I got soaked at Bimmer Invasion Orlando 2024

It’s too late for me – I’ve settled in the northeast, and I’m stuck there until I retire. But the winters, terrible. Even the most ginger stabs at the throttle of my M3 are enough to send it into the weeds on the colder days. By February I’ve had it. How perfect then, that Bimmer Invasion “invades” Orlando, Florida and offers a chance to escape the cold.

Yea, right.

New place, same weather (and faces)

Tempted as I was to ship my M3 down for the event, I left it home.The anxiety of shipping the car combined with the coming forecast gave me pause. I admit, I felt naked at a BMW show without my BMW.

It’s okay though, I’ve got some credibility with this group.

But as I was dropped off unceremoniously by the Uber and walked into the show, I became glad I did leave it home. Seemed like half the people here were from the northeast as well. Didn’t I just drive with you to the Cars & Coffee last weekend?

Saved me the embarrassment of saying “I swear bro, I have one just like this at home.”

The weather? It was the worst I’ve ever had at any car show, and thankfully the location allows for some indoor parking so many could escape the rain as it picked up throughout the day.

Does make for some dramatic photos though.

A sea of G

Without a doubt, the G80, G82, G83, and now G87 have taken over the community. There must have been over a hundred examples of those three cars alone at Bimmer Invasion (and perhaps even more). There’s a huge aftermarket presence for all three cars now as well.

As the design enters year three (and with the LCI just over the horizon), it’s safe to call this experiment by BMW a huge success. All that drama from the car’s introduction seems to have subsided, and many F owners have converted.

If you’re still mad about it, go cry to your momma. The G is king.

The venue was below average

I wasn’t all that impressed with Dezerland Park two years ago, and it hasn’t improved. Inside this little “mall” it’s dark and dingy, with terrible lighting to show off the cars. The orange floor isn’t flattering either. Those of you that shoot know – raising the ISO beyond 2,000 means a lot more post work, and that’s with my aperture at 2.8. It’s just too dark.

Outside it might be a tropical vibe, but it’s poorly paved, flooded easily, and doesn’t really provide the sort of backdrop you’d want for some of these bodacious cars. By now you know how I feel: every show takes place in some sort of unglamorous empty parking lot, and it’s getting old. People pay good money to enter these things.

The vendors are the same as always, though it was nice to finally meet Kasey from NW CarbonHaus.

As a final nail in the coffin, there’s been a very fun burnout contest the past two years, but for 2024 it was not allowed. Seems Dezerland never got the appropriate paperwork for motorsport activities from local authorities, and the Bimmer Invasion organizers got stuck at the last minute.

If it were me, I’d pick a spot that felt upscale, or had some driving bits in it.

The Adro M4 widebody kit

Let’s talk about Adro’s full body kit for the M4. It costs $35,000, and that’s before labor (or wheels). They had one under wraps and I did not stay for the unveiling.

Sigh. A BMW M4 Competition with M xDrive is going to set you back $100,000. Add the additional $50k for this when all is said and done, and you have yourself a car that makes no sense. It doesn’t “drive” any better, and after the first few shows, people are going to forget this thing exists. Truth be told, there was another widebody M4 at the show, and that looked just as good.

Adro is limiting production to just ten kits to ensure exclusivity (though I bet they will make more because it’s all a money grab). For the price, I can think of so many better options. Their slogan of “not for everybody” seems apt.

The other interesting item was an Alpina XB7 with a stunning lit badge in the trunk. It was the tow vehicle for the M4, and considering how much I love Alpina already, this was a nice, clean addition.

The G82 M4 pickup truck

BMW M4 Pickup truck — This was original.

By far the most unique thing I saw was an M4 pickup truck with an actual bed. One assumes that a convertible was used as the basic car, and then a bed was retrofitted in place. The result was something I’d never seen before, and not even BMW has tried it (not with the G, anyway).

Best in show, as far as I’m concerned.

Bimmer Invasion 2024 was still fun

It’s always good to be with fans of the brand, and everyone loves their rides very much. That said, I’m not sure how many events I’ll cover this year (MPACT is always a sure thing, and the new Austin event looks promising).

If you see me in my MWS T-shirt walking around with camera in hand, stop by and say hi. Or come ride with me this year for some drives I have planned.

Sadly, I can’t bring the palm trees back to New Jersey.