The 2000s (we refuse to say noughties…) will, for us, always be a slightly mental period in BMW’s history and that is almost entirely down to the E60 M5 and E63 M6. Up until this point in its existence, BMW had never done anything quite as insane as fitting a high-revving, F1-inspired V10 into any of its cars and it’s never done anything like that since. Of course, that’s not to say that BMW hadn’t been playing with big engines for some time by that point but the S85 V10 was something else entirely. There was the 8250rpm redline, the 5.0-litre displacement, the 507hp and an incredible amount of technology, all of which combined to make it one of the most advanced and downright incredible engines the world had ever seen, and it made for quite possibly the most insane M pairing of all time. We always bang on about how rare V10s in road cars are but it’s really true and it’s a seriously exotic engine, which makes it incredibly appealing. It is, however, not a cheap engine to look after and we are simply not brave enough to take the plunge on one but, luckily, we know someone who was, that being Sam Sandhu and his lack of fear has led him to build one of the sexiest M6s on the UK scene.
“Ever since I could remember, probably around the age of three, I really started to get the BMW ‘disease,’” grins Sam as we begin to chat. “Fast forward to eight years old, my dad bought an almost-new E23 7 Series in silver; it was a stunning work of art that BMW had created and I still remember putting my hand on the gear selector and asking him “How do I move it?” because, of course, it had a button on the underside to click it in and out of gears. I was in awe from then on and have always wanted to own BMWs. The noise of those transmissions from that era is very nostalgic and growing up with one had a major influence on me. This was very special as I still have a picture of my dad standing next to that E23 at home. Sadly, before I was old enough to own it, we got rid,” he adds but the seeds had been sown and BMW ownership was destined to happen. “My first BMW was an E90 320d – I originally selected this car for my mum however, after a few weeks, she decided it was a little too small for her so I ended up buying it off her and she got an E60 535d – nice little upgrade!” he laughs. “The 320d was nothing special, however this was the car that got me into a little modding, namely audio! I have owned about 12 cars in my time and of those, my E92 335d (silver, bagged on Air Lift and AccuAir and with the world’s first set of 19” Style 32 three-piece split rims) was what people knew me for before the M6 came along. The 335d was an all-out show build that was heavily modified and allowed me to meet some great people along the way who have turned out to be very close friends!” he adds with a smile.
We remember Sam’s 335d and it was a mighty-fine build so he clearly has a knack for modding but, nice as it was, it just wasn’t ticking his boxes anymore and he fancied a change. “This particular M6 was owned by a good friend of mine and regularly spotted at shows. He was looking to get a sensible motor after owning this for a few years and I was looking to do the opposite! After owning diesel cars almost all my life I wanted a car that I would remember forever. What else can go 200mph, is naturally aspirated and fits a budget sub-£20k?” asks Sam and he makes good point. “We agreed a price and, two weeks later, the deal was done. The car was very well-maintained and had a few touches such as black kidney grilles, Eisenmann Race exhaust and BC Forged wheels. That alone is enough to keep most people entertained; the plan was to put my stamp on it and make it a stand-out M6. I wanted to take things to an extreme in some respects and create something controversial just to see how it would be received,” he grins. “When I bought the car it had a gorgeous matt metallic blue wrap from the previous owner, however with burgundy being my favourite colour I knew I had to have the wrap removed. Upon removal, it became apparent the car was going to need a respray in most areas due to the paint peeling away. At the point of purchasing the car I really only planned a few subtle mods but that quickly went south!” he laughs, but we don’t think he’s complaining.
Step one was getting the tatty paint looking its best as Indianapolis red is a stunning colour and, once he’d taken care of that, Sam got down to business and started building his dream M6. As you can see from the pictures, this is a car that’s all about making a big impact and Sam has really put in the work to make sure that his M6 stands out from the crowd. The first major mod on his shopping list was sorting the suspension as he knew exactly what he wanted to do on that front; “The car came on H&R lowering springs at the time of purchase and these were extremely comfy yet sporty when required. However I knew they were not going to stay for long because if there was one thing I wanted to do to this car right from the outset, it was to bag it. So I made some calls and since this was to be a UK first, I was approached by a team to consider AirREX with a partial sponsorship deal and a front-line spot on the Performance Co.’s stand at Gravity. You may know The Performance Co. more for its Liberty Walk Mini and other Liberty Walk vehicles!” he says so for the M6 to be invited was clearly a big deal. With the AirREX kit on board, Sam’s M6 gets seriously low and looks absolutely awesome with it, the perfect suspension choice for a full-on show build like this.
The perfect partner for air-ride is a serious set of wheels and Sam was extremely fortunate in that his M6 was already sporting a set of BC Forged splits but, as much as he liked them, he had something else on his mind. “The BC Forged wheels were simply stunning and, in hindsight, I wish I had kept them however, being a sucker for deep dish, I had to get some wide three-piece deep dish wheels. I shopped around lots and had to stay within a reasonable budget. After a lot of Instagram browsing I stumbled upon some wheels which resembled a VIP look but not quite. It was a fusion of many styles in one and I fell in love with it so, after some calls back and forth, I put down an order for these wheels and the three-month- long waiting game commenced,” he says. The wheels in question are a set of Art In Motion 20s, measuring 10”-wide up front and a hefty 11.5” at the rear, with polished stepped lips, gold hardware and a gorgeous tinted brushed finish that is just stunning and really sets the wheels – and the whole car – apart.
