The nippy six

Its fans affectionately christened it the Bayern Express. With its 3.5-liter engine, what was once Germany’s fastest four-seater swept the streets clean. And in the M version with 286 hp, BMW’s six-seater coupe was a real Porsche killer. When the 6 Series made its debut at the Geneva Motor Show a quarter of a century ago, the two-plus-two was at the height of its time. And that’s exactly where it stayed. In terms of technical development, the coupé with six-engine appeal became the Bavarian automaker’s flagship model. A time lapse on four wheels, and not only at speeds beyond 200 km/h. The fact that “six sells” – especially when the figure is right – was something the Munich-based company already knew from its predecessor, the CS series.

Its fans affectionately christened it the Bayern Express. With its 3.5-liter engine, what was once Germany’s fastest four-seater swept the streets clean. And in the M version with 286 hp, BMW’s six-seater coupe was a real Porsche killer.

When the 6 Series made its debut at the Geneva Motor Show a quarter of a century ago, the two-plus-two was at the height of its time. And that’s exactly where it stayed. In terms of technical development, the coupé with six-engine appeal became the Bavarian automaker’s flagship model. A time lapse on four wheels, and not only at speeds beyond 200 km/h. The fact that “six sells” – especially when the figure is right – was something the Munich-based company already knew from its predecessor, the CS series.

The Upper Bavarian M 635 CSi took the lederhosen off all the others from 1984 onwards. Tuners such as Alpina and Schnitzer had led the way, and the super six turned from Group A into everyday car life. BMW had left the racing technology in: The heart is the four-valve engine with two overhead camshafts. The M pumps an impressive 286 hp (nine more than the mid-engine M1 sports car) at 6500 rpm onto the crankshaft. The coupe – of which only 5855 units were built – sprints from zero to 100 in six and a half seconds, and only stops at just under 250 km/h. The M1’s four-valve engine delivers the same power as the mid-engine sports car.

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