der Bayerische March/April 2020 - 23

M E E T

T H E

B M W

C C A

R A F F L E

G R A N D

P R I Z E

I believe that when an organization is
run by wonderful people, it will be
reflected in the quality, products and
services to its members.

dB: Have you owned other BMWs
before this one? If so, what models &
years? How does this M4 compare?

dB: What do you do for a living?
Ben: I am a power systems engineer.
dB: What were your first thoughts
upon hearing that you'd won the
Grand Prize in the BMW CCA raffle?
Ben: I got this call in late October
from a number that I did not recognize. I usually ignore those calls.
Then I received a follow up email
from BMW CCA, saying that they
were reaching out to discuss about
the recent raffle drawing that was held
(Above) The kids both love it too.
in Evans, GA. My first though was,
to borrow the keys to the car.
that's cool, I might have won a $1000
American Express Gift Card, which was the gift that I targeted. Never won
any raffle or lottery, I would not expect to win anything substantial when
entering this raffle. Then I listened to the voicemail that they left me. The
voicemail message was the same as the message on the email, there was no
excitement on the tone of the message. So at that point I did not suspect
that I won anything big. So I gave them a call back, and they told me that I
had won the grand prize. My question was: 'Did you mean the M4?' And
they confirmed - yes. They told me to check the BMW CCA website to see
the winners' list, which I thought was updated as soon as they got me on the
phone. I saw my name there on the top of the list. I believed it when I saw
my name there. It was such a memorable day for me - such a blessing to
win the grand prize. I told my wife that I won a grand prize, she did not
believe me until she saw my name on the BMW CCA website. I think she
still did not believe it was real until we picked up the car few days ago.
dB: What are the exterior and interior colors of the car?
Ben: Exterior: San Marino blue metallic. Interior: Sonoma beige merino
leather. It also has San Marino blue metallic trim on the inside and on the
steering wheel.

W I N N E R

I can already imagine them asking

Ben: My first one was a 1999 BMW
328i with manual transmission.
I sold that one to my friends. Their
son, who is my godson, drives that
car now as his first car.
The second one is a 2006 BMW
330i with automatic transmission.
This one will be shipped out to my
sister and her family in California to
make room in the garage for the
new M4.
So technically, all the BMWs that
I've ever had are still within the family.
The M4, being a sport car, is
definitely different than the others.
It has more power that the other two
BMWs combined!

dB: What are your plans for the car? Will we see you at autocross or track
day? Cars & Coffee? Social events?
Ben: Yes - I will bring the car to CCA events so other members can share
the joy of owning this piece of engineering beauty.
dB: Will you be using the car as a daily driver or mostly for special
occasions?
Ben: The car will be used as a family car. To take kids to school, take my
wife on a date, do groceries, run errands, weekend trips, and other daily
activities.
dB: Anything else you want to share with our readership about yourself or
the car?
Ben: I also want to thank the folks at BMW of Towson that took good care of
the car and provided a great experience during its delivery.

dB: Now that you've had a chance to drive the car, what are your impressions? (Handling, cornering, steering response, power, braking? Creature
comforts? Quality of interior?)
Ben: I've owned 3 BMWs, including this M4. I enjoy driving all of them.
Even though the interior and consoles are progressively becoming
more modern, I still find that there is consistency in the design and
placement of important controls, which makes transitioning to the
new models a breeze. All the BMWs I've owned are very good in
cornering and handling. But I must say that this M4 is the best of
all. The M4 is ten times more fun to drive. My kids think that this
car is very fast; they really enjoy their new ride.

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der Bayerische March/April 2020

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