Hello Imran, please tell us briefly what you do and why you are the perfect ambassador for our BMW M and Me format?
My name is Imran Arshad, and I am the co-founder of evolve and Eventuri and today, I'm going to be talking about BMW, and my relationship to the brand.
Some would say I'm slightly obsessed. a lot of people say that they live and breathe something, but I actually do because it's formed a huge part of my life for the last 18 years. Because I created a business around BMW M, and it continues to this day. So that makes me a good ambassador, because I do actually love the brand.
I've seen the transition from the old to the new, and I respect everything that they've done so far.
What is your earliest memory of BMW M and what impact did this have on you growing up?
The first memory I have of BMW M is a picture, a black and white picture of my father at a motor show next to the BMW M1. So I remember seeing that picture in our family album. And for me, this was a brand I knew that made normal, luxury cars.
And why is that badge on a supercar? So that always kind of stoked my curiosity about that car. And then when I was a little bit older and I saw the M3 racing in DTM, I just was fascinated about this boxy little thing being everything on the track, cars that looked bigger, more powerful. And that then translated into when I was able to buy my first performance car, it had to be anything M3, and that's what I bought, and that sent the whole trajectory of my life in a different direction, and is the reason why I am where I am now.
So the BMW M3 was the first BMW M model you owned - how did it affect you back then?
I just got my first well-paying job, and I had to stop commuting to Leamington Spa and then start commuting into London.
So the M3 was an obvious choice, purely because I'd been obsessing about that car for such a long time to own a piece of DTM history, because that's what I felt like, was amazing. That was my first car and then after that, it just set the catalyst for everything else. And it was always an achievable car, but now it's more difficult. But back then when you saw anything M3, that was something that most people, if you had a job and you saved up, you could quite easily buy that car. It wasn't super expensive. My first one, I bought 7,000 pounds and it was a clean example. It had all the like the maintenance that needed doing.
But at that point it was not only an icon and a dream car, but something that was achievable. It didn't seem like it was beyond the realms of possibility.
Why do you think in-person car meets are important for the community?
So the community for me started around internet forums and then progressed onto social media like Instagram. And that's all good and well. But just like in business, having virtual relationships is not the best way to communicate with people and share your experiences. So the in person car meets take what you're doing online a step further. You're able to build good relationships with fellow M enthusiasts, discuss ideas, talk about problems you might be having, talk about improvements you can have, and just share the experiences you have of your cars and it just brings the community closer together.
Can you share any insights into the lifestyle and culture around owning a BMW M in the UK?
You'll be surprised at how many different types of people come to these car meets, and how BMW M community itself is so varied, and you'll get to talk to people that you necessarily wouldn't bump into in normal life because you share the same passion for a particular brand of car.
You get to meet them and you realize that, you know, underneath people are more or less the same. They have divisions in how they think, but there is certain passions that you can share. And because of that, you can have a relationship with them.
And as I've gone through my, M car ownership, I've got involved in every single group of that particular car, and I've still got friends that I made when I was in my E30, I still have friends, I made when I had my M Coupe. So I've made lifelong friends because of those cars and the meets and the drives we used to go to.
Because as much as I like the cars and I like the way they make me feel and the experience they give me when I drive them, having that community around the cars themselves and the experiences you have, that human element, that's huge.
so as important as the machine is and how the machine makes you feel, having that human element to it just basically combines to make an absolutely incredible experience.
How can modifying BMW M cars be seen as an expression of artistic creation?
A car for a lot of people, if they don't have artistic skills like painting or drawing or music, a car is like a blank canvas, in my opinion. And when I look at them, that's what I see. And I see how can I make this car more mine and have it be an expression of my individuality?
I don't want to wear the same clothes as everyone else. I don't want to wear same shoes as everyone else. So why should I have a car that looks the same as everyone else? Now, BMW do a great job of, things like individual colors so you can start making it stand out. And they also have the M performance range of products.
It's not just about how it looks, it's also about how that car makes you feel as a driver. So it's improving not only the aesthetics of it, but also tailoring the way the car drives to your liking. BMW M cars are absolutely amazing out of the box, but that doesn't mean that everyone wants it to sound and feel the same way as it's produced from the factory.
People want to tailor it to their driving style and what their needs are.
If you could sum up BMW M in three adjectives, what would they be?
Powerful, agile, exciting.
If you could give anyone that was keen on joining the BMW M community some advice, what would it be?
I’ve said this before but cars really do unite people, you can forget about politics, you can forget about your thoughts on certain things, but when you're there and you're talking about the cars, that's all that really matters. And it's just being brave enough to actually go and engage with people. find out from social media, your local BMW club, see what's going on, and just get your cars out there, enjoy them.