The styling also ensures that this M6 stands out and while there wasn’t much out there for the M6, Sam has done a damn good job of getting some awesome aero parts for the car that really amp up the aggression. Unsurprisingly he’s opted for a whole load of carbon and the black weave looks fantastic against the Indianapolis bodywork; up front sits a carbon splitter complete with an additional home-made lower front splitter section, and the two combine to give this M6 a seriously aggressive front end, and the splitter sits mere millimetres from the ground when Sam airs out for maximum visual drama. Side blades enhance the car’s flanks, there are rear bumper corner splitters and a carbon boot spoiler along with carbon roundels front and rear while the finishing touches are tinted head and rear lights. The carbon theme continues on the inside, with acres of stunning carbon trim and an aggressively angular carbon steering wheel, and while the interior mods might be light it’s the awesome boot build that really impresses. Having got a taste for audio in his humble 320d, Sam knew he wanted a serious sound setup for his M6 and he’s got that and then some.
The audio line-up includes a JL Audio 12W7 AE-3 subwoofer, JL Audio 1200/1 v3 amp, twin Hertz HDP4 amplifiers, two-way Morel Hybrid Ovation speakers, Rainbow IL-S8F under-seat 8” speakers, an Audison bit One processor and KnuKonceptz cabling throughout and the air and audio components have been mounted in a stunning Alcantara-trimmed boot build. Finally we come to the performance side of things and while Sam’s not gone to town on that mighty V10, he has carried out a few upgrades to get it performing its best. “Initially it was all stock, however I bought BMC filters and RPi scoops after reading rave reviews. It all worked very well together and the scoops were mainly for aesthetics! However a year later I had the opportunity to jump on a set of Eventuri carbon fibre intakes so I did and have never looked back,” he grins. “My plan was never to go mad on the engine however the ESS VT2-675 supercharger kit has been playing on my mind lately. Who knows!
The wife seems to be okay with it so she is clearly a keeper!,” he laughs and if he did decide to ’charge the M6 at least he won’t have to worry about brakes as he’s already got an absolutely monster StopTech BBK fitted all-round, with six-piston calipers up front and four-pots at the rear. “My fave modification on the car by far has to be the StopTech BBK. Having never owned any big brakes before I simply love how big these are and how well they look and perform on the road,” Sam says.
You don’t tend to see many M6s on the scene but Sam’s mighty machine more than makes up for that as it is an absolute beast. It looks killer, with all that carbon, those incredible wheels and the air-ride, all of which combine to make a real show-stopper of a car but Sam is far from finished. “Just few weeks after the shoot somebody made me an offer on the wheels which I could not refuse so I sold them, and within two weeks ordered another set of custom wheels which will be here before this is featured in the magazine!” he laughs. “In addition to that, I have also purchased and installed the extremely rare Competition bonnet and LCI LED rear lights. I am also installing an ACS rear spoiler as I fancy a change from the carbon spoiler and I’m finally looking to retrofit soft-close doors to this M6 which will be a very nice touch. It’s the finer details in life!” he laughs. “Finally, I am retrofitting the LCI LED turn signals on the front of the car as it will complete the updated LCI look I want but this is not a simple plug and play install, so I’ve bought the necessary wiring to make my own harness for this – stay tuned!” he grins. Combine that with thoughts of a manual conversion and that supercharger kit and it’s clear that this M6 will be keeping Sam busy for quite some time to come, especially as he has no plans to sell it anytime soon. “Where do you go from a V10?” he asks and the answer is you don’t, you’ve pretty much peaked, and we can’t imagine Sam has any complaints about that at all.
“The air and audio components have been mounted in a stunning Alcantara-trimmed boot build”
“The wheels in question are a set of Art In Motion 20s, measuring 10”-wide up front and a hefty 11.5” at the rear, with polished stepped lips, gold hardware and a gorgeous tinted brushed finish”
“up front sits a carbon splitter complete with an additional homemade lower front splitter section, and the two combine to give this M6 a seriously aggressive front end”
DATA FILE BMW E63 M6
ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION 5.0-litre V10 S85B50, Eventuri intakes, RPi scoops, Pedal Box. SMG III seven-speed gearbox
CHASSIS 10×20” (front) and 11.5×20” (rear) Art In Motion custom three-piece wheels with polished stepped lips, gold hardware and tinted brushed centres, 245/35 (front) and 295/30 (rear) Pirelli P Zero tyres, stud kit with gold nuts, AirREX air-ride setup, StopTech BBK with six-piston calipers and 380x35mm discs (front) and four-piston calipers and 380x32mm discs (rear), StopTech braided hoses, StopTech brake pads
EXTERIOR Full respray in original Indianapolis red, homemade carbon fibre lower front splitter, carbon fibre front splitter, side blades, rear bumper splitters, carbon fibre rear spoiler, carbon roundels, tinted head and rear lights
INTERIOR Carbon trim, custom carbon fibre flat-bottom steering wheel with burgundy 12 o’clock stripe, refreshed leather, boot build with twin tank and twin compressor setup, JL Audio 12W7 AE-3 subwoofer and 1200/1 v3 amp, 2x Hertz HDP4 amplifiers, Morel Hybrid Ovation two-way speaker, Rainbow IL-S8F 8” under-seat speakers, Audison bit One processor, KnuKonceptz cabling
THANKS First and foremost thanks to my amazing family for supporting my madness over the years. Special mention to my parents, grandparents, my sister, brothers and brothers-in-law for encouraging me to follow my passion! Big shout out to my group, Lower Klasse, for making this big car community feel like home. The banter we have both on and off season is a real testament to our love and passion for cars and modifying. Thanks to Control Custom Steering Wheel, S6 Wraps, CPC Performance Engineering and R&R Detailing. I’m sure I’ve missed a few! Finally, thanks to my wife who has endured what can only be described as torture for putting up with my constant car chat and still wanting to go with me to the shows!
Eventuri carbon Intakes. Custom carbon steering wheel AccuAir E-Level controller Controller for Audison bit One processor. Twin Viair Compressors. Carbon boot spoiler and Eisenmann Race exhaust with oval tips.
