In the eyes of many enthusiasts BMW's 6 Series models overshadow even the 7 Series flagship with their combination of luxury, style and that certain cachet that always invests a two-door model.
Certainly the 6 Series' styling is altogether more successful than the current Seven, their lines more harmonious, their pose more poised, but even BMW's M Sport guys will admit they lack a certain sex appeal.
So they did something about it.
Enter the 6 Series M Sport Edition - not a mad-dog performance cannon like the M6, but a sexed-up styling package for the saner Sixes that gives them a definite edge, for the kind of driver who, like Patrick Jane, never wears a tie with his three-piece suit.
The package will be available right across the 6 Series range from July 2013 and starts, of course, with an aero kit (specific to each body style) and 19” M light-alloy rims in distinctive double-spoked pattern.
QUIETLY BUT DISTINCTIVELY SPORTY
Also included are adaptive LED headlights and foglights, BMW Individual high-gloss shadow line trim, black-painted brake callipers and exhaust tail pipes in dark chrome.
The interior is also quietly but distinctively sporty, with an M leather steering wheel, M door sills and sports seats in alcantara and nappa leather, a nappa leather-trimmed dashboard, a rear-view camera for the parking sensors, a head-up display linked to a multifunction instrument display and a Professional audio system with 12 speakers in the Convertible and 16 in the Coupé and Gran Coupé.
There's also a freestanding 260mm liquid-crystal display that's home to the ConnectedDrive Navigation package, comprising voice control, hands-free telephony, access to BMW Online and Concierge Services, Remote Services and Real Time Traffic Information. The M guys will even throw in a ski bag for the through-loading hatch from the boot to the back of the cabin.
M Sport Edition buyers can also ask for the special metallic orange paint seen here, previously only available on the M6, as well as an exclusive interior trim scheme in fine-grain off-white merino leather with orange contrast stitching.