Club News
The first week of June will be busy at Circuit Of The Americas in Texas, as BMW launches the M version of the 6 Series Gran Coupé—you know, the sleek four-door twin-turbo V8, but with a few steroidal additions: 560 horsepower, big fat bulging tires in saddlebag fenders, seven-speed M double-clutch transmission. As usual, we press geeks will wear out the tires pretending we know what we’re doing, and then fly home to write about it. That’s on June 3.
It’s what happens next that’s really interesting.
BMW dealers are inviting selected clients from all over the world to take the wheel of an M6 GC at COTA—is that enough initials for one sentence?—on June 4, 5, or 6.
For €990—about $1,300—you can spend a day wringing out BMW’s pinnacle of M over-the-top-osity. Invitations are focused on current M5 and M6 owners, plus selected “conquest customers.” I think that means they’re trying to tempt AMG drivers into trying a real car. (That’s probably kind of a cheap shot, but where I live, AMG stands for Another Mercedes Geezer.)
If I understand this right, dealers have already sent client names in to organizers, who have sent invitations to these selected clients. But by dint of late-night clandestine procedures we won’t go into right now, a crack team of Roundel Weekloids has managed to procure access to the M Track Days Austin Reservation Center:
We even have their phone number: 800 980-6269.
I dare you. I double-dog dare you.
Now, there may be no slots left at this point, since each M track day is limited to 48 drivers. But who knows? What’s the worst that could happen? It could be that they do have space available and you max out your credit card and you find your way to Austin and you spend the day with your cheeks aching from a 560-horsepower grin—and I say that’s a good thing.
Best of all, if this program works out, the M guys are thinking of putting together more M track days, in different parts of the country. Is this a wonderful country, or what?—Satch Carlson
