Bimmerfest East Pt I: The Road Trip

Bimmerfest is, quite literally, one of the largest BMW shows outside of Germany.  It's a yearly event held on the West coast, but this year the event added an East coast show for those of us that don't want to drive all the way to California.  Nice of them.

The event was held in Ripken Stadium, in Aberdeen Md.  That's about 340 miles from Raleigh taking the most direct route, but the most direct route (I-85 to I-95) is about as much fun as popping Valium and watching C-SPAN, so we planned a longer, more scenic route.  This road trip and show was the first official event for a car club I've been helping a friend coordinate - CRAVE (Carolina Regional Alliance of Vehicle Enthusiasts), so a caravan was in order.  It turned out to only be two cars - something about the best-laid plans, etc - but it was still an adventure.

We took the trip in my friend's 1997 BMW M3 Sedan, which looks like a normal M3 from the outside - well, aside from the 330Ci wheels, 1" drop, and satin-black enamel paint, that is - but check out that odometer reading.  That's not a photoshop, that was the actual mileage: 237,486 miles.  On the original, non-rebuilt engine (S53B32) and original 5-speed automatic transmission.  It's a pretty solid testament to the general solidity of BMW's - especially considering how hard this car is driven on a daily basis.  Downside to an E36 sedan?  It's just not really big enough for 4 full-sized adults and their luggage.  It was a very cramped road trip, but I'd rather be uncomfortable in a BMW M3 going to a BMW show than comfortable in a Honda.  I suppose.

The other car in our convoy was a remarkably low (E46) 330Ci ZHP 6-speed.  The downside to coilovers, lots of camber, and stretched tires?  When you set the ride height of your coilovers, it's generally for one passenger and no cargo.  With those settings, but three passengers and their stuff, the rear tires were rubbing the entire trip, and by the time they got to Maryland the logos had been rubbed entirely off the sidewalls.  I suppose there are sacrifices to be made in the name of aesthetics.

Our route took us east to NC's Outter Banks and Kill Devil Hills, the birthplace of flight and home to an impressive aviation museum.  (Plane Throttle?)  The bridges out to the outter banks are absolutely breath-taking.  Some of them seem to just plunge into the horizon, and the views are just amazing.  That dumped 330Ci certainly helps the scenery, too.

Some of the things you see at gas stations out in the country border on the bizarre.  We stopped at a gas station on the way to the outter banks, and were met with this pair of Mopar musclecars - a modified 1973 Plymouth Roadrunner 440, and a 1972 Dodge Charger.

As if that wasn't odd enough, I have to ask - what's this doing in the service bay of a gas station in the middle of nowhere?  I can't imagine a 48-valve V12 Mercedes S600 is that easy to work on.

The scenery continued to change as we went on, this hallway of trees becoming a blur of green with a press of the throttle.  It might be 14 years old and nearing a quarter-million miles, but an M3 is still an M3.

I never knew exactly how spectacular the lighting in tunnels is until I shot this photo, perhaps the prettiest one I've ever taken.  I did have to lean halfway out the passenger window at 60mph for this, but it was so worth it.

Despite a number of setbacks (including back-tracking two hours to retrieve a stolen and recovered wallet, a radio that crapped out an hour into the trip, and a bunch of other stuff I won't bore you with), it was still a great trip.  I shot this photo as the sun was beginning to set out in the country - interesting to see the light playing off the non-reflective satin black surface.

Part I, and the road trip, was all about the people.  That's what CRAVE is about - bring car enthusiasts of all types together.  If you're in the NC region and you're interesting in an entirely exclusively, family-like car club, hit up the CRAVE page on Facebook (there was a link above, as well as right here).  Part II will be about the show, which was utterly amazing.

We finally got to our hotel room, cleaned up and passed out for the big show.  Stay tuned for the show coverage- some of the cleanest, craziest, lowest and nicest BMW's you've ever cast an eye upon!