Car Talk

As many of you already know in early spring of 2007 I purchased a black Sapphire metallic 2001 BMW S54 M Roadster from a state senator of Alabama with only 6400 original miles on it! Below is a brief history on this magnificent machine:

Since the first Z3 rolled of the production line in 1996 I have always had a key interest in the vehicle as it resembles many of the "long nose", or "shoe/boot-like" British sports cars of the 1960's and 1970's. Several engineers of BMW's M (Motorsport) division grabbed a hold of the underpowered Z3 and turned it into a pocket rocket, and in 1997 (Europe) and 1998 (US) the first generation S52 M Roadster was born with 3.2L I6 240 hp and 0-60 in 5.1 sec. An instant classic! With the seed planted, in 2001 BMW's M division sunk the best naturally aspirated inline-6 the world has ever seen under the hood of the M Roadster and thus the second generation S54 "M" was created. With a 3.2L I6 SAE 315 hp @ 7500 rpm and 251 lb-ft @ 4900 rpm, 0-60 time shy of 4.7 sec and 1/4 mile time of 13.1 sec, this car rivals many "super cars" of its time.

The sticker price in 2001 for an S54 M Roadster was $46,635 before optional alarm, destination, tax, and dealership mark-ups. Assembled at BMW's North American plant in Spartanburg SC, approximately 15000 M Roadsters and Coupes were built between 1997 (1998 Coupe) and 2002. Exactly 1962 S54 powered M Roadsters were produced in the world with only 1600 of those to stay in North America. Further more, only 475 M Roadsters were painted black Sapphire metallic and even less with the beige interior. For the S54 M Coupe only 1139 were made world wide, and 690 of them managed to stay in North America.

This has been the only compulsive purchase I am glad I made, and though money is tight, I feel the sentimental value will supersede the eventual collectors value. Since the production of the second generation M Roadster was dropped in 2002, these cars have become a very sought after collectors item and eventually will rise in value with time. As an example; some Jaguar E type frames sell for around $15,000 and fully restored E types selling for over $200,000! Hopefully the same will happen for the S54 M's. This beautiful car has brought nothing but smiles and good times, and it seems many car enthusiasts love to stop and pay there respects to one of the greatest cars ever made. It took me 6 years to finally get one, but was worth the wait!


P.S. Still thinking of a name for her, any suggestions?