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S54 M Coupes are quickly appreciating, as the top-performing clownshoe’s rarity and ability are realized. I’m certainly not immune to their unique draw, and an example like this is right up there with the E39 M5 as the first car built in the last 20 years that I would actually consider putting in my garage. Today’s is a beautiful example, looking positively sinister in black on black lightweight Fikses. It has a litany of effective and attractive (and reversible) modifications. The S52s may be a better value proposition, but one quick daydream about raging the redwoods in this 315hp shooting brake and the price starts seeming more reasonable.
I know it may seem blasphemous to say, but I get a sense that the new BMW M3 sedan and M4 coupe are for those who like to play Madden 2015 in the basement rather than get out on a field and toss the football around on a crisp autumn day. I’m not sure about you readers, but I’m a more tactile person, which makes the original BMW M Coupe the choice for me when it comes to the Ultimate Driving Machine. This Evergreen M Coupe for sale in California is one of under 30 produced and has covered a little over 73,000 miles.
If I haven’t previously voiced my displeasure with the “Lime Rock Park Edition” M3, allow me to do it now. On the face of it, it’s something I should love – a track that I grew up with and still love to frequent, one of the most historic homes of motorsport in the country tied to one of the best German cars out of the box, celebrating a union with one of the best driving schools – Skip Barber. But the Lime Rock edition is more or less a special color (which, incidentally you can purchase at any point given enough money and checking BMW’s “Individual” boxes properly) and a little track map of Lime Rock inside; you know, in case you forget where you are in the middle of the “Big Bend”. The color, I’ll admit, is pretty awesome to me and of course the competition package E92 was pretty amazing out of the box – but the premium demanded for these Lime Rock cars was simply outrageous in my opinion. What should the Lime Rock Park Edition have been, in my opinion? Well, I think the builder of this M Coupe got it right – stripped down for lower weight, big downforce and 100% more power:
My love of the clownshoe is no secret, as I find the shooting brake to be even preferable to the wagons I covet so much. The Z3 Coupe is one of the funkiest and coolest out there and always demand a long look whenever they pass. Though usually found in M Coupe guise, there’s something refreshingly unpretentious about the base Z3 version. The S52/S54 debate is immediately thrown out the window, and the Z3 Coupe owner just becomes someone who enjoys funky sports car regardless of bragging rights and for whom a fun base model seems like the logical and more-frugal choice. That person sounds like a cool car enthusiast to me, and today’s 2001 model comes with the M54 that produced almost as much power as the earlier S52 and comes on some of my favorite wheels ever, the Style 32s. With only 629 Z3 Coupes made in 2001 and a small fraction of those in the arresting (or is that arrested?) Hellrot II, this is a great little rarity that would be a blast to own.
Every time I see one, the original M Coupe strikes me as one car I would even entertain moving on from my E28 for. I’ve always loved the shape and the weirdness, and while it would certainly be nice to land an ever-appreciating S54 model, my experiences with the S52 have all been pleasurable. Today’s shining red example is of the latter, slower variety, but is practically brand new after covering less than 3,000 miles per year. The interior would make me a little nauseous every time I got in it, but maybe I could lose a few lbs to help this lithe shooting brake hustle.
