Pre-Production Model?

[Cincinnatus]

Ok, fellas. I have to turn this one over to the experts.

I recently purchased a '13 M6 Coupe, and when looking for more information about production numbers (to explain to friends how relatively rare the car is), I registered over at the BMW Registry, and just noticed the other day that they show my car as a "Pre-Production example".

So, is this good or bad?

[Flying Ace]

hmmm...that's odd. What you have is likely a corporate press vehicle. If you look at your carfax history, it'll show the initial titling at BMW NA in Woodcliff, NJ. "Pre-production" cars are usually destroyed after press launch. But every car company operates differently. It's very likely NHSTB testing was already done, and those cars while pre-production can legally be titled and driven on roads.

Heck, you can probably even see YOUR car in the 2012-2013 auto/car magazines and youtube videos and autoshows clips/pics. They usually have a test fleet for journalists to "flog". But you'll see all journalists are invited to the same event, and basically shooting the same car for their photos and spreads.

Alternatively, your car could have also been used for the track events (M Track days, Thermal/Spartansburg), or aforementioned press events at track.

Good/Bad? If you want to uphold resale, demonstrate you have all the maintenance records.

[Cincinnatus]

Originally Posted by Flying Ace

hmmm...that's odd. What you have is likely a corporate press vehicle. If you look at your carfax history, it'll show the initial titling at BMW NA in Woodcliff, NJ. "Pre-production" cars are usually destroyed after press launch. But every car company operates differently. It's very likely NHSTB testing was already done, and those cars while pre-production can legally be titled and driven on roads.

Heck, you can probably even see YOUR car in the 2012-2013 auto/car magazines and youtube videos and autoshows clips/pics. They usually have a test fleet for journalists to "flog". But you'll see all journalists are invited to the same event, and basically shooting the same car for their photos and spreads.

Alternatively, your car could have also been used for the track events (M Track days, Thermal/Spartansburg), or aforementioned press events at track.

Good/Bad? If you want to uphold resale, demonstrate you have all the maintenance records.

So, here's what's interesting.

Yes, the car was originally titled to BMW NA, then was shipped to Germany for just short of two years, subsequently returning again to the US via Bremerhaven at just over 1200 miles on the clock which, at least in practice, makes me the 2nd owner.

Interestingly, I used to work as a CA at one of the area's largest BMW Centers all of ~10 miles from BMW NA in Woodcliff Lake, and I suspect that it was my former dealership from where the car originated, since the storage lot in Ramsey NJ was saved in the GPS when I picked the car up to bring it home.

With so few miles on it, I can't imagine it'd be 'flogged' too much. In fact, why would they ship a German car from the US to Germany in the first place - don't they come from there in the first place??? It's just really odd. My thinking was that it might have been a BMW NA Executive heading back home for a while and wanting to take the car along, or a BMW DE executive that wanted this color/equipment and didn't want to wait for one to roll off the line, so they sourced it from here.

Regretfully, since the car was overseas for that time, there's nothing much I can find out about service history since the two systems seem to not be connected - or so I'm told. However, I've GOT to believe if it's a BMW NA owned car that every shred of proper service - and then some - was done to make sure it was running properly to avoid embarrassment. And despite the fact that the service alert showed no maintenance due for another 7k miles, I had an oil service done at 30k just to be sure it was done right.

In any event, it's something of a mystery. But the condition of the car looked as though it just rolled off the production line, and might have been owned by the proverbial 'Little Old Lady From Pasadena'.

That said, I'm just wondering if there's any more 'enhanced collectibility' to this car due to its history, or if it's just another F13 off the line.

[Flying Ace]

My view is, the corporate titling is a detriment, not an enhancement to the car's future desirability. But bc you use to work for BMW NA, what you wrote here can go a long way to get the next buyer comfortable.

Why would they ship a car back and forth? It's something you should ask your contacts at BMW about. My take is, the staff who run the promotions and marketing are its own separate entity in the US and Europe. There's little concept of being efficient and coordination in the context of pulling a press car from the European fleet to demo in Europe. In large companies, sometimes, people don't talk to each other, especially if there's language and physical barriers between the two offices. Also, often, the US journalists are also invited to attend their events on site (Spain, DE) and the articles written often indicate whether they're testing a US market car or not.

But anyways, all this is speculation. My understanding of all corporate titled cars are that they are serviced when they're ready for retail. The best indicator would be if one of these cars was CPO'd. That ensures that servicing was done and the car was checked before sale.

