The Driver: Sports Cars ‘All Over’

May 30, 2017

When my iPhone 7