745bhp 2017 BMW M6 Gran Coupé Competition F06

BMW dealer Genius Matt “Q” Quarrington’s dream car has long been an F06 M6 Gran Coupé. When this car was taken in part exchange at his place of work the rest was inevitable... Words: Simon Jackson. Photography: Jason Dodd.

Q Branch

F06 M6 Gran Coupé BMW dealer ‘Genius’ Matt “Q” Quarrington’s dream car has long been an F06 M6 Gran Coupé. When this car was taken in part exchange at his place of work the rest was rather inevitable...

It was somewhat inevitable that Matt Quarrington – owner of this striking F06 M6 Gran Coupé Competition – would end up driving a tidy BMW. For the past decade Matt has worked for Chandlers Hailsham BMW in East Sussex, working his way up the ladder from Apprentice Receptionist in March 2012 at the tender age of 19 (by his own admission with very little knowledge of the BMW brand!), through the ranks of the service department to become a ‘BMW Genius’ – supporting the Sales team with his – now in-depth – BMW product knowledge.

“I’ve happily been nicknamed ‘Q’ (from the James Bond films) due to my interest in all things tech and gadget related,” Matt smiled, “I help customers when they collect their new cars by showing them its new features, as well as offering a second point of contact for any questions or queries during their time of ownership – I’m on hand to assist and troubleshoot problems.”

28-year-old Matt’s interest in cars began at a young age, and perhaps originated from a slightly unusual angle: “I’ve always been into cars and grew up on the Fast and Furious films as well as the early Need for Speed computer games. As well as influence from my dad taking me to car shows such as Ultimate Street Car,” we’re told.

Matt purchased his first BMW in summer 2012, a brand new F20 116i M Sport fitted with the full M Performance bodykit and wheels. “Having been so inspired by the car shows, films and games, I always dreamt of building a show car,” Matt explained. “Over the course of eight years I kept adding to the 1 Series, including custom-built air-ride suspension from D2 Racing, deep dish 18-inch Heritage ‘Hokkaido’ Wheels from the USA, as well as many other cosmetic and performance parts which made the car truly unique.”

Matt began hitting the car show circuit and as a result he made new friends and even met his partner – now mother of his son. Matt moved house in that car three times over and won a couple of trophies at car shows, but sadly things came to an end with the 1 Series in August 2020 when the – now highly modified – car started to become less and less reliable, it was spending more time off the road than on it. The next chapter in Matt’s BMW story beckoned.

“One day in September 2020 a colleague drove around the side of the dealership in a stunning San Marino Blue M6 Gran Coupé,” Matt recalled. “For me the 6 Series has always been a bit of a dream car. I remember just after I started working in the BMW service department seeing a 6 Series Coupé for the first time – I was just taken aback by its styling and presence.”

The 2015 M6 in question had been taken in part exchange by the dealership. The usual routine checks in the workshop revealed that it had been remapped during its lifetime which meant it could not be offered as an ‘Approved Used’ BMW with the accompanying BMW warranty. The car auction house was calling... “I just couldn’t let it go to auction!”

Matt laughed. “Working around the BMW brand for so long I’d always had a dream M6 specification in mind and, by sheer coincidence, this car ticked all of my boxes – including being my favourite BMW colour. And, being a Gran Coupé meant that I could justify it to my partner – its five-doors would be practical for the family!”

The stars were aligned, Matt quickly got into the nitty gritty of the dealership’s asking price and, thanks to the car having done the bulk of its depreciation already, a deal was struck. “I decided to go ahead and purchase the M6 at a fraction of its original value, at the same time the process of putting the 1 Series back to standard began,” Matt explained. “It was a heartbreaking moment as the 1 Series meant a huge amount to me sentimentally, but after eight-and-a-half years and 76,000-miles – it had 7-miles on the clock when I drove it out of the showroom – I had certainly had use of it!” A few weeks later all of the aftermarket parts were stripped from the 1 Series and it went off to auction, not the M6, shortly afterwards.

Following a further health check in the workshop at Hailsham Matt arranged a separate, non-BMW, warranty, and took delivery of the M6 at the end of October last year. “Driving the M6 for the first time was incredible,” Matt recalled. “Working for a main dealership I have been incredibly fortunate to have driven the vast majority of the BMW range – including 1M Coupé, i8 Roadster and M8 Coupé to name just a few. I had driven a few cars with the S63 engine before but it’s never the same when you own the car yourself.”

