Friday Mailbag: Family follow-up, and the new Adro M3 nose

So many have reached out from Tuesday’s story with well wishes, and I thank you all for that. I have a good follow-up question from that story, as well as a question on a new Adro body kit for the G8X family. Enjoy.

If you’d like to participate, drop me a question at mike@machineswithsouls.com. As always, you’ll remain anonymous.

Question

Mike, just wanted to reach out and express my sympathies for what your family had to go through. I also know someone struck by a car, and the result was fatal.

In your story, you mention that taking rollers has become more difficult. How have you dealt with being around moving cars since the accident?

– Nick

Answer

Thank you Nick. It seems that many people know someone hit by a car, proving my point that it’s becoming a more common occurrence.

And it’s true, there’s a sort of PTSD right after the event that I guess makes my unique career choice a little more difficult. I’d probably never hang out of a moving car on the highway for rollers again, which is why you see me stay firmly planted in the rear of my car for shots on the Fall Cruise.

Panic moments

A few weeks after my wife was hit, I was scheduled to go to California to shoot at the Performance Center. I felt fine. The X5s we use have a clam shell hatch in the rear so I’m well-protected from falling out. The track is closed. Pro drivers are used. We’re as safe as possible.

And for the most part, I was ok. I know I missed a few shots because I lost focus, especially in the beginning. You try to prevent your mind from wandering, and losing your head out there will get you in trouble. I’m the art director on this set, so I can’t just say “stop”. People depend on me.

We use ARM cars as well, which are the cars with big crane cameras mounted on metal arms. For those, I sit inside the car and watch the footage we capture on screens mounted in the back seat. On one particular shot with an M4 GT4, we lined up facing each and essentially played a game of high-speed chicken.

Closing fast

It was hard to tell the closing speed, but the M4 was going so fast that by the time it reached us it shook our X5, like it was a dingy at sea. The driver was a pro that has worked on productions like The Grand Tour, and he was able to get his car mere inches away from ours. I jumped out of my skin.

After that moment, I had what you might consider a mild panic attack, and had to get out. Luckily our videographer was able to take over the ARM car parts of the shoot, and I didn’t get back in there. The rest of the shoot went on without any problems for me, but it was always in the back of my mind.

I share this story to let you know that it can happen to anyone. But we all can’t just sit at home in a bubble either. Stay safe, Nick.

Now, onto more pleasant topics…

Question

Hey Mike. Curious about your thoughts on the new front bumper from Adro body kit on the G8X?

– Joe

Answer on the Adro kit

“Fixing” the front-end of the G8X M3 and M4 has been an obsession with a lot of people in the media. But it doesn’t really seem to be one for the owners.

Joe is a fellow M4 owner, and it seems that in general, the time to fix that nose has come and gone. It’s selling well. So well that you can’t get one for six to eight months. Forget sticker price too.

Adro Kit

The Adro kit was just released at SEMA, and I will say that it looks good. A bit sleeker, with M2 style front intakes, and a full body kit that’s well integrated with the car’s design.

The problem is the price: $11,900. You’d never see that money back at resale time. And it answers a question that nobody really asked, which is “do I need to fix the car’s look if I already liked it enough to buy it?”

Perhaps the only value I see is in standing out in the Cars & Coffee crowd, but it’s a fickle group. Sure, hot today, will it be tomorrow?

Adro is taking pre-orders now, and the bumper alone is a more reasonable $3,100. If you dig it, you can find more info on the company’s site.

Like all things automotive-related, Joe, if it makes you happy, by all means. For me, I find more pleasure in the intake and exhaust vroom sounds. Perhaps I’ll stick with a new grill for now.

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I use Nikon camera bodies and lenses, a Westcott Ice Light 2, Manfrotto tripod, B + W filters and an iMac Pro to make the art you see here.

Email me at mike@machineswithsouls.com with any questions. Follow along on Instagram @machineswithsouls