Ultimate Raffle Prize: The Ultimate M3

 

It started as an online survey: If you were to configure an E92 M3 to be the ultimate BMW CCA special edition, what choices would you make? In no time, members had settled on a color—Le Mans Blue—and various options: Competition Package, of course, and cold-weather and premium packages. Bamboo Beige Novillo leather. Oh, and let’s have the enhanced premium sound system, please, with satellite radio, too.

 

Little did we know we were building a real car!

 

The E92 M3 coupe has been called “the last great M3” because of its milestone S65 engine, a twin-cam four-liter V8 derived from the legendary S85 V10 that powered the M5 and M6; it remains the most sophisticated naturally aspirated engine ever developed by BMW, and may very well be the last M engine without a turbocharger.

 

The V8 M3 will end its production run in June—and one of the last cars off the line will be the BMW CCA Limited Edition M3 Coupe. How limited? Exactly one—and that special M3 will go to the winner of the 2013 BMW CCA Car Of Your Dreams Raffle. Not only will some lucky member win the real, actual car—it’s certainly the car of my dreams, anyway!—but the Club will throw in $15,000 in cash to help pay the taxes. That’s a total value of $105,000.

 

You can’t buy this car. But some lucky winner will take it home for the price of a $25 raffle ticket.

 

But Satch, I hear you asking, couldn’t I just order up an M3 coupe of my own to the same specifications? No, you can’t—because the guys at BMW of North America have done some lobbying on our behalf, and the wizards at BMW Individual seem to have worked a little magic of their own. First of all, there are the additional M Performance options: Start with the Electronic Performance M Steering Wheel. Add a carbon-fiber front splitter and rear-deck spoiler. On the interior, let’s make it Piano Black trim; good luck trying to special order that item yourself!

 

Oh, and just to make sure your fellow members know how special your M3 is, that trim will be engraved with the BMW CCA map logo. It’s also embroidered in the front headrests. There’s a dash plaque denoting  the car as #1 of 1 BMW CCA Limited Edition M3 Coupe. And the door sills will read BMW CCA.

 

Still think you could order up one of your own? Or are you ready to buy a raffle ticket?

 

Just remember, this is the BMW CCA edition, so don’t look for any paddle-shifters on the steering wheel. I don’t care how wonderful the seven-speed double-clutch transmission may be, because this car comes with a proper six-speed manual. How special is that?!

 

As usual, the Grand Prize is just the top tier of the Car Of Your Dreams raffle. You might also win the First Prize: a BMW Z435is (or the cash equivalent)—MSRP $64,100. Or one of the Main Prizes, a BMW 335i coupe (or the cash equivalent)—MSRP $45,100.

 

Again this year, there is no limit to the number of tickets you can purchase, and one car will be given away for every 5,000 tickets sold. And again this year, the special, limited-edition BMW CCA Motorsport grille badge will be sent to buyers of ten or more tickets. Like the BMW CCA Limited Edition M3 Coupe itself, you can’t buy this grille badge—you can only get it by buying ten raffle tickets.

 

This year the Car Of Your Dreams Raffle runs from May 1 to August 9, and they’ll once again be holding weekly raffles-within-the-raffle for various prizes. I’m not eligible for any of these prizes, of course, because Club employees, contractors, and officers are barred from the contest.

 

But at least I got to put in my two cents’ worth, along with my fellow members, to help configure the BMW CCA Limited Edition M3 Coupe. So if you win it, you have to promise me a ride.—Satch Carlson