Intro
About a week ago, my girlfriend and I returned from our first ever European Delivery trip. In the course of the 15 days we were abroad, we drove 2,700km through five countries, successfully completed two laps around the Nürburgring, took 12,000+ pictures / 1,000+ GoPro videos, and used about 270L of petrol (at around $1.50/L).
As background, I moved to Boston several years ago. I have grown up with BMW’s in my family, fair share of 3 and 5 series cars. My favorite remains the 1976 BMW 2002, still alive and well in the stable. Over the past year, I had the opportunity to get the M2 early but ED followed by PCD was always the goal, so I patiently waited until the weather would be just nice enough in Europe. Anyone who is on the fence about delivery in the end of April / beginning of May, it was great!
My Build:
2017 F87 M2
Long Beach Blue
Manual
Executive Package
I would like to thank everyone on the forums. From getting on the waitlist over a year ago, living vicariously through those already with their cars, and learning from other ED threads, the community here has been extremely helpful. I look forward to meeting up at events and sharing more updates once the car is back stateside. But here it goes, this was my first ED experience:
Day 1 & 2 - Arrival in Munich and BMW Museum
We flew late Friday night from Boston, arriving in Munich Saturday morning. We took advantage of the complimentary airport transfer as part of the ED perks, so there was a driver waiting for us when we exited the baggage area. As others have noted, he was a man of few words. He took our bags, and brought us outside to a brand new 5 series diesel.
After settling into the hotel, we walked around the historical part of town near the Marienplatz. And then headed to the Hofbräuhaus for dinner where we met some new friends! Liters of beer certainly do bring people together!
Wanting to stay in the center of the city, we chose
Le Meridien. The next morning when we woke up to our first German breakfast. Tons of sausage options!
Then we went to the BMW Museum. From research online and other’s recommendations we learned that the museum is closed on Mondays and we wanted to do the factory tour after delivery anyway. This allowed us to spend plenty of time walking around.
Afterwards we went over to Welt to scope things out for the big day!
After our fill of BMW, we tried some culture and visited the Munich Residenz - historical seat of power for the Bavarian kings and dukes.
Followed by Marienplatz. This main square holds the city’s 2 town halls, many shops, restaurants and the world famous Glockenspiel. During certain times of day, the Glockenspiel will play its tune to entertain everyone in the square.
Bratwurst and Spaetzle at Nuernberger Bratwurst Gloeckl am Dom for dinner
Day 3 - M2 Delivery
We left the hotel and arrived at Welt at 8AM for our 9:50 pickup time. After dropping luggage off at the front desk we spent the next 10 min wandering around Welt trying to find the right elevator bank to get to the lounge. Although we looked like fools, we somehow ended up on the the second floor catwalk which goes to the restaurant. At this point I saw my car (or what I thought was my car because there turned out to be two LBB M2s being delivered that morning). Turned out we did see my car first (bottom of the stairs). Note: the correct elevator to go to the 3rd floor is right by the shop/cafe in front of the Rolls Royce display.
In the owner’s lounge, we checked in, received our packet of documents, and had breakfast. I met the owner of the other LBB M2 who was scheduled for delivery just after us. Turned out his ED plate was sequential with mine (M 2048Z). In addition, there was a customer picking up a classic CS!
Finally it was time! Bernd was our delivery specialist. We took another set of elevators down to the “Product Info Center”, the room with the virtual reveal. He went over all the features and specs of the car and then it was time for ‘the stairs’.
The magic staircase!
1 mile on the odometer! -
Victory Lap - Was told 20 laps was the record (we did 3). GoPro edits in process. After driving out, we took some photos outside before valeting the car and going on the factory tour.
Unfortunately no cameras or pictures are allowed on the factory tour, but it is totally worth the time. The facility is spotless and the rhythm of production is hypnotic. It was about a 2 hour tour. Following the tour we picked up our ED key chain and the required high-visibility jackets from the shop. The car was waiting for us outside Welt and we were on our way north to our first stop, Wurzburg. For more on our time in Munich and delivery pictures, check out my
girlfriend’s blog.
