My name is Michael van der Bergh,
I'm 31 years old
and I'm infected with the BMW virus. It started with me
when as a
small child I used to cycle to the infants school.
I cycled there every day
passing a BMW
It was a E30, 325 convertible. And I always thought to myself "When I grow up & have saved up enough money,
I am going to buy a car like that."
I am Leon van der Berg, 33 years old and I'm also infected with that blue & white checkered virus.
It started around the time I was a student, & I had a summer job in a village a bit further up.
And in the the driveway stood parked a BMW Touring, now that's what I
call a beautiful car. So I plucked up enough courage and walked up
the driveway,
Whereby the owner immediately appeared, he thought I was planning
to steal the car. But that wasn't my intention
and so we got talking and as a consequence
I since have built up a small collection of my own
and it has become my intention to drive a BMW for the rest of my life.
Behind me you can see a 520 E12
that colour is called Ceylon, that's my kind of colour.
Around this time a friend of mine bought a
Opel Kadett C
Which I also took a shine to.
But when he bought the C-cadet, I was like; I want something like that myself
only a bit older,
so I started looking around.
A E30 was out of my price range at that moment,
but I could afford a 1502.
And since then I can only think in terms of white/blue.
That was about 10 years ago, I reckon. I don't have that car anymore.
I've bought and owned several other BMW's through the
years
a BMW 2800 CS,
you can see behind me.
In my opinion the most beautiful BMW that has ever been made.
What appeals to me most about this car is the way it
performs on the motorway.
Manufactured towards the end of the 60's,
As you step into the car
And you drive
on the motorway,
then yes, that is..
that is hard to explain.
A certain kind of feeling, peace.
It all just works; you can actually feel it working
and in particular the latter I find very beautiful. You can feel what you do
And when I'm in my car that I use daily, I can't feel that. I just go from A to B
and that is that,
but in this
It's almost that I'm
disappointed that I've reached
my destination.
Actually, it's difficult to explain what exactly
attracts me to this car.
I've always found it a beautiful model, even down to its intricate details
but there is so much attention to detail in this car
which makes it so unique. One of the more unusual things
Is the absence of a central pillar on the side of the car
which creates
an enormous side window. That regardless, the car is very open plan,
glass everywhere, you can see everything.
Especially if you look at the front of the car,
It has a certain look of: "I want to go" and that's what I like in a car like this.
Just sitting in a classic BMW
is simply a passion in itself
and the driving gives me a real kick.
You set yourself apart from the rest of the road. BMW was in its time far superior,
In its chassis design, even the interior is very austere, quite straightforward.
Everything that needs to be there, is there,
nothing more nothing less.
I've fitted a sporty steering wheel,
a Nardi, from the same era. Together with matching gearstick knob
and in addition there are standard 16 inch Alpina's fitted underneath.
Oh yeah, I've forgotten the most important, the 5 speed gearbox. They are
really the only modifications I've carried out on this car.
Yes it's just a fantastic cruiser, which can easily reach a speed of 130 kph
and takes you to wherever you want to go. That's the best thing about this car.
I purchased this BMW three and a half years ago,
six months ago I decided I was going to replace the interior, and I must say that,
I am extremely happy with the result.
kind of finishes the car off nicely.
Originally it was a 2800 CS,
A six cylinder M320 engine, and delivers around 170 Brake horsepower. I noticed however
That the car wasn't living up to my expectations. It is a sporting car and
I like to drive it sportingly. In the end I was offered the same kind of engine
but with a slightly bigger cylinder bore, a 3.5 litre engine from a friend of mine
and with fuel injection
which I duly bought
and I rebuilt it myself
and added the
Five speed gearbox at the same time.
So whilst I was busy, I started tinkering on the chassis, added new shock breakers, new suspension, new brakes,
new exhaust, actually I was tinkering with just about everything
with my goal being eventually to on vacation with it. Last year we had set our
sites on Norway. Quite a bit of driving involved,
but it was going to be a great drive,
and eventually and with the help of a few people,
and many evenings spent planning, often until 1 or 2 o'clock
in the morning.
And not after several set backs
I did eventually make 108 it there.
I reckon we must have driven around the 6000/7000 kilometers with the car,
a truly wonderful and eventful journey.
Not only the landscape but also with car like that,
and it is so nice to see the reactions, brought on by the car.
It's also very different going on vacation with a car like this
especially on such a journey.
Let's just say I'm not very technically minded,
Let's call it untechnical.
Since that very first drive in the Tourer, I started to engross myself
In the mechanics of the BMW. Just because it seems straightforward,
doesn't mean to say that my technical expertise
is very high shall we put it like that.
Fortunately for a diagnosis of a problem I have enough friends and colleges who
are there to give me a hand.
Most of the tinkering though I do myself,
That's also what's nice about it, that together
you can reach a goal. An old car is actually just a
piece of uncomplicated engineering, so thinking logically
you can come a long way.
This car appeared on the market towards the end of 1972, delivered originally
with four cylinders, which also was fitted in the 02.
This particular car was manufactured at the start of 1973,
And has therefore a 2 litre M10 engine,
with dual Stromberg's.
They're the carburetors, and deliver, I believe, standard 115 brake horsepower.
I know Leon, must be 10 years,
thinking about it now.
It started
really just swapping parts from BMW's. I believe that a BMW driver values his car more
than just a means of getting from A to B. Someone who appreciates quality in engineering & design,
a reliable car
with the ability to perform.
Translation by David Gibbs
