BMW Invasion of Orlando recap

Take a trip to Orlando, Florida to see the BMW Invasion of Orlando, with hundreds of BMWs on display for a car show and more.

BMW Invasion of Orlando
bmw invasion of orlando

No doubt, winter in the northeast isn’t the most pleasant for a car enthusiast. The salt on the roads, constantly gloomy weather, cold..you get it. So when I was invited to the BMW Invasion of Orlando car show, I jumped at the chance. Covering car shows is sometimes a bit repetitive (every car is modded the same way), and tons of content comes out of them, so this time I’m going a different route. All the images for the show are presented in black and white. The high contrast lighting gives some drama when you take the washed out mid-day lighting away. I hope you enjoy.

The G80 is here

A year on into the introduction of the G80, and I think it’s safe to say that this M3 is becoming normalized. The amount that showed up rivaled even the F8X numbers, and many were sporting modifications that you might be used to seeing on older generations.

bmw invasion of orlando
The Vorsteiner G80 M3 grill.

One thing of interest was the Vorsteiner front end for the G80. Whatever form of mesh I saw inside the gaping maw looked flimsy, so watch out for the radiator. This feels like modding for the sake of it, and I think the car looks better with the stock grill.

bmw invasion of orlando
Instead of keeping the grill as a cohesive shape, it divides into sections of four.
bmw invasion of orlando
Here’s another reason why the station wagon needs to come here. Roof boxes don’t look nearly as good on the sedan.
bmw invasion of orlando
Also interesting was the M Performance Exhaust. Looks cool, but not loud enough for my taste.
bmw invasion of orlando
Dropped and wheels. It’s car mod 101.
bmw invasion of orlando
I wish I could have brought mine.
bmw invasion of orlando
A lone G80 was in the burnout contest, and it sounded great!
bmw invasion of orlando
Slammed.
bmw invasion of orlando bmw invasion of orlando

Zupra Time

Seeing a Supra in New Jersey is still a somewhat rare site. It’s small, and even with winter wheels, handling in the cold is lacking.

But swap NJ for some Florida sun, and the Zupras come out (along with some Z4s).

bmw invasion of orlando
This was actually one of my favorite cars from the show. The wing and wheels give it the perfect stance.
bmw invasion of orlando
bmw invasion of orlando
Zupra burnout!
bmw invasion of orlando
Not a part of the show, but an automotive museum at the faculty had this Eclipse on display. To my generation, it’s a classic.

F8X, the people’s choice

No M car has sold as well as the F80 and F82, and they are a popular choice at car shows. They might not sound the best, but they do look it.

bmw invasion of orlando
The burnout contest saw manly M4s.
bmw invasion of orlando
bmw invasion of orlando
Matte paint looks great in black and white.
bmw invasion of orlando
bmw invasion of orlando
A few CS examples showed up.
bmw invasion of orlando
The E92 and F82 always look so good together.
bmw invasion of orlando

Tropical M5s

You’ll never see as many M5s as you might lesser M cars (they are expensive, after all), but an entire section was dedicated to the platform, and a good amount of F90s showed up.

bmw invasion of orlando
The F90 might be the best example of what an LCI can do for a BMW.
bmw invasion of orlando
Low Rider culture alive and well down here.
bmw invasion of orlando
Roller coaster.

Plenty of variety

If you’re a fan of modern BMW metal, there was a lot to offer at the BMW Invasion of Orlando. Unlike MPACT, where you have tons of vendors, racing, and displays, this felt more intimate and let you interact with the cars more.  It was an overall great day, and I can’t wait for the warm weather to arrive here in the north east.

bmw invasion of orlando
Packed on the way in.
bmw invasion of orlando
Long live the E90.
bmw invasion of orlando
Plenty of non-Ms made it out as well.
bmw invasion of orlando
I hope to feature an F83 soon. Are we doing the M4 all wrong?
bmw invasion of orlando
Yea well…haha.
bmw invasion of orlando bmw invasion of orlando

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