Roundel Weekly: My Turn

After 100 years of refinement, what exactly does the long-standing motto “The Ultimate Driving Machine” really mean? Is it the countless hours of engineering and testing that go into every benchmark-setting model? Is it the heritage of racing pedigree and trademark features like the dual rounded grilles and Hofmeister kink? Or is it the personality and character provided by the brand through programs like Individual, Euro delivery, Performance Center delivery, and BMW CCA events?

Of course, it is a combination of all of these things—but a label like Ultimate Driving Machine is in no way objective; in fact, it is very subjective, and will differ from one person to the next. For BMW’s centennial anniversary, I propose that my Sunburst Gold M3 embodies how BMW has truly built the Ultimate Driving Machine specifically for me—and they can do it for you, too!

The BMW Individual program and European Delivery experience are shining testaments to BMW’s character and appreciation for its customers—qualities that are unmatched in the industry. Only with BMW can a customer build a truly unique car, pick it up at an incredible delivery center—complete with factory and museum tour—drive the car throughout the European Union for two weeks, and have it shipped to the U.S. for free, all at a substantial discount off the sale price of the car—and BMW even pays for your insurance while you are in Europe, and cover your payment while the car is in transit to the U.S. Other brands have similar programs, but none absorb as much of the cost as BMW. The whole experience exudes warmth and genuine appreciation for their customers, which is impossible to deny when you reminisce about the trip.

With fond memories of my first Individual Euro delivery, a Santorini Blue E92 M3 in the spring of 2013, I found myself traveling to Munich for the second time. Just as before, I had spent months mulling over Individual paint options with my client advisor (and BMW M Sales award recipient), David Avilles of Steve Thomas BMW. Scouring Internet forums and old stock photos of every automotive paint color imaginable, I would submit ideas to David weekly; he would then send my requests to BMW Individual to see if the colors were available. Some were rejected, some were approved at a significant extra cost, and others were approved at the standard $5,000 premium.

My final options were Purple Silk Metallic, Telesto Grigio, and Sunburst Gold Metallic. Purple Silk Metallic was BMW’s consolation for discontinuing Techno Violet; it was also a color which had already been ordered on other cars. Telesto Grigio, a Lamborghini color, had been ordered several times as well. This left me with the risky option of Sunburst Gold Metallic, a color which had found its way onto one 2013 E92 Individual order; it was posted online, but seemed to slip into Internet obscurity.

I chose the rarest of my options even though I had never seen it in person. It was a gamble—and came with all the excitement and uncertainty inherent in a $70,000 bet that it wouldn’t turn out to be hideous.

The car that was painted this risky color was the high-demand F80 M3, with scarce allocations throughout the world at the time. It carries the pedigree of all previous award-winning, record-setting M3 cars. It boasts the most recent refinement of timeless BMW trademark features and design. There is no other M3 painted Sunburst Gold (yet), let alone equipped with six-speed manual, cloth seats, and no options aside from the upgraded headlights. It is a truly unique one-of-a-kind build!

I remember walking out on the delivery balcony at the Welt to see the car for the first time. The experience was reminiscent of walking into the living room on Christmas morning as an adolescent. As I gazed down upon my new obsession, I burst into a spontaneous giggle. The color was stunning—I felt a wave of relief and happiness as I knew my gamble had paid off!

The delivery consultant at the Welt told me that all the employees had been buzzing about the car since it arrived. “It is a very striking color,” she said. “I would not paint my BMW this color, but I am very glad that you did so that we could all admire it.”

This M3 is my own personal Ultimate Driving Machine, and there is no doubt about that every time I see it in my garage, every time I feel the bolsters of the seats hold me in place through a corner, every time I notch a gear with the manual shifter, every time I see people taking photos of the car with their phones while I’m out driving, and every time I hear the glorious noise of that M Power motor. It makes me thirsty for more any time I think about it!

Serendipitously, my M3, which I am using as an example of BMWs accomplishments on their centennial—let’s call it a golden anniversary!—is painted in a shade of gold. In every way, the Sunburst M3 is a celebration of the accomplishments of BMW throughout their 100 years of existence, not just from their incredible automobiles but also by tailoring their products to the individuality of their customers.

Now that the car is safe at home in my garage in Las Vegas, I have further tailored the car to satisfy my personal preferences. It is now equipped with BMW M Performance parts, aftermarket parts from long-standing BMW motorsports partners like Akrapovic, Brembo, KW Suspension, and Michelin tires, as well as parts from many other no-compromise aftermarket brands such as HRE, Eventuri, iND, Awron, Mode Carbon, and OnEighty NYC.

The car will be on display throughout Monterey Car Week and at BMW CCA Oktoberfest. I invite everyone reading this article to come visit the car and share an enthusiastic conversation about our love for BMWs—and to appreciate our own versions of the Ultimate Driving Machine!—Curt Wilson