Bright! It’s, at least, one-adjective to describe what Chris Marino has done with his latest BMW Individual project.
“I’d prefer unique,” Marino says. We will go with unique because it certainly is. Chris Marino, General Sales Manager of Century West BMW in Los Angeles, has an unrelenting penchant for designing BMW builds and this M3 is no exception. The F80 M3, in Competition Package trim, is good for 444 horsepower and 406 foot lbs of torque. What else could it possibly need?
Well, just about every single BMW Performance Accessory that Marino could throw at it.
“It won’t be for everyone, but then again, that’s entirely the point” Marino, says. “Plenty of Alpine White, Silverstone and Black Sapphire variants out there, but if I’m going to get an M3, why wouldn’t I want it to stand out?”
And stand out it does. This eye-popping M3 features the Signal Green color from the BMW Individual Catalog and every carbon-fiber part from the BMW Performance program: Carbon Fiber Front Aero kit, mirror caps, M-DCT selector, brake handle, rear diffuser and center console cover. And because that wasn’t enough unique, Marino has added stainless pedals, the BMW Electronic Performance Steering wheel, Performance Analyzer (for iOS and Android), painted-to-match trunk-lid spoiler and LED door projectors.
The price for exclusivity? In this case $107,390.
“This is, in and of itself, a limited-production variant”, Marino tells us. “Think of this car 30 years from now—assuming it hasn’t been relegated to scrap, it will be singularly-exciting because of its color. I can see it in a Barrett-Jackson auction or in someone’s personal collection. It’s a show-stopping trophy-car.”
The F80 M3, while fit for anyone’s collection, is a track monster in stock form—a car to be reckoned with and not underestimated. Automotive press and pundits have often labeled the F80 M3 “a car for all occasions”—least of which includes inciting the fear of the-almighty at your local track event or unsanctioned street-race.
“It truly is a supercar value-proposition, if you can call any M-car a ‘value proposition.” Not rhetorically speaking, Marino then asks, “What else offers the performance, warranty and reliability this M3 does, for its price?” And then, “What car close to its price gets close to the M3’s performance envelope and every-day usability?”
