BMW builds a 600-hp M6, but only for Japan

By Stephen Edelstein Published May 31, 2016

Anniversaries are a great excuse for carmakers to cook up special editions. Most are forgettable, but some, like this BMW M6 Celebration Edition, are truly desirable. However, this model, which was built to celebrate BMW’s 100th anniversary, is only available in Japan.

What makes the M6 Celebration Edition coupe truly special is its hopped-up engine. The 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged V8 produces 600 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque, compared to 560 hp and 500 lb-ft. in the standard M6. That’s the same output as the M5 30 Jahre special edition launched a few years ago, which makes sense. The M6 shares the M5’s engine (and many other things), so applying the same modifications should have been pretty straightforward.

All of that power is sent to the rear wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch automated transmission only and, even though it is a Japanese-market model, the Celebration Edition is available in left-hand drive only. BMW says it will do 0 to 62 mph in 3.9 seconds, and reach a top speed of 189 mph.

Read more: BMW’s M6 GT3 prepares for racing glory

Exterior changes include Austin Yellow paint that makes this M6 look like it just rolled off the set of a Fast and the Furious sequel, and numerous detail changes. The special edition gets model-specific 20-inch black lightweight alloy wheels, extra carbon-fiber exterior trim, and a BMW twin kidney grille in a special black chrome finish.

On the inside, the Celebration Edition gets Merino Black leather upholstery with yellow contrast stitching to match the exterior, plus carbon-fiber trim on the dashboard, steering wheel, and shifter. In case the driver ever gets sick of the noise coming from the 600-hp V8, BMW also added a 16-speaker, 1,200-watt Bang & Olufsen sound system.

Just 13 examples of the M6 Celebration Edition will be built, priced at 23,210,000 yen ($210,561) each. If you don’t live in Japan, BMW is also offering a 100th-anniversary edition of the 7 Series called the BMW Individual M760i xDrive Model V12 Excellence The Next 100 Years. However, only five of these awkwardly-named models will be imported.

Stephen Edelstein

Former Contributing Editor

Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…

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