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Just Missing the Map: 2011 BMW M3 Individual

Just Missing the Map: 2011 BMW M3 Individual

Published July 10, 2015 by Carter

While the twin Individual Gran Coupes from this morning were certainly a good start, if I were seriously contemplating special ordering a car and paying extra for it, it would probably be a full-fledged M model. BMW’s obviously made a habit of offering limited-run M models, and it seems – generally – that those models plus the regular run of options resulted in less people turning towards BMW Individual to spec out their cars. But thankfully, some did – and we end up with some pretty cool color combinations, such as the Java Green hued 2013 I looked at last year.

One of my biggest gripes with some special editions is that they don’t seem to be particularly special at all; generally, just a different than normal color combination. All of the manufacturers are guilty of this, not just BMW; but the Lime Rock Park Edition is one that really makes me cross. I’m not even sure why; it is, indeed, a special car – a fully loaded Competition Package car, limited to 200 examples in Fire Orange, with a unique exhaust and a track map indicating the etymology of the name. It was also the end of the legendary 2-door M3 (for now). But since you could special order Fire Orange from BMW’s Individual department and have, theoretically, a 1 of 1 example for about the same money, I just was never sure why the Lime Rock Park Edition was so special. One thing is for certain, though – the color stands out on this exceptional package and if you were clever, you beat BMW to the market:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2011 BMW M3 on Craigslist

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Feature Listing: 2012 BMW 335is

Feature Listing: 2012 BMW 335is

Published July 6, 2015 by Carter

Like this past weekend’s 135i, a potential alternative to the M3 that I’ve considered quite a few times is the 335i. Upping the ante a notch, in 2011 BMW introduced the 335is; ostensibly, the spiritual successor to the ZHP package that the E46 had in the 330i. As they had with the 1M, BMW kept the N54 twin-turbo motor in the 335is instead of the usual N55 single turbo that was in the 135i and 335i. Tuned up to a reported 320 horsepower and 332 lb.ft of torque, the N54-equipped 335is also enjoyed a revised short-shift 6-speed gearbox and M-Sport styling outside, bringing it closer visually to the M3 – along with unique split 5-spoke wheels. While the 335is wasn’t much of a match for the high-revving V8 of the M3, in real world conditions it wasn’t much slower – and notably, with a healthy bump in torque over the S54, the 335is matched or bettered the reported E46 M3 acceleration numbers. Having just driven an E46 M3 this past weekend, the soundtrack is great but there’s a notable lack of grunt under 3,000 RPM – certainly to be expected, but when I get into even my considerably less powerful Passat, the fun of the turbo engagement at lower revolutions to provide a healthy kick in the pants – even at partial throttle – is something it’s hard to get out of a normally aspirated car without huge displacement. On top of a bit of extra grunt and some go-faster body kit, this particular 335is was optioned in one of the better blues BMW has offered in recent generations; LeMans Blue Metallic:

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Motorsports Monday: 2008 BMW M3

Motorsports Monday: 2008 BMW M3

Published June 22, 2015 by Carter

A truism of motorsport is that to make a small fortune in racing you need to start with a large fortune. Building race cars is very expensive; strange, considering that there is much less of them when you’re done than the road car that was started with. If, for example, you wanted to go racing in the GT3 class, the ostensible car to get would be the multi-class winning Porsche GT3R. Smart choice. Now, fork over your half a million hard-earned trust fund dollars, since before you turn a key the GT3R stickers at 429,000 Euros plus taxes. Run a race weekend, and presuming you don’t crash or have a mechanical, you’ll be several tens of thousands of dollars more in the hole, since race cars consume consumables at an alarming rate. Tires, brake pads, clutches – you name it, it’s expensive if it’s top-tier racing goods. And then come the realities that after a staggeringly short amount of time, you need to completely rebuild your race car. According to the Census Bureau, the average American spends 50 minutes a day commuting in their car. In race car terms, that would mean that after a little over a month you’d have to completely rebuild your car. Nuts, right?

But you still want to do it. Okay, a much more affordable way to go really, really fast is to buy a last generation car. Just past the current vogue, they tend to be considerably more friendly on the wallet. Yet, top tier cars are still very, very expensive to run. Perhaps, then, a smarter choice would be to look at a car based upon more pedestrian internals:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2008 BMW M3 on eBay

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Two Turbos or None? BMW 335i v. M3

Published January 17, 2015 by Carter

A few months ago at a gathering of friends, two BMWs were present – my friend’s E46 M3 and his acquaintance’s E82 135i. A bit under my breath, I mentioned to him that I still couldn’t get over how unattractive the 135i was compared to the M3. I may have said that the E82 looked a bit like a really poor quality bodyshop repaired a E46 that had been both in full frontal and rear crashes – poorly. But my friend countered that if anything, that 135i was faster and more fun to drive than his M3. Looking back, I paused, and thought “Could I?” The answer remains no in my book, but it does raise an interesting question – with E92 335i prices dropping within reach of the higher E46 M3s, which is the better choice?

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Green with Envy: 2013 BMW M3 Individual Java Green

Published October 28, 2014 by Carter

When you have effectively the exact same car as many thousands of other enthusiasts, it’s hard to stand out. Countless Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and Volkswagen enthusiasts try their best to personalize cars, but the reality is that even when you select numerous individual details your car is still one of many that are probably pretty similar. One solution is to buy a car that’s fairly obscure and modify it to your liking; but you’ll struggle to have a car that’s like new and probably won’t function well as a daily driver. If you want something new, reliable and with a warranty, your options are limited – that is, of course, until you select some of the special options offered by Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, and BMW. All will paint your brand new car either one of their options outside of the normal color pallet for an additional fee; for a lot extra, they’ll even paint it any shade you can find anywhere. It’s an expensive option – but if I were thinking long term, it’s one I’d probably select. Chose wisely, and you’ll end up with a stunning package – one like this Java Green 2013 M3 Individual:

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