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      06-22-2019, 10:57 AM   #1
DARKMTTR
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Drives: '20 M2 Competition & '18 X1
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

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My BSM M2C European Delivery Story!

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I’ve been a long time lurker on the F80 and F87 European Delivery forums, and I finally experienced my own European Delivery. Over the span of 10 days, I travelled to 4 countries and racked up around 2,800kms. Having received a wealth of information from everyone on this forum as well as the F80 threads, I thought it was only right to give back in the form of my own ED story and experience. With this, I hope to share key pieces of information that I think are important for future EDer’s to know as well as give insight into the different destinations and hotels I visited. Overall, I had an incredible experience and I think everyone should partake in it while the opportunity still exists. Since I am providing a highly detailed recount of my trip (EXPECT LOTS OF PHOTOS), I have created different sections:

Preface
Day 1: Welt Pick-up
Day 2: Backroads, Neuschwanstein and Bludenz
Day 3: San Bernardino Pass and Lake Como
Day 4: Modena – Lamborghini and Pagani
Day 5: Gotthard Pass and the Andermatt
Day 6: Break-in Service & Porsche
Day 7: Museums and ‘Rings
Day 8: The Green Hell
Day 9: Auf Wiedersehen
Final Impressions


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Preface
Prior to diving into my trip details, I’ll preface this with some information about myself and why I chose the M2C. Around 3.5 years ago I sold my 5 speed manual Lexus IS 300 – the first generation bearing Toyota’s legendary 2JZ motor (albeit non-turbo). I loved the smooth inline-6 in that car and the connectedness I felt while driving it – not to mention the beautiful exhaust note. I stepped into an X1 from there as I had relocated to “Canada’s Snowbelt” and needed something a little more practical. The X1 was the best driving small SUV in its class, and while it was great for my long commutes and handling Canadian winter’s I was left craving more power with greater involvement in the drive.

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Fast forward to one year ago, BMW announced the M2C with the S55 motor and a number of upgraded goodies making it a true “M-car”. I thought this was the perfect opportunity to step into something fun and satisfy my desire. To me, the M2C was the perfect formula for a fun, but “practical” sports car. It has a potent, proven (in the F80) inline-6 motor, is offered with a manual transmission, and has RWD with an LSD. To top it all off, European Delivery was also available as an option. So, I went straight to my dealer and jumped on a waitlist. I placed a deposit to take delivery in one year from that date. I did this in order to allow ample time to get my finances in order, plan the trip, and guarantee I had an allocation. A bonus to this wait was being graced with a 2020 M2 Competition. So began the wait and the planning.



Originally, my plan had been to tour across Europe – both North and South. Having started a new job, however, I was only allowed 10 days of vacation so I had to make every day count. If you have more time at your disposable, I would also highly recommend taking advantage of the 14 days of insurance BMW offers while in Europe. The final trip itinerary I decided on involved visiting iconic automotive destinations, along the way completing a number of alpine passes while also visiting scenic destinations in between. Around a week or two prior to my departure, a small travel package from BMW Canada arrived containing Passport Folio’s as well as Luggage Tags from Spector and Co. – neat! With that I packed my bags and embarked…

Day 1: Welt Pick-up

I arrived in MUC on June 7th at 10am sharp. I had pre-booked the included Sixt limo ride to the Welt a few weeks in advance providing flight details and arrival time via email. Although the flight arrived on-time, clearing customs was utter chaos given the volume of people and lack of staff. As such, I didn’t clear it until 45 minutes later. I did, however, call the driver upon arrival to notify him of the customs situation. The limo was a 5er which was a comfortable chariot for the ride to the Welt (although I was hoping to be greeted by the new 7er). A smooth 30 minute drive later, I was dropped off at the front doors of the Welt.

