How a 1972 Saturday morning with my Dad prepared me for owning the E39 M5 (long) - The Unofficial BMW M5 Messageboard (m5board.com)

CSBM5 · 15th August 2004, 15:52

Thanks to the great story by boostmiser about his experiences with his Dad, I got to thinking about my Dad's influence on me down the BMW path. My Dad and I share a great love for BMWs also. He started me down the BMW path many years ago...well, I guess it has been 32 years now -- wow.

I can remember back in 1971-1972 when he was in the market for a new car coming from a '68 Firebird H.O. with the good ole Hurst stick (this after two Vettes in the 60's -- everybody used to swarm around those cars back then when we parked), and I had a whole host of "hot cars" picked out that he should buy (I was 13 at the time). This included a Hemi 'cuda, 455SD TransAm, HusrtOlds 442 with the 455HO, etc.

He wasn't in the market for an attention attracting muscle car like those however, so we end up looking at this thing called a BMW. At that time the 2002 had already started making its mark, and the 6 cylinder E3 was beginning to be recognized as a great handling 4-door sedan that was much, much faster than a 2002. Heck, most of them came with 4spd sticks too.

I remember hearing my Dad's description as he convinced me to go look at the cars with him: 4-doors, big trunk, 4speed stick (he wouldn't buy an automatic anything) 4-wheel disc brakes (remember this is 1971-2), nice interior space, great gas mileage (about to become real important

), and it was very quick with a sweet dual carb 6 cylinder engine. So there I was on a Saturday at a "BMW" dealer, and I remember watching this film reel projector there where they showed how the car was designed, all the features of it, and then they showed crash tests. They had already thought a heck of a lot about crash safety back then, and one part of that was great roof strength to withstand a rollover and also the front and rear crush zones. As a 13 year old car nut, I was very impressed with what I was learning.

On the test drive, I was enthralled by the incredible sound of that hemispherical combustion chamber 3.0 litre straight six (hey, maybe we'll be getting a "hemi" of sorts after all), and the performance was nice. It would do 0-60mph in 8 seconds flat with a nice bark from the tires on the 1-2 shift. There was no competitor car with all the qualities the 1972 BMW Bavaria possessed available at any price.

So...out went the convertible 1968 Firebird 350 H.O. with 4 speed Hurst stick, white with red interior...about 36k miles...for $800 trade-in. I still remember that price. Incredible. In came the 1972 Bavaria, 3.0 litre straight 6, 180HP, 3000lbs, 4spd stick, Atlantik Blue, black interior. I think it was $6800 list, and he paid around $6200.

The first thing I noticed was that every single BMW we came across flashed their lights at us. This was standard mode of operation back then. Everybody driving a BMW was an enthusiast, the cars were very rare, and you greeted fellow drivers by flashing each other. The second thing I recall was that the weekend after he picked it up, we drove up to LimeRock for an SCCA TransAm race -- this is in April 1972. This is what burnt into my psyche the BMW enthusiast mentality. We arrived to find this club of rampant enthusiasts called the BMW Car Club of America had a special parking area for BMWs, and since a 6 cylinder car was so rare, throngs of the faithful descended upon us as we pulled into the lot. So my Dad joined the car club that day, and we started getting these paper newsletters in the mail.

All the way up there and back from Stamford, CT that day we came upon other BMWs all of whom were fanatic over the Bavaria (all 2002's), everybody was trying to goad him into racing, etc. The car was still in the break-in period, so no revs over 4k rpm until 600 miles, and then nothing over 4500 rpm until 1200 miles. However, the car would have just dusted off any 2002 and even pulled strongly away from the rare 2002tii, so they knew they would lose...sort of like today with the M5 versus 325i's, 330i's

, but of course that wasn’t the point.

Well, to make a long story come to an end, that purchase changed my life. I now thought about something other than brute HP at all cost. I learned about efficiency and precision engineering. It cultivated in me a yearning for creating things with outstanding performance without sacrifice to all other important aspects of design.

In 1980 when my Dad bought a 733i with yet another 4-speed stick, I bought the Bavaria from him. Over the next few years with help from Ray Korman, I turned it into an awesome track capable car for that time that was still fully streetable. My wife and I drove it from North Carolina all the way to Albany, NY in the summer of 1982 where it won the Best Bavaria award at the BMWCCA Oktoberfest.

At Summit Point in the 1980s, after the introduction of the M6 and then M5-- the old Bav with the Korman hi-performance motor, Stahl headers and triple Weber two-barrel sidedrafts could stay right with these new "M" cars down Summit's front straight

. In the corners, I owned these new, stock cars...heck, I was running 8x16 rims all around, shaved 225/50 Goodyear Gatorback "S" tires, Korman springs, sport Bilsteins, 28mm/22mm sway bars, Alpina bushings, etc. Nobody, absolutely nobody believed what the Bavaria could do. I was always underestimated at track events, autocrosses and especially on the street where many American V8 "muscle cars" got a taste of triple Weber BMW power

No wonder I ended up with an M5 in the garage 30+ years after that special Saturday morning trip to the "BMW" dealer

.

In order to show some pictures of the car, what better place than turn 3 at Summit Point?

Notice my “shadowline” trim – I had painted all the chrome black in 1980, so I guess I beat BMW to that by a few years.

Mike0804 · 15th August 2004, 21:34

Wonderful story, thank you for sharing it with us. I'm curious: what does your Dad think of the E39M5?

