engine and drivetrain Happy Birthday, Tip Top.

[shipm_8]

Tip Top, our 1972 BMW 2002tii, turned 37 years old today. She's gracefully approaching middle age just as I am beginning to acknowledge my own middle age.

According to BMW records, she was manufactured on 12 May 1972, and delivered to Hoffman Motors Corporation in New York four days later. She started Taiga, but is now Malaga red. Or Málaga, if you type with a Spanish keyboard or care about tonic accents. When parked next to an original Malaga car though…she's more like lipstick red; this makes a case for color matching before buying touch up paint as I found out shortly after taking delivery.

I bought the car because we needed wheels upon returning to the US after many years overseas. I am not sure when I became possessed by the idea, but at one point I probably decided that, after driving boring company cars for years, I wanted a fun car. My best friend, consigliere and wife Jessie thought it was a great idea. With the 02, I thought I was getting a unique car with history, but I did not fathom what I was getting into until my wife and I drove her up from delivery in SoCal to San Francisco summer of 2007. We immediately experienced the waves, the smiles and nods of approval from strangers, the notes on the windshield. We experienced people hovering around the car, waiting in the parking lot to chat me up and let them have a peek under the hood. My wife joked that the car was going to turn me into an extrovert, and I soon started to budget extra time to allow for Tip Top-related social calls.

Tip Top opened a friendly world to us, at the same time we returned to the US after a long absence. It did not take long for me —not a car guy— to figure out she is not just a car. I soon started keeping a file of Tip Top-related correspondence, notes left by strangers on the windshield. And replies to them, because once somebody leaves a note on the windshield of your 02, he’s no longer a stranger. Even parking enforcement officers were friendlier when leaving the citation….”sorry, sir….I wish I didn’t have to ticket your nice’02 but your meter expired awhile back.”

I found myself unprepared to answer questions during encounters with my new 02 friends, and studying in between encounters to be able to reply intelligently. I felt I couldn’t own the car and not be able to answer what kind of transmission it has, or details about the seats, or the lights, or the wheels. The car was giving me work, not just because I had to catch up to the point of becoming an educated steward, but also because it needed mechanical work and I set myself to learn to do as much of it as I could manage, not just as a personal challenge but also as a financially sensible thing to do.

When my employer transferred us from California to Washington DC last summer, our life was hectic due to the sudden move. We didn’t want to go, but work is work and it then seemed we had no choice. When I asked for ideas on how to prepare for the cross-country trip, the members of the FAQ were amazingly helpful on suggestions on what to bring, and generous with offers of assistance and hospitality along the way.

Then Jack in Westborough, Mass posted a few words that changed everything:

“Given the amount of time you are taking, I think you have an opportunity to do secondary roads and avoid the hwys. This is a unique opportunity to do so and let's face it, if you've seen one hwy you've seen them all.”

Jack and many of you followed with suggestions on waypoints that prompted Jessie and me to draft a road plan. All in a sudden a dreadful point A to point B trip, a journey we didn’t really want to take, turned into an opportunity for discovery, an irresistible attraction for these two travel bug-bitten Californians.

A few days later a friend of ours, an economist from West Virginia now living in Berkeley and working in San Francisco, knowing that Tip Top is my only car, made a comment: “Tip Top is not going to like those Washington winters”. Just imagine the accent as he said that. That made me remember how my 88 Honda Prelude fared after a Navy transfer to Newport in the 90s; the California car did not survive much longer than the blizzard of 96 which left New England covered in snow and me wondering how the sky could hold so much white stuff. Toward the end of my assignment, and before leaving active duty, I replaced that car with a Jeep Wrangler thinking “go ahead, weather, toss a blizzard my way, I am prepared now!”

With those memories quickly rushing into my head, I exclaimed: “We are not moving!”. So then the plan became to travel to DC to tie loose ends, and then return home. After fifteen moves in twenty five years, I had enough of moving. We were going to stay in California, and make a vacation out of the whole coast-to-coast, and use it as an opportunity for thinking about the next phase of our lives.

