What to you, qualifies as exotic? Today’s BMW comes with ten cylinders, six manually selectable gears, and a to-be-seen-in body, all of which support its place in the pantheon of performance machines. Will its price however, prove a little too exotic?

While my opinion about yesterday’s may have been clolored by my uncontrollable afttraction for the model of car, cooler heads thankfully prevailed. That’s not to say that you all didn’t throw in with some X1/9 appreciation yourselves, and in a turnabout on Wednesday’s almost all-in Crack Pipe loss, the Italian doublet managed to share a wild 96-percent Nice Price win for their combo $5,700 price.

I’d like to tell you about my other dream car, the AC ME3000, but we haven’t the time. Instead, let’s look at something perhaps not quite as rare and exotic, but which is close enough for government work.

What we have here is a , and I’d say that when it comes to upscale engineering and exclusive componentry, this big coupe brings the goods.

First off there’s that all-alloy ten-cylinder sitting loud and proud under the sloping hood. That was designated S85 by BMW and is notable for being the only ten-pot mill in the company’s history, as well as for not being based on some lesser series engine. The 4999-cc double VANOS ten brings to the fight 500 horsepower and 384 lb ft of torque, both made available well above 6,000 RPM. The rest of the time it mostly just growls and barks like it’s champing at the bit to be let off the leash. It also looks like it should be shouting ‘danger Will Robinson’ but smugly doesn’t want to.

Here in the E64 M6 convertible that engine could be paired with either a seven-speed SMG or six-cog all-manual box. Only 378 convertibles were built with the manual, and this just happens to be one of those. See, I told you it was pretty exotic.

The bodywork looks to be in excellent shape, with no peppering of the nose, nor curb rash on any of the four 19-inch alloys. The black paint seems serviceable, and the top looks to be intact and clean.

That all being said, let’s just address the elephant in the room, or maybe the hippo in this case. The fact is that the E63/64 6-series is, aesthetically, one of BMW’s least successful designs. It’s a Chris Bangle joint, and it sort of feels like he and his design team snuck this one out the door while everyone else at the company was napping. Damn that Oktoberfest afternoon slump!

The looks haven’t really mellowed with time and the convertible’s hunchback top doesn’t help matters any when erect. Driving top-down helps and it gives you a good look at the car’s handsome and only lightly worn interior.

Tan Merino leather is matched here with black accents and, somewhat surprisingly, a good bit of wood. That’s the premium package, and in fact this big Bimmer comes fully loaded with pretty much every accoutrement 2008 could offer. One of the features is the soft closing doors. Those are perhaps of value on a car with swingers as long as those on the E64, but losing a finger or two to one of these is one of my own personal terrors.

On the less finger snipping side, there’s a reasonable 84,000 miles on the clock and the ad notes that the car drives ‘brand new like a rocket.’ As you might expect of a rocket, fuel consumption is jaw-dropping. The EPA combo number is 13 mpg, and you can expect to get less than that, since in all likelihood you don’t work at the EPA. Also, that’s on premium gas, thank you very much.

So, with a wild and rare V10 engine and even more rare six-speed stick, this convertible GT certainly seems kitted like it’s on the exotic squad. Its looks may make it last picked for that team, but once you’re plunked down behind the wheel as you do, your view will likely be skewed by the tremendous acceleration and distracted by the pleasantly odd exhaust note. Might that all be worth $26,900 as presented?

That’s the asking and it would be lax of me not to point out that when new, this car likely commanded four times that amount. Along with avant garde engineering and questionable styling, these cars also brought to the table pretty horrific depreciation. What we have to decide is whether or not that slide is done, and if so, is this is the time to pick up so rare a ride before it makes the upswing.

What’s your take, could this M6 be worth that $26,900 price, or about what you’d pay for a modestly equipped Camry or Accord? Or, does that price make this near exotic, far from a deal?

You decide!

out of Brooklyn, NY, or go if the ad disappears.

H/T to EdHelmsBakery for the hookup!

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