Duck_Pond

Yesterday, saw another example of a car with a badge on it, pretending to be something it obviously wasn't.

This one was a new shape BMW 3 series. It had an "M" badge on the back. It was probably a 328i or similar - only had 2 pipes out the back.

There's a 5 series out the back of a colleague's offices, with the M badges all over it, yet it's not an M5.

Why bother? It's not an M-division car. It hasn't got that engine in it. Does the "M" stand for "Moron"?

And it's not restricted to Beemers - spotted an A3 on the motorway a couple of weeks back. Had "S3" on one side of the plate, and "1.9TDi" on the other!

Has anyone on here got a car like this? Can you explain why you're pretending to be something else? Seems mad to me - would attract more attention of the wrong sort if anything.

RichWalk

Have to agree;

My Austin Allegro was totally ruined by the previous owner... some ****** stuck a Rolls Royce grille on it!!!

Old_Fart

My STI4TypeR has really wide wings and a big spoiler..thinks it is a MY98WRC.
Regarding 'M' badging on beeemers...they do sell an official 'M' chassis kit here..in fact they sell three times as many as they sell 'M' cars...maybe these guys have upgraded?
C

P1Fanatic

Yes you can get an M Sports Kit for most models. My mate had a 330Ci Sport and it had M badges all over it.

Scoob owners often put sti grille badges on their non-sti cars. Is that any different? Any car enthusiast will spot one a mile off.

Simon.

chrisp

I stuck a new age WRX impreza badge on the back but you tell its a classic a mile off .

NACRO

They are the same kind of people that like to wear "le shark" Polo shirts rather than the real overpriced crocodile thing. Personally I think either are the height of bad taste.

Nobbers who do do that to their cars are just s-a-a-a-d to paraphrase Alan Partridge.

Steve3drALS

Dont forget "Nicks" trainers, lol.

Around here theres a different affliction "fast n furious spoiler on otherwise standard base model car" diesease...

Today alone ive seen a TOTALY std Volvo440 with one, a burgundy base model vectra with steel wheels (not even hubcaps) and one of em and a big exhaust, an old man driving a knackered and apart from the spoiler and a towbar, totaly standard E30 316 Bimmer with one, its madness.

THE most unsubtle mod you can do which only suits cars with everything else already just as mad, but people are doing it as their first and only mod!

Duck_Pond

Still seems a little pointless to me. Afterall, you'd buy an M3 or M5 etc for the engine more than anything.

If you've got a 330 or whatever, there's nowt wrong with it - damned good car. You're kind of ruining it by sticking on extras; like admitting that you wanted the M car, but couldn't afford it, and are now pretending to have what you really wanted.

Maybe I'm getting old...

RichWalk

Nice one Steve, last time I lived in Glos, they were still driving around in a horse & cart!!

Scooby-Doo

Well the 330ci club sport has "M" badges as standard on certain parts of the car.

Remove pink badges from your UK classic.

JayPSC

The most bizarre one I've seen was Billing 2 years ago, a lovely EVO VI with Turbo Diesal badges on the back ??????

chinnybloke

They do it to provide entertainment for people in real versions of the cars. I love pulling up at the side of them in their poxy fake wagons. Some of them are such poor efforts too.

The 318 "M3"'s are the best but seen some poor "M5's" too.

davyboy

Isn't this the same as people putting STi badges on there WRX's?

Andy Tang

iTrader: (3)

Would this be similar to Subaru owners who put STI on cars that are not?

Or people who have Prodrive stickers on their car, when there is nothing obviously Prodrive on it?

Who does it hurt if they badge their cars up as a higher model! The only problem is if they believe their own hype!!!

tiggers

Let's face it if they've bought a 3 series BMW they've already paid 25% of the asking price for the BMW badge so adding some M badges is only an extension of this badge engineering trait - leave 'em to it I say

tiggers.

P1Fanatic

I dont care either way tbh. If someone wants to put nismo tuning stickers on their micra then who am I to say they cant or shouldnt.

How is someone with a 330Ci Sport with M badges saying they cant afford the car they really wanted? Perhaps they dont want to fork out the extra for an M3. Even if they cant afford the M3 - whats wrong with getting the m-sport kit other than total badge snobbery?

Simon.

