In conjunction with the debut of the newly refreshed BMW 6 Series at the 2015 North American International Auto Show this week, the BMW Motor Show Blog released an article entitled “10 Things You Did Not Know About The BMW 6 Series.” We think the number of facts that many BMW CCA members know about the BMW 6 Series is a lot fewer than 10, but let’s take a look and see.
With a nod to the BMW Motor Show Blog, consider this a pop quiz to see if some of us know as much about BMWs as we sometimes think we know.
Q: Who was responsible for the design of the first BMW 6 Series, the E24?
A: Paul Bracq was BMW’s director of design when the E24 project took shape. He was also the designer of the BMW M1.
Q: What was innovative about the interior of the E24 BMW 6 Series?
A: The cockpit design, also under Paul Bracq’s umbrella, was a driver-oriented layout. It slanted critical control and information elements toward the driver, and served as the model for BMW interiors for decades.
Q: Which came first, the auto show launch, or the production line?
A: Unlike most models, where the start of production begins months after the new car is premiered at an auto show, the E24 6 Series was already in production months before it debuted at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1976.
Q: Which BMW model had the longest production run in BMW’s history?
A: That’s an easy one, especially since we’re already talking about the E24. The first-generation BMW 6 Series production ran from 1975 to 1989 and was available for sale from 1976 to 1989. BMW built 86,219 E24 6 Series cars.
Q: What company actually built the first 6 Series bodies?
A: The first E24 bodies were built by Karmann and shipped to BMW for assembly. Body production later moved entirely to BMW.
Q: Did the E24 6 Series ever race and if so, did it win?
A: Yes, and it won the 24 Hours at Spa, Belgium and at the Nürburgring’s Nordschleife in 1985 and 1986.
Q: After the E24 ended production in 1989, how many years passed before the next 6 Series, and who designed it?
A: Fourteen years passed before the E63 BMW 6 Series was presented in 2003. Adrian van Hooydonk, who happens to be the current BMW design chief, was responsible for designing the E63.
Q: What concept car was considered the inspiration for the E63 BMW 6 Series, and who designed it?
A: The BMW Z9 that first appeared at the 1999 Frankfurt International Auto Show previewed the lines of the 6 Series. That concept was designed by Chris Bangle, who was BMW’s head of design at that time.
Q: What other BMW 6 Series models have premiered at Detroit’s North American International Auto Show?
A: The E64 BMW 6 Series Convertible and the F12 6 Series Convertible.
Q: What 6 Series models are being presented at this year’s North American International Auto Show?
A: Another easy one since it just happened officially today, January 12, 2015. The newly facelifted BMW 6 Series Convertible, the BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe. And the BMW M6 are featured at the BMW stand in Detroit.
So how did you do?
We know that some readers were hoping for tougher questions and more obscure facts, but we thank the folks at BMW Motor Show Blog for reminding people that BMWs have history, and that the history of the BMW 6 Series includes some impressive cars and one model—the E24—that many consider one of the most beautiful BMWs ever built.—Scott Blazey
For those who took the quiz and got this far, here's your prize: a video on the design of the E24 BMW 6 Series.
[Photos courtesy of BMW AG (E24, Z9), GTPlanet (E24 Racecar); Bimmerpost (2015 M6). Video courtesy of BMW AG.]