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Upon arrival, I checked-in my luggage with the Welt employees who escorted it to a secure storage room. I had organized a plant tour prior to my vehicle delivery at 4pm which was excellent timing. The tour was very detailed and it was incredible to see the amount of automation BMW uses on its production line. It was a lengthy tour, and if I wasn’t jet lagged, I’m sure I would have enjoyed it more than I did. Once the tour was complete, I ventured over to the BMW Museum and indulged in some BMW history. Unfortunately, the plant tour ran later than expected and as my delivery time was near approaching, I had to rush through the Museum. Overall, there was lots of eye candy! Prior to actual delivery, I went to the gift shop to pickup some BMW swag and take advantage of the 10 euro discount offered (for all ED customers). I was quite disappointed with the selection offered in the gift shop, as I was hoping to scoop up an M Licence Plate frame, car cover, or at the very least an, “Only in M Town” t-shirt. I ended up settling on a M T-Shirt.

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Finally, the moment arrived! I entered the reception area where I checked-in and was escorted to a desk to complete some additional paperwork and get informed about different rules of the road – including some restaurant and food suggestions! Once this was complete, I was informed that monitors in the reception area would indicate who the delivery specialist was and the time of actual delivery. It turned out that the actual delivery time was scheduled for 1 hour after the check-in. BMW stocks quite a nice complimentary snack bar which held me down until delivery time. It was quite the tease being able to enjoy the snacks while seeing my baby on the carousel below.

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Once my delivery specialist arrived – Wolfgang, his name – he briefly explained how the rest of the delivery would play out. Following this, I was escorted to an information center with multiple “suites” in which one suite with a large touchscreen monitor displayed my name and car. Wolfgang was an amazing delivery specialist and was especially patient taking the time to explain all the ins and outs of the M2C including information not readily known. For instance, the M2C (all M cars in fact) never alter throttle mapping in different drive modes. The throttle should feel the same across the modes. In Sport and Sport Plus, however, the turbos are constantly spooled and ready for instantaneous power – very cool! The entire briefing took about 1 hour, and then I was lead to my car rotating on the carousel down the stairs to heaven. This experience really brings out a flurry of emotions. Wolfgang took the time to explain a number of features in the car, and ran through the infotainment system. He also provided a number of great backroads suggestions (PM me and I’ll be more than happy to share them!) and even went as far as programming them into the iDrive system for my journey the following day – impeccable service. Once complete, he instructed me to start the car and give it a few revs in the different drive modes… putting on quite a show for the Welt visitors. Finally it was time to depart and enjoy a victory lap around the Welt!

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Upon leaving, I captured a couple photos around Welt and then assimilated into the evening Munich traffic to the Le Meridien Munich – a standard hotel with tight, expensive parking.

Day 2: Backroads, Neuschwanstein Castle and Bludenz

I had planned to wake-up early and travel to BMW M Gmbh headquarters, as well as, Audi Forum Ingolstadt, but given the jet lag and excitement from the previous day, I ended up sleeping in. As such, I had to pass up on these destinations and head straight to my next destination – Bludenz, Austria.

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Wolfgang had informed me that many Germans were heading south to Italy as it was the start of summer holidays and that main highways would be heavily congested (I guess this was one oversight in my planning). As such I took a couple of his backroad suggestions and, boy, did they pay off. I went from Munich to Plansee via some lovely, albeit very narrow, backroads. Plansee, Austria was a lovely place to stop for brunch and admire the serenity of nature.

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From here, it was time to head to Neuschwanstein Castle for the mandatory car and castle picture. I took some time to hike up to the castle and enjoy the surrounding area – very touristy, but worth the hike. I didn’t actually enter the castle as entrance tickets were sold out (be sure to prebook if you intend on entering).

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The rest of the day was spent commuting to the hotel in Bludenz via Google Maps. The chosen hotel, Val Blu Sport Resort, was a lovely hotel on the outskirts of Bludenz with a few Olympic sized pools, a great place to get a few laps in and relax for the night. Both indoor and outdoor parking options were offered. Here in Bludenz, I enjoyed one of my favourite restaurants of the whole trip – the Dorflinger at the Schlosshotel.

