The BMW E24 series was the first BMW 6 Series coupé, produced by the German automaker BMW between the 1976 and 1989 model years. The 6 Series name reappeared with the BMW E63 chassis beginning in the 2004 model year. The E24 borrowed heavily from contemporary 5-series cars (E12, later E28).

The E24 was a replacement for the CS and CSL coupés first produced in 1965. The CS 3.0 was almost changed by adding a few centimeters in height to make it easier for customers to get into the car. However, Bob Lutz rebelled against the decision and rough drafted an alternative version that soon became the 6 series. Production started in March 1976 with two models: the 630CS and 633CSi. Originally the bodies were manufactured by Karmann, but production was later taken in-house to BMW.

In July 1978 a more powerful variant, the 635CSi, was introduced (for the time being not available in North America and Japan) that featured as standard a special close-ratio 5-speed gearbox and a single piece black rear spoiler. The bigger bore and shorter stroke facilitated max 218 hp at 5200rpm and a better torque curve. For the first year, the 635CSi was offered in three colors (Polaris, Henna Red, Graphite), and could also be spotted by the front air dam that did not have attached fog lights. These simple cosmetic changes reportedly worked to reduce uplift on the car at high speeds by almost 15% over the non-spoiler body shape. This early model shared suspension components with the inaugural BMW 5-series, the E12.

The BMW 6 Series is a range of executive coupés produced by the German automaker BMW.

The first was the E24, being derived from the E12 & E28 5 Series 4-door sedans. The E24 launched in 1976 to replace the 3.0CS & 3.0CSi (E9). 14 years later, in 2003, BMW released the all new E63/E64 which was available as a coupé and convertible, based on the chassis of the E60 5 Series sedan. Models were the 645Ci (later replaced with the 650i) and the 630i, while the highest performance model is the BMW M6. The third generation F12 and F13 6 series was released in 2011 for the 2012 model year, sharing a platform and some engines with the 7 Series (F01) and 5 Series (F10), and introducing a four-door coupé (fastback sedan) style.

The BMW 8 series is sometimes regarded as the spiritual successor to the E24 6 Series, being also available as a "CSi", however it had a substantially higher price point and performance than the preceding 6 Series.

The original 6 Series was launched in August 1976 as the successor to the E9 coupés, namely the 2800CS, 3.0CS and 3.0CSi. The new E24 chassis was safer than that of the E9, meeting new United States federal crash and rollover standards. This car had a 3210 cc engine with 197 PS (145 kW). In 1978 BMW debuted the 635CSi, with a 3453 cc SOHC, 218 PS (160 kW) engine and a top speed of 222 km/h (138 mph). The 635CSi could reach 100 km/h (62 mph) in 7.4 seconds. The early cars were offered with a 5-speed 'dog-leg' Getrag gearbox. A four-speed automatic transmission became a more common option. The series underwent a significant change with the mid 1982 model, this included a 'normal' pattern 5-speed manual, or the more usual four-speed auto. A luxury version, known as the L6 arrived in the USA in 1987 with leather headliner and trim and other accoutrements. It was available only as an automatic.