The Ultimate Driving Machine

My love for BMW began early in life. I was in grade 3, and dad had crashed his Honda Prelude. He’d hit a patch of oil on the freeway, the car spun, and he’d been hit by a passing truck. I remember vividly when Dad was dropped back home by a tow truck, with the Prelude strapped to the back. The entire passenger side had been completely destroyed by the impact and was a mangled mess of steel and aluminium. If anyone had been in the passenger seat at the time they would have been seriously injured, or worse. Dad escaped with only a small scratch on his head. It was a wake-up call for Dad and with a young family he realised that what he valued most in a car was safety, and from that point onwards he’d only drive BMW.

Dad’s first BMW was a Silver Grey e28 525e. It was my first experience of the brand, and my introduction to the concept of Sheer Driving Pleasure. My most vivid memory of the e28 wasn’t the driving or the pleasure, but the doors. They were big and heavy, and needed to be absolutely slammed to have any hope of closing successfully. The car really felt as if it were built like a tank, somewhat appropriate for a German car. Dad kept to his word and would go on to drive another 5 BMWs.

My first BMW was a Brilliant Red e30 325i convertible. Her name was Penelope, and it was love at first sight. I have always been a fan of the shape and style of the “classic” BMWs, particularly the era of the 80s and early 90s. The round headlamps, modestly sized kidney grilles, and balanced proportions gave BMWs of the era an unmistakable presence on the road, and a cohesive design philosophy. I had also wanted my first BMW to be one that would age well, and that I could restore and keep for a long time. After many months of exhaustive searching, I finally laid eyes on Penelope. She was a little rough around the edges. There was a cracked dash, a busted roof, leather torn and the stitching pulled away in places, but nothing I wasn’t happy to fix. With only 110,000km travelled, the 2.5L straight six engine purred and still drove almost as new. We enjoyed many long drives together, including trips to the beach with friends and through local mountain ranges. Unfortunately, our time together was cut short. One morning a few years ago, I was driving home on the freeway when I hit a patch of oil, the car spun, and I hit the barrier. The car was a write-off, and Penelope was sent to the BMW racetrack in the sky.

Having had the privilege to drive both older and very recent BMWs, what I most enjoy is the similarities they share. Sure, a BMW from 2022 has tighter steering, a smoother transmission, more power, and drastically improved safety and features, but the underlying driving dynamics are the same. That feeling of being connected to the road; the confidence to drive to the limit. Nothing else drives like a BMW. It truly is The Ultimate Driving Machine.

All the best,

All the best,

Mike Lepre
Technical Associate