This year Donna and I participated in the event in three different cities. On March 15th we went to Taylor BMW in Augusta, GA where we had a beautiful sunny day. The first 24 pictures are from that event. Two weeks later we were at Hancock BMW in Columbia. SC where we had a cloudy rainy day. The next 24 pictures are from there. We happened to be in the Washington DC area when the northern fleet passed through, so on Monday, April 9th, we did it again. Those are the last eight pictures
Four Fifths of the Crew - There are only 5 crew members that travel with the cars around the country. Three front office folks that register the drivers and assign cars and 2 back office types that are responsible for the day to day maintenance, i.e. gassing the cars up, keeping them clean and other minor odds and ends. (03/15/07 - Augusta, GA)
Z4 Coupe - The first car we picked to drive was this new model for 2007. They've added a fast back style fixed top to the Z4 which in a lot of eyes, mine included, really improved the looks of the car. Unfortunately the only thing the Z4 had going for it was that it was a drop top, so this may look better, but it has even less appeal for me. (03/15/07 - Augusta, GA)
Loop Instructions - See the one that says *Turn right on to Cox Road? My navigator didn't. When a silver BMW a couple hundred yards ahead of us did that, I asked her should I turn, she replied, "Nope, he must be lost." We knew where we were and ended up at the dealer no problem, just a mile quicker. (03/15/07 - Augusta, GA)
335i Convertible - The second car we drive is the new 335i folding hard top Convertible. I was tempted to stop along the loop somewhere and put the top up just to watch the metal and glass ballet, but didn't. (03/15/07 - Augusta, GA)
Hand Stamp - Here is me pretending that my right hand has something to do in this automatic transmissioned car. That mark stamped on the back of my hand is replica of the big pink ribbon on the side of the cars. Drivers get a ribbon, passengers get a big P. (03/15/07 - Augusta, GA)
Waiting For Go - There were about a half dozen or more traffic signals on the loop and as it usually happens to me, I have to stop and wait for nearly every one. (03/15/07 - Augusta, GA)
Sky Light I - Sitting bored waiting for yet another traffic light to change. (03/15/07 - Augusta, GA)
X3 SAV - For our 3rd lap we hopped into this X3 right after this couple brought it back. I'm not sure why Donna is laughing. Must have been something this guy said when he got out of the car. (03/15/07 - Augusta, GA)
Sky Light II - Donna took this picture through the moonroof, kinda cool and a lot less busy than my through the windshield shot. (03/15/07 - Augusta, GA)
Objects In Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear - A 6 Series Coupe waits for us to get around the corner so he can stomp on the gas and get around us. (03/15/07 - Augusta, GA)
550i - Donna hops into our fourth car of the day, a 550i, the Mama Bear of BMWs, not too small and not too big. Just right for you up and coming mid level executives. (03/15/07 - Augusta, GA)
What Ever You Do, Don't Push This Button - One of the crew members resets the trip odometer and notes the actual mileage.This way they can tell if you take the car off the mapped route. Like, say to drive by your old high school girlfriend's work place to show her how successful you are driving a brand new $60k BMW while that football player she dumped you for is sitting home unemployed and overweight waiting for her to come home from work so she can make his dinner. (03/15/07 - Augusta, GA)
HUD - This nifty $1000 option (available only when you add the $1900 Nav System) allows you to see your speed and other information without looking down at the dashboard. Of course it shows so low on the windshield that you better opt for the $2200 active cruise control so you don't slam into the back of something as you are transfixed on the numbers floating 5 feet in front of your speeding car. (03/15/07 - Augusta, GA)
X5 4.8i SAV - The fifth car we drive is an X5, its not an SUV, but an SAV - [S]ports [A]ctivity [V]ehicle. Whatever you call it, its big and its fast and its comfy. Redesigned this year so that it is bigger and faster and comfier than the previous model. And now available with running boards. (03/15/07 - Augusta, GA)
Gear Shift "Lever" - My arch nemesis. I had to ask for help on how to get the car in drive. Just pulling back doesn't work, you have to push in a button on the side while pulling back. (03/15/07 - Augusta, GA)
Confounded Hair - We followed this woman for a while and at every stoplight she frantically tried to do something with her hair so it wouldn't whip around when in motion. (03/15/07 - Augusta, GA)