Within a couple days, we had broken two paradigms, the route to take with the car, and the route to take with our lives.

When we explained our plan to drive a then 36 year old car with no air conditioning through the desert in the summer, to leave work, and then head back home, there were two reactions: those who got it immediately, and those who thought we were crazy.

The round trip coast to coast and back covered 10,000 miles and 26 states. We had the time of our lives. Tip Top never left us stranded; the tii engine just purred along. Along the route, we got reacquainted with old friends and the United States. Jack's and other waypoints were such great suggestions, as were ideas we picked up along the way: rte 49, rte 50, rte93, Duchesne, Vernal, Craig, Steamboat Springs, Torrington, Scottsbluff, Alliance…Ohio, Virginia…then Newport RI, Brunswick ME…even Blunt’s suggestion to stop by and see the Corn Palace in Mitchell SD on the way West. Jessie and I have been all over the world and have been fortunate to see amazing places. I will always be in awe of the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, or the Taj Mahal, or the Copper Canyon in Mexico…they are all awesome. But, every time we think of the Corn Palace from now on, we are going to smile.

Most important: we met wonderful people all over, and we had a chance to thank a number of 02ers for their hospitality, especially the SW Ohio 02ers in Dayton, Kevin in Athens OH, Bill and Ruth in Maryland, and Blunt in Wayzata. Biscus’ sniff of approval meant more to us than winning a councours event. The 02ers were not just welcoming us to the 02 world, they were welcoming us back to America.

Now back in San Francisco for a few months, we are taking a break to catch up with life and tend to family responsibilities while we ponder where life will take us. A great deal of that thinking is done over the 02 wiring diagram or the repair manual while sitting in the car trying to chase this or that gremlin. The only thing we are sure of right now is that wherever we go, Tip Top will take us there. In style.

Happy Birthday, Tip Top. And thank you.

William

photo op before heading east

rte 93

"is that an 02 in my Vista Point parking lot?"

Carhenge

Carhenge's gate guard, keeping foreign cars out

You can read about Bill's touring, but once you see it you realize what a labor of love it is.

Bill leading us out and pointing us on the right path. What a treat to meet Bill and Ruth....and the shop dog.

White Horse Tavern, Newport, Rhode Island

...and Del's lemonade in Newport. Gotta have Del's when in Newport.

Sunset in Newport

Entering Boston

Bob's clam shack in Maine

New York

Lake Ontario

Niagara Falls

Ganesha, remover of obstacles and lord of beginnings, inside the Hard Rock Cafe, Niagara Falls

Dayton, Ohio

Pilgrimage to Sporty's Pilot Shop

Bob in Bloomington, Illinois was amazed we were driving our car coast to coast

Albert Lea, MN. Coming from visiting with Blunt and Biscus, we were looking for a place to eat, and bumped into Crescendo. Really, really good

World Famous Corn Palace

Dinosaur gas station

Blunt, South Dakota

Prairie dog

Wyoming

Atomic City, Idaho. Population, 25. It was on the map, and we just had to see it.

If you find yourself in the area, swing by the Atomic City Bar and Store. The nicest people. We missed the annual stink bug races by a few days.

Arco, Idaho. Unlikely Navy connection, but fascinating history.

Crossing the Golden Gate, the automotive equivalent of being on final.

[ray_]

Great story!

Do go to the Brisbane show this coming Saturday!

Cheers,

Ray

[shipm_8]

Thank you, Ray. Or how do they say out there... xie xie..? We'll be at the Swap and Show this Saturday, with sunscreen this time. If the parts I am waiting for arrive on time, I will even have windows in the car....a planned eight hour door service turned into a five week restoration of the doors and windows, with lots of "since I am here..." rationalization.....02-related mission creep, but Brisbane is good encouragement to get things buttoned up.

Best,

William

[golf73]

Tip Top is living up to its name! have ya ever thought about someday putting Tip Top back in its Birthday Suit (taiga)?