Day 3: San Bernardino Pass and Lake Como

Initially, I had chosen to stay in Bludenz in order to be close to the Silvretta Pass. Unfortunately, I was unaware that the pass remained closed until June 21st. I spent the morning venturing up as far as I could before being greeted by a barrier maybe 5 minutes past the main gates – bummer. I did take the liberty of capturing a few pictures at the base of the pass to make the trip worthwhile. If I had successfully completed the pass, my next destination would be Stelvio Pass. In order to avoid the same fate, I decided to call the hotels located on Stelvio Pass to confirm whether the pass was open or not. Unfortunately, they informed me that the Pass closed at 12pm that day. With the day’s plans seemingly ruined, I had to continue to my next destination – Lake Como.

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While any route through Europe is bound to be scenic, I knew I couldn’t end the day without completing at least one pass. Thankfully, remembering a brief Instagram conversation I had with forum member somberlaine, I decided to take a slight detour on my way to Como via the San Bernardino Pass. What an amazing recommendation – I was more than content with the Pass despite the morning’s roadblocks.

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I arrived in Como earlier than expected, which gave me ample time to enjoy the city on foot (and get caught in a torrential downpour). I chose to stay at the Hotel Villa Flori based off recommendations from past EDers. This was a great hotel, not too centrally located in the city, yet in an easily accessible location off the highway and in a beautiful spot on the lake. The covered parking garage (where I saw a woman repeatedly hit two cars while trying to get out of a parking spot) is convenient if you can find a corner spot to avoid incompetence.

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Day 4: Modena – Lamborghini and Pagani

The day started with a relaxing, complimentary breakfast at Hotel Villa Flori, overlooking Lake Como. Once breakfast was complete, the majority of the morning was spent commuting to Modena – approximately a 4 hour drive.

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Here in Modena, I started with the Lamborghini Museum and Factory Tour. It was quite a pricey entrance fee, but it was great to be on the floor and witness such passionate employees build these great machines. Some of the kids in the tour group even received Lamborghini embossed pieces of leather – wish I was a kid! The Museum also had some great cars including an LM200, Veneno and Sesto Elemento.

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From Sant’agata, I hopped over to Pagani for the Museum and Factory Tour. This tour was worth every penny. The tour began in the museum recapping all of Horatio Pagani’s trials and tribulations up until present day. Then we entered through a secret door into the on-premise factory. The factory was incredible - more reminiscent of an Italian courtyard than a workshop – fit with its own clock tower (chimes included) and Italian street lamps. From here we were taken through the workshops different departments, had the opportunity to handle carbon fibre in its different stages and even gawked over Horatio’s own $20 Million Euro Pagani Huaryra Barchetta.

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I had dinner with relatives scheduled shortly after the tour so I quickly ventured over to the Ferrari Museum in Maranello which was quite underwhelming. Potentially, the Enzo Ferrari Museum in Modena would have been the better option.

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I stayed at the Hotel Maranello Palace for the night which was a quiet hotel right next to the Ferrari Factory. No covered parking here, but a spot right by the door was convenient.

Day 5: Gotthard Pass and the Andermatt

The following day, prior to venturing into the city of Modena with my relatives, I visited the Maserati Museum which comedically is also the site of a cheese factory. It was an interesting museum with a great mixture of vehicles – everything from exotic tractors (i.e. Lamborghini Tractor) to even a 300 SL Gullwing.

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From Modena, I departed on one of the longer stretches of driving for the trip. The destination was Andermatt in the Swiss Alps. Most of the drive was straightforward highway driving, however, as the destination got closer, the ETA Google Maps was reading was not shortening due to the Gotthard Tunnel being closed. Thankfully, the Gotthard Pass remained open. This pass was a breathtaking drive right into the town of Andermatt. I would have to say, this was probably the scariest drive of the whole trip due to the variable weather while travelling up the pass. At the base of the pass, it was a mild 17 degrees, however, as I ascended, temperatures quickly dropped to 6 degrees – the minimum temperature Wolfgang insisted the tires could perform adequately in. Alongside this, a thunderstorm along with hail emerged. Despite this, I pushed through carefully. Although quite nerve racking, it made for great photos.

