You have to be an exhibitionist to enjoy BMW's M6 Convertible, especially with the top down - anonymity is simply impossible.
It's a car that draws continuous reaction from other people on the road though I'm not sure whether the flashed lights and hooting were all meant as friendly greetings. My lip reading's a bit rusty, but did that driver call me "a rich banker"?
The drop-top version of Bavaria's mighty five-litre coupe is for those who seek wind-in-the-hair experience delivered not only with maximum visual effect but also neck-snapping power. The engine under that long nose is the same 10-cylinder, five-litre item that's in the M5 sedan and M6 coupe - a 373kW fire-breather good for 0-100km/h in a Ferrari-frightening 4.8sec.
As with other cars that share the V10, power is fed to the rear wheels through a seven-speed SMG transmission that offers automatic or driver-selected sequential manual gearshifts through the floor-mounted lever or steering-wheel paddles.
The soft top takes around 25 seconds to operate, in either direction, a job that can be initiated by a switch in the car or, more spectacularly, from the key fob. The vertical rear window can be retracted independently of the roof and the cloth hood has a pair of "fins" to add some lustworthy shape.
The soft top - and its associated body strengthening - adds R85 000 to the base R1 241 500 price of the identically powered coupe. That's a lot of folding stuff for a folding roof but more than just exhibitionism is involved: there's also the selling point of the engine sound it liberates.
The coupe's steel roof mutes the effect but, top down, you get to experience the full Jurassic roar of the V10, a hardcore howl that you just wanna head-bang to.
The M6 has no planet-friendly credentials and quaffs a greedy 21 litres/100km but once you floor the throttle the power lets rip in a corruptive way that might make even the most ardent lentil-eater go: "Hell, yeah!"
As the real world doesn't always present an open, speed trap-free road to stretch the M6's legs the car defaults to a mode where "only" 300 of its kiloWatts are available - mostly to save fuel while driving in the city - but a button on the steering wheel labelled "M" (appropriately enough) liberates all the horses, quickens the throttle action and stiffens the suspension - turning the car from merely fast to foam-at-the-mouth.
In an instant the M6 feels lighter, more livid, and there's nothing subtle about 373kW being fired to the rear wheels. The Bavarian car blasts off the starting blocks with fury while the numbers of the digital speedo spool with barely believable haste in the windscreen's head-up display as the rev needle rushes with similar urgency to its 8250rpm red line. And always that roar...
Shifts more fierce
With the SMG transmission set to the sportiest of its computer-controlled settings the gearshifts are quick and brutal, hammering you back into your seat as each successive cog is selected.
The acceleration and shifts are even more fierce with the launch control programme selected, a setting that throws all subtlety - along with the traction control - out the window in the chase for maximum acceleration.
SMG is great when you're driving flat-out and even blips the throttle on downshifts but, like all automated manuals (with the exception of VW/Audi's twin-clutch DSG), gear changes in normal driving conditions happen with annoying interruptions in power mode. Unpleasant.
The M6 convertible is no lightweight at two tons - nearly 300kg heavier than the coupe due to body strengthening - and that prevents it being compared directly with a nimbler Porsche 911. Still, it handles with finesse. You can feel it's a heavy car but firm suspension keeps it from listing through a sharp curve or feeling in any way soggy and the sharp steering delivers all the nuances sought by a sportier driver.
Hedonistic holler
Driving purists will prefer the lighter and more rigid M6 coupe but the convertible feels impressively solid for a droptop. The ride's firm but there's very little shake, even on a bad road.
Too much noise is another common anti-soft top sentiment but, hedonistic as that holler is with the top down, the M6's well-insulated roof does a fine job of keeping out unwanted wind blast. No shouting necessary at speed.
The M6 is a four-seater: two adults can be accommodates, through a trifle cramped, I the rear bucket seats. For a convertible, the boot space isn't bad at 350 litres with the roof up and 300 when stowed. According to BMW, it will take a medium-sized hard shell case plus two 46" golf bags.
The Bavarian bomber is decked out in accordance with its R1.2-million sticker price, complete with leather-clad, power-adjustable bucket front seats. And that's real carbon fibre on the fascia - though it's a R3 800 option.
There's a vast array of toys and comforts, highlights being satnav, voice-recognising controls and a TV. But what's this, BMW? - no electric hand for the front seat belts? Tut, tut.
VERDICT
The top may be soft but everything else about this car is hardcore. It's one of the fastest, fiercest blow dryers in the business.