[jmon0261]

Great story and Happy Birthday.

Looking forward to meeting you and Tip Top on Saturday.

I also have realized that 1/2 get it and 1/2 think your crazy !

I will be driving Sam Adams 1600 back to V@V next week so I was

encouraged by your pictures. I will be finding similar landmarks and taking it

all in. I will also stay at Steve's and meet the Dayton and N.C. group.

this is my third time across in an 02.

Thanks for making my preparations and plans feel more real !

[KB73]

Beautiful car, beautiful story.

Coast to coast and back again in a 37 year old car! That's not only impressive, it's inspiring.

[fiftytakedowns]

I turned 19 on friday.... no celebration

[VintageAutobahn]

Good old Atomic City, I have been there more than once. First city ever powered by nuclear power.

[BillWilliams]

William, Jesse and Tip Top,

What a well written story. Make me want to retrace your route. You are always welcome here. I may know your economist friend. Ruth and I are hillbillies, you know we are all related!

Stay safe my friend.

[auggiemize]

Happy B-day Tip Top!...Wow William....to get away with that kind of fun, as a card-carrying adult...is astounding. Too bad Jean Shepard isn't still around to write the screenplay...."Roundtail" ..has a nice ring to it. There's no place like home...As strong an impression as you received in all of those places, I feel sure that you left at least one of equal strength, with those you met. Dave V. in western NC

[cj]

WOW, what a journey. Great story as well. I can't wait to be able to do a cross country trip in my '02.

See you and Tip Top at Brisbane.

Cris

[schwarz75]

Great photos and story. It was nice to meet you two at Mike's in Ohio.

Larry

[eurotrash]

Hard to believe you were a mile from my house when you were at Sporty's in Batavia, Ohio!!! Funny!!

Great photos. I'm sure there are tons more where those came from...

[shipm_8]

Thank you for the kind words! Jessie and I look forward to crossing paths with all of you soon. In the meantime...fiftytakedowns: look us up at the Swap and Show -- no 19th (or any other) birthday should go uncelebrated.

No plans to return Tip Top to Taiga, golf73. Its color is Jessie's favorite shade of red, and she's such an enthusiastic first officer/navigator/consigliere that I wouldn't want to upset that! Besides, it took me a while to figure out the trick to matching paint... the trip to San Leandro Color Paint Supply a few weeks ago was quite a learning experience. Clearcoat? I know now what that is!

William

more pics of our adventure last year, some out of order....already thinking about the next trip, probably a PNW tour.

World’s longest lift ride, Park City, Utah

Car show we found on the way

When I saw this, I wondered how many of the cars made it to the show under their own power. Still, there were some beautifully restored cars.

Dinosaur National Park. How cool that there is a town by the name of Dinosaur, Colorado!

Most often-asked question during the trip, at gas stops:

"What mileage do you get out of that?"

"about 30"

Craters of the moon national monument

Sunset in Wyoming

Alliance, Nebraska

Beautiful Colorado

X5 driver seemed unsure of why or how the little bimmer was passing him, at around 10,000 feet elevation

Mullen, Nebraska

Mullen

Mullen....Between Alliance and Grand Island. The Sand Hills are just beautiful. This was a picture inside the restaurant/diner. Mullen residents are aware that not everybody may know where Mullen is and have a sense of humor about it.

Chimney rock, Nebraska

Back west

Moonrise

Mt Rushmore

Bodywork inspector

Dinosaur sighting

Badlands

Badlands

Corn Palace

SW Ohio 02ers

Wright Cycle Co in Dayton

Lancaster County, PA

Sunset in Lancaster County

Multnomah Falls, Oregon

Stumptown Coffee Roasters

Turn leading to the final approach

[Jim_75Sahara]

Looking forward to meeting you Joseph O'Neil. Love reading about cross-country '02 journeys. The adventures of William, Jessie, & Tip Top are inspiring me to to begin (very early) planning a long-distance venture by '02. Beautiful photos, William. You & Jessie are always welcome here.