BMW's 6 Series changed shape with almost every generation it lived through
BMW's grand tourer began in 1976 as a sleek two-door coupé, disappeared for 14 years, came back with a convertible, gained a four-door Gran Coupé, and finally reinvented itself as a five-door fastback. Few nameplates have shifted identity so often while keeping the same number on the boot.
The first generation, the E24, replaced the E9 coupés and was built from 1976 to 1989, always as a two-door coupé. It borrowed its underpinnings from the 7 Series and used straight-six engines. The fastest version, the M635CSi, known as the M6 in North America and Japan, launched a performance line that would run through the next two generations. When the larger 8 Series arrived, the 6 Series was dropped.
It returned in January 2003, 14 years after the E24 bowed out, as the E63 coupé, soon joined by the E64 convertible. Built on a shortened 5 Series chassis, it drew criticism at first for its divisive styling and complicated iDrive controls. Its M6, from 2005, carried a V10 engine and mostly came with a seven-speed automated manual gearbox.
The third generation, launched at the Shanghai and New York shows in 2011, added a four-door Gran Coupé in 2012, inspired by the 2007 CS Concept. Its M6 was the first to use a turbocharged engine, a twin-turbo V8. Production wound down between 2017 and 2018, with the coupé, convertible and Gran Coupé roles later handed to a more upmarket 8 Series.
The current car, the G32, was revealed online on 14 June 2017 and launched at the Frankfurt show that September. It is a five-door fastback called the 6 Series Gran Turismo, replacing the 5 Series Gran Turismo, with four- and six-cylinder engines and optional all-wheel drive. Diesel engines have been part of the range since 2008, and four-wheel drive versions since 2012.
Source: BMW 6 Series
