An almost perfect 10: This V10-powered grand tourer offers supercar performance for just ￡16k. Kyle Fortune checks it out

摘要

Some numbers to ponder: 500bhp, 4999cc, 10 cylinders, seven gears and 0-60mph in 4.7sec. Here's another: ￡16,000, which is all you need to experience all of the above. BMW's M6 looks like a conspicuous bargain, a car that we described on these pages as having the pace "to keep up with supercars in a straight line" while also describing its comfort and refinement as comparable with the Bentley Continental GT's. Introduced in 2005, the M6 borrowed its powertrain from its M5 relative, and what a powertrain. That combination of 5.0-litre V10 and seven-speed sequential manual gearbox still looks exotic in its specification today - perhaps even more so now that BMW has gone down the downsized turbocharged V8 route for its top M cars. Its origins can be traced back to BMW's involvement in F1, the M6's engine winning huge praise and plenty of awards around the world. That's hardly surprising, really. The V10 is able to rev to a heady 8250rpm and develops 100bhp per litre.