2006 BMW M6

This is a P500 M6. That means it’s properly, brutally quick, and also that it comes with that fabulous F1 soundtrack. You’ll get to ride all 500 of this car’s angry, snarling horses delivered through the medium of a superb 5-litre V10 engine mated to a 7-speed SMG-III semi-auto box.

We know colour preference is subjective but what’s not to love about this classy hue? The paint’s in lovely condition too. There is the odd blemish here and there – a tiny chip on a rear wing and a small mark on the rear bumper, but overall the M6 looks fantastic.

The carbon-fibre roof panel also has some small marks on it, but the general impression is of a car that’s been well looked after, which is because it has. The stunning spider alloys are in fine shape, with the only downside being that the rear tyres are near the end of their useful life.

Perfectly complimenting the dark grey metallic exterior is a black leather cabin. The leather inside looks to be in amazing condition with no marks, rips or tears anywhere to be found. The lumbar supports on the seats also look to be in good condition as well, with plenty of life left in them. 

Obviously there are signs of use on the driver’s seat bolsters, but they look as though a recolouring kit and some hide food would reduce their impact considerably.

A very desirable option the previous owner took from factory was the carbon fibre inlay around the car, specifically the dash and centre console. This adds a large dollop of sporting feel to the interior, beside the noise of the engine once you put your foot on the accelerator and get pushed back into the plush leather M sport seats.

To further consolidate the mileage, the wear and tear in the cabin is very minimal with all major touch points being in fantastic condition, with no cracking of the leather, no knicks or rips, very little scratches, if any at all, and no fraying of stitching. 

Along with the jet fighter performance you also get fighter pilot instrumentation in an M6, with a heads-up display (HUD) that projects your speed into your eyeline as you look though the windscreen. 

Just like the exterior and cabin, the underside of this M6 is in fine order. Despite the harsh conditions on our salted roads in the UK, the BMW shows no signs of having anything other than a tight, well sorted chassis. 

All rubber parts look to have lots of life left in them, and all the suspension components look to be in good condition as well. This impression is reinforced by the recent MoT certificate.

We couldn’t see any rust under the car, with the large plastic coverings doing their job and protecting the main components. The underseal is still intact and there are no signs of any jacking damage either. 

There are unlikely to be any nasty surprises lurking under here, and with the care and level of build quality coming from BMW on this once flagship model, you can rest assured that the underside of this car is unlikely to need any attention anytime soon.

The engine bay is, of course, utterly dominated by the vast 5-litre V10 engine, with its twin plenums, airboxes and airflow meters. This really is the heart of the car, and although the later force-fed V8-powered variant was even more powerful still, it lost some character. 

Line up the video near the top of this listing, turn up the sound and just take in that exhaust note – it’s pure F1. We’d trade this soundtrack – and the instant naturally aspirated throttle response – over the extra 60 horses of the later car any day, thank you. Sometimes, 500bhp really is enough.

The M6 comes with some historic invoices for maintenance work carried out, including one for a new air conditioning condenser (£504). There is also a lifetime guarantee for the rebuilt throttle actuator that has been fitted.

There’s also a bill for £3131 for major work involving replacing the big end bearings in March 2022. The BMW S85 V10 can suffer from premature big end bearing wear as a result of BMW incorrectly speccing their original running clearances, so knowing this work has been done is a huge bonus for the new owner.

In addition there are various invoices for general servicing work and a fully stamped BMW service schedule is also with the car. The M6 also comes with an MoT certificate which runs until October next year (with advisories that both rear tyres are close to the legal limit). The current enthusiast owner says:

‘I’d always wanted a car powered by this particular engine since I read a review of the M5 in around 2003. I spent about 18 months looking for a car, and even day-tripped Edinburgh to look at one which turned out to look much better in the pictures.

‘I bought this car as it had recently had both gearbox and conrod shell bearings replaced by Redish Motorsport in Bristol [well respected BMW specialists]. It was the right colour, and very original. 

‘The parts that were not original, like the stereo and the headlights, were replaced when I got it to return it to factory spec. There's nothing non-standard about it now. The car's electronics work much better with standard equipment throughout.   

‘The only issue I’ve had with the car was the that previous owner had registered it as a disabled vehicle to reduce the road tax – not something you expect on an M6, but quickly resolved at the Post Office.

‘What makes it special is the engine. The sound of the V10 is amazing, just like an old Formula 1 car. In my view it’s the best sounding engine ever produced. The power is also amazing.

‘Although old, the car has a lot of modern features as standard such as bluetooth for the phone, cruise, sat nav and even launch control.’

In an age when many cars are fast and luxurious, it takes something a little different to stand out, and the glorious powerplant in this M6 is just that. It takes an excellent car and turns into a really special one – and one that sounds like no other.

This is a lovely example, with excellent history and those all-important big end bearings sorted. We can’t see a downside.

We are happy to offer this vehicle for auction with an estimate in the range of £15,000 - £20,000.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at Bonhams|Cars Online HQ. Viewings are strictly by appointment.  To make a booking, please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, and read our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.