Part II - LBB M2 Performance Center Re-Delivery
Warning - Lots of photos!
Part I - LBB M2 European Delivery Adventure
This is
Part II of the LBB’s adventure back home. My girlfriend (
JQLouise) and I dropped the car off at the Munich Airport in May after our two-week excursion across Europe (~2,700km, five countries, etc.). The redelivery wait was definitely tough (almost 11 weeks) due to the car being held up at the port and scheduling with the Performance Center. That being said, having time without the car made redelivery that much greater - not to mention there was a surprise meetup that wasn’t planned. While the car was taking its time traveling home, I also stocked up on the small mods that I knew were easy to do when the car got back. So here is part II our story!
Friday - The Big Day (Delivery 2.0)
We flew down from Boston on Thursday night, arriving just after midnight because of delays. I was worried we were going to miss the pickup cutoff, but the hotel hooked us up with a ride (their X5) and even had some dinner prepared!
Quick night’s sleep and we were up early for the breakfast and shuttle. There were four other couples picking up their cars – a 540i, X3, and two other M2s! While at breakfast, we ran into a couple we knew. It was the other LBB M2 we met at Welt just several months earlier. They were redelivering their car (Euro plate M-2048-Z) the exact same day we were! After the shuttle ride down the road to the delivery center, we were greeted by the team of BMW professional drivers. That day’s M driving instructors were Jim Clark and Derek Leonard. After a short safety briefing, we headed right out to the track.
Class & Morning Festivities
Our morning track session comprised of the skidpad, braking exercise, and the short course. Note, the three M2 deliveries broke off from the other two couples. We each had DCT M2s which were running Continentals.
On the skidpad, we used the new 340i to demonstrate DSC's abilities. Jim had everyone start by completely disabling DSC and then flooring it. The end result was the tail immediately coming round, sometimes spinning the car off the skidpad. He did let some of us have fun with it, having a go at drifting before mashing the pedal causing the inevitable spin. With DSC on, the car was pretty composed. That being said, DSC can’t drive the car and some people did get it to spin out even with it on (in any "normal" situation the driver would have lifted off the gas).
The braking exercise was also extremely fun. Rarely do you get the chance to beat on someone else’s brakes and tires, experiencing the full ability of the car. The exercise was straightforward – stop at the cones and once we got going fast enough turn while braking to avoid going off the course. That being said, even at speed we never really came close to the corner because the M2’s brakes are much better than the other street cars that also run the exercise.
Last, we ran the small course they have setup to learn/practice basics. We followed Jim several times around before he spaced us out and let us have at it. I was really impressed how well the car handled through the slalom. That DCT gearbox is quick! I love my 6MT, but on the track the DCT is a weapon.
Our last morning track event was the hot lap with the instructors. Derek informed us that the center was waiting on tires for the M3/4, and therefore our laps would be in the M2s. It was awesome to see the instructors effortlessly get the cars sideways and around the track! Being in the second car, it was crazy to also get the perspective of the lead car sliding through the corners. Definitely planning on taking M school lessons to learn all the “dark arts” they promised!
After the track, we hopped in the fleet of X3s and headed over to the BMW museum down the road - the Zentrum. We had a great tour, and although the factory is closed for the immediate future, there were many interesting cars to check out.
After the museum tour we headed back over to the other test area at the Performance Center - the off road course. The course was tons of fun, and the X cars made it easy. The pictures and videos don’t do the course or the angles we experienced justice.
Delivery... Finally
With class and morning activities done, we had a quick lunch before I had snuck out to take a peek at the car. Lunch was like we never left Germany... kind of haha
The LBB made it to the USA in one piece! No front license plate drilled, the Euro plate and stickers were still on the car, original window stickers and other documentation was in the trunk, and the car looked immaculate.
Finally seeing the car again and in perfect shape (no transport horror stories here), was a huge relief! I brought my license plate and tow hook mount with me. If you already did European delivery, the center only needs a scan of your plate (or provides you a temp tag) and then you’re all set! Of course a quick photoshoot with the other M2s was necessary. It was great to finally get a shot with the LBBs twin brother (also 6MT, Exec), as we weren’t able to on delivery day because their car had a small dent on the roof that the factory fixed for them while we were on the afternoon plant tour.
Leaving the delivery center, we headed in convoy back to the Zentrum for some photos of the cars. The delivery center told us to not be shy and drive right up on the sidewalk where we previously “VIP parked” the X3s (see photo above). After some more playing around, the LBB twins parted and we were off on our three-day road trip back to Boston!
Road Trip
Our first stop on our road trip back to home was Chapel Hill, NC. Only about 3 hours away we enjoyed the scenic route. In Chapel Hill we stayed at “The Franklin”, located just steps from UNC Chapel Hill on the picturesque West Franklin Street. According to my blogger girlfriend, this is the place to stay in Chapel Hill. Everything was top notch and the house car service was much appreciated, as temps cooled from 105+ to around 90!
Saturday – Onto D.C. and then Philly
The next morning we got up bright and early and made our way north, heading towards Washington D.C. Quick breakfast stop at Waffle House!
When we finally got to D.C., I noticed the weather was changing quickly. We found a garage just near the Lincoln Memorial, where we parked and had time to run down the street to grab lunch while it down poured.
When the weather finally broke, we walked to the Lincoln Memorial, National Mall, Washington Monument and finished at the Smithsonian for American History.
We left D.C. and rolled into Philly late that evening. Although we didn’t get to do too much, we had a great dinner and enjoyed walking around the city. Next time I might actually plan ahead and try to meet some forum members!
Sunday - Mod Day!
The next morning we had another early breakfast before hitting the road again.
By noon, we arrived at my parent’s where I finally had a garage to work on the car and a driveway to properly wash and detail. I removed the European front plate and installed the IND/ACEXXON reflector delete kit. Was a little weird pulling on the brand new bumper, but with the DIY on the forum as guidance and some patience it was worth it! Rear parking camera switch and stainless steel pedals were also a nice addition to the interior. I tend to back into spaces and when getting close, the inability to turn off the camera/beeping is enough to drive anyone insane.
After detailing, it was great to take the older brother 1976 2002 out for a ride!
By the end of the night, I coded a list of other mods with the Bimmercode app along with enabling the rear Euro fog lights. Again, this forum is an awesome source of info and ideas. Finally, it was on to Boston to beat the rain that was coming in the morning. In the past couple weeks, I haven’t done much to the car - added the silver side markers to complete the amber delete, coded a couple more items, and attended cars and coffee. It was great to meet the MassBMW crew and look forward to the Boston CCA Concours this weekend!
After a long but great three days, the LBB traveled over 950 miles back to its new home! I have some ideas for what’s next, but most importantly I have really enjoyed having the car home and driving it again! Cheers