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(Yes that's walls of snow surrounding the roadway)
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The hotel for this evening was the Chedi Andermatt, and my god, what a hotel it was. You’re absolutely treated like royalty here from the moment you pull up, to the moment you drive off. Although expensive, its worth every penny. Unfortunately, I couldn’t enjoy many of the amenities given my short stay, but it was unbelievably relaxing and I will most certainly be returning for a longer duration in the future.

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Day 6: Break-in Service & Porsche

It was an early start to the day, but the complimentary Chedi breakfast was a great way to kick it off. I had my break-in service scheduled in Lucerne at AG Steiner Group. They were very accommodating as I had originally booked my appointment for 8:30am but given the inclement weather conditions (heavy fog) would not be able to make it until 10am. The service took 1 hour and costed close to 600EUR (yikes!) which would be reimbursed by BMW Canada upon re-delivery. I was disappointed by the fact that they did not include a car wash after the service, but I guess this spared the paint from potential swirls.

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Once break-in was complete, I could finally unleash the full potential of the vehicle. Not only does the general driving experience become more refined, but the exhaust note also becomes more aggressive. On the drive to Stuttgart is where I hit 250km/h which was no problem for the M2C.

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Upon arriving in Stuttgart, I headed directly to Zuffenhausen for a Porsche Factory Tour. This was by far one of my favourite factory tours. It was the most engaging and entertaining! In addition, it was incredible to witness how Porsche joins assembly line principles together with individualization. Seeing the limited edition 991 Porsche Speedsters was also quite a pleasant surprise! Once the tour was complete, I enjoyed a quick walk through the Porsche Museum using the discounted evening ticket which also provided a discount at the Mercedes Museum.

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The accommodation chosen for the evening was the Waldhotel Stuttgart – a quaint hotel and spa with a peaceful courtyard. Underground parking was available, however, I saved a few euros by finding a convenient corner spot in front of the hotel.

Day 7: Museums and ‘Rings

This was probably the more relaxing day of the trip. I spent the morning in Stuttgart enjoying a lovely brunch at a local restaurant and bakery. From here, I travelled to the Mercedes-Benz Museum. This was by-far one of my favourite museums as it covered the whole history of the brand from its inception to present day in a well organized and documented manner. I also learned a lot about the general history of the post-1800 era. You will definitely want to allot at least 2 hours here as there’s much to learn and explore. One aspect I was disappointed with, was the lack of a G-Wagon exhibit. I thought it would be interesting to learn the history behind such an iconic vehicle in their line-up.



From the Benz Museum, I decided to stop at Audi Forum Necksaulrm (a short 45min drive from Stuttgart) since I had missed Audi in Ingolstadt. While I imagine the museum here was on a much smaller scale, in the gift shop I had a great chat with a former executive at Quattro Gmbh who shared some very insightful stories into the brand’s rise to success.

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Another short 45min drive from Audi lead me to the Hockenheimring. While my car isn’t Hockenheim Silver, I decided to stop anyways to get a glimpse of one of the many tracks I have driven in Forza, and of course, capture a photo.

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The final destination for the day was Dorint am Nurburgring Hotel in Nurburg. This was a great hotel for the convenience factor alone. I originally wanted to stay at Apex Nurburg, but definitely didn’t regret my stay here. The motorsport theme of the hotel could be appreciated by any enthusiast and a room facing the GP track was highly appreciated.

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Day 8: The Green Hell

This morning I was woken by the sounds of roaring V10’s and Flat 6 motors. Not a bad wake-up call to start my day at the legendary Nurburgring. Given that Touristfahren was in the evening, I had the whole morning to explore the Nurburgring and surrounding area. I enjoyed the warm-up laps of the GT3 Series cars on the GP track from my room balcony, before heading down for the complimentary breakfast – which was a great local fare with many traditional German dishes.

