It is, and it isn't. I don't think it's the kind of car you fall for straight away, and neither do I think it would be half as good if it was an auto. It's not light, it's not small, and it's a bloody silver BMW so it doesn't exactly stick out!
However, it's got real depth. The chassis is superb, giving feedback as you want it, and in sport mode the steering is perfectly fine. It's not great, but it's good enough for me and I'm a bit fussy! The engine doesn't rev very high, just 6.5K, but it's lovely and smooth and with the right exhaust it's a nice grumbly V8.
You have to learn to drive round the soft suspension, but if you get the fancy pants dynamic drive one then you don't, as that's bang-on in terms of sportiness. Get it right and the nose turns in a treat, and you can feed just enough power in to get the rear sliding. The gearbox is a peach, arguably second best I've tried behind the MX-5, so well worth sourcing a manual.
Yeah, I really like it. The looks aren't to everyone's taste and the interior is 'functional', but as a grand coupe I think it's tough to beat for the cash. Dirty great V8, 2+2 coupe, manual 'box... It's a bit like a modern TVR that won't fall apart.