I would like to preface the following build with one small fact. I am a HUGE Spider-man fan. I mean HUGE. I am 42 work in I.T. and I still have a Marvel comic subscription kind of fan. Yes I am a Nerd... and as Peter Parker says “With great power comes great responsibility”. Now that we have that out of the way… on to my build.
M235I X drive Convertible:
Color B45 Estoril Blue Metallic
Upholstery LCL5 Coral Red Dakota Leather with Black highlight
Options:
ZCW Cold Weather Package
248 Heated Steering Wheel
494 Heated front seats
502 Retractable headlight washers
ZDA Driver Assistance Package
3AG Rear view camera
508 Park Distance Control
ZTP Technology Package
609 Navigation system
6AK BMW Online and BMW Apps
6AM Advanced Real-Time Traffic Information
6AP Remote Services
6WA Instrument cluster with extended contents
21U 18" double-spoke orbit grey 436M wheels w/ non-run flat tires
4WG Aluminum Hexagon Trim with Black high-gloss highlight
5DP Parking Assistant
674 Harman/Kardon Premium Sound System
6NS Enhanced USB and Bluetooth plus Smartphone Integration
I basically have all the options except the nanny state lane deviation warning items and I have the car in Spiderman Blue and Red! I have built my very own Spidey-Mobile!
Delivery at the PCD
Day 1
The day started with Rachael and I driving to our dealer to drop off our current car as we were allowed to “rent” it for the 7 days between finishing paperwork and leaving. We were whisked to the airport in an X5 and landed in Greensville, SC a few hours later after seeing Atlanta for 45 minutes. The PCD sent a 535 from the Marriott to pick us up and after check in, we settled in to a delicious dinner on BMW and a restful nap. I didn’t sleep too well in anticipation of delivery.
Delivery Day
We woke up had a complementary breakfast on BMW and were picked up with the group of 14 others to be shuttled to the Performance Driving Center. The day started with an orientation where we met our instructors for the day and then we were taken outside and given an equivalent mule car to drive. Each car had a walkie-talkie in it so we could hear the instructor in the lead car.
First up was the skid pad. BMW had a dedicated car to this activity so we changed over to that car and the instructor led us through how traction control works. We all live in Wisconsin with its winters and icy roads I was impressed on how much grip I could get when the traction control was on. We then turned it off and set back out to eventually spin out. Even in a spin the car felt in control and with some input from the instructor (who was in the car during this exercise) it was very easy to stop the spin and come to a halt.
Next up was a small road course we both were able to take about 10 laps on. The course had reducing radius turns, elevation changes and a slalom course. Rachael had never been on a track before and she had a blast putting the car through the paces after a lap tour by the instructor’s car. All seven of the cars were on this course at the same time and the instructor did a great job of traffic flow control. Many cones were tipped over and everyone had tons of fun.
Next up was the braking exercise. We were told to “murder” the brake pedal and if we broke the pedal off we could keep the car. We started at 25 MPH, then 35MPH and finally at 55MPH. I took that as a challenge but even at 55MPH with me almost standing on the brake pedal, ABS fully on and turning into a corner to stop it did not break and I did not get a free car… its like they knew.
This concluded the car portion of the course. We brought our cars back to the paddock and upon exiting we were asked if we wanted to take a hot lap in am M4 with our instructors. Rachael and I immediately raised our hands and jumped into a M4. I attempted to hold my gopro steady against my chest as our instructor made the course look easy. The hot lap ended with what felt like a quarter mile long power slide with a 360 spin at the end to line us up with the exit. I could not stop the wide grin and on the video I shot you can hear me giggle at least twice.
After the hot lap we were told to make our way to the line of X5’s waiting for us to drive to the factory tour and then to the off road course. The factory is an impressive controlled chaos to watch and one of the cleanest I have been able to visit. We saw hundreds of X3’s destined for some happy owners and at the final stage of assembly we witnessed a roundel being hammered into place on the hood of a white X3.
Highlight reel from the day.
After the factory tour we followed our instructor in our X5 to the off road course. We took turns driving the X5 through high-banked turns and used hill descent control to help us navigate some hills. It was fun and was interesting to see just how far you can push an X5. I was impressed on how much tilt the X5 could take and still drive with ease.
As we finished we were now able to grab a bite to eat and visit the gift shop. The food was excellent. German knockwurst and potato pancakes among other delicious food. I also made my way to the gift shop to see what was available and came away with a Performance Driving school jacket I will make use of with some top down driving. The gift shop gives CCA members a discount so remember to bring your card!
Finally! We were told to make our way out to some heated tents to see our cars. Ours was in the third tent down and was set up with a table and two leather chairs with all my paperwork, a space heater to keep the “garage” comfy and of course my car! I immediately grabbed my camera and started to shoot tons of photos of the car. The Coral red interior is just fantastic. It has some black contrast stitching that I think really makes it pop. The Estoril Blue is eye catching especially with the orbit grey rims. They are darker than I thought and really add to the looks of the M235i. If the rims were a lighter gray it would not look as good in my opinion.
My Delivery Tent at BMW Performance Center by
Chris Favero, on Flickr
My New BMW Baby waiting for me in the tent by
Chris Favero, on Flickr
Taking Delivery of my M235i Xdrive Convertible at BMW PCD by
Chris Favero, on Flickr
BMW M235i Estoril Blue exterior and Coral red interior by
Chris Favero, on Flickr
BMW XDrive by
Chris Favero, on Flickr
Top Down convertible view by
Chris Favero, on Flickr
Fish-eye of coral red interior by
Chris Favero, on Flickr
Orbit Grey Rims with Super sport performance tires by
Chris Favero, on Flickr
To be totally honest, I was a little apprehensive about how the car actually would look with the Coral red and the Estoril Blue. I have to say now after seeing it and driving it for 1200 miles I don’t think I would have it any other way. It’s very distinctive and the red and blue work extremely well together. I spent the next hour or so talking with our dedicated delivery specialist, getting my car set up, importing my profile from USB, attaching my license plate and asking a few questions about options I added to the car like parking assistant.
We were turned loose after I ran out of questions (I mean I just did turn in a 2014 M235i so there weren't many) and started getting antsy on wanting to drive my car. We drove to the Zentrum to take a few obligatory photos in front of the fountains and then headed off to a section of the Blue Ridge parkway to take some more photos with the golden hour light of the setting sun. As the sun began to set we pointed the nose of the car north and slowly made our way back home to Wisconsin.
My new M235i parked outside the Zentrum by
Chris Favero, on Flickr
Popular photo op for all new BMW owners by
Chris Favero, on Flickr
M235i and fountains outside the BMW Zentrum by
Chris Favero, on Flickr
Golden hour photo of M235i on Blue ridge parkway by
Chris Favero, on Flickr
I have to say, if you are getting a new BMW take Performance Center Delivery. It’s an experience we won’t ever forget and it is well worth the cost of airfare and gas/lodging to get home. We are planning on doing it again in two years when Rachael will be getting her new X3.
I hope you like my simple attempt at documenting my PCD.
Cheers!
Chris
