The Twins take Brisbane
This was originally published in the BMWCCCA’s “The Ultimate Classic” here.
Another year, another excuse to roadtrip from L.A. to the Bay Area in my 1600. Although I had just attended the Bay Area BMW 2002 Swap and Show in September, the event this year was moved back to its original May date. This time would be different though, as I convinced my father to join for the trip. It wasn’t that difficult, actually, all I had to do was tell him that he would have the only factory Voll Cabrio in attendance.
During the last trip in September, my 1600 toasted an alternator diode, but I was able to find a $30 alternator at the swap meet, slap it in, and drive back down the next day. About an hour before we left for this trip, I swapped that alternator for a freshly rebuilt one and put a second freshly rebuilt one in the trunk. I think I’ll roadtrip with a spare alternator from now on.
Instead of taking an entire week and my sweet, dandy time as I did last fall, this trip was more of a rapid up-and-down affair, mostly because my dad couldn’t leave his business for too long. The plan was to head up Friday, hang out at the Swap and Show on Saturday, then jet back down on Sunday. We did, however, get a head start on Thursday night and stayed with family in Carpinteria, one of the endearing sleepy coastal towns between the major metro areas.
The next morning we hit Route 154 and sailed inland a little past Lake Cachuma to San Luis Obispo, stopping only for the essentials (gas, caffeine, and pastries). Continuing north, it was difficult to willingly pass the sign directing us towards the famous Highway 1 and San Simeon (where the famous elephant seals lay out), but we blasted right into the headwinds towards Salinas, stopping at an extremely colorful Oaxacan restaurant. At this point we gassed up again and I calculated that my 1600 was averaging an efficient 28 mpg. Not bad for a 54 year old! The Cabriolet, “hindered” with its original 4-speed, was doing a measly 21 mpg.
The next part of the journey I was especially looking forward to, as dad had never driven his Voll further than the Monterey peninsula in his ownership. We trotted along further north toward Santa Cruz, eventually turning right onto Highway 9 through the redwoods. I had such an amazing experience on this road last September that I felt compelled to show it to dad. Almost perfectly paved, with lovely fast S bends that seem to never end - I dumped my 02 into 4th gear and just turned the wheel, relishing my H&R/Bilstein/ST sway bar setup.
Dad’s cabrio is all stock and has a little more body flex, so he couldn’t keep up with my 02 in the bends if he tried. Occasionally I slowed down enough just to make sure he was still behind me, as I would hate to lose him on a road with limited cell service. About the 2nd time I slowed for him to catch up to me, I had a realization - driving or riding in the cabrio on a road like that is a completely different experience. Sure, my 02 hugs the curves tighter, but the cabriolet offered him the complete greenhouse, surrounding him with a canopy of giant redwood trees. He was having the same amount of fun, if not more, than I. This was a good reminder that sometimes, it’s not all about having a quick car!
We reached our overnight hotel in San Jose with plenty of daylight left, and shortly after, my friend Kyle picked us up for dinner in his Nachtblau 02. If we weren’t going to drive to dinner in our 02s, we were at least going to get chauffered in one!
The following morning we met up with a gaggle of other 02s in the South Bay, and cruised to the Swap and Show together. The show was awesome as usual, with the exception of the almost gale force winds. The variety of cars attending is always a treat, and seeing old friends is really the highlight of any of these events. This continued at the after-party at Steve Kupper’s house, where we drank beer and gorged ourselves on freshly cooked street tacos -thank you, Steve! Shortly before leaving, we were introduced to Jaime, who turned out to be the enthusiast who had imported my father’s Cabriolet from Germany. He was excited to see it and was impressed by the quality of its restoration after shepherding it to the US nearly 20 years prior.
With stops in Monterey, Pismo Beach and Montecito, the drive back down to L.A. was uneventful, with the exception of a nasty pothole which had altered my 1600s suspension geometry a little bit. I’ll have to figure that one out, but such is the way with our old BMWs. The expression “it never ends” couldn’t be more true - but certainly that also applies to the good times we have.
