M Coupe Buyers Guide

It’s a rather unusual 80 degree day in Colorado on March 17th, what’s a birthday boy to do? Take the M Coupe out of winter hibernation of course! And that is exactly what I did. With the kids napping at my parents’ house, my dad and I drove back to my house and released the coupe from it’s winter home. I already knew what this birthday present was going to be, but it didn’t make it any less fun to unwrap.

Even though it has looked great under it’s tight, black, form-fitting cover, it looks even better without it. The drive also gave me the opportunity to try out two of my new modifications. First, my wife had bought me some imola red and black interior color-matched Puma driving shoes for Christmas (does she know me or what?). I had not had a chance to try them out yet. They lived up to the hype and will now be worn on all drives going forward. I had also only had one opportunity to drive using my new illuminated ZHP shift knob after installing it last fall. If anything, I like it even more than I remember. It completely transforms the shifting action. My dad probably got tired of me saying how much I liked it. Who knew such a small thing could make such a big difference. Man does it fell good to be back in the saddle again.

We headed up Rist Canyon and back to town on Stove Prairie road which is one of my favorite routes. There were a few too many motorcyclists out, but it didn’t ruin the beautiful weather and even better roads. On our way back into town I pulled off on an overlook on the ridge over Horsetooth Reservoir, and my dad took some great photos. My wife used her photo editing skills to make them even better. See what you think:

Needless to say, I had a very happy birthday.

As promised, there was just no way we  could hold ourselves to just one BBQ per year. This time, we included a drive too which will undoubtedly be part of every future BBQ. The day started early for Colby, Lindsey and Kevin who met at 10 AM in Loveland to start the drive up to Estes Park where Alex met them later. On their way back, my wife Jenn and I joined up with them at a little general store in Masonville from which we headed north on what most of us now call our new favorite road in Colorado: Stove Prairie. It was a beautiful day for a drive with blue skies, perfect temperature, and the aspen leaves turning a stunning shade of yellow. We probably would have appreciated it more if it hadn’t all gone by in a blur. After a “spirited”, grin-inducing drive up Stove Prairie, we breathlessly pulled to the side road where it meets up with Highway 14 in Poudre Canyon for a few photos. The group ended up including:

• Alex’s 2002 Imola Red over Imola Red M Coupe
• Colby’s 2002 Alpine White over Imola Red M Roadster
• Kevin’s 2002 Alpine White over Black M Coupe
• Lindsey’s 2000 Cosmos Black over Dark Gray M Coupe
• Jenn and My 2002 Steel Gray over Imola Red M Coupe