There's no getting away from it; this is the mightiest BMW of them all. Fabulously fast and furious, decadent to the core, technologically breathtaking, incredibly quick, immaculately built and luxuriously trimmed, this is the ultimate heavyweight coupé. De-restrict its 2005 International Engine of the Year V10 and punch up all 507bhp on the MDrive button and it can charge to 205mph - but not with me at the wheel and certainly never as a passenger.To take this car anywhere near its considerable limit needs skill - and even more restraint. It's the restraint I'd worry about! This car wants to be driven hard. In normal tune the 90-degree V10, voted International Engine of the Year in 2005, delivers a "mere" 407bhp, but punch the MDrive button on the wheel or the Power switch on the transmission tunnel and at 7750rpm you've got 507bhp. That's more than 101bhp per litre and with it comes titanic torque peaking at 6100rpm, where there's 383lb/ft available.With the bestial growl in your ears the 1.8-tonne M6 will scorch to 62mph in just 4.6 seconds with the sophisticated Dynamic Stability Control and massive bespoke Continental tyres fighting for traction all the way. Full-throttle overtakes between 50mph and 75mph pass in 4.4 seconds and the car is ready to charge effortlessly on well past its nominal 155mph maximum.That's impressive. But so is the stopping power. Huge drilled compound discs melt speed with minimum drama. From around 60mph the M6 is stationary in just 36 metres. In the wet or dry a full stop from more than 120mph takes around 140 metres with the car under full control.But there's a price to pay for that performance, and it's not just monetary. Parting with £80,775 will get you the hardware, but you then have to sit down and study. There are more settings on this car than on the world's most complex mobile phone. Once you've delved deep into iDrive to master the multitude of set-up programmes for suspension, sequential manual gearchanging and engine management, you have to learn what the head-up display is telling you in standard mode and when it's linked to MDrive.There are three suspension ride quality settings packed into the car’s Electronic Damper Control, eleven choices of manual or semi-automatic gearchanging patterns, three power outputs - P400, P500 and P500 Sport - and that's before you get to BMW's irritating iDrive multifunction satnav/computer/entertainment centre. Believe me, unless you have the patience of Job the M6 is a car which has the power to reduce you to tears before you start the engine.To get its best you have to take your time and learn the systems. Only then will you be able to appreciate the technological miracle BMW’s M-Power people have developed. But if you think iDrive is confusing you should try programming the launch control.Even BMW says the inclusion of launch control is an "indulgence". So why fit it? Once you've set it up it will give you a taste of F1 power and acceleration. How? By ensuring the rear wheels transmit every ounce of power to the road surface without excessive spin - absolutely optimum straightline acceleration.To sample its neck-snapping take-off you first have to switch off DSC and select the SMG box's S6 manual mode. The pilot - sorry, driver - must now push and hold the transmission tunnel gearlever forward, floor the throttle and hold it there. When the V10 reaches its optimum acceleration revs in this mode (4200rpm), you release the gearlever and hang on.The SMG system takes command and as long as you keep your right foot planted, and manage to keep the beast in a straight line with nothing between you and the horizon, it will accelerate like a missile to its maximum speed with the fastest automatic up-changes you have ever experienced.This is not for the faint-hearted nor for the public road, but it is the kind of motoring experience of which memories are made. I'm sure I lost a filling.The M6 is without doubt a stunning car. A carbonfibre roof panel cuts 45kg from the weight of the standard 6 Series, its suspension is incredible and the lightweight V10 is without comparison. But it can also be mild and mannerable around town and very comfortable with remarkable low interior noise, apart from the constant soft growl of the V10.Would I have one? Never. It's not the overall 14mpg I achieved and it's not the complex set-up it demands. It's simply not worth the money when the wonderful 367bhp BMW 650i Sport can deliver just about all of the appeal of the M6 for £26,790 less and caress its owner with the angelic burble of a blissfully somniferous V8. And when it's a case of bliss versus decadence, bliss wins hands down. Engine 4999 cc, 10 cylinders Power 507 bhp @7750 rpm Torque 384 ib/ft @6100 rpm Transmission 7 speed semi-auto Fuel/CO2 19.1 mpg / 357 g/km Acceleration 0-62mph: 4.6sec Top speed 155 mph Price From £82566.00 approx Release date 10/11/2005
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