Badges And Stripes: James May ‘Unpimps’ A BMW 420i Pretending To Be An M4

BY Brad Anderson | Posted on

James May’s beloved ‘Unpimp My Ride’ series on Drive Tribe is back with its latest episode, this time focusing on a BMW 420i.

The 420i is quite a very nice premium coupe, offering decent performance with a plush interior and striking good looks. However, this particular Estoril Blue 420i has a black M4 badge stuck onto the tailgate. If this isn’t a crime which should be punishable with jail time, we don’t know what is.

For May, putting M badges on a non-M car from BMW is wildly inappropriate and he swiftly removes the badge to return the car back to standard. Or so it seems.

The Grand Tour host soon reveals that the owner of this BMW has also had some fun with the car’s front end and painted three of the vertical slats of the kidney grille in the colors of the BMW M division. They look cheap and tacky and appear to have been painted on with plastidip or something. This means it only takes a couple of seconds for the color to be peeled away and the grille to be returned to normal – in the words of May, all very “casual.”

We’ve never understood why owners of certain brands (BMW, Mercedes-Benz etc.) so frequently affix M or AMG badges to their non-performance vehicles, as they fool absolutely no one with even the slightest knowledge about cars. Guess they’re interested in impressing all the rest – and to hell with being ridiculed by those who know.

BMW M8 Competition Vs. M6 Competition Pack; Is This What Progress Feels Like?

BMW’s previous top GT was magnificent – but this is not really a fair fight, is it?.
Badges And Stripes: James May ‘Unpimps’ A BMW 420i Pretending To Be An M4

The 420i is a great premium compact coupe on its own, and faking an M4 requires much more than that.
Driven: It’s True – The 2019 Hyundai i30 N IS A Game Changer

The i30 N is among the market’s fiercest and finest hot hatches and it has really upset the establishment .
You Can Buy The Weirdest-Looking Bugatti Chiron In The World – For $4.8 Million

Mansory is selling the tuned Chiron Centuria that was unveiled at Geneva for a hefty premium.
Does This Patent Preview The C8 Corvette’s Eight-Speed, Dual-Clutch Gearbox?

Although there’s no direct mention of the ‘Vette, the filing does reveal that it includes nine- and 10-speed versions.
Ferrari SF90 Stradale Spider Could Be An Issue Of “When”, Not “If”

It’s only a rendering for now, and there’s no info whatsoever, but we don’t see why Ferrari won’t give it a go.
Yes, The Chevrolet Trailblazer Works As A Pickup Just Fine

The Chevrolet Trailblazer will slot between the Trax and Equinox in the U.S..
2020 Mazda3 Hatchback Guns For The Segment’s Top Spot

If you want lots of rear seat room, you’ll be disappointed – but you’ll love everything else.
Rivian EVs To Offer Vehicle-To-Vehicle Charging Functionality

Both the Rivian all-electric R1S SUV and R1T pickup will launch next year.
Tuned Skoda Scalas Are No RS, But Will Have To Suffice For Now

DTE-Systems has come up with ECU upgrades for the Scala, improving the performance of the entire range.