Ask Elmar Schulte, head of engine development for BMW Motorsport, why the 2006 M6 gets a V-10 engine, and he responds with a simple answer. BMW wanted five liters of total engine displacement, and since the ideal individual cylinder volume is half a liter, ten cylinders were required. The resulting engine, installed in the BMW M5 and the new BMW M6, is inspired by the company’s Formula 1 racing engine. In fact, major castings for both engines are created in the same facility.

The 2006 BMW M6’s 5.0-liter V-10 is all aluminum, with four valves per cylinder, four hollow camshafts actuating the 40 valves, and a high-pressure Double VANOS stepless variable valve timing system equipped with its own hydraulic pump for faster response and operation. Designed to rev, the engine produces 500 horsepower at 7,750 rpm and 383 lb.-ft. of torque at 6,100 rpm. Redline is a lofty 8,250 rpm. A 12.0:1 compression ratio and a premium fuel requirement extract maximum power from the engine, which exhales through a low-back-pressure exhaust system, and each cylinder gets its own electronically controlled throttle to eliminate lag time and improve throttle response. Added sophistication includes ionic current knock control performed by the spark plugs themselves, which signal to the engine software when ignition timing must be retarded to eliminate detonation to control fuel consumption and emissions. A G-sensitive semi-dry-sump lubrication system ensures that oil returns to the main sump regardless of cornering forces, and the oil is cooled by a coolant-oil heat exchanger. Because BMW deems the V-10 inherently smooth, no balance shafts are necessary to quell vibration. Instead, the crankshaft incorporates two large counterweights to ensure silky power delivery.

BMW’s high-rev concept dictates that horsepower and torque peak closer to the ceiling than the basement, allowing the driver to access both by revving the engine rather than offering buckets of power down low. This makes for smooth driving at lower speeds, with instant power available with a downshift or two. Since the engine is designed to run hard and fast, each cylinder is silicon-impregnated for added strength and durability. Additionally, the intake camshafts are driven by hydraulically adjusted simplex chains that require no adjustment or replacement, while the exhaust cams are driven by gears. Finally, a variable tachometer warning zone illuminates at all times, providing the driver with a safe rev range depending on how cold or warm the engine is. The end result is an impressive engineering feat: This V-10 weighs 529 pounds, about the same as the old V8 in the M5, but with an output of more than 100 more horsepower.

Horsepower and torque are critical elements of the 2006 BMW M6, but without the seven-speed Sequential Manual Gearbox (SMG) with Drivelogic and Launch Control, the car is going nowhere. BMW’s SMG is a clutchless manual transmission that can operate like an automatic, shifting faster than even the most experienced driver in manual mode and loafing along in traffic in automatic mode. This is the first BMW SMG to be developed from the start as a sequential manual transmission; the previous SMG units were converted manual transmissions, and the results, shall we say, were not particularly good. This new SMG is much better, all the way ‘round.

Because this SMG is a clean-sheet design, BMW says it is optimized rather than compromised. Acceleration to 60 mph takes just 4.5 seconds, and the 2006 BMW M6 tops out at an electronically limited 155 mph. The SMG’s Drivelogic technology offers six sequential manual shift programs and five automated programs. Choose “S” for sequential, and “D” for drive (automated). Using the gear selector or the paddle shifters mounted to the steering wheel, settings S1 through S6 range from soft and slow (S1) to hard and fast (S6). Likewise, settings D1 through D5 span between mild and sporty, and the sportier the programming the longer the revs are held before upshifting. In “D” mode, the driver can manually initiate a shift using the gear selector or paddles, and Drivelogic will automatically switch over to “S” mode until the driver changes back.

Launch Control is available when Drivelogic is set to the most aggressive manual shifting mode, S6. To use Launch Control, deactivate the Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) system, hold the SMG shift lever forward, and press the accelerator down all the way. The engine automatically revs to 1,600 rpm, and the car will not move until the shift lever is released. When the shift lever is released, engine speed rises to 8,000 rpm while the M6 launches with automatically balanced clutch and wheel slip. From there, the driver bangs off manual shifts. The result is a standing-start launch just as flawless as what a pro driver could muster with a regular manual transmission, which means you don’t need any talent whatsoever to make the M6 fly. However, you cannot use Launch Control at every stop light. The system requires several minutes between launches to keep from overheating the clutch.

Other features of the 2006 BMW M6’s SMG include automatic downshifts into first gear when the selector is placed in “S” mode and the car comes to a stop, Start-off Assistant which holds the M6 still on a hill for up to one second while the driver switches from the brake to the accelerator, and hill detection sensors that keep the engine revs higher for power during ascents and braking on descents. The SMG does not allow the driver to accidentally over-rev the engine with a poorly timed downshift, and when engine speeds drop enough to make the downshift safe, it also double-clutches for smoother operation, producing a pleasing rev-matching blip between gears. If the driver downshifts the M6 on a slippery road, the SMG will disengage the clutch for a split second to prevent sudden wheel slip that could de-stabilize the M6. Starting off in the slippery stuff is also easier thanks to a second-gear start function when the SMG is placed in its mildest mode, D1, which results in more delicate clutch engagement as you accelerate from a stop.

Indeed, it sounds like driving the 2006 BMW M6 is a daunting task, and those who prefer a shorter learning curve will be glad to know that a conventional six-speed manual is coming in the future. Just keep in mind that if you choose the standard manual, a rival M6 buyer with the SMG is likely to kick your ass six ways from Sunday on any kind of road in any kind of weather. And really, once you’ve got the thing programmed exactly the way you want it, the SMG is no trouble at all.