Cartoon Car - Their car #16 was our sixth of the day, a stretched 750 sedan. It has a six speed automatic transmission with ATC. It also has ARS, DSC, ABS, DTC, DBS, SRS, ALR, HPS & ISIS. (03/15/07 - Augusta, GA)
Cartoon Grin - While certainly not his cup of tea, the big luxo-barge Bimmer brings a big grin to Brian's face. (03/15/07 - Augusta, GA)
Line of Cars Waiting to Pounce - A line of silver cars await their chance to turn onto Washington Road for the final sprint back home to Taylor BMW. (03/15/07 - Augusta, GA)
335i Coupe - The seventh car we drove is what I'd be driving if I had 45k of discretionary income to spend on a closed roof car. The 335i Sports Package Coupe in Montego Blue Metallic with Saddle Brown/Black w/Dakota Leather Upholstery.(03/15/07 - Augusta, GA)
Whoosh - Incredible simulation as to what it feels like when you mash the gas pedal to the floor with twin turbos bolted to a 3.0 liter inline 6 cylinder. (03/15/07 - Augusta, GA)
650i Coupe - Their car #14 is our car number number 8. If anything can put the acceleration of the 300HP 3 Series cars to shame, this is it with it's 360 HP V-8. Unfortunately it has love it or hate it styling and I hate it. At least in silver... (03/15/07 - Augusta, GA)
Stop It With The Picture Taking Already - Brian backs out of the parking spot for the 9th and final loop in our ninth different car. As a nice bookend to the Z4 Coupe we drove first, this is a Z4 Convertible. (03/15/07 - Augusta, GA)
Signature Vehicle I - This year's signature vehicle is the newly redesigned X5 made right up in the northwestern part of South Carolina. I took this shot before I signed the hood, but my name ended up right in that blank silver spot above Georgia. (03/15/07 - Augusta, GA)
Sign In Please - Please sign in and make sure you put down your true home address so we know where to come look for the missing cars... (03/29/07 - Columbia, SC)
Pick A Car, Any Car - Perhaps the gloomy weather has kept the crowds at home today as there is quite a selection of cars to choose from when we get ready to start driving. (03/29/07 - Columbia, SC)
We'll Take Number 11 - (03/29/07 - Columbia, SC)
Heading North - Safely cocooned into our station wagon we head out in the rain for lap number one. (03/29/07 - Columbia, SC)
Ready? - A friendly and getting wet fast crew member loads us into car number 2, the 335i Convertible. Even though in this and the next photos it is raining, it stopped shortly into lap number two, so we pushed a button and the origami top tucked away into the trunk. (03/29/07 - Columbia, SC)
A Miata - Look a Miata! Hey what's their problem, how come the top is up? Oh. yeah, its raining. Note the BMW's wiper blade in the left of the frame. (03/29/07 - Columbia, SC)
Where's The Windshield Banner? - We get ready to jump into our third car of the day, a 750iL. The usual windshield banner is missing, must have had to replace the glass since the start of the tour. (03/29/07 - Columbia, SC)
It's Mister Fifteen To You - Even though there wasn't a windshield banner to tell us what number car we were in, there was this nifty key chain to set us straight. (03/29/07 - Columbia, SC)
Bad Timing - The 7 Series cars have an option that you can set via the I-Drive so that you get warned when you have exceeded a set speed. I inadvertently got the warning early on in our lap when I passed the 75MPH mark. Donna figured out how to change it to 40MPH so I could take a picture of the warning. It must only stay on momentarily as I missed photographing it. She could get the I-Drive to change this function, but we never did figure out how to change the radio station or shut off the driver's seat butt fondler. (03/29/07 - Columbia, SC)
Nice Parking Job - I took this picture of the big convertible after we had finished driving it. Nearly ever car in the fleet had BMW's Park Distance Control which warns you when you get the front or rear of the car too close to an object. It looks like I could have used something to tell me about where the sides of the car are. (03/29/07 - Columbia, SC)
Rushing By - Even though the sun is not shining and it is a bit chilly, we make two laps in the 650 'vert. We kept the windows up and made use of the seat heaters. (03/29/07 - Columbia, SC)
Cute Ute - If Donna's reaction to this thing is any indication, I bet they sell a ton of these to women. It is small enough to be easy to park and you sit up high enough to see over regular cars. (03/29/07 - Columbia, SC)
Say Cheese - The crew member who loaded us up in the car was so enamored with my digicam she asked to use it to take our picture. She really liked the camera, but refused to trade it straight up for the X3. (03/29/07 - Columbia, SC)