NACRO

quote: ". If someone wants to put nismo tuning stickers on their micra then who am I to say they cant or shouldnt."

Of course they should be free to do it-and we should be free to laugh at them.

As for sticking STi badges on a non-Sti Subaru, in the same naff league as far as I can see.

Dapster

And what happens when someone goes up to these people and asks "that's a lovely M3/M5/Cosworth/355 Spyder/whatever. Is it quick?". I mean do they say "oh yes mate" or do they honestly say "you'll never believe it when I tell you but it's actually a 1989 Hyundia Pony with a naff body kit, evolotion wings, a fake DTM exhaust and Diablo badges on it".

Luke

But why are the drivers so ugly ..yet drive around with the windows down "look at me .Look at me"??

Got overtaken today by some very fat git in a white escort convertable that had evrything from "Ripspeed" stuck on it.... Looked like fast moving puke.

m4rk rs

i saw a nice car the other day while walking down the street....the driver was very proud as everybody was staring at his car!it was a nova 1.2(at a guess)in green with full wrc style roof spoiler,4 inch exhaust pipe screwed onto the peashooter standard one,but what made me laugh the most as i got a skyline was the big 'hks' and 'nismo' stickers on the side and tailgate!btw i wouldnt put the stickers on mine even if it had any of those products,stickers on road cars are for hiding rust!

mark

pugoetru

i had a fiesta supersport with a 1660 engine in it took of all the stripes etc had mk2 xr2 steel wheels and caps with popular plus badges on tailgate!

had lots of laughs at trafic lights with xr3s etc

Duck_Pond

Quote: "Isn't this the same as people putting STi badges on there WRX's?"

Yup - otherwise it's be pots and kettles... btw - it should be on their WRX's?, before I get corrected

To me, it shows that the person would like to have something other than the car that they have actually got.

I accept that BMW sell an M-kit for their cars... quite why it sells is beyond me, but I'm obviously behind the times, as people like to have a look of a more expensive car than they've actually got. (Not restricted to BMW - Porsche sell a 911 with the Turbo look).

Just seems a waste of money. The standard 330i, or 5xx etc., has a very nice, very suitable interior, and has been fitted with the running gear to suit the needs of that car. So why spend oodles of money upgrading it, to suit the needs of a faster, more expensive model?

Each to their own, I guess.

As for badge snobbery?? I guess there is that in there too. An "M" BMW is a different car to a normal "Beemer". Afterall, McLaren didn't ask for a normal BMW engine to go in their F1 did they? No - they got the M-division to sort that one...

zax

A friend just bought a 318 coupe with all of the "M" styling kit on it. The fact that he could have used the considerable amount of cash this all cost to buy a BMW with a bigger engine was lost on him...

I guess that's the difference between buying a car to polish and buying a car to drive

Skittles

Just to clarify - you can't buy an M3 body kit. You can buy a M-body kit, its just not an M3 body kit. The M3 still has:
-differnet bonnet (shape & material)
-wheel arches
-side vents
-wing mirrors
-4 exhausts etc etc


Now, the 'old' M5 on the other hand - the sport models look the same, but BMW seem (thankfully) to have learned from this mistake.

Personally, I think its quite funny. Owners of the proper cars can always spot a fake and, to use a cliche, imitation is the best form of flattery.

RobinSherwood

On the flipside I saw a 'real' M3 in silver in London W1 yesterday with a 320i badge on the boot. B)

Robin

andyr

The reverse (like the M3 with 320i badging) is better IMHO : I had an (no laughing please) Uno Turbo a while back. Fun, quite quick car. Swapped the boot badge for an Uno 45 badge - I remember drivers in a Saab Turbo and also a 924 Turbo thinking that they would just pass this little Italian rust-bucket with a tweak of the throttle and then getting a bit of a surprise !
Doing the opposite to this is the driver saying and wanting others to believe that they actually have a better car than they really do.

Skittles

Are you being serious?

Steve3drALS

Well u can **** off if u think im gona stick datsun cherry badges on the back of my new skyline!

MarkWRX

I dont understand who's benefit they are doing it for, as enthusiasts in the know will laugh at them, and people who dont know wont really care anyway.

If you're not happy with the car you have, why not just de-badge it instead of saying it is something it isnt?

pugoetru

no badges is the best keep em guessing