If I were to measure the progress of closing my service business by the number of industrial spaces I rent, last month would be a good milestone. I made the final payment for a storage space where I had the last of my equipment, and with it, breathed a sigh of relief. The relief of that expense couldn’t come soon enough, and with the newfound time of not having to run two businesses, I took the opportunity to reflect. That opportunity came in the form of a very special E30 I sold two years ago.
A very special E30!
The 1990 325i started as a California car that found its way to Massachusetts and was completely restored and built into a one man’s vision of what the perfect E30 was. Highlights of that vision included an S52 engine swap, Ground Control coilovers, 5-lug conversion, repaint in the original Sterling Silver, and an M cloth sport interior. When the car showed up at my shop two years ago, I fixed a few things, added different wheels, and sold it on to a fellow E30 fanatic. When it came back this time, it sold to the first person who happened to catch a glance at it in the corner of my little showroom. You know a car is truly special when it has that kind of pull.
The E30 sold almost immediately.
I sold it on the spot, but with one condition: I got to take it for a road trip I was planning for an episode of Life’s Too Short for Boring Cars. My motive went beyond simple entertainment; it was to reconnect with my roots, shed the pain of closing the business, and go back to the one BMW that helped start it all for me—the E30 generation 3 Series. I got my first E30 in the early 2000s, and have owned and sold dozens over the years. Each one had a story: a combination of its history, owners, and care. Sometimes, they would just show up like rescue dogs at the hangar, and we would figure out the best thing to do with them. But, to a car, each one made me smile—that is the magic of the E30.
Every E30 has a story to tell.
To paint the history of BMW’s second-generation 3 Series, I brought a few other E30s to the hangar. From that backdrop, I introduced the Silver E30, and we loaded up and headed off into the night. Our destination was a junkyard in the Land of Enchantment—New Mexico, which actually wasn’t a junkyard at all, but a friend’s backyard. Nonetheless, the quiver of bleached pastel-colored 2002s nestled in the sand with Ship Rock looming in the background made it feel like an enchanted junkyard. What better place to go on a soul-searching trip.
The goal of our journey was an enchanted graveyard in The Land of Enchanted.
But first, some spirituality at the Crestone Ziggurat was in order.
Jeremy filming at the Dome House in Crestone.
Our first stop was the spiritual hub of Crestone, Colorado, where we stayed in an appropriate abode, a dome house. In the morning, we took a walk up the Crestone Ziggurat to reflect on where I went wrong fighting the town while trying to keep the business open. From there, we pushed south through the San Luis Valley and crossed over into New Mexico, where the high peaks of Cumbres Pass had yet to relinquish the winter’s crusty blanket of snow. The silver E30 ripped up that pass with vigor, while the sound of the mildly muffled S52 ricocheted off the rock walls.
Stretching the E30’s legs in the wide-open San Luis Valley.
The roads were dry, but there was still snow on the meadows of Cumbres Pass.
Descending into New Mexico under angry skies.
It was impossible not to smile as I relished how wonderful it was, how blissful and pure an E30 can be, but there was also a hint of sadness. The last time I drove this pass was in the other BMW that defined many chapters of my enthusiasm, the M Coupe. I lost that car as a cost of closing the service business, and driving over this desolate part of the Southwest offered solitude and healing. As fun as it was, the M Coupe was just a tool for an experience, and living in the moment with this E30 was an experience to be grateful for. I downshifted into 3rd, leaned my foot into the gas pedal, and used that throttle to balance my turn in the magical way that only an E30 does. There is a reason they are called God’s Chariot!
We made it to the enchanted junkyard!
Ship Rock was an amazing sight to behold.
As the sun set, we descended the pass and spent the night in Farmington. In the morning, we found the enchanted junkyard and what we had come for. You’ll have to wait for the episode to air to find out what it was. My spiritual journey ended at Ship Rock and the Four Corners Monument. As I pulled off into the desert and the E30 ticked itself cool under the towering monolith of Ship Rock, I couldn’t help but think that life is a collection of moments. My moments with this E30 were fantastic, and a wonderful way to remember the love I’ve always had for these cars, the experiences that they offer, and the successes and failures of my wanting to share them.—Alex McCulloch
