Hmm...... looks like the party that mod their badge upwards has their reasons to do so, just like anyone who paste the M3 badge (... or 'W3' for those who don't even know difference between a 'M' and a 'W') or one with TRD, Nizmo, STi and Mugen stickers as sun shade. And they might not even realize what they have done, impersonating or otherwise. Most would just do it for attention and beauty. But I think some did it because of pride, though most will never admit.
There are 2 groups of motorists in general. An enthusiast (i.e. the ones in BMWsg) and a commoner group.
An enthusiast can easily spot any modifications; upgrading of badge or modifying of engines, chassis, brakes and body works. But this group represents no more than 20% of the population. :roll:
The commoner made up over 80% of the population (some drive some don’t), and most can't differentiate an M3 and a 318isedan. If you’re lucky, they can tell you that one has 2 doors and the other a 4 doors. Period! :verysad:
2 typical commoner cases I would like to share. Case #1: Once I had 2 ladies and a guy as passengers in my car. An Evo 8 over took me and I pointed at the Evo to all my passengers and mentioned that it is one of the fastest cars in the market. All 3 passengers exclaimed, "…you must be kidding, how fast can a Lancer go? .. aren’t they 1.6? ". Case#2: We were in the lobby of Hilton hotel. I saw a few tourists with a Singaporean man peeping in the window of a Porsche Boxster (without the 'S'). Just being friendly, I asked why they were so fascinated with the black Porsche. The Caucasians mentioned that it is a fast and expensive car, and the Singaporean said it’s a Porsche. Then I point at the BMW M5 E39 and an E55 AMG parking behind the Porsche, and guess what ...... all agreed that it is expensive BUT cheaper and slower than the Porsche.
So my point is to the majority of the population, most can never tell the difference. Even if the badge is swapped from 318i to 330i, it still makes no different. To most it is still a BMW ...... and maybe some might know that it is a 3 series.
Conclusion, it doesn't matter what the car owners did, upgrading or downgrading the badge. So long that he or she is happy with the results (or the attention). As for car enthusiast like us, we shouldn't be bothered too because we know our stuffs and they can't fool us.
Now, better focus all our attention on the coming V10 M5 or V10 M6 …. Let’s make more money and get ready for these beauties!