BMW 2002 Ti Alpina Gehmutlicheit

[tisalover]

Oh my BMW 2002 driving Brethren and Sisters,

I have been working feverishly to get the car completely together and race worthy. It now has a transponder, new schroth racing belts, and has survived a full technical inspection which discovered repairable stress cracks in the beautiful boxed rear trailing arm and mounting Area, the result of almost 50 years race track life. This car was never even run on the street, it was purchased in 1969 and immediately put on the track.

I installed a new Walloth /Nesch heavy duty/Désert duty radiator which it likes very much. I plan on running the car at the Giants Despair hillclimb, one of the most famous, storied hillclimb tracks in USA history next weekend. Roger Penske won the race in 1959 driving a Porsche RSK. Carol Shelby ran a Ferrari there in the 1950s. I figure I need to beat on the car the car ahead of time and make sure that it is sorted out  enough for the Pittsburgh vintage Grand Prix. It will be pitted with the historic Ex Meany Porsche 914 six as Steve Limbert of Air Cooled Racing has kindly agreed to deliver and crew the car for me. Grice and Chuck kindly offered to help crew, but I was unsure that I could planned well if I had to get the crew together in time -I very much appreciate appreciate having good support. This also allows me to drive the TISA out, hang out with cool friends and not stress about tools, air tanks, truck andtrailer parking and the other details. It can be stressful, I decided to allow myself the luxury after  driving and crewing my own car  for the last 15 years.

I hope you like the way the graphics and overall appearance are coming together. I have tried to keep all early 1970s, era correct details on the car. It wasn't so hard as it came with the vintage RECARO Seat, BBS wheels, Quick turn steering box and other vintage components. It is of course not so good as a Alpina tribute car as it has Schnitzer flares, but what the hell it's only for fun. I wasn't going to tear off perfectly good Schnitzer flares just to pig Cheek the car.

After the Vintage 2018, Dudley, Uncle Barry,  Grice and I were having lunch. Grice-well-traveled lover of European things that he is- kindly explained and correctly pronounced the concept of Gehmutlich, a German word for cheerful, happy group activities but make you feel good about life. This is kind of like the Scandinavian concept Hygge which is more about cozy , unhurried comfortable pleasantry, Think of drinking a hot rum toddy with friends around the fire after skiing.

The German word gehmut  refers to heart/mind/soul and Lich is a collective phrase. So really this is a Germanic concept centered on a soulful feeling of comfort and closeness associated with Friends/ Community and in our case of the BMW 2002 celebration . Maybe we can add in the unhurried pleasantry and alcohol, at least a little bit.

Yes we are the lucky ones -the good friendship, camaraderie and Gehmutlicheit we experienced at the vintage is something we get to celebrate again at the National o- fest.

Cheers and looking forward to celebrating Gehmutlicheit , and the Boxy little BMW 2002 which brought us together, with you all in another week or so. It's good for you, it helps diminish existential loneliness!

 

Best regards, Peter

 

[markmac]

Love the car, its awesome schnitzer flares, pig cheek flares - doesn't really matter, that car I think has sole.  Many months ago I was really thinking about shipping my car out to Pittsburgh, unfortunately my paying job got in the way and the painful reality of how long it takes to get special parts, have sh&t made etc.,.... folks ask me when is it going to be done?  I say when its done (seriously though it will be some time in 2019....).  Good luck with the hillclimb and PVGP.  Cheers.

[Simeon]

Very jealous. Maybe one day I will get such a cool race car. 

[zinz]

Fannnnntastic!!! Great story, Peter. 

 

Ed Z

[Schnellvintage]

Wonderful example of a true race car.  The history of that car must have many stories behind the wheel. It is also nice to understand the use and meaning of the German language from real people, rather than from books and/or internet.  

Thank you for sharing Peter.

 

Cheers and enjoy the drives/races,

Matt

[kbmb02]

Sweet car, Peter. Enjoy the hill-climb event.

 

When you have time, suggest you share photos/info of what was found during the tech inspection: "... which discovered repairable stress cracks in the beautiful boxed rear trailing arm and mounting Area...." (This helps any/all of us keep our cars safe on on the track.) -KB

[jgerock]

I think we will all do some good talking in Pittsburgh.  Hopefully the main streets won't flood again. Seeing that New Beetle float away on the news was terrible.

[wegweiser]

See you there, Peter! I'll be the skinny guy with the sunburned head.

[Mike Self]

Looking forward to seeing you and your car at PGH.  You too, Paul.

 

mike

[MikeinNC]

Watch of for the little red number 055    Gerald's old car is being brought out of storage after 20 years 

 

See you there Peter    

 

PS  I told Erich to put sand in your new gearbox 

 

[tisalover]

Hey guys, thanks for all the support and encouragement.

Mark, don't you dare be hard on yourself, restoring a car like yours is a huge and complex commitment , you are a serious overachiever. That is a world-class car, and you're giving it the respect that it demands.

Paul, you will not be the only skinny guy there with a sunburned head,? I got the second rate Swedish hair genes in my family. I very much look forward to hanging out with you-and our other cool BMW Zen brothers. You are going to be smothered with positive energy and spiritual nurturing by this crowd. This is going to be a great get together and I expect we'll have some deeply philosophical, fun and life celebrating conversations. It won't be quite as entertaining as watching you change the head gasket on the F bomb, I still remember the exact moment that it broke . I trust  you are at a stage of chemotherapy where you can drink beer? Jim I certainly hope there's no monsoon, this 2002 TI replica is not as watertight as yours. I better check and see if that single windshield wiper works.?

And Mike, thanks so much for your encouragement and perspective on last-minute suspension tuning-

 

Cheers, and very best regards as always, Peter

 

[bmw_e30]

keep the shiny side up it looks great

[dbmw2002]

Nicey Nice, my goal is to make my 1600 into a ti hill climbing monster, Mt Shasta to be exact. Kudoz to you?

[jgerock]

You haven't lived until you have driven a LeMons tii in the early AM on a frosty morning with no windows to an AutoX.  

 

From 2009.  My first PVGP.  Little wet on the way up. But beautiful weekend.