Now with a better look around the car Matt was delighted to discover an Eventuri Carbon Air Intake System with air scoops was already fitted, so too an AWRON display – this fits into the driver’s air vent and displays technical and performance information about the car while you drive. Being a fan of the modified car movement it was obvious that Matt would personalise the M6 further. A set of 15mm Bimmec wheel spacers went on both front and rear, and he tinted the rear tail lights and reflectors. Of course Matt knew that the car was mapped, but he had no idea by who and with what system.

“After selling the 1 Series I upgraded the licence I had for Bootmod3 – the mobile mapping software for BMWs and MINIs – to the S63,” Matt explained. “I replaced the downpipes with MTC Motorsport decat downpipes, this then allowed me to map the car to Stage 2, pushing the power from 600hp and 516lb ft of torque to 745hp and 671lb ft of torque.”

That’s quite the upgrade! We wonder what the driving experience is like now?

“Incredible!” Matt smiles. “Being quite a big car it’s very smooth and comfortable for long drives, and it can achieve around 30mph believe it or not! But, changing into one of the M Modes transforms it into an absolute animal. “With the adaptive dampers it corners very nimbly for a large car, and as soon as you put your foot down the boost from the turbos kicks you back into your seat – you hit the speed limit before you know it.”

Matt also reports that the 7-speed dual clutch (with paddle shift) is lightning fast to react, and thanks to that remap and decat exhaust the sound is phenomenal, it roars under acceleration and downshifts are accompanied by deep crackles and bangs. “One of the things I love most about the M6 is that you don’t really see many of them around, let alone the Gran Coupé models as BMW only made one generation of M6 GC,” Matt said. “I’m hoping it will become a future classic being that BMW has now stopped production of the 6 Series model, I do think it had a very unique style and flair about it. Although the new 8 Series is a fantastic car I don’t think it has the same kind of style and sleekness as the 6 Series.”

Working at a BMW dealership as Matt does means that any work required on the M6 is undertaken in the workshop at Chandlers BMW Hailsham.

“Our BMW M specialist technician, who was fantastic with the work on my 1 Series, is my ‘go to’ man,” Matt laughed. “I often get the look of ‘here we go again’ when I go over to ask about what crazy things I can do to the car.”

Evidenced by his long relationship with the aforementioned 1 Series, and the fact that this M6 Gran Coupé is his dream car, Matt has no plans to part with this car any time soon.

“I intend to keep the M6 for as long as I can,” Matt said. “I’m fortunate that it is a weekend car so I don’t have to drive it every day – it averages only 16mpg – so it is mainly used for attending car shows and events at weekends. I also help run a Sussex-based car club called Pump99, the name stems from 99 Octane fuel, we organise many car events in and around Sussex and I attend various UK-based shows.”

So, if this car is a keeper, does Matt have future plans to modify further?

“After spending eight-years building my 116i I would love to take the time again to build the M6 into something really unique and special – whether that be custom wheels, air-ride suspension, or a body kit.”

It sounds as though we need to ‘watch this space’, but regardless the keys for this BMW dream drive won’t be prised from Matt’s hands anytime soon.

“As soon as you put your foot down the boost kicks you back into your seat”

Eventuri air intake helps boost performance to an impressive 745bhp. The M6 featured all of Matt’s desired options – and it was finished in his favourite BMW colour.

2017 BMW M6 Gran Coupé Competition F06

ENGINE & TRANSMISSION: S63 4.4 Litre Twin Turbocharged V8, Eventuri carbon fibre air intake system with air scoops, MTC Motorsport decat downpipes, BootMod3 Stage 2 Aggressive map MAX POWER 745bhp @ 6500rpmMAX TORQUE 671lb ft @ 2900rpm CHASSIS: 20” Light Alloy M double-spoke style 601M wheels, Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S tyres all round, Bimmec 15mm spacers front and rear, BMW floating wheel centre capsEXTERIOR: San Marino Blue Metallic paint, Competition Package, BMW M Performance Carbon bootlid spoiler, BMW M Performance carbon fibre wing mirror covers, tinted rear tail lights and rear reflectorsINTERIOR: Full Merino leather in Silverstone, AWRON Performance display gauge, BMW M Performance carbon gear shifter trim, Red BMW “M” mode buttons on steering wheelCOST NEW: £101,170. Total cost of options when new: £8070