M Roadster - 1/1,818 Ever Built - Very Fast - Excellent Condition - All Options.

This M Roadster is one of 1,815 examples built for the North American market in Greenville, SC over a three-year production run - and the last example of where BMW has really pushed this much HP and Torque along with the M Power engine into such a small roadster. When initially released, many of the car publications did head-to-head comparisons between the M-Power E85 (BMW's designation) and Nissan GTR due to similar power to weight ratio (although they are truly different cars). This car is very quickly appreciating in value including a recent writeup on this specific model in the New York Times because there are so few around. These were limited production cars and although the first generation M Coupes based on the Z3 platform have experienced a substantial increase in pricing the Z4 platform is still a bargain. The Z4 has a better suspension, stiffer chassis, and the S54 motor.
The M Roadster is one of BMW’s most interesting offerings the E85's S54 motor generating 338 horse power and 262 lb of torque along with a 6 speed transmission based on the Z4 platform, with a number of modifications/upgrades including an amazing sounding exhaust system and substantially tighter bracing due to the base Z4 not being able handle this kind of power.
Wheels have been upgraded to a deep cup hyper-silver that are truly gorgeous and wear 225/45 ZR18 front and 255/40 ZR18 rear Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires which are in excellent condition. The Silver exterior with extended black leather interior looks amazing and is loaded with the premium package that includes very deep custom heated sport seats that are awesome in early Spring and late Fall, sport package, navigation, premium stereo system (that literally has 16 speakers/woofers to make sure you can hear music at speed).
Additionally, there was a minor scuff on the front bumper (purely cosmetic). Because this was literally the only visible flawI leveraged my insurance company to have a highly professional body shop disassemble the nose, strip/sand, then a computer match paint codeplus a complete exterior, interior, and engine bay detail. Insurer ended up spending over $2k on this work.
This E85 is being sold by owner ("me") and I was drawn to this vehicle because I was spending the premium on Porsche maintenance, plus because the E85 shares a lot of the non-performance parts with the Z4 any replacement part is literally 70% less expensive than Porsche (don't get me wrong, Porsches are awesome).
Some notes:
Vehicle is excellent condition, including:
o An engine bay that almost looks virtually new
o Seats that look like they are less than a year old
o New factory all weather mats
o VERY IMPORTANT: A CONVERTIBLE TOP THAT ISLESS THAN 2 YEARS OLD IN EXCELLENT COSMETIC AND MECHANICAL CONDITION
· I made some very minor modifications – mostly cosmetic (that can all be “undone”, but I consider improvements) including:
o The interior has an after market center arm rest (made specifically for the E85) that creates capacity to put "stuff" (i.e. insurance card, phone, hand sanitizer, etc…the original glove box on the E85 series is pretty worthless) and then I had a shop install 2 USB ports for phone charging, etc. (otherwise the only charging port otherwise is inconveniently right in front of the gearshift).
o I removed the ugly front plate mount (an eye sore), and moved the plate mount to where the front tow hook is with a Rennline aluminum mount…and if you’re lucky enough to live is a state where you don’t need a front plate, the mount can be removed and I made sure that a color matched cap was made to give the front bumper a super smooth look.
o Replacing the red brake light with a white onehad to be done. : )
o Changing all the badging to a carbon fiber/white format – see photos (I get a lot of complements on, but if not your taste, this easily be changed back to the blue/white format).
o There is a carbon fiber "look" surround on the center counsel. People they say it looks factory (it’s not)…and similarly, there is a carbon fiber wrap on the interior door handles.
o The steering wheel does have some cracking in the leather – it’s simply cosmetic, but I wanted to point it out (not visible in the photos)…and of course it can be re-wrapped.
· Some other random notes (that I’d want to know as a potential buyer):
o I am the 3rd owner of the car. It was born in Greenville, was purchased new in California, then the second owner was in Montreal, and then I imported it back to the States in June 2016.
o Since I’ve owned it, the car simply does not see inclement weather – I live inChicago – and it lives in a garage from late October until April.
o The engine pulls fantastically – I’ve owned a number of 911s and Boxsters – and in a lot of respects this E85 is more fun (partly due to being lower to the ground).
I’ve priced it based on comps from other M Roadsters that have actually sold (there’s some 2006 base Z4s listing in the mid-$20k range). Please only contact if you’re seriously interestedI’m happy to answer any specific questions.
Good luck and happy bidding!



Also published at eBay.com