Introducing: My Alpine White BMW M3 Sedan!

Dreams come true... This is the only conclusion I can make after the emotional and brain breaking events of the previous month. One important lesson I learned about dreams becoming reality is that you have to dream realistically, and that you have to put some effort into getting there.  Long story +BMW  M3 was in my drive way.

The dealer agreed for a trade-in allowing reasonable value for the 335i, which we see here is passing the torch to its big brother.

Readers familiar with BMW's are aware that E9x M3 is one of the most unique cars ever made and it could be argued that it is on its way to becoming a modern classic.

Visually, it's just perfect.  Even though it's based on the standard 3 series, it shares very few components with the standard car.  Wide fenders and fascia borrowed from the coupe really give sedan a very aggressive and recognizable look.

Most of the body is re-manufactured to fit the  performance improvements such as quad exhaust, thicker wheels, and sports suspension.

And then there is this.  Ever since my trip to SEMA in 2013, I was craving for a V8, but owning one in Japan is a huge financial trap due to high displacement tax and inflated gas prices.   I guess patience has its rewards as I finally manged to pull it off; and I think I got the better end of the bargain as the 4000cc engine is not the largest displacement and its economy so far is more or less similar to the N54 in the 335i.

True, BMW engineers were concerned about the eco numbers as the car even comes with engine stop function, but realistically, the whole concept of fuel economy flies out of window as soon as I see an open stretch of road ahead.  The moment  I put the foot down and tachometer needle races towards the 8400 RPM red-line the engine starts to sing and whole car comes into life.  It is well known that the S65 engine is derived from a larger V10 S85.  Aluminum block and headers come straight from racing technology, while all eight cylinder are quipped with individual throttle bodies, allowing engine to breathe freely, maximizing response and perfecting the sound track

And that sound track is what sets this car apart from the 335i.  In all honesty, this car is not the fastest on the street and because all the fun is happening at top of RPM range, sub 4000 performance is less than impressive to say the least, but if anything the noise from the intake and ITB's up front and quad pipes in the rear makes up for the lost seconds.  After all, in the competition, the biggest smile wins!

This is where the brilliant DCT gear box comes in however, as the unit is capable of shifting gears in split seconds; in manual mode gear shifting occurs without any delay as soon as the paddle is squeezed, while in auto, the gear box is fairly intelligent and tends to find the optimal gear, while the kickdown function will instantaneously shift down to the most efficient gear enabling you to accelerate at ludicrous speed or engine brake.  Whichever it is, the accompanying sound track is absolutely surreal.

They say that you buy sports cars with your heart and leave your brain in the jar,

but with this car, you don't!

Even though the price tag was a bit hefty, i expect a good resale value.

With 420 HP The car incorporates remarkable performance, while the perfectly tuned chassis provides excellent ride comfort.

On the inside the car is a tailored 3 series.  Mine is a bit of option-challenged and the only box that the previous owner has ticked was premium stereo, leaving out adaptive suspension, USB Audio, M drive, 19 inch wheels and carbon trim.  Yet BMW Japan is known to nicely equip vehicles sold on local market as the car comes with red Napa leather, comfort access, and even a digital TV tuner...

The most surprising aspect of this particular car is its low mileage.  To this day, I am baffled how can someone go out and buy the ultimate driving machine and never drive it?

One thing for sure though is that I have no intentions of repeating that mistake as I enjoy every moment I walk up to the car and each time I start that engine my whole body trembles with excitement.  The emotional connection between me and machine is nothing like I have ever experienced before.  Every turn, every gear shift, every launch I can only say "wow"!

While driving this car I can't help but to push that engine towards the red line, down shift whenever I can, and what happens on the empty streets at nights will not be talked about on this blog. One thing for sure is that the original Michelin PS2 tires that came with this car will be gone quite soon.

And that's a good thing as I am ordering a set of 19 inch rubber to wrap my original TE37TTA's.  I have decided to keep these beautiful wheels as I expect them to fit perfectly on set of 15mm spacers and I can't wait to see how they will look with the Alpine White body.

But before that.... need more low!

All in all, this car is a perfect combination of emotion generating super-car like performance and sophistication of every day executive sedan.  It's fast, it's safe, good looking, on top of that I can fit baby seat in the back seat and stroller + groceries in the trunk.  Oh, and premium stereo is actually pretty good... What more can I ask for?

As usual, thank you for commenting, sharing, and following! Please check out bonus gallery, where I took the M3 to Daikoku PA for the first time and had an encounter with another very special M car!

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