I think you've hit the nail on the head John. I think it would be great to have a gleaming "popping" example of a PY E46 M3 to roll out of the garage on a sunny dry day. I think to daily the car in the middle of a wet and windy mud splattered Irish winter, the novelty would wear off fairly quick.
As with a lot of the brighter metallic colours, I think they really suit a good climate, such as Valencia Orange on a 1M. In sunlight it looks great, on an damp overcast day, it looks almost brown.