Crime Dog - Although the Richland County Sheriff's office is right up the street from Hancock BMW this is the first of his cars we have seen all day. Good thing he wasn't on Farrow Rd when I was driving the 650i Convertible a little while ago. (03/29/07 - Columbia, SC)
Skylight III - Donna snapped a few pictures through the Panoramic moonroof with fully automatic, two-piece glass panels, power slide and lift control, trap release, wind deflector and power interior sunshade showing that there is quite a different looking sky up there compared to two weeks ago in Augusta. (03/29/07 - Columbia, SC)
All Wheel Drive - It used to be that you could tell the size of the engine in a BMW by the badging. A couple of years ago this would have meant a 2.8 liter motor, but this has a normally aspirated 3.0 liter mill. This car has a mere 230 HP,so that doesn't translate directly to the number on the badge either. Maybe it means that they used to get 230 HP out of the 2.8 motor... (03/29/07 - Columbia, SC)
Lucky Number Seven - After driving 14 different BMWs in the two events, I finally get inside a 3 series 4-door sedan. Even though it has smaller HP output than the other 3 series cars I've driven, this one will still press you into the seat when you floor it from a standing stop. (03/29/07 - Columbia, SC)
Skylight IV - Well what do you know, I'm stuck at a traffic light. (03/29/07 - Columbia, SC)
Pick Me! Pick Me! - Having driven every body style car they have, it was time to try some variations, the 335i Sedan has the turbo'd 3 liter motor as compared to the mere 230 HP version of the earlier 328xi. (03/29/07 - Columbia, SC)
Waiting On Another Light - I think the most tiring thing about doing one of these Ultimate Drive events is holding up my lead right foot at traffic lights. (03/29/07 - Columbia, SC)
Cool Coupe - We saved the best for last. Just the car to chase down our friend Rob in the 750Li. It may have 60 less HP at 300, but it weighs about 600 pounds less. (03/29/07 - Columbia, SC)
Look Ma, No Hands - Rob, a friend from work, came out to drive a couple cars too. Here he imitates the classic roller coaster pose, not bad sitting at a light, but later on Farrow Rd while traveling at 75 MPH he does it again. I can only hope he was steering with his knees. (03/29/07 - Columbia, SC)
Kinda Sluggish - Rob gets out of the 750 and quips, 'I don't know, it felt kind of sluggish.' I think his brain is scrambled from the g-forces applied during our very quick lap. (03/29/07 - Columbia, SC)
Signature Vehicle II - The X5 signature vehicle in Columbia was inside the showroom. I took this photo when we first arrived. When it came time to leave we didn't go back inside, so I didn't sign the car. If you do this event with the northern fleet, feel free to but my name on there. (03/29/07 - Columbia, SC)
Plenty To Choose From - When the three of us arrive at the dealer there are plenty of cars just sitting around waiting to be driven. We quickly hop in a 750Li to start racking up the miles. (04/09/07 - Sterling, VA)
Unlucky Number 13 - I get stuck at nearly every red light on the first half of the loop. I think it is because I'm following this car because later after I've passed them, I get clear sailing to the finish. (04/09/07 - Sterling, VA)
Back Seat Photographer - With about an hour left on the clock before they stop the driving we decide to take a couple more laps. First, I drive the three of us in a 325xi with Donna sitting in the back taking photos. (04/09/07 - Sterling, VA)
Here You Go Sir - In the 3 Series coupe this little arm extends out to hand you the seatbelt. Helpful item or just another fancy gadget that will be expensive to repair somewhere down the line? Is it really that hard to reach back and get the seat belt? (04/09/07 - Sterling, VA)
YIKES! - There's a truck in your lane and it's coming right at you, will the adaptive cruise control stop you on time. Nope. The truck is going away from you because it is being towed. (04/09/07 - Sterling, VA)
BMW Sally - Forget Mustangs, when it comes time to replace Sally's Toyota RAV4 it'll probably be with one of these BMW X3s. (04/09/07 - Sterling, VA)
So Long Copper - As Sally drove us on a loop in an X3 we passed right by a sheriff's car on the side of the road. We *were* going close to the speed limit on this rare occasion. (04/09/07 - Sterling, VA)
End of the Day - The whole fleet is parked in the dealer' lot at the end of the day waiting for the ferry drivers. And that would be us. Sally and I volunteered to drive a couple of the vehicles to Arlington for the event there tomorrow. (04/09/07 - Sterling, VA)