38 BMWcar
ME AND MY CAR
In addition, the trials and tribulations
he’s experienced have given Paul a chance
to really get to know his car, as well as
providing plenty of bonding time with
his dad, who’s always eager to share his
years of experience. “Anyway, I used the
Touring every day for the fi rst 18 months,”
Paul continued, “although I couldn’t bring
myself to use it over another winter, so it
got semi-retired.
“I now play with it at weekends, and
take it to classic car events like the
Goodwood Revival and hill climbs. My
children, who are aged three and fi ve,
absolutely love the car, so any excuse and
it gets taken out. I’ve had a few things
since to use as my daily driver, including
an E28 M535i – which I defi nitely
shouldn’t have sold! But the 2002 remains
and, while it’s not as quick as the M535i or
as stylish as some other cars I’ve owned,
it’s got right under my skin and I couldn’t
bear to part with it.
“Every time I think of selling it, I just
go out and drive it and it reminds me
how mega it is; I couldn’t possibly get
anything else for the money that gives me
as much fun. People love it and I get a
great reaction from it – kids wave, and a
lot of people tell me either that they had
one once, or they didn’t realise that BMW
made a Touring version.”
Although there have been problems to
deal with, the 2002 is running beautifully
now, thanks to those extensive running
repairs and Paul’s dad’s expertise. Indeed,
since he fl owed the ports a little while the
head was off , the twin Dell’orto-equipped
WITH THANKS
“Thanks to my dad for spending so much
of his precious time fi xing the bloody
thing, my wife for somehow putting up
with my obsession with silly old cars, and
Richard at Barkers Motor Works.”ENGINE & TRANSMISSION: 2.0-litre M10, twin
40 Dell’orto carbs, Aldon electronic ignition,
fl owed head, 110-115bhp, four-speed manual
CHASSIS: 6x13in Borrani Alpina steel wheels,
185/70 tyres, Bilstein Sport dampers, Jaymic
30mm lowering springs, negative camber plates
at bottom of struts, discs front/drums rear
EXTERIOR: Stock 2002 Touring, mid-body door
trims removed
INTERIOR: SStock 2002 Touring, Momo
Prototipo steering wheel, period (ish)
Recaro seats2002 Touring spec
engine is producing a healthy 110-
115bhp, and deploying it with gusto.TIMELY SPRUCE-UP
The next step, then, will be to give the
car the spruce-up it thoroughly deserves;
18 months of daily use means that the
rust has started to bubble-up here and
there and, of course, Paul’s professional
eye can’t help but imbue a little healthy
criticism. “I’ve started to strip it down so
I can send it away and get it all done
properly,” he assured me. “I’m using a
friend who runs a paint and custom car
shop in Essex, The Paintbox.
“He usually works on VWs and American
cars, but is very excited about the 2002,
and we’re going to work together to
hopefully subtly modify it. Given what I do
for a living, there are certainly a few things
that I’d like to sort out on it. Watch thisspace... if only it didn’t have a tailgate, I’d
defi nitely consider that roof chop! I’d also
love to install an M20 in it, too, as the idea
of a straight-six on carbs in that little car
excites me a lot!”
You see, while there may be no
rational reason for a McLaren designer
to buy something like this, Paul’s ably
demonstrated that rationality doesn’t enter
into it. This is a car bought by and built on
passion alone. And, by the sounds of it,
he’s just getting started. ●The previous owner was an enthusiast who had restored the car himself.
Unfortunately, a lot of important bolts were found just to be fi nger-tight!