Well, my prophetic words from last month’s BimmerLife have come true, and by the time these words meet your eyes, I will have sold my M Coupe. My relationship with this Clown Shoe started nearly two decades ago, with two years of searching and seventeen years of ownership. At the end of the day, it’s just a funky piece of sheet metal, but if not for that car, I would have never found our club, along with the friendships and community that followed. For me, its legacy will continue in those relationships.
But, before it goes off into the sunset, I just happened to have another special car back at the hangar—the Imola red E39 M5 we filmed for Life’s Too Short for Boring Cars Episode 2 last year—and that got me thinking. What a perfect two-car solution the Imola red M5 and M Coupe would be. Imola looks good on any semi-classic BMW and broadcasts to the world that these are proper M cars. With a late-summer thunderstorm rumbling in the background, I took a moment to quietly contemplate these two BMWs.
The two-car solution comes from the more rational enthusiasts among us who limit their car obsession to two garage spots. One usually fulfills the daily driving mission of being relatively comfortable for commuting, while having enough room to satisfy hauling passengers, family, or children. The other is usually the sporty weekend car that executes the spirited driving needs of said enthusiast. Either of these BMWs could satisfy either mission (the M Coupe with a little less room than its larger brethren), but they complement each other perfectly–especially in Imola red.
I’ll let the pictures tell the rest of the story.
The mighty E39 M5 was one of the pinnacles of BMW’s design evolution.
The funky clown shoe was a pet project of Burkhard Göschel, who grafted a hatchback onto the Z3 M Roadster.
The narrow hatchback extension exaggerated the M Coupe’s flared fenders.
The M5’s kit was more subtle by comparison, but Style 65 wheels always look good.
Along with the Z8, the M Roadster and M Coupe were some of the first semi-modern BMWs with side gilles that harkened back to the E9 body style and the original 507 Roadster.
The E39 and Z3Ms were also some of the first M cars to feature quad-tipped exhausts.
The Imola theme continues inside of each.
Two-tone interiors were a staple of Z3Ms.
While still two-toned, the M5’s interior is consistently subtle.
And it has rear seats.
The M Coupe’s rear hatch is quite cavernous, which I’ve filled to the brim many times.
As I quietly photographed this two-car solution, the thunder in the background grew louder. Soon, the storm was overhead, and rain began to fall. I tucked everything back away, powered the door down, and, with it, closed the door on a remarkable chapter of my life. The M Coupe will go on to bring someone else a new chapter of their life and leave me with fond memories and lasting friendships in its absence.–Alex McCulloch
Tags: Clown Shoe imola red