Babied Blau

[Gonzo]

Ben...nice picture of McKeel Haggerty, with Rich Lentinello, editor of Hemmings, with his head stuck under your rockerpanel.

At the beginning of that Survivor show, they put me next to the 275 Ferrari GTB and I had the overwhelming feeling of what the halfway pretty girl feels like sitting next to the homecoming queen.

[jgerock]

Tom -

Thanks for clarifying my wheel question. Hope to see your car in person some day.

Jim

[eastsidebimmer]

Ben...nice picture of McKeel Haggerty, with Rich Lentinello, editor of Hemmings, with his head stuck under your.

One of the judges was convinced that both front fenders on my car had been replaced because there was no upper seam where they join the nose panel. At that point I assumed he had never seen an unrestored 2002 so I suggested that he take a walk down and look at your car, he did and returned to report that I was right!

[auggiemize]

Tom, It really is a handsome speciman. Your comment is funny about the wheels in the day, as I remember lusting over FAZA ads for Campagnolos, and thinking that only guys from CA or NY could/would afford after-market wheels; would have been like wearing a nose ring with a diamond back in 1973, when I first had my 69 with four lovely, albeit dented (thanks tire place..) wheel covers. Seems like it had Semparit's (sp?), and for my birthday dad helped me upgrade to XAS's. I may have to take you up on the bottlecap deal...

Like Jim, I'd love to see yours sometime. Ben, I still love your orig Nevada...

Dave V. in NC

[eurotrash]

..as I'm of the belief that the 02 is transitioning from boy-racers to collectable cars, no offense to you boy-racers, out there.

-Awards: CCCA Geneva Concours 2009 Benz Award, Harmon Fischer Award "Best Roundie, 2010 Oktoberfest, Z-Zenith Award 100 pts., Palmetto Award Runner Up in Class, 2011 Hilton Head Island Concours.

Yeah, but, don't you find yourself craving a car that will allow you to do what you really enjoyed about owning a 2002? AKA, really owning it. In the sense that you are in and around the car so much that you know every nuance and scent? Every sound and vibration? After all, the 2002 as been hailed by some as the original "boy-racer" vehicle. Tinkering, getting your hands on, restoring, maintaining, improving, and feeling the glory of a minute, an hour, or a weekend spent under, over, or in the driver seat of that funny little gem. That's what makes the 2002 world go round. It would be dead and gone otherwise. Collecting and parking the good originals wouldn't fuel an aftermarket, or even OE replacement business. It wouldn't have built lore and reputation..

Not that collecting is a bad thing, I'm not saying that.. But personally, staring at cars in hot parking lots is why I got away from the American muscle car scene.

Trophies and awards are a great means to tangibly justify the investment.. to the owner, or the owners family, etc. And reveling in the "great find" factor to a significant other or a fellow SCCA members certainly has to have its comforts.. But hopefully history will not forget, nor diminish, those who make such cars relevant and respectable.. that's the builders, drivers, lovers.. and racers.. of the BMW 2002. The "boy-racers".

While I certainly respect your car, I love my car.

Vintage at the Vinyard 2009, 2010 - 3000 miles combined

The Vintage 2011 - 1500 miles

Ohio Salt Fork GTG 2009 - 300 miles

RGB Annual meet (spring and fall) 2009/10/11 - 1200 miles combined.

Countless joy rides locally and regionally with my family stuffed in.. - another 15K-ish

[Gonzo]

First of all you're not wrong.

I am fully aware that working on a car, modifying a car, making it go faster, handle better is big fun. In some ways, that world is lost to me. I'm almost sixty and I've got the kind of a job where my prime directive is to make hay while the sun shines. Maybe when I retire I can devote time to such a project.

The 02 world is big and diverse. There's no one right way to walk the walk.

I look for guidance to the 356 Registry where they accept anyone who's driving a Porsche 356. If you have an original car, you're judged with other originals, restos with restos, outlaws, (boy racers) with outlaws. Ultimately I think 02 nation will have to morph into an organization like that, as a special interest group under BMWCCA. Someone needs to organize this...not me.

I do like to go fast as my daily driver's an E60 M5 and my DE track car is a 135i. They're sort of fire and forget.

Cheers,

TS

[kris]

Lovely survivor.There is room for all of us, and I would certainly fall into the Outlaw camp. These cars are so much fun to tinker with.

[Guest Anonymous]

I've had the pleasure of seeing Tom's car twice, and it really is a sight to behold. It has a special appeal to me because my dad had a '70 Atlantik that I loved. I still find it hard to believe that a car like that could survive without some restoration; despite being garaged and generally well cared-for, our 02 had developed some serious rust by 1980 when we sold her. Seeing Tom's car is like going back in time to a BMW showroom in 1970.

Hugh

[eurotrash]

Lovely survivor.There is room for all of us, and I would certainly fall into the Outlaw camp. These cars are so much fun to tinker with.

I happen to know where there is a 1971 1600 that has been parked in doors since 1978. Sans a motor and trans. Sahara with tobacco/black interior.