BTW, I hear that Volvo V70R is not to shabby, eh? My girlfriend's boss has one. She said her boss, a female, "drives just like one of you M5 nutcases". I took it as a compliment, and although I don't know her boss, l like her already.

gsfent · 15th August 2004, 23:49

In silhouette, you can almost make it out as the forerunner to the E28 M5.....very nice
Regards,
Jerry (1971 2002 track car w/dual Webers)

kees · 16th August 2004, 00:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by gsfent

In silhouette, you can almost make it out as the forerunner to the E28 M5.....very nice
Regards,
Jerry (1971 2002 track car w/dual Webers)

Agreed. Both it and your 2002 are excellent examples of pure BMW driver cars.

boostmiser · 16th August 2004, 02:19

Glad I could stimulate some fond memories. Great story~

CSBM5 · 16th August 2004, 05:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike0804

Wonderful story, thank you for sharing it with us. I'm curious: what does your Dad think of the E39M5?

BTW, I hear that Volvo V70R is not to shabby, eh? My girlfriend's boss has one. She said her boss, a female, "drives just like one of you M5 nutcases". I took it as a compliment, and although I don't know her boss, l like her already.

He loves the M5 and agrees that it is the epitome of everything BMW stood for behind cars like the Bavaria. On the 30th anniversary month of that Bavaria purchase, I took delivery of my 540i/6psd at the Performance Center, and I invited my Dad to come with me to pick it up and do the driving school there. He totally understood my 540i to M5 switch however...understood it a very deep level.

Today he's driving a 740iL that I doubt he's ever going to sell. The car is garaged 100% of the time and is in almost showroom condition. He took one look at the E65 7-series, stuff like the goofy shift lever on the column, pitiful seat controls, the stupid trunk and body lines, etc. and just shook his head knowing that he wouldn't ever own one of these (and he's owned every one of BMW's top sedans since day one with the E3).

Re the V70R -- it has a number of issues that we're not pleased with at all. We're considering selling it for an S4 Avant.

CSBM5 · 16th August 2004, 05:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by gsfent

In silhouette, you can almost make it out as the forerunner to the E28 M5.....very nice
Regards,
Jerry (1971 2002 track car w/dual Webers)

The E12 5-series was very similar to the E3 (Bavaria) in many ways. Lots of parts were interchanagble. I had stuff like the E12 radiator expansion tank (plastic instead of metal) and E12 viscous fan clutch (stock E3 clutch was a friction design!) on my car. Of course the E28 closely evolved from the E12. I later had an E28 too! A 1985 535i 5-speed with limited slip (back when you could order a limited slip diff as an option on any BMW).

Teutonaddict · 16th August 2004, 05:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by CSBM5

On the 30th anniversary month of that Bavaria purchase, I took delivery of my 540i/6psd at the Performance Center, and I invited my Dad to come with me to pick it up and do the driving school there. He totally understood my 540i to M5 switch however...understood it a very deep level.

I enjoyed reading your Boostmeister-inspired Dad story, CSB. It brought an enduring sparkle to my eye today.

My Dad story is a little different--but still brings a smile to my face. When I bought my first new Bimmer: a 92 E36 325i/5-spd, it took me six weeks to even inform my father that I'd made such a purchase!! As a lifelong engineer born during the Great Depression, he strictly was a 'transportation is Point A to Point B' kinda guy. In fact, the car he owned when he died 2.5 years ago tells his story: 94 Honda Civic CX (rare for its lowest possible trim level) with manual trans, no A/C, and--get this--radio delete!

However, as an engineer, Dad could and did appreciate fine German engineering. In fact, he'd become so enamored by the marque over my years of ownership (not enough to pimp his own ride, mind you), that he, too, joined me for my Performance Center Delivery in Spartanburg. As one of the very first Performance Center Deliveries for an E39 M5 in March 2000, BMWNA asked if they could have a professional production company shoot a video of my delivery as a promotional tool for the dealer network. I said 'sure, why not?' and as a result, now have an internal promo video of me taking delivery of my Beast, with my Dad in the background as Ginger adroitly walks me through the delivery process. Even got a cheesy wrap shot of me pulling out of the delivery pod and giving the thumbs up. I didn't care--I was levitating at the moment!

I hadn't thought about that day for quite some time. Thanks for sharing your story!

-Dave

CSBM5 · 24th September 2004, 16:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by Teutonaddict

However, as an engineer, Dad could and did appreciate fine German engineering. In fact, he'd become so enamored by the marque over my years of ownership (not enough to pimp his own ride, mind you), that he, too, joined me for my Performance Center Delivery in Spartanburg. As one of the very first Performance Center Deliveries for an E39 M5 in March 2000, BMWNA asked if they could have a professional production company shoot a video of my delivery as a promotional tool for the dealer network. I said 'sure, why not?' and as a result, now have an internal promo video of me taking delivery of my Beast, with my Dad in the background as Ginger adroitly walks me through the delivery process. Even got a cheesy wrap shot of me pulling out of the delivery pod and giving the thumbs up. I didn't care--I was levitating at the moment!

I hadn't thought about that day for quite some time. Thanks for sharing your story!

-Dave

Dave,

Sorry I've not posted back sooner. That's a great story also, and I'm really glad you got to experience it with your father, especially getting the professional video of it all! I've got the cheesy shot Ginger took of the two of us smiling at the front of the delivery bay too

. Life's too short not to have these moments! (My wife is across the office from me and just asked me why I have such a huge smile on my face as I'm writing this

).

I see you're in Atlanta. We moved there in 1974, and I lived there until 1977 when I left for college -- my folks moved away in 1981. I just recenlty visited GA Tech with my son, and it is astounding what has happened to Atlanta over the years! I've got lots of good memories of the back roads all around there, Lake Lanier area and especially trips to Road Atlanta.

Cheers,
Chuck

Ashok Arora · 24th September 2004, 16:34

Very nice story - thanks for sharing