Re: More on M Coupe Styling...

[Bill Matthews <bmatthws@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Roy,

You are not the only one to think this way. Last Saturday I was at photo
shoot in North Jersey where Klaus Schnitzer was doing the cover and an
inside spread for the December issue of Roundel. Included in the shoot
were a 67 MGB-GT and a 73 Volvo 1800ES. There was lots of red and green
christmas wrapping paper spread around  but the whole point was a
comparison to and tracing back to the roots of other GT style cars. The
thing that really stands out when you look at the cars together (aside
from the very aggresive look of the ///M Coupe), is the fact that it
ends immediately after the rear wheels with virtually no overhang. More
reminiscent of other specialty sports cars like the Shelby Cobra.

The ///M will be on the cover and picts with it and the other cars on
the inside. Klaus sure liked to make the Coupe do donuts in the parking
lot when he had to move the car around ;-)

Bill Matthews
Hockessin DE
73 Volvo 1800ES Orange look for it in December
94 Volvo 855T - Current hot rod lots of stuff this group doesn't care
about
Waiting for the ///M5 if I can't afford it I guess I'll get the 540

> 
> Date: Mon, 05 Oct 1998 21:35:27 -0400
> From: "R. Kao" <rkao@domain.elided>
> Subject: More on M Coupe Styling...
> 
> I know, I know, everyone must be sick of the topic now but I felt a need
> to throw my $0.02 in; no more, no less.
> 
> I don't think the styling on the M Coupe is really radical, or even new,
> though I must admit it's grown on me in a huge way since I first saw it
> at the Toronto Int'l Autoshow last February.  It reminds me a lot of a
> couple of classics: the Ferrari 250 GTO 'Breadvan' and the MGB
> hatchback; both of which had similar styling to the current M Coupe.
> Not to mention, BMW itself made an '02 Touring, though I'm not certain
> if it was 2 or 4-door.  So, kudos to BMW AG for having some stylistic
> guts in building the M Coupe (hats off to the engineers who started it
> on their own time).  Plymouth has the Prowler; Honda is building (I
> think) the SSM (is this right?); and Ford has the new Escort, the Ka,
> and the Mercury Cougar; then it's time the German automakers shed their
> stodgy image and build something fun.  Now, if only Lancia would revive
> the Delta Integrale S4 and bring it across the Atlantic!!
>

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