’s only a rendering, but this dude has a pretty sick set of skills, leading us to think that he may have a future in the auto industry. And to be honest, this rendering could very well be even better than what BMW could possibly come out with. We know it’s unlikely, but it just goes to show you how much talent ’Alpinece325ci’ has.
This BMW 6 Series racing prototype is in the process of being transformed into a GT1 spec by two tuning houses, both of which have a long history of ramping up past BMWs and turning them into full-fledged racing machines.
Initially a 6-Series, this car was taken in by tuning house Alpina and turned it into what they call the ’B6’. But, apparently, one tuner isn’t enough for this wunderkind of a vehicle. As soon as it was tuned by Alpina, Aurora Racing Designs took it off the former’s hands to convert the B6 into a race-ready GT1 spec.
There aren’t a lot of specifics that have been disclosed yet, but with former McLaren engineer Nicholas Galbraith and ex-Alpina race designer Andreas Puschel taking the mantle from Alpina in further tuning the car, we’re confident that this B6 GT1 could become something more than just a tuned-up show car. If things work out, we wouldn’t be the least bit surprised to see this car lining up on a racing grid in the very near future.
Thanks in large part to the rousing reaction the BMW Concept Gran Coupe received in Beijing, sources close to BMW have said that the company has finally given the go signal for a production version of the concept, which is now being called the "BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe".
There’s no word yet on when the production version will break cover, but as is the case in the industry, we can probably expect it to make an appearance sometime in the next two years. As a 6 Series, BMW is lining up the Gran Coupe as a soon-to-be-direct competitor of the Mercedes-Benz CLS and the Audi A7, two cars that fall under the category of luxurious four-door coupes with matching driving performance to boot.
We’ll be sure to keep readers posted as soon as new developments regarding the production version of the Gran Coupe come out.
AG Excalibur - a Lithuanian tuner- presented the BMW Shark at the Top Marques Monaco. This car represents a tuning kit based on the BMW 6-Series featuring a red livery, white interior leather setup, and super-sized 30 inch wheels. And we can’t forget the front grill which looks like the BMW got a huge buck tooth.
Its true, Top Marques is a place for supercars designed with good taste and who feature impeccable lines, so a car like the Shark really has no place there. At the same time, Top Marques is a place for any kind of vehicular extravaganza and, in this case, we can understand why this car would take its place there.
The people who were there could only comment on how crazy this car was. That may have not been the reaction the tuner wanted to get, but the car still got some attention. We think that this may not be the best example of how bad publicity is still good publicity.
When top-flight auto executives say something, a lot of us generally stop and pay attention.
So when Jim O’Donnell, BMW North America’s CEO, said that the next generation 6-Series, which will be launched in 2011, will be “the best-looking BMW in year”, then we have to stand up and take notice.
O’Donnell’s comment came from an interview with Automobile Magazine where he boldly proclaimed that the next-in-line 6 series will veer away from past designs and will look nothing like any of its predecessors. Although he expects to see a radically different 6 series, O’Donnell mentioned that the car will pretty much carry the same dimensions as that of the current model. Apart from that, the design of the car is anyone’s guess.
O’Donnell did not divulge any more out of fear of giving away too much too soon. But before doing so, he did say that the next-gen 6 series will be “super sleek.”
If we take what he said for what it’s worth, it would be hard to bet against BMW coming up with something we’ve never seen before, especially after they pretty much floored a lot of us with what they showed at Frankfurt last month, including the jaw-dropping BMW Vision EfficientDynamics concept car.
With a design inspired by both the new 7-Series and Z4 Roadster, the 2011 BMW 6-Series’s new architecture undertaking some serious testing at Germany’s famed Nurburgring. The 6 Series mule was spotted at the Green Hell revealing a new front bumper with a massive air dam, reshaped headlights, a more prominent double kidney grille and a redesigned rear-end.
Under the hood BMW is rumored to keep the same engine as the current model, the only change being the 4.8 Liter V8 being replaced by a smaller 400 HP 4.4 Liter turbocharged V8 from the BMW 750i. Whereas the top of the line M version will get the same 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 engine from the new BMX X6M.
BMW is lobbing a speciality shot at its German rivals with another GT car. Where the 5-Series GT seems to be in response to Mercedes’ peculiar R-Class, the 6-Series GT is going after the coupe/sedan class created by the CLS.
A four-door 6-Series has been an on/off rumor for a few years, but last month credible sources started the some chatter again. Now the GT seems to be a go for the next-generation 6-Series.
The exact design for the 6-Series GT still has not been confirmed. It may have four full doors, or two small rear hinged doors (similar to the Mazda RX-8). What we can expect is for the car to look like a mix of the rest of the 6-Series line, with the wider grille and headlights from the CS Concept. While the size seems to make the Mercedes CLS and upcoming Audi A7 the GT’s likely targets, the four-door, four passenger hatchback layout sound a lot like the A5 sportback.
BMW may even throw all of it’s new engine technology at this coup/sedan. It’s rumored to offer a wide array powerplants including a twin-turbo V8, diesel V6 and even a hybrid engine. Expect the GT to come about a year after the new 2010 6-Series makes its debut.
Last week we got heard a rumor of three new vehicles joing the BMW lineup. One of the more interesting ideas was the 6-Series GT, and now our friends at the BMW Blog have gotten their hands on a few more details from a reliable source.
The purpose for adding space to the 6-Series coupe will be to give direct competition to future cars like the Audi A7 and the redesigned Mercedes CLS. The layout of the GT 6 is likely to feature full four passenger seating and use two small rear hinged doors (similar to the Mazda RX-8). Inspiration for the design is supposed to blend elements of the upcoming 2010 6-Series coupe and CS concept. Just like the 5-Series GT, the 6-Series GT should feature a full hatchback in the design.
BMW may even throw all of it’s new engine technology at this coup/sedan. It’s rumored to offer a wide array powerplants including a twin-turbo V8, diesel V6 and even a hybrid engine.