Vehicle Description
To be OFFERED AT AUCTION at Auctions America’s Hilton Head event, November 5, 2016.
Chassis No.
5UMCN93462LK61096
Estimate:
$ 60,000 - $ 75,000 US
The BMW M Coupe was built to be a German masterpiece; and perform and handle better than most sports cars on the road. The purpose behind creating an M Coupe was to increase the rigidity of the much loved Z3 Roadster. After this new project was approved, a stipulation of making it cost effective was given to the engineers. To meet this goal, many of the body panels are shared with the Z3 roadsters making many body components interchangeable between the Roadster and Coupe.
The first BMW M Coupes sent to the U.S. had a North American specification S52 inline six-cylinder engine, which was the same engine that was used in the E36 M3. The engine produced 240 horsepower, allowing the car to have a top speed of 137 miles per hour. European specification cars were fitted with a more powerful S50 inline six-cylinder that produced a ground shaking 321 horsepower and pushed the car to a top speed of 155 miles per hour.
In 2001, the BWM Coupe would receive an engine transplant. This engine would be the same engine that was used in the E46 BMW M3. The engine is a DOHC S54, 3.2-liter inline six-cylinder engine that is equipped with an iron block, aluminum head, Siemens MSS 54 engine control system that features port fuel injection. Power produced was 315 brake horsepower and 215 pound-feet of torque, a great improvement from the previous years. Backing the engine was a smooth shifting five-speed manual gearbox. With this new engine the M Coupe could reach 60-mph in 4.8 seconds and reach its governed top speed of 162-mph in no time at all.
The M Coupe was produced in small numbers, for the U.S. market, that equate to 2,180 built with the S52 engine and 678 with the S54 engine. U.S. production cars totaled 2,870 while 3,433 M Coupes were built for the European market.
This highly desirable and collectible 2002 BMW Coupe is presented with a minuscule 21,000 miles on the odometer. Unique to this BMW, and just one other BMW M Coupe made, is the rare factory sunroof delete option. The exterior is completed in Imola Red paint with complementing M RoadStar alloy wheels with a chrome shadow finish. The interior is tailored with grey and black leather upholstery and grey carpets.
The BMW M Coupe offered here is coming from a well-kept, climate controlled collection where it has resided for the past ten years. This BMW was part of the last series of M Coupes produced. It is also the most powerful and sought after. Not only is it a low production number car, but it is one-of-two with the sunroof delete option.