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From here, I went for a walk to Ring Werk and Ring Blvd to pick-up some souvenirs. The Paddock Shop was probably one of the most reasonably priced and best stocked souvenir shops I encountered on my trip, so I loaded up on a bunch of Nurburgring swag including an authentic Nurburgring Sticker which would find its home on my car upon redelivery.

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With time left to kill, I decided to go for a drive through some of the backroads surrounding the ‘Ring. I must say, this was a great way to warm-up as many of the surrounding public roads have similar elevation changes which can certainly help you get a feel for how the M2C handles. In hindsight, driving the backroads was more fun and less worrisome than the ‘Ring itself. I had a quick drive through the towns of Adenau (town where one of the exits from the Ring is located) and Quiddlebach en route to the Nurburg Castle. I’d highly recommend venturing up into the castle for a great vantage point of the surrounding area.

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To drive the ‘Ring itself, I hired one lap of instruction for 40 euros from Apex Nurburg. Having had no tracking experience in the past, I believe it was well worth it. Even if you have tracking experience, I’d also recommend an instructor as the track can get dicey at certain points. I must say, it was quite an exhilarating experience and the dips and curves truly made it a joy to drive. The M2C handled everything superbly and, despite being warned against it, I’m glad I did it. Unfortunately, I also had a Ring Taxi scheduled, but shortly after my run the track was closed due to an accident.

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Overall, it was incredible to find so many enthusiasts from all over Europe and the world in one town.

Day 9: Auf Wiedersehen

A final long day of driving marked the end of this incredible road trip. It was about 5.5 hours to the general area of Munich Airport from the Nurburgring. Prior to dropping off the car at Log-in-Out, I stopped at the Agip Station about 5 minutes away for the final wash. Upon entering the service station I noticed an option for both self-wash and automated wash. I lined up for automated wash thinking it would save time, but realized that no matter which wash tier one selected, wash brushes would make contact with the paint. I decided to avert a 20 euro swirl disaster and pull into a self-wash bay. For about 4 euros and 15 minutes of my time (from start to completely dry) I had my car looking ready for drop-off.

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The process of dropping off the car at Log-in-Out was effortless. I booked an appointment for my drop off a few weeks in advance since it was a Saturday drop-off (only available by-appointment at Munich Airport). Sebastian was incredibly informative about the process and ended my trip on a positive note with inspirational stories. The hotel for the night was the Hilton Munich Airport, an easy walk across from Log-in-Out Munich.

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To cap off my final day of this trip, I ventured back into Munich via S-Bahn and U-Bahn. I visited Olympiapark, and went back to the Welt to pick-up the complimentary engraved key chain. As luck would have it, Saturday, June 15th marked Munich’s 861st Birthday and the city was bustling. To make it an authentic experience I dined at the Hofbrauhaus – a must try.

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Final Impressions

As mentioned in my opening paragraph, European Delivery is a must if you have the opportunity to do it. Its an incredible experience being able to pick-up your brand new car in its birth country and drive it on the roads and highways it was meant to be driven on.

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The M2C handled everything incredibly well – from the Autobahn to the Nurburgring. Despite being a sports car, it proved more comfortable over long stretches of driving than my X1 thanks to the comfortable bucket seats and well-dampened suspension. When driven conservatively it averaged around 9.9L/100km on the highway. My final trip average with mixed city, but mostly, highway driving was 10.1L/100km. The S55 motor pulls hard and sounds great. I couldn’t resist throwing it into Sport Plus mode every chance I got, just to hear the burbles. The linear power delivery makes it predictable and reminiscent of my IS300, which I absolutely love. There was never a time where the car didn’t inspire confidence.

It’s going to be a long 6-8 week wait, but I’m looking forward to re-delivery so I can begin my build thread!
You can find most edited photos from my trip on my OneDrive, and I will also periodically upload them onto my Instagram.
Thanks for reading my European Delivery story! If anyone has any questions feel free to PM me here, or drop me a DM on my Instagram: @darkmttr_
__________________
2020 BSM M2 Competition | Blue Stitching | 6MT | Sunroof | My M2C European Delivery Story! | AA EL Midpipe | TMS Skid Plate
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