Driving you M car abroad

Driving you M car abroad

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Nick928

Original Poster:

340 posts

154 months

Thursday 25th August 2016
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Just come back from a couple of weeks on holiday in Spain.
Drove the blue beast (2016 F80 M3) down through France and into Spain, fully loaded with Mrs Smith, the kids and a bootful of luggage. Two weeks on the Costa Dorada later (and a nerve-racking drive/parking in Barcelona), then on the return leg came up over the Pyrenees, through France and back to blighty (3000 miles in two weeks).

I hadn't bargained on the reaction it would get, it was MENTAL!

From the British Eurostar staff complimenting it on the way out, being circled by motorcycles and cars on the French autoroutes with cameraphones going and finally Spain.
From peoples reactions you would have thought it was from another planet.
It was parked at the villa and my youngest lad happened to walk past, when he came back he said "dad there's a load of men stood pointing at the car".
Everywhere we went people seemed to stare and take pictures.
Craziest experience was as we were driving along I looked in the rear veiw mirror to see the driver of the car behind with his upper body hanging out of the drivers side window (Ace Ventura stylee) taking pictures on his phone.

Kept it in efficient all the time so it didn't sound too fruity and flip them out further.

I went for the M3 as I thought it was practical and fairly subtle but the whole experience was frankly bizarre, I don't think it would have got any more attention if it was a bright red Ferrari!
Any body else had this sort of crazy reaction when abroad?




Rob747

225 posts

175 months

Thursday 25th August 2016
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Yes, just done a trip down to Italy and the French, Swiss and Italians all went crazy for the M5.

I see plenty crawling around the m25 but didn't see another one in 2500 miles in Europe so maybe that's got something to do with it.

I was surprised by the positive attention tbh.

Depthhoar

673 posts

127 months

Thursday 25th August 2016
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3500 miles round trip from the Scottish Highlands to N.Italy in my E39 M5 back in June. Drove down through Holland, Germany and Switzerland. Many appreciative comments when parked up in Germany (which surprised me as I thought they'd be more mainstream there) and Italy.

Had a Dutchman in an E46 in the queue behind take photos of me filling up the car with 103 octane at a service station close to the German/Swiss border. He spoke no English but there was much appreciative nodding of the head and a broad smile!

Had a long conversation with a knowledgeable Frenchman in the car park of Verona airport whilst he was waiting for his taxi to arrive. He knew all the subtle differences in bodywork & trim that distinguish the E39 M5 from other E39s; was particularly impressed that he clocked the unique shape of the rear view and door mirrors!

Mostly the Italians wanted to race though and I did my level best to resist the temptation!

HoHoHo

14,980 posts

249 months

Friday 26th August 2016
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Much the same when I took my F10 M5 on an Italian roadtrip last year.

The attention was really positive yes

Bodie390

558 posts

186 months

Friday 26th August 2016
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I nipped into BMW in Baden Baden for some oil for the E61 M5 and most of the office staff came out to see it, I was taken aback because I thought these were more commonly seen in Germany than in the UK.

I covered 2585 miles across Germany and Switzerland and they loved the M5 touring and they seem to appreciate them more over there than here.

Maxus

951 posts

180 months

Friday 26th August 2016
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Nice trip. We have an apartment in Salou (on the sea but not the tourist area smile) and did the route through Andorra in a Fiat Barchetta in 1998. Fabulous journey and the attention the car got was ridiculous.
It was something I thought about last week whilst driving in my rented Focus around Costa Dorada, the majority of cars on the road in Spain are pretty dreary. Over the 2 weeks I don't think I saw any M cars, maybe a couple of Porsches, certainly no exotica. The M3, particularly on British plates, would very much stand out.

Edit - just looked at a pic of your car - great colour. That stands out over here!

matrignano

4,345 posts

209 months

Friday 26th August 2016
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Are you lot serious?? rolleyes

I drove down France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Italy and nobody gave my AM a second look.

HoHoHo

14,980 posts

249 months

Friday 26th August 2016
quotequote all
matrignano said:
Are you lot serious?? rolleyes

I drove down France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Italy and nobody gave my AM a second look.
When I was driving a DB9 V12 through France a couple of years ago some locals pulled me over and took a long hard look at the car and were very interested in its performance.

As it happens I was stopped at 147mph by La Plod who decided because it was a 'James Bond' car to fine me 80 Euros and send me on my way smile

Not sure that would have happened if I'd been in my M5 nono

It would appear you do get noticed in an AM wink

Edited by HoHoHo on Saturday 27th August 13:46

Wills2

22,669 posts

174 months

Friday 26th August 2016
quotequote all
matrignano said:
Are you lot serious?? rolleyes

I drove down France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Italy and nobody gave my AM a second look.
Ah never mind.....

