In pics: BMW M6, This Is Your Life

Perhaps unwittingly, BMW technically referenced the iconic ‘less is more' aphorism of legendary architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe when building its new M6. Because with the announcement of the new super coupe, BMW has waved a fond farewell to the old high-revving, 5.0-litre V10 monster, and introduced a new, smaller, 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8.

The new V8 produces 552bhp - 42bhp more than the old car - and as such, ascribes to the late architect's maxim of minimalism. Sort of. Because as TG's Paul Horrell found out while driving the new M6 Coupe, that engine "goes like stink - it's an absolute monster".

Little wonder, if you'll excuse the pun, when you consider this new twin-turbocharged V8 extends a family tree that sprouted forth from a 3.3-litre straight-six in what is considered the first of the big, M-Power Six Series with the BMW 3.0 CSL.

So with our man's verdict on the new Big Beemer - "it's too remote to be a sportscar" - does old Ludwig's saying, that ‘less is more' actually ring true? Have a click through the gallery of the M6's family tree and see what you think...

Six European Touring Car Championships is proof enough of this car's immense motorsport provenance. The fact - and it is a fact - it is simply one of the finest looking BMWs ever made only adds to the aura surrounding this, the BMW 3.0 CSL.

It was an inauguration of BMW's newly-formed M Division, sort of. When, in 1972, they were tasked with building a racer based on the 3.0 CS, they quickly turned around a 360bhp touring car monster, replete with aluminium doors, bonnet and boot lid.

And that CSL eventually beefed up to a 750bhp twin-turbo racing version...

Richard Hammond drives the BMW 3.0 CSL 'Batmobile'

Yes, clearly this is not a BMW Six Series. This is the BMW M1. You should already know that it's BMW's one and only supercar, a mid-engined beaut' built for the Procar Championship back in 1978 as M's first ever production car.

And while we're told the entire run of 456 models was "snapped up by customers with lightning speed", the M1 had a greater distinction: it provided a suitable heart donor for a stablemate...

That 3.5-litre straight-six from the M1 produced 286bhp in the new Six, and the shark-nosed coupe then became the second fastest BMW ever built, second only to its M1 sibling.

Also, it looks fantastic. You want one.

Think about this for a moment: the engine in this, the second generation BMW M6, scooped the International Engine of the Year award two years on the trot, 2005 and 2006. And in the two years that followed, it scooped the award for the best engine above 4 litres.

Some credibility, then. It's a 5.0-litre V10 derived straight from Formula One, packing a biblical 507bhp. That means 0-62mph in 4.8 seconds and a top speed of over 200mph. Be afraid of this car.

"So, big kudos to the M engineers for making a big and heavy car feel so friendly when it's in this unnatural environment. But really, they've missed the point. It never feels light. Worse, it never feels especially sharp. It's not a sports car. It's not, in the old sense, an M car..."

Read the review here

"It somehow doesn't quite gel on the road. You know the phrase, ‘the whole is greater than the sum of its parts'? Well the M6 convertible is a whole that is a little overwhelmed by the sheer number of parts that BMW has chucked at it. Especially the armoury of electronics that govern the way its chassis and transmission behaves..."

Read the review here