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| An Unlikely Enthusiast
When I started Turner Motorsport Weekly, I did so with the hope that I would be able to tell unique BMW stories that were both personal to those involved and relatable to the community as a whole. I did expect a wide range of BMW enthusiasts to be interested in contributing, but I also had an assumption about what kind of person would be the usual subject of my writing. This assumption was shattered when I found myself in the middle of what I knew had to be my topic for this week. As I sat at a local pub last night with another BMW friend of mine, the subject of this week's article managed to identify us as fellow BMW enthusiasts. While we were seated at the bar, a spontaneous and coincidental interaction with a random patron proved to me once again what a unique interest in BMWs it is that we share.
Normally, I don’t look like a ‘typical’ BMW driver (whatever that means), so I don’t feel that I stand out to other fans of the marque when I am not behind the wheel of my E30. In this case, my friend and I were spotted by the most innocuous of giveaways. Set on the edge of the counter, hardly visible to anyone that wasn’t looking right at them, were my friend's keys that included his E90 fob. Apparently, that is all it takes to start a conversation with a stranger over our favorite cars. Enter: the most excited E65 owner I have ever encountered.
To me, the E65 is not exactly a car that falls high on my list of enthusiast BMW models. Oh, how I was proven wrong. Rick, the owner of a 2003 E65 754i, might well be the most enthusiastic BMW owner to ever cross my path. Rick happily seated himself to my right at the counter and proceeded to describe in detail his interest in the E65.
As a younger fellow myself, I have always been partial to the motorsport heritage of BMW and tend to gravitate towards sportier models. The E30 M3, M1, and E28 M5 are my ultimate enthusiast vehicles, for obvious reasons. The E65 falls so far towards the end of BMW’s model list I almost forgot the car existed. That is, I almost forgot until our new friend Rick rattled off all the features of his pride and joy that made him choose that particular car in 2004 when he purchased it from a shady stereo shop owner in Florida.
To Rick, the 745i symbolized the pinnacle of what could be experienced in a BMW. The innovative technological bits that were ‘world’s firsts’ or ‘BMW firsts’ in the E65 seemed to be his fixation on that car. I listened as he recited the equipment like the iDrive, DVD-based Navigation, 6-speed automatic transmission, electric parking brake, and push-button start as new features found on the E65. Rick leaned in close with excitement as he spoke about all the development that went into producing the E65. His diction and drama reminded me instantly of the sales brochures found on racks at the dealership, full of inflated language designed to either impress audiences with the luxurious highlights of the E65 or remind them of their financial place in the world, well below that of the extravagant 7-series. |
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| "It makes me feel like king tut when I drive it." |
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Admittedly, through Rick’s fascination with his own car, I found myself more interested in the land yacht that was the early 2000’s flagship BMW sedan. The car has always been a sort of BMW black sheep, not following the design cues of previous 7-series models. Notably, the E65 was more rounded than previous generations, especially in the trunk area. As mentioned by Tyler Hoover of Hoovie’s Garage, Chris Bengle introduced this bulky BMW as his attempt to ‘shake things up’ in the roster of sedans from the Munich-based manufacturer. It was a monumental failure with respect to the visual reception of the car at its original debut. That, apparently, did not stop enthusiasts like Rick from seeing something in the sedan that made them think ‘yes, this is the representation of success on four wheels.’
Rick was drawn particularly towards what many would think is an immediate turn-off: the iDrive system. Up until BMW introduced their iDrive in the E65, their cars were strictly about driving. Rick, in his E39 528i 5-speed, was happily in the camp of functionality and understated luxury before the introduction of the E65. Upon its release, however, he was hooked by the gadget-packed sedan. I couldn’t quite nail down his attraction to the exterior, as he seemed indifferent about its controversial appearance, but a passing satellite in orbit could easily see what he loved about driving it. The iDrive system may be clunky, but to Rick, it’s cool. It was advanced in its day and provided endless entertainment as an intuitiveness test among his friends. Even today, BMWs use a system derived from that original software and interface. So, in that respect, we do have the E65 and people like Rick to thank for its persistence. |
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| "The 7 series was always what I wanted to have, ever since I was a kid." |
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As we continued to talk about his BMW, I could tell Rick was hoping to get some help from both my friend and myself. Rick was enthusiastic enough about his 745i, but the portion of the conversation regarding its numerous faults was clearly looming over us. Rick admitted that, despite his best efforts, he is not a gearhead. He loves BMWs, enough to stop and talk with strangers, but he isn’t as mechanically inclined as his aging 7-series requires. Fate, it seems, is a two-way street.
While I was struggling for a topic this week, Rick was almost plopped down intentionally next to me at the bar. It became readily apparent to me that fate would require something on my end as remuneration for its blessing. As something of a mechanically gifted individual myself, I couldn’t help but listen to the inventory of issues with the car. Rick is not financially in the same place he was when he purchased the E65 but refuses to let the car leave his ownership. That determination to keep the car has taught him some basic maintenance, but it has also forced him to keep the car off the road for the time being, as it suffers from issues outside his ability to tackle on his own. Fortunately, I love working on BMWs and making extra cash. I happily agreed to help address a few minor faults with the car to once again restore it to roadworthiness, which seems to have satisfied fate’s need for fair trade.
So, with an agreement that I would help him refresh the nearly 20-year-old luxury cruiser, I was able to return to my friends and wonder the rest of the evening how someone could be so ecstatic over a car that meant little more than a placeholder in the history of a certain model for the years in which it was produced. That thought process, though, isn't fair to the fine people like Rick who enjoy something simply because it brings them happiness. To me, an interest without a purpose is arbitrary. Liking something for the simple reason that it makes you happy, not that it holds certain qualifications or objective superiorities, was somewhat outside my scope of comprehension before my conversation with Rick. Somehow, after years with what I would argue were objectively good BMWs, he focused his attention on what those same people would argue was an objectively poor BMW. Yet, despite that, or rather, in spite of that attitude, here we find people like Rick who truly enjoy what they have for reasons that are exclusively tailored to their own sense of internal satisfaction.
The E65 7-series has always made me imagine a particular owner, someone in their later years, who sees the car as explicitly a symbol of status, who bought it not for the innovation but for the act of conspicuous consumption based upon the $75,000 price tag at the turn of the millennium. Rick couldn’t be farther away from that imaginary 7-series driver and a reminder that BMWs inspire enthusiasm in often forgettable avenues. His excitement at the list of achievements the E65 marked and determination to maintain it as a pristine, low-mileage, representation of his idea of the ultimate driving machine is the same kind of enthusiasm I share for the brand, albeit, manifested through a slightly different outlet. Through Rick, I believe I can find common ground with any BMW owner, regardless of our intentions with the car. He served as a pleasant reminder that enthusiasts of the brand have validity in their interests and that BMW when all is said and done, entails more than a demand for motorsport success. |
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| Locking Up
Once again, we are extremely thankful for the participation and support from people like Rick. Sharing our passion for BMWs with each other is as critical a part of the community as driving the cars themselves. If you have a BMW, then you assuredly have many happy, sad, frustrating, or confusing memories with it. As a community, when we hear these stories, it adds value and depth to our own enthusiasm to know what other hobbyists love and hate. We want to hear your stories, so we would like to invite you to submit your own for the Turner Motorsport family to enjoy.
-Turner Motorsport |
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