The Speed Yellow M4 That Almost Didn't Happen. Twice.

[triple_m]

     Featured on BIMMERPOST.com

After years of lurking, I'm happy to finally say it's time to introduce an M4 of my own. Get comfortable, 'cause this one's a long (but worthwhile) read!

Back when the F8x was released, I had just attended what was probably the most fun manufacturer-run autocross event I've ever been to. Half the concrete pad BMW was hosting this on had literally become a lake! It was so flooded, the carpet inside the temporary buildings for the classroom portion was audibly squishy.



The highlight by far was waterskiing a factory-fresh 435i xDrive around partially-submerged cones, with all that water swiftly relocating itself onto my windshield as I took the hairpin turn going into the final straight.

I had already been very much about the F32 leading up to that day, being hooked on the design soon as it was released. Elegant and sexy, but sporty at the same time - it's a feat that seldom few cars manage. So imagine my excitement when it drove just as well as it looked!

My logic was that if an AWD automatic F32 was such a blast, the RWD manual version I actually wanted could only be better. I found a new leftover-stock three-pedal 435i (AWD though) in local inventory, so I booked a test drive to verify.

And I hated it.

I can't describe my disappointment in how lifeless the shifter and clutch pedal felt - it was as if they weren't even connected to anything! Where was that engaging car I threw around those cones?? How could BMW, of all marques, make the manual version feel so terrible?

While an M car wasn't in the cards at that point, I still wondered if that newly-released F8x was any different. The whole raison d'etre of an M car is an awesome driving experience, after all, and they didn't get that reputation for nothing. Besides, with the chassis designation for the M version now being split from the base car, I figured the chances were high that they drove like completely different cars, too.

It just so happened that the only manual F8x available locally was the exact same YMB/SS M3 that I sat in at the auto show a month prior. Naturally, I booked a test drive... As much as I hated that 435i, I loved this M3 - they really did feel like completely different cars. All the inputs felt great, and the power delivery was exactly what you'd expect. In a sentence, the M3 felt as if it was carved out of one piece.

The dealership experience was as good as the drive itself. Not only was I just some kid in his early-to-mid twenties, but I made no secret of the fact that an M car would be out of budget for at least a couple years. Even so, the salesguy treated me as seriously as any other customer, not hesitating to let me give the car a proper drive and answer all my questions. At the end of that drive, not only did I know what car I wanted, I also knew what dealership I'd order it from.

* * * * * * * * *

Fast forward to early this year. With the F82 facing a June EOP, my plan was to get an order in around late spring/early summer for a September ED. Perusing a thread on here during my lunch break at work, I discovered that production of the F82 was going to be cut by two months, moving the EOP to the end of April instead...so I had to act fast. Just as the pandemic began to roll out, I paid a visit to that very same dealership, and put a deposit down on one of the last four F82 build slots left! My order was officially in: 6MT, Competition Package, Individual Speed Yellow, Carbonstructure seats, and ICON LEDs, delivered at The Welt just like I dreamed for years! It was finally going to happen.

A handful of weeks later, I got a phone call from the dealer. Due to the pandemic, BMW halted production... But instead of simply pausing production until the factory opened again, they decided to cancel all orders that weren't already assigned a VIN, including mine. Adding insult to injury, BMW officially cancelled ED as well a few days later.

After all these years of extensive research, hard work, and sacrifices, the pandemic killed my dream just as I was about to bring it to life.

Dejected, I gave a tentative "no" to the dealer's offer of shipping me any other new M4 from any other dealership's inventory in the country, opting to wait the pandemic out a little and try some competing cars while I do it. In the end, I had given a V8 Vantage, Carrera T, Hellcat, M2C, RS5, C63S, and F-Type a shot...but it was only during one last test drive of a manual F80 where I felt like the car was an extension of my limbs. After all those other drives, the F8x was still the car to get, even if there were zero chances of finding a 6MT Speed Yellow Comp like the one I had so badly wanted to order.

So then, what WAS out there? I scoured BMW dealers across the nation for 6MT Comps: Black Sapphire Metallic and Mineral White were available, both with the base headlights. There was an awesome-looking San Marino Blue one with everything I wanted save for cloth (no problem), but it had a sunroof... "Dammit," I thought to myself. "Looks like there is a fourth one, sitting in a showroom on the other side of the country, that's...Speed Yellow!?!? With the ICONs?? No way. This is an Ultimate Package car, so too bad the seats are leath- wait, what? This has cloth seats, too??" My brain could make no sense of it. How did this car even exist?? Was somebody messing with me??

"I can't believe you found another one," said the ASM who originally took my deposit for that ill-fated order, when I told him about this car. "Though in our system, it's marked as sold."

Unbeknownst to me, the original dealer ordered it back in 2019 as an inventory car, finding out on arrival that it had cloth seats instead of the full Merino that they were expecting (because that's the only way Ultimate Package cars are built). It's a factory error car - a one of one! It rolled off the truck right into their showroom, where it sat for almost a year until a local guy there won the lottery, sat in it, and said "I'll take it." What followed was a month of "red tape, red tape, I don't have the money yet," prompting the dealer to get fed up and take the 'sold' sign off the car - but they didn't update their internal system. When my guy called them, they confirmed the car was indeed still available!

So this past September, instead of taking delivery of my new Speed Yellow M4 with cloth seats in Munich, I took delivery of a different new Speed Yellow M4 with cloth seats at the dealer where I drove my first F8x all those years ago. The car had effectively been waiting for me in that showroom across the country since roughly September of last year (early MY20 build), and I've been driving it pretty much every day since I got it.

Unbelievable how things work out sometimes. Sorry, lottery guy, but this one had my name on it!

[GERMAN M3]

Originally Posted by rumpydoppelganger

After years of lurking, I'm happy to finally say it's time to introduce an M4 of my own. Get comfortable, 'cause this one's a long (but worthwhile) read!

Back when the F8x was released, I had just attended what was probably the most fun manufacturer-run autocross event I've ever been to. Half the concrete pad BMW was hosting this on had literally become a lake! It was so flooded, the carpet inside the temporary buildings for the classroom portion was audibly squishy.



The highlight by far was waterskiing a factory-fresh 435i xDrive around partially-submerged cones, with all that water swiftly relocating itself onto my windshield as I took the hairpin turn going into the final straight.

I had already been very much about the F32 leading up to that day, being hooked on the design soon as it was released. Elegant and sexy, but sporty at the same time - it's a feat that seldom few cars manage. So imagine my excitement when it drove just as well as it looked!

My logic was that if an AWD automatic F32 was such a blast, the RWD manual version I actually wanted could only be better. I found a new leftover-stock three-pedal 435i (AWD though) in local inventory, so I booked a test drive to verify.

And I hated it.

I can't describe my disappointment in how lifeless the shifter and clutch pedal felt - it was as if they weren't even connected to anything! Where was that engaging car I threw around those cones?? How could BMW, of all marques, make the manual version feel so terrible?

While an M car wasn't in the cards at that point, I still wondered if that newly-released F8x was any different. The whole raison d'etre of an M car is an awesome driving experience, after all, and they didn't get that reputation for nothing. Besides, with the chassis designation for the M version now being split from the base car, I figured the chances were high that they drove like completely different cars, too.

It just so happened that the only manual F8x available locally was the exact same YMB/SS M3 that I sat in at the auto show a month prior. Naturally, I booked a test drive... As much as I hated that 435i, I loved this M3 - they really did feel like completely different cars. All the inputs felt great, and the power delivery was exactly what you'd expect. In a sentence, the M3 felt as if it was carved out of one piece.

The dealership experience was as good as the drive itself. Not only was I just some kid in his early-to-mid twenties, but I made no secret of the fact that an M car would be out of budget for at least a couple years. Even so, the salesguy treated me as seriously as any other customer, not hesitating to let me give the car a proper drive and answer all my questions. At the end of that drive, not only did I know what car I wanted, I also knew what dealership I'd order it from.

* * * * * * * * *

Fast forward to early this year. With the F82 facing a June EOP, my plan was to get an order in around late spring/early summer for a September ED. Perusing a thread on here during my lunch break at work, I discovered that production of the F82 was going to be cut by two months, moving the EOP to the end of April instead...so I had to act fast. Just as the pandemic began to roll out, I paid a visit to that very same dealership, and put a deposit down on one of the last four F82 build slots left! My order was officially in: 6MT, Competition Package, Individual Speed Yellow, Carbonstructure seats, and ICON LEDs, delivered at The Welt just like I dreamed for years! It was finally going to happen.

A handful of weeks later, I got a phone call from the dealer. Due to the pandemic, BMW halted production... But instead of simply pausing production until the factory opened again, they decided to cancel all orders that weren't already assigned a VIN, including mine. Adding insult to injury, BMW officially cancelled ED as well a few days later.

After all these years of extensive research, hard work, and sacrifices, the pandemic killed my dream just as I was about to bring it to life.

Dejected, I gave a tentative "no" to the dealer's offer of shipping me any other new M4 from any other dealership's inventory in the country, opting to wait the pandemic out a little and try some competing cars while I do it. In the end, I had given a V8 Vantage, Carrera T, Hellcat, M2C, RS5, C63S, and F-Type a shot...but it was only during one last test drive of a manual F80 where I felt like the car was an extension of my limbs. After all those other drives, the F8x was still the car to get, even if there were zero chances of finding a 6MT Speed Yellow Comp like the one I had so badly wanted to order.

So then, what WAS out there? I scoured BMW dealers across the nation for 6MT Comps: Black Sapphire Metallic and Mineral White were available, both with the base headlights. There was an awesome-looking San Marino Blue one with everything I wanted save for cloth (no problem), but it had a sunroof... "Dammit," I thought to myself. "Looks like there is a fourth one, sitting in a showroom on the other side of the country, that's...Speed Yellow!?!? With the ICONs?? No way. This is an Ultimate Package car, so too bad the seats are leath- wait, what? This has cloth seats, too??" My brain could make no sense of it. How did this car even exist?? Was somebody messing with me??

"I can't believe you found another one," said the ASM who originally took my deposit for that ill-fated order, when I told him about this car. "Though in our system, it's marked as sold."

Unbeknownst to me, the original dealer ordered it back in 2019 as an inventory car, finding out on arrival that it had cloth seats instead of the full Merino that they were expecting (because that's the only way Ultimate Package cars are built). It's a factory error car - a one of one! It rolled off the truck right into their showroom, where it sat for almost a year until a local guy there won the lottery, sat in it, and said "I'll take it." What followed was a month of "red tape, red tape, I don't have the money yet," prompting the dealer to get fed up and take the 'sold' sign off the car - but they didn't update their internal system. When my guy called them, they confirmed the car was indeed still available!

So this past September, instead of taking delivery of my new Speed Yellow M4 with cloth seats in Munich, I took delivery of a different new Speed Yellow M4 with cloth seats at the dealer where I drove my first F8x all those years ago. The car had effectively been waiting for me in that showroom across the country since roughly September of last year (early MY20 build), and I've been driving it pretty much every day since I got it.

Unbelievable how things work out sometimes. Sorry, lottery guy, but this one had my name on it!

Great story as well as pics, especially the second to last pic. Thanks for sharing your experience.....and welcome to the ///M family. Enjoy your new ///M in good health

[hC1001]

Glad you found the exact spec you were looking for. Looks like a fantastic car.

[PKL]

Nice car! Congrats. 6MT forever!!

[BzsBimmer]

Great story. I can feel the excitement build in your narrative and for someone probably in their late 20’s, early 30’s now, is also well written.

This car was destined for you! You put it out in the universe and got your dream car. For all those things to happen and line up for you is a testament to the power of positive thinking.

Enjoy in good health and welcome to the ///M family!

[FatRear08]

Welcome and congrats! Such a great color too...enjoy her!

[W///]

That is an impossible spec to find, wow. This is literally an example of what was meant to be, is meant to be. Big congrats

[pattymtb]

A 6MT, ultimate pack, with cloth seats... sir you have a damn GRAIL car! My base YMB M4 has the cloth seat option and it's the only way I'd ever go! Congrats to you sir and enjoy you beautiful car!

[Maitre_Absolut]

Congrats on finding your perfect spec.

Similar thing happened to me when ordering my Macan GTS, could not find a customizable allocation but found my exact spec incoming at a dealer 2000kms away...

And please explain that 2nd to last picture

[TTGTOVR4]

Speed Yellow FTW

[x.shell]

WOW! You are literally the unluckiest guy that turned into the luckiest guy. What a story! I'm nominating this thread for the front page.

Congrats on such a special car. Keep it for life!

[AUSf22]

Wow, what an incredible story! I'm happy you where able to get the car in the specifications you wanted at the end.

[x.shell]

Front page. Woot woot!

[bsmf8x]

Congrats, sick spec. Are those the OEM tail lights tinted or it's some sort of black line/euro spec

[TEGRITY]

congrats man and what a story! that car had your name all over it right from the get go..

I went through a similar experience back in July 2020 and settled down with a M4 comp with Sapphire Metallic Black. (my specs were not as unique as yours, of course). but got what I wanted and it was the very last new M4 here in Australia. here's mine


enjoy in good health and that's a keeper!

[icebiker]

Great story and congrats. Patience and diligence pay off! Beautiful car too!

[J-RO]

Very nice. Glad to see the fighter jet missed you.

[CCM11285]

Wow congrats, looks killer in SY

[Ywywmlt]

This color is amazing~

[chicagofan00]

Great story and congrats on finding the spec you wanted!

[secretanchitman]

Congratulations! What an incredible story and happy ending OP - please enjoy the car in good health!

F82 6MT is the only way to go.

[Hedoniste]

Very nice M4! Congrats!