Traveling to Wurzburg
At Wurzburg, we met up with one of my buddies from college and his girlfriend. The rental company gave him a BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe. Although it was a diesel and x-drive, not what he ordered, his did come brand new. He had fewer kms on the clock after the first day when we met up.
Field drone footage in process.
We stayed at the
Schlosshotel Steinburg Wuerzburg. Our room had amazing views of the city. One major tip, make sure you request a “refugium” room. This is the modern side of the hotel where we stayed. The other half of the hotel is a historical building.
Game of tetris with the trunk. Did surprisingly well with large suitcase, drone backpack, roller carryon, duffel bags, and of course the car cleaning products
Here is a map of the first day of driving:
Day 4 - Nürburgring
Rising early, the convoy headed north to Nurburg. On the way I experienced my first fillup. 72€ and 40 liters later, she was fat and happy again.
Respecting the break-in limitations, I constantly varied revs and speeds. The same cannot be said for my buddy, who as I mentioned before had fewer kms on his car than I did the previous day! He was driving, after all, the world’s fastest car (according to JC).
Along the way we stopped at Romantik-Schloß Burg Rheinstein castle, a good pit stop on the way.
Eventually we made it to the ‘Ring. It was open for Tourist drives from 5:30-7:30pm. As we pulled into the lot, the car drew a lot of attention. As we went to get our tickets, a group of other enthusiasts circled the car. It was great talking with people from all over Europe. After the track opened, we went for two laps.
Practicing on Gran Turismo helped a lot to know the corners. The car felt great and we even passed an R8 at one point (although later it flew by).
Nordschleife was in the books!
We stayed at the
Lindner Congress & Motorsport Hotel which was on the Grand Prix circuit. The garage was full on insane cars.
One tip, tell the hotel you will have your car so they reserve a space for you, could get full in high season.
Map of second day of driving:
Day 5 - Strasbourg
Before leaving Nurburg, we drove around. Visiting the BMW M ‘Ring Testcenter we saw several cars with camouflage. Before long we were hurriedly escorted away by BMW employees. The M2 test mule was there with the new lights and different exhaust. No luck getting underneath, but I swore I saw a stick (fingers crossed for CS future).
M2 CS?!?
Afterwards, it was onto our next destination, Strasbourg, France. On the way we made a pit stop at a castle in Cochem, right on the Rhine.
Since we were on a roadtrip, we tried to find hotels at least a little off the beaten path, so for Strasbourg we went with
Du côté de chez Anne, a funky boutique hotel about 10 minutes outside the city.
The owner Anne was a warm, welcoming French woman who personally prepared a breakfast fit for a king the next morning.
We dined at Les Haras Brasserie. Modern French comfort food, with a fantastic wine list, this is a definite must.
Day 3 of driving:
Day 6 - Riquewihr to Basel
We hit the road early the next morning, stopping mid morning at Riquewihr in Alsace, France.
We spent the morning at the Hugel family’s winery.
Drone footage of the Hugel vineyards and Riquewihr coming soon!
We had lunch down the street at D'Brendelstub, a great local spot that is in the 2017 Michelin guide - quick, affordable, tasty flatbreads.
By early afternoon, we pulled into Basel.
Have to shout out this hotel, felt straight out of James Bond, amazing food at the restaurant too. If you’re in Basel, make sure to check out the
Grand Hotel Les Trois Rois.
Fourth day of driving:
Day 7 - Lucerne
The next morning we did some sightseeing and walking around in Basel and the GF did some shopping. Honestly, a great little city, worth the time if you have a day or so.
The previous day, we were unable to secure the Swiss vignette at the border (no one was in the booth). Seeing as the Basel hotel was right across the border on regular roads, we figured it was OK. To keep going though we were definitely going to need it. Be prepared for a little bit of a hassle though, if no one is in the booth that you happen to cross at, you have to just look for another one. We were surprised that none of the gas stations we went to sold them. Ended up getting it at a major border crossing with Germany close to Basel.
But luckily, we only had about an hours worth of driving until our next stop so the time ‘wasted’ (no such thing in this car) looking for the vignette didn’t really get in the way of our plans. In Lucerne, we stayed at the
Palace Lucerne which had incredible views of the lake and surrounding mountains.
