If BMW ever hit its supposed apex as both a brand and an automaker, it was probably around 2001, when the company was producing and selling cars as varied as the Z3, E46 M3, E39 M5, first-generation X5, E38 7 Series, and the Z8. You probably already knew all of this by now, but twenty years after these models were on sale, both the market and automotive enthusiasts seem to be giving them a second look, as we drift further away from what it means to be truly engaged as a driver.
In a bid to create the photoshoot and advertisement that BMW somehow never saw fit to indulge in, YouTuber Tyler Hoover of Hoovies Garage set about acquiring one example of each of the aforementioned models. They all had to be finished in iconic Titanium Silver metallic, and they all had to be produced (roughly speaking) around the 2001 model year. It took over a year, starting during the summer of 2020 with Hoover’s procurement of a short wheelbase E38 740i with the sport package, and effectively culminated with his purchase of a Z8 roadster that quickly became part of his permanent collection.
If you’ve kept up with the video series that Hoover effectively dedicated to building the BMW dream team, you’ll know that it wasn’t a particularly easy process. Every vehicle on the roster needed some form of attention, with the level of work varying heavily between them. As with any car past its prime, some still aren’t fully sorted, but they were all present and proudly standing at attention for the photo and video shoot.
Seeing the best of the 2001 model year BMW lineup parked amongst each other, all finished in Titanium Silver is a sight to behold. While it’s easy to get distracted by and caught up in the latest and greatest coming out each year, with performance and technology continuously eclipsing their prior levels, sometimes hindsight is keen to remind us that newer isn’t always better. In the case of BMW and its cars, we’ll leave the individual judgement up to you, but it’s no secret as to why twenty-year-old M3s and M5s are selling for what they are.—Alex Tock
[Photo courtesy BMW AG, Video courtesy Hoovies Garage.]