[Cincinnatus]

Originally Posted by Flying Ace

My view is, the corporate titling is a detriment, not an enhancement to the car's future desirability. But bc you use to work for BMW NA, what you wrote here can go a long way to get the next buyer comfortable.

Why would they ship a car back and forth? It's something you should ask your contacts at BMW about. My take is, the staff who run the promotions and marketing are its own separate entity in the US and Europe. There's little concept of being efficient and coordination in the context of pulling a press car from the European fleet to demo in Europe. In large companies, sometimes, people don't talk to each other, especially if there's language and physical barriers between the two offices. Also, often, the US journalists are also invited to attend their events on site (Spain, DE) and the articles written often indicate whether they're testing a US market car or not.

But anyways, all this is speculation. My understanding of all corporate titled cars are that they are serviced when they're ready for retail. The best indicator would be if one of these cars was CPO'd. That ensures that servicing was done and the car was checked before sale.

Well, I intend to do further research, but that's what I know as of now.

I had the car run through a CPO-level inspection at a BMW Center before I bought it, instructing them to go over it as though they were going to cert the car, and it would have passed with flying colors were it within the parameters required (in-service date and miles) so I'm absolutely confident in the quality of the car.

I'll let you know if I learn anything else. I might just drive down to BMW NA just for shits and giggles to find out if they can tell me anything.

[rsuhandy]

Originally Posted by Cincinnatus

So, here's what's interesting.

Yes, the car was originally titled to BMW NA, then was shipped to Germany for just short of two years, subsequently returning again to the US via Bremerhaven at just over 1200 miles on the clock which, at least in practice, makes me the 2nd owner.

Interestingly, I used to work as a CA at one of the area's largest BMW Centers all of ~10 miles from BMW NA in Woodcliff Lake, and I suspect that it was my former dealership from where the car originated, since the storage lot in Ramsey NJ was saved in the GPS when I picked the car up to bring it home.

With so few miles on it, I can't imagine it'd be 'flogged' too much. In fact, why would they ship a German car from the US to Germany in the first place - don't they come from there in the first place??? It's just really odd. My thinking was that it might have been a BMW NA Executive heading back home for a while and wanting to take the car along, or a BMW DE executive that wanted this color/equipment and didn't want to wait for one to roll off the line, so they sourced it from here.

Regretfully, since the car was overseas for that time, there's nothing much I can find out about service history since the two systems seem to not be connected - or so I'm told. However, I've GOT to believe if it's a BMW NA owned car that every shred of proper service - and then some - was done to make sure it was running properly to avoid embarrassment. And despite the fact that the service alert showed no maintenance due for another 7k miles, I had an oil service done at 30k just to be sure it was done right.

In any event, it's something of a mystery. But the condition of the car looked as though it just rolled off the production line, and might have been owned by the proverbial 'Little Old Lady From Pasadena'.

That said, I'm just wondering if there's any more 'enhanced collectibility' to this car due to its history, or if it's just another F13 off the line.

Definitely not more desirable, if anything less desirable.
Even the idea that it could be a press car would make me worried.

[Cincinnatus]

Originally Posted by rsuhandy

Definitely not more desirable, if anything less desirable.
Even the idea that it could be a press car would make me worried.

I spoke with a friend who's a retired CA from that same dealership and he said (to clarify) by 'press car', he meant that this was [possibly] one used as a model for photo shoots and the car show circuit. It would have been in the studio, or roped off at events like the NY Car Show, meaning it would not have been driven at all.

But again, I have some homework to do. I'll keep y'all updated.

[Flying Ace]

got a picture of your car btw? I actually keep most of my magazines. I'm almost sure I have photos of your car. lol. All the 2013 magazine articles are archived online at their respective magazine sites.

I'm going to guess you have the Sakhir Orange and 343 wheels? Though there were 2 of them for the press, one with CCBs (that one was the US press' track demo) and one without CCBs in which I can find footage of it on the track in Europe.

Frankly, who cares...just show that servicing was done.

[Cincinnatus]

Originally Posted by Flying Ace

got a picture of your car btw? I actually keep most of my magazines. I'm almost sure I have photos of your car. lol. All the 2013 magazine articles are archived online at their respective magazine sites.

I'm going to guess you have the Sakhir Orange and 343 wheels?...

You're mocking me, aren't you? I can tell, because my "snark-o-meter" just went into the redline.