Here is my description of my 3 days at the BMW Performance Driving Center along with the delivery of my new 2014 M6 Coupe:
Hey everyone, I have finally arrived home in NJ after driving back from South Carolina through NC, VA, MD, WV and PA last weekend. As I had indicated in previous posts on other threads, I planned to do the following over three consecutive days at the BMW Performance Center in Spartanburg and Greer, South Carolina, which I finally did last week:
Day 1 - One-Day BMW Performance Driving School
The program taught professional driving theory, including proper seat & mirror adjustment, accident avoidance maneuvers, panic breaking on wet and dry surfaces and ideal cornering skills. This was followed by hands-on practice driving BMW 1 & 3 Series on the track that included ultra slick skid pad, slalom course, and a timed autocross circuit. The Instructors communicated with all of us via a 2-way radio in each car. The day with beautiful weather, concluded with a really fast and exciting "hot lap" rice in an M3 coupe around the track to show us what a professional race-trained driver can really accomplish with these vehicles.
Day 2 - One Day M School
We repeated many of the classroom instruction and driving course exercises learned the day before and described above, but this time driving solo, at much higher speeds in completely factory stock 2013 M3's, M5's and M6's. The day was spent learning and practicing aggressive, high performance driving skills and techniques. The weather on this day was initially dry then torrential rain later, before clearing. Practicing driving fast on both a dry and a rain soaked track taught us about the capabilities and limits of these vehicles, as well as ourselves. Paper certificates and hats were awarded to each of us at the end of both days.
Day 3 – BMW Performance Center Delivery Program
The prior two days really got me primed and ready to take delivery of my new 2014 BMW M6 Coupe.
The day started with an abbreviated summary of classroom review of what was taught in more depth the prior two days. Then all of us who were taking delivery of a new BMWs that day were given the same BMW model as we were getting, to drive around the course and were encouraged to do so in a very "spirited" fashion, while listening to the Instructors comments on how we could improve our performance. This added exposure driving "someone elses" M6, using their tires, brakes, etc….. really allowed me to do things with this vehicle that I would be very reluctant to do to with my car. Ultimately, I now know most of the limits of the M6 as well as where my newly elevated comfort factor is in driving it. I had intentionally wanted to spend these two and a half days to receive instruction from professionals, then repeatedly practice driving so I could really learn how this car performs and how to improve my driving skills while driving it. This process "demystified" my curiosity of the car's performance capabilities so I am now far less inclined to do something really juvenile on public roadways…... (well, that is the intention…...)
After lunch, which was quite good, provided by BMW each day in their central cafeteria area surrounding all of the very contemporary classrooms, each of us were directed to multiple BMW X5's to drive over their all-terrain course to experience how capable these vehicles really are in handling off-road conditions. Considering that the vast majority of X5 Owners extent of off-roading is driving onto to gravel driveway, this was a real eye-opener. After traversing this course we drove over to the BMW Zentrum Visitors Center and Museum for a very fascinating and educational tour.
Finally, back at the Performance Delivery Center, I was ushered to the sleek bay where I finally saw my new car. I configured my 2014 M6 Coupe to be Alpine White exterior and Sakhir Orange Full Leather interior. I also selected the following factory installed options: Driver Assistance Package; Executive Package, 20" M Light Alloy Wheels; and Bang & Olufsen Sound System. Seeing the car for the first time is truly worth waiting for with a real euphoric rush of excitement, a feeling that most of us remember as a young child on their birthday or Christmas morning…...
A BMW delivery specialist who was very knowledgeable about the vehicle guided me through a very thorough introductory review of all of the car's features and controls, as well as activating my Assist and SiriusXM satellite radio and installing my previously purchased iPhone cradle, as well as affixing my temporary license plate and state inspection sticker and E-ZPass electronic toll collector transmitter. Once all of this was completed, I loaded my luggage into the trunk and drove back over to the BMW Zentrum for a short photo shoot of the car with the dramatic architecture of the entrance to the museum in the background.