Nick928

Original Poster:

340 posts

154 months

Saturday 27th August 2016
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Maxus said:
Nice trip. We have an apartment in Salou (on the sea but not the tourist area smile) and did the route through Andorra in a Fiat Barchetta in 1998. Fabulous journey and the attention the car got was ridiculous.
It was something I thought about last week whilst driving in my rented Focus around Costa Dorada, the majority of cars on the road in Spain are pretty dreary. Over the 2 weeks I don't think I saw any M cars, maybe a couple of Porsches, certainly no exotica. The M3, particularly on British plates, would very much stand out.

Edit - just looked at a pic of your car - great colour. That stands out over here!
Drove down the seafront road in Salou, was possibly the most embrassing experience of all. Must have been the tourists. Everybody seemed to be looking. When we got to the far end of the sea front (just leaving the nice bit) Mrs Smith wanted to turn around and go back to a car park we'd passed half along the front. I couldn't face going back and being stared and pointed at again and we carried on to Cambrils for a bite to eat.

The British plates thing might have added to it maybe.

SidewaysSi

10,742 posts

233 months

Saturday 27th August 2016
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I had the same thing in my 1997 E36. People shouting, taking pictures and women coming up to me for a chat. Couldn't believe how much they all loved it.

cosworth330

1,299 posts

236 months

Saturday 27th August 2016
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Went down to lower Normandy last week in my E60 M5 and covered about 1500 miles. On the way down a car full of lads in a French BMW were having a good look and gave me thumbs up on the motorway. The wife saw someone taking a picture as they were driving past us. Had a couple of French builders pull up behind me at the Pegasus bridge when we pulled up to park and they wanted to have a look inside the car and were asking me what the top speed was! Got a lot of looks which I was suprised about. Saying that 99% of the cars out there are beat up old citroens,Peugeot's or Renaults. Only decent cars I spotted were a Ferrari and a new RS6, oh and a early E36 M3.

Schermerhorn

4,342 posts

188 months

Saturday 27th August 2016
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You don't really see a lot of high performance cars like the ones we get out in France, Spain, Portugal etc. For some reason they are usually a lot more expensive to buy new too. Perhaps this is one of the reasons for all the thumbs-up reactions etc.

jamoor

14,506 posts

214 months

Saturday 27th August 2016
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Crikey I knew their economies weren't the best but they must have problems to be impressed by an M3 hehe

HoHoHo

14,980 posts

249 months

Saturday 27th August 2016
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Schermerhorn said:
You don't really see a lot of high performance cars like the ones we get out in France, Spain, Portugal etc.
Over 3000 miles across France to Italy and back I only saw one M, that was a Z4 and it was on English plates.

Needlees to say (and much to the tutting and head shaking of my Mrs.) I managed to have some fast playing around with the Z4 on the way down near to Mont Blanc biggrin

msdes123

164 posts

139 months

Saturday 27th August 2016
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Can't say I've hardly had any notice or attention driving my M6 GCP in UK last 24 m or so but when I was in Paris last year for a couple of days in the car it got loads of attention, people videoing on their phones on the street and passengers in other cars as I went past, Always thought it was a bit strange and a complete contrast to the UK, just assumed there are lots of car enthusiasts in Paris and a nice BMW M car on UK plates must have been a rare and worthy spot for them.

Nick928

Original Poster:

340 posts

154 months

Saturday 27th August 2016
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Us Brits do seem to buy the more sporty models as opposed to our continental cousins.

I do remember reading a that massive proportion of the overall Renualt Sport allocation is sold to the UK maket.

As previously mentioned, perhaps it is to do with the price as the reaction was totally positive when abroad so clearly they like to see them.

Iva Barchetta

44,044 posts

162 months

Saturday 27th August 2016
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My Escort Cosworth didn't get much attention when I drove it to both Italy and Sweden in 2010...frown

It was the worst colour though.....Mallard.

mikeN54

607 posts

180 months

Sunday 28th August 2016
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Yas Marina Blue? Most impressive OP was the fact you got luggage for two weeks for 4 people in an F80 boot.

Was it a case of turn your pants inside out for week 2? wink

We got plenty of positive attention in France in our previous 2014 E63 AMG estate, and the 700 litre boot on that was just about big enough for one week of "wife stuff".

Edited by mikeN54 on Sunday 28th August 19:26

Stone Cold

1,543 posts

172 months

Sunday 28th August 2016
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Well I've just got an ordinary E92 M3, Jerez black with gun metal comp wheels and have recently completed a 1300 mile round trip in Belgium and Germany and I too was surprised by the attention it got in some of the smaller towns and villages as I too thought they would be a common sight in Europe but obviously not, in fact I don't recall seeing another M car on the road at all