BMW of North America today announced the 2013 M3 Coupe Lime Rock Park
Edition, of which 200 copies will be built this summer. Priced from
$70,995 including $895 Destination and Handling, the M3 Coupe Lime Rock
Park Edition will be “…a classic car for a classic track,” as described
by Skip Barber, owner of the historic Lime Rock Park racing circuit
located in northwestern Connecticut.
BMW and Lime Rock Park have collaborated on the M3 Coupe Lime Rock
Park Edition to celebrate the longstanding relationship between BMW
automobiles, the famed Lime Rock Park racing circuit, and the thousands
of passionate drivers and fans who join them together. Deliveries are
planned to begin this September.
The BMW M3 Coupe Lime Rock Park Edition will be constructed on the
foundation of the iconic BMW M3 Coupe, now in its fourth generation,
with enhancements selected through collaboration with Skip Barber and
Lime Rock Park. Each car will be painted in rare Fire Orange and
features Anthracite and Black cloth seating with Nappa leather trim. The
popular Competition Package is fitted, and the M3’s signature carbon
fiber composite roof panel will be retained on all copies produced. Also
in the standard equipment profile will be a lightweight
inconel-titanium exhaust muffler, carbon fiber front and rear
aerodynamic aids, and an Anthracite Alcantara-covered, flat-bottom
steering wheel. Finally, each M3 Coupe Lime Rock Park Edition will be
quickly identified by a numbered plaque located on the center console, a
unique decal on the left-rear quarter window, and a certificate of
authenticity.
California-based racing driver Bill Auberlen, whose career has been
synonymous with the BMW brand in America for 17 years and includes over
300 professional races in BMW cars, joined Skip Barber and Lime Rock
Park management on July 3rd, 2012 to evaluate the prototype of the M3
Coupe Lime Rock Park Edition on the famed 1.5-mile circuit. Just a few
days before starting his 100th American Le Mans Series race at Lime Rock
Park, Auberlen remarked, “A race car is never allowed to be perfect.
It’s the job of the driver to constantly suggest improvements and find
more speed. But the M3 Lime Rock Park Edition may be as close to perfect
as you can get, right off the production line. From its great color to
the flawless manners it showed on the track, for the first time I can
say I might not change a thing.”
The balanced, linear driving dynamics of the BMW M3 Coupe are often
described as a perfect match for the challenging Lime Rock Park circuit.
As described by track owner Skip Barber:
“A newcomer looks at the track map and thinks, ‘Oh, this is easy.’
It’s not. Lime Rock is an extremely difficult track to drive quickly. It
has three of what many drivers think are some of the most challenging
corners in North America: The Uphill, West Bend and The Downhill,”
Barber said. “There are tricky cambers, extreme elevation changes, very
high speeds… all Lime Rock signatures since it opened 55 years ago. And
the BMW M3 Coupe Lime Rock Park Edition, when equipped with the
six-speed manual, is geared perfectly – and I mean perfectly – for the
track. I agree with Bill: I wouldn’t change a thing.”
Lime Rock Park is one of America’s most recognized road racing venues
and has been continuously operated since its opening in 1957. Listed on
the National Registry of Historic Places by the National Park Service,
the track is 1.5 miles in length, encompassing seven corners and more
than seven stories of elevation change. The track is considered one of
the most beautiful –and challenging to drive – in the world, constructed
in a natural valley in the Berkshire Mountains of extreme northwest
Connecticut. More information can be found at limerock.com.
