autoevolution
 

BMW History: the First 6 Series, the E24

With a few records set back in the 80s still standing, the 6 Series is today a whole different breed compared to the original car. That’s probably why BMW took the time to put together a short clip about it, inviting one of the people that was directly involved in its production to step in front of the camera and tell a thing or two.
BMW E24 6 Series 1 photo
Photo: Screenshot from Youtube
The person who accepted their invitation was Armin Gollob, former designer for the BMW Group’s exterior components, in a time when every car looked different and had its own parts.

With production starting in 1976, the 6 Series was kept on the assembly lines up until 1989, therefore becoming the model with the longest production span in the near 100-year long history of the Bavarians.

It was designed by Paul Bracque after a rough sketch was done by Bob Lutz, in an attempt to keep the Coupe alive, after the management was thinking of sacking it. Initially, the body of the cars used to be made by Karmann but later on, to cut costs, BMW started manufacturing it in-house. However, early models have unique bodies made by the famous coach-builder.

Its history is rather controversial but the 6 Series was and will forever remain a special model in BMW’s lineage. That’s because it was always fitted with inline 6-cylinder units that used to make at least 180 HP, plenty for any taste.

Unfortunately, the original was pulled in 1989 and wasn’t revived until 14 years later, in 2003, when the E63/64 models were introduced, under the supervision of Chris Bangle. Time has passed and today, we’re looking at the third 6 Series iteration, under the codename F12/F13 and F06 which points to the Gran Coupe model, an extension of the original concept. It’s funny how things change over time.

The original though, could be considered a pioneer in the field of on-board computers as it was the first BMW fitted with an early version of iDrive. Well, that’s a far stretch, to put it mildly. We’ll let Armin explain it to you!

If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories