derBayerische May/June 2024 - 31

2 0 2 4 B M W M 3 " B A S E "
I
may no longer be allowed to visit
California from January through
March. As it was this time last
year, an aggressive winter storm
marked my arrival, resulting in
significant flooding and mudslides
throughout Southern California.
And while justifiably concerned by
the inevitable damaging impact
from this significant storm,
Californians were also thankful for
potentially warding off a summer
drought.
While confident in my wet
weather driving abilities, attempting
to drive the Pacific Coast
Highway, now covered with a light
layer of mud AND potentially
having portions closed due to
mudslides, was a worry. My plans
were to have a business meeting
at a Central California coastal
location, then proceed to Laguna
Seca raceway for a photo op.
Again, I learned that you can't
beat Mother Nature or Father Time.
Mudslides closed both portions of
the Pacific Coast Highway and the
canyons that accessed the major
freeways. So rather than a pleasing
drive to both locations, I experienced
the 24-hour traffic jam that
is the 405 freeway.
And it reminded me of what I
hate about manual transmissions.
It's one thing to be the connection
between a 473 horsepower,
406 foot-pounds of torque
turbocharged six-cylinder engine
and the rear wheels when on a
curvy mountain road or a road
course. It's quite another when
you're crawling in traffic, trying to
either close gaps or quickly take
advantage of an opening while
making very slow forward
progress.
And while much of my anxiety
may have stemmed from my
seldom-used-when-driving-andnow-overworked
left leg, even the
most ardent " save the manuals "
supporter would cry " uncle " after
an hour in such driving conditions.
Once I reached a dry, open
road (albeit the Interstate), I was
May I June 2024
able to enjoy the driving attributes
of this " ultimate " 3 Series.
Equipped in the " old school " manner
(6-speed manual transmission,
rear wheel drive, NO sunroof) our
test vehicle reminded us of the two
reasons why BMWs are the benchmark
for the world's performance
luxury market - a solid chassis and
Roundel
editors
Autoweek
column, published in the late
1980's, on the BMW owners that
bought in to that superficial brand
image is a " must read " . And unbeknownst
to the powers that be at
" the Cylinders " , that first generation
M3 quenched an " Ultimate
Driving Machine " thirst amongst a
Nicolas Bissoon-Dath, Rich
Ceppos, and Larry Griffin put the
BMW brand on the radar screen for
a new generation of American car
enthusiasts.
Unfortunately, the " yuppy "
BMW intender didn't get it. Though
fully bought into the " Ultimate
Driving Machine " image; to the
" yuppy " owner the then ULTIMATE
of ultimate driving machines made
no sense. While desired by the
enthusiast, the high sticker price
(and equally high car loan interest
rates - over 11%) made selling the
2400 M3s exported to the U.S.
quite the chore. The U.S. dealer
network wanted no part for the next
generation E36 M3s.
And the BMW Car Club of
America is credited with " forcing "
the powers that be in " the
Cylinders " to bringing the E36 M3
(albeit, an " Americanized " version)
to the U.S. Both BMW North
America and BMW AG must have
been surprised by the passion of
the BMW CCA membership that
reflected in that successful letter
writing campaign.
As an aside, Tom Plucinsky,
then BMW Canada's product planning
manager and now Department
Head, BMW Group Product
Communications, BMW of North
America, LLC, was able to justify
exporting the European specification
E36 M3 to Canada for sale.
And the folklore behind having the
E36 M3 exported to North America
is simply fascinating.
Since then, BMW NA has used
■ (Opposite page and Above) With rear-wheel drive and a six-speed
manual shifter, the 2024 " base " M3 was built for the " purist " car enthusiasts.
the " Ultimate Driving Machine "
design and assembly culture.
Intended as a limited-edition
homologation for FIA Group A
racing, the first M3 started a rainmaker
movement within BMW.
When introduced in 1987, the
M3 was opposite to the then BMW
" yuppy " image. Our esteemed
new generation of American car
enthusiasts who thought they
would never see another era of the
performance/muscle car.
Proof that " buff books " once
made a difference to the car market,
the outstanding Car and Driver
review by Arthur St. Antoine, with
effusive backup comments by
the " M " brand vehicles and the " M "
logo to not only give the brand an
enthusiast " halo " , but also to wipe
clean from the U.S. market the
1980's " yuppy " image. Comparing
total vehicle sales, North American
market share, and brand image
from 1990's to now, is proof of the
" M " rainmaking abilities. Today,
when BMW introduces a new
product, one of the first questions is
" when will the 'M' model be
available? "
Approaching our " Individual
31
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