We’ve heard that Lucerne is crazy in the summer, but since it was a chilly late April day, it was pretty quiet. That being said, it was a very nice place to walk around.
We had dinner at Jazzkantine zum Graben, a cool little bar/bistro.
Map of fifth day of driving:
Day 8-9 - Zurich
Waking up, enjoying the view outside our room (still Lucerne)!
After some exploring around Lucerne, we took a quick ride north to Zurich where we would spend the next couple days. We stayed at the
Kameha Grand. That night I parked the car in the hotel’s garage with some nice company.
The next day, we walked about 9 miles, exploring the downtown, historical district and the lake. Although not driving the M2 for a day proved challenging, it was a nice break to explore Zurich.
Day six of driving:
Day 10 - Ascona
After relaxing in Zurich, we set back out to travel south across Switzerland to Ascona. Along the way we met a friend!
Thirsty!
Ascona was another off the beaten path addition to the trip. Since we were basically in Italy now, we had some of the best food of the trip at the hotel’s restaurant. In fact the chef even came over to us and told us about how they grow most of their own produce right there on property.
Luckily, the rain cleared up and we had a chance to enjoy our hotel -
Castello Del Sole.
Sunny day = drone + photoshoot!
Seventh day of driving:
Day 11 - Lake Como
And finally, after just 70 kilometers from Ascona, we arrived in Lake Como. This was something both of us were looking forward to the entire trip.
We stayed at the
Casta Diva Resort (Top Gear Series 21). The views from the hotel were unreal.
They even have a floating pool in the lake.
Definitely went for the breakfast pizza.
Map of eighth day of driving:
Day 12-13 - Lake Garda
Once it was time to leave Lake Como, we headed to Monza to check out the racetrack. We were lucky and showed up just in time for some F1 Clienti track time.
Then we headed east to Lake Garda for the next leg of our Italian Lakes tour. We stayed at the
Grand Hotel Fasano, which is located right on the lake and had amazing views.
Before dinner we took the M2 for a spin around the lake through some insane tunnels. This car makes such a great sound!
Again, have to shout out this meal, delicious food from the gourmet restaurant at the hotel.
The next day we did some more driving in the mountains around the lake. (Not rashed wheels, just dirty haha)
We were definitely spoiled by the hotel breakfasts on this trip.
Ninth day of driving:
Day 14 - Innsbruck
We woke up early, as this was our longest day of driving. We decided to not only drive to Austria, but somehow thought it was a good idea to go all the way through to Germany to visit a castle and then back. That being said, it was totally worth it!
Neuschwanstein Castle
Getting to and from the castle involved fantastic back roads with hairpin bends and beautiful elevation changes. As we were approaching the end of the trip, I was really getting used to the car. Still not pushing past the break-in limits, but I knew it was going to be hard to give up the keys.
Also, highly recommend stopping in the fields below the castle to take some pics, we got some great shots.
By the end of the day, we reached Innsbruck and I parked her in the hotel’s garage for the night.
We went to dinner at Stiftskeller. Had to have one more beer and schnitzel.
Map of day 10 of driving (YIKES!):
Day 15 - Departure Day
We left Innsbruck at 6:30 to get to Munich by 9AM. One last run on the Autobahn!
I spent about 30 minutes detailing the car at the
Munich Airport Agip. Thanks to a fellow forum member, I was able to find it and use one of the self service bays to spray, wash, and dry the car. I brought a microfiber wash mit and cloths with me.
We dropped the car off at 10AM. Saturday’s require appointments and when we got there at 9:50 no one was around. We started to get worried, but right at 10 the woman showed up. She inspected the car, recorded the mileage, took a key, and that was it! The M2 had some great company next to an M3 headed to Canada. Looking back at these photos, I realized that they M3 delivered the same day as ours! The car was just to the right at the bottom of the stairs next to us (posted above). Something else I saw is that they put the same request sheet for plates/vignettes in the car as well.
We then walked over to Terminal 2, checked in, and headed home.
Conclusion -
We put 2700km (~1700miles) on the car. Overall, the trip computer logged 46 hours of use, 23.4 mpg, and average speed of 60.2km/h.
Can’t wait to do this again! M2 CS group collection anyone?
