Everybody has one model that left a particular mark in their childhood, and as we get older, those models age as well until the inevitable happens and they become classics.
As an '80s kid, I used to drool over our neighbor's BMW E21 3 Series, though back then I only knew it was a BMW and that it had a Rolling Stones tongue sticker on the windshield - well, that it had A tongue sticker since I had no idea who the Rolling Stones were. More importantly, though, despite my limited knowledge, I could still sense it was a much superior car to the one we owned.
In retrospect, I can now tell it was either a 316i or a 318i because it had the single headlights design, with the double layout reserved for the more potent 320i. Well, calling it "potent" may sound a bit ridiculous by today's standards since it only made 109 hp, but considering it weighed next to nothing and had no power steering, driving it must have been quite an experience.
Being a BMW 3 Series, albeit the first generation, the E21 is still reasonably easy to come by, which means it's hardly a collector's piece. Even so, we can't say seeing one in such a horrible state as the one in the clip below doesn't hurt, particularly for someone with an emotional connection with the model such as myself.
The video states the Bimmer had been abandoned for over ten years, and seeing the state it's in, we tend to believe them. Not only that but it also slept in a poorly sealed shed, so while it did have a roof over its head, it was hardly completely isolated from the elements.
Given the way its body looks, we'd be surprised if it was in anything close to pristine shape even back when it was first discarded there. The engine, on the other hand - a four-cylinder carburetor-fed unit - had no problem firing back to life with minimum interventions. A new battery was obviously required.
With the tires inflated, the BMW was ready for its long overdue outing. Make no mistake, the German two-door sedan (you can't really call it a "coupe") looked and, even more so, sounded terribly (the exhaust either had a massive hole in it or there just wasn't any), yet all the major components seemed to work just fine. The driver even briefly switched on the indicators despite being in the middle of a field, showing he didn’t lack a sense of humor.
It's always a nice feeling seeing these cars brought back to life, but this clip ends on a very sad note. After taking the BMW out for a spin, instead of taking it to shop for a complete restoration, they just drive it back into the derelict shed where it will probably sleep for ten more years. It feels similar to taking a lion out of the zoo for a stroll in the Serengeti, only to lock it back behind bars when it's done. Yes, it's just a car, but it definitely deserves more than that.
"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie) Full profile
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