Grassroots Motorsports
Issue link: http://grassrootsmotorsports.epubxp.com/i/397024
Grassroots Motorsports 70 PROJECT CAR: BMW M235i It felt wrong being told to "foor it" in the middle of a wet skidpad, but we obeyed. And nothing happened. Modern stability control is amazing stuff, and it made terrible driving perfectly surviv- able. When we shut if off, we did indeed spin–twice. After everyone had spun–and one person had taken a few minutes to calm down–we were each treated to a hot lap in an M6 driven by one of the Performance Center instructors. If you're wondering, no, they didn't hold back. Afterward, the instructors had to scrape our trembling, unsure selves out of the seats. First Dance Then, they handed us over to a new set of well-groomed BMW employees: the delivery specialists. Buyers each get their own special- ist, and ours, Nicholas Wilson, fed us lunch and then walked us to our new M235i. Finally, we were allowed to touch our car. Nicholas spent close to 2 hours with us, demonstrating every feature and answering our questions. Then he waved his hands, and the giant garage door opened. We hopped in our new car and drove it out. Everyone was allowed to park right in front of the Performance Center, and we all took selfes with our rides. The whole car-buying experience was, in short, perfect. But it wasn't over yet. A factory tour was up next, and everyone in our group hopped onto a shuttle bus to see how their cars were made. Everyone except us. Why'd we skip it? Because we wanted to take our brand-new car on track–the full track this time. As we rolled up to the starting line, a familiar face smiled at us: James Clay, professional BMW racer and owner of BimmerWorld. It's time to get project BMW M235i started. Helmets on, everybody. 11. The Performance Center , and the feet of school cars proves it. 12. allowed, but encouraged. Some people spent hours asking questions. 13. The M235i has a giant grille–as well as three other scoops. This car must be good at heat management. 11 12 13