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Black wheels. Do you know what they look good on? Porsche 917s, and a smattering of the 911 and 944 models that came with black and polished Fuchs. And, perhaps the “Bluesmobile”. That, as far as I can figure, is it. Don’t get me wrong, I understand one aspect of the appeal of the black wheel. The last 20 years of my life have been a constant struggle of cleaning brake dust off of brilliant silver wheels. Would it be easier to just paint them matte black and never worry about it again? Sure, it would end my Sisyphusian struggle against pad deposits on my wheels. But then, I’d stand back and look – and I’m quite sure, every time I would shake my head. No, it just doesn’t look right to me – even when they’re very expensive wheels on an otherwise stunning car:
My unbridled love for the S38 makes me want to put it in every BMW. While my dreams for an S38-powered E30 may have to wait, if I really felt like looking like an 80s drug dealer, the M6 is an amazing big coupe. They look both dapper and menacing in black, while the interiors always look extremely plush. The back seats look like they should be children’s beds. This example comes passed down from an old man’s estate to his Alzheimer’s home, and it looks exceptional inside and out. 106k miles seems to be the time many owners of classics like this pass on stewardship. With no reserve, this could be a great buy for some serious 80s M Power.
As the E28 M5 continues to make lists for hidden gems and affordable future classics, the E24 M6 sits in the corner with the same running gear, a sportier shape, and a scowl because no one pays any attention to it. It’s like the girls at the middle school dance all chose the tough guys who dressed up in suits, while the slick blonde preppy in the cable-knit sweater gets no love. While they may not be proclaimed the next great ///M investment, they still represent a great performance bargain. This M6 scores two out of three on the interior/exterior/engine bay test, looking great in red and presenting a sumptuous tan leather interior with just a single bolster detraction. The downside is the engine bay, which is pretty filthy. A pressure washer and some long-handled toothbrushes might be able to help that out, and hopefully the low 107k miles means in the inside of the engine looks a heck of a lot better than the outside.
In Paul’s recent M6 Roundup he celebrated the many different colors that the M6 came in, including a rare Bronzit example. It’s one of the many reasons I prefer the M6 over the M5. The second reason is the particular look of the updated 88 examples; with slimmed down bumpers, they look a bit closer in my mind to the original design than the other U.S. spec cars. Of course, in an ideal world I’d want a clean Euro example – with small bumpers, the right motor and perhaps an even more rare color combination, such as this Alpine White with Buffalo hide leather 1985:
When I owned my 1988 BMW 325is, I lusted after an E24 M6. Even though the E30 was a more current design, the lure of “the shark” was strong, but out of reach for me financially. Today, a curious thing has happened. It seems that an E30 in good nick with the right specification is gaining ground on E24 M6 values. But just how long will this continue, as collectors become more hip to the virtues of the original 6 series with the Motorsports badge? Today we’ll take a cruise around Craigslist and scope out the M6s currently on offer, starting with this very clean 1988 model for sale in San Francisco.
