[leftcoastq]

Hi everyone!

Long-time lurker and infrequent poster, but finally wanted to start my own build thread to document the evolution of my 2020 M2 Competition! I picked up the car back in November and have been meaning to start this process since. Summary specs are below. Feel free to follow along as I have a lot planned for the car in the coming months! Would also love to hear everyone's thoughts and feedback as development of the car progresses.

I'm calling this my Left Coast M2C build, as I'm a proud SF Bay Area native and expect all work on the car will be done myself/done locally, and I'm hoping to get shots of the car in spots all around the Bay. Focus for the build is a hopefully slightly more aggressive version of OEM+, with a mixture of M Performance and other aftermarket parts.

Specs
Model Year: 2020 M2 Competition
Color: Long Beach Blue
Interior Stitching: Blue
Interior Trim: Matte Carbon Fiber
Transmission: 6-speed Manual Transmission
Options: Executive Package, No Moonroof
Wheels: Black 788M

Modifications (Updated as Completed)
M Performance CF Rear Diffuser
M Performance CF Rear Spoiler
M Performance CF Front Lip
M Performance Stainless Steel Pedal Set
M Performance 763M Wheels (Black)
Akrapovic Titanium Axle-back Exhaust
KW V3 Coilovers
IND Painted Front Reflectors
Future Classic Slimline Aluminum Plate Frame
Future Classic 10mm Spacers (All Around)
Xpel Full Front PPF
Ceramic Pro Silver Package

Some Others Planned
M Performance CS Steering Wheel
M Performance Matte CF Steering Wheel Trim
Dinan X-Pipe & Axle-back Exhaust (Black Tips)
Future Classic Titanium Stud Conversion Kit

Background
I'm coming from a 2018 M2 LCI in BSM, which I had for about a year, and loved dearly. I grew up an M enthusiast and, at some point in my youth, made it my life goal to one day own an E46 M3... when I set out to buy my first car, I ultimately made the judgment call to pick up the 2018 M2 LCI as the modern day equivalent. It's obviously vastly different than the E46 M3 in many respects, but it was still a smaller, driver-focused car, and still had (relatively) current technology and amenities. I really loved the N55, particularly the sound. Still, I read and watched countless reviews of the M2C and began to wonder what all this talk of it "being a real M car" was all about.

Fast forward about one year, and I thought it would be interesting to set up a test drive. After numerous calls to dealers to try to arrange for one (virtually all but one declined or elected not to call me back... perhaps because I am on the younger side), BMW of Fremont let me come in for a brief visit. I test drove a 2019 M2C in Black Sapphire Metallic, orange stitching, and black piano trim. The experience was amazing. I instantly felt that this car was more visceral and more aggressive. I noted the transmission felt slightly better as I shifted as well. The brakes were a huge improvement. The M2C's S55 was truly impressive (though I did note the sound was not as glorious as the N55).

As the test drive car was the opposite spec of what I wanted, I asked if they might be able to help find me a car that was more in line with what I was hoping for. After failing to find a build in California that met my ideal spec, and after they tried to sell me the test driven one at a discounted price, I thought to build my own - they happened to have an allocation for a car going into production in 24 hours!

Ordering & Delivery
Ordered the car September last year (Labor Day), and since the allocation was scheduled to go into production quickly, the overall manufacturing timeline was relatively streamlined.

I checked on the status of the car virtually every day via the BMW hotline and various ship tracking applications, following the tips and advice from the guide posted here. I found this to be an incredibly helpful resource. The process was excruciatingly long; the anticipation was killing me! I spent a full day at work watching the ship go through the Panama Canal...

I finally took delivery of the car 2 months later, in early November. Peter Humphrey from BMW of Fremont was helpful throughout the build process and ensured the car was kept in pristine condition by the time I was able to come pick it up (and entertained my 1,000,000+ calls to the dealership asking them to be sure NOT to drill the front bumper!).

Some pictures at delivery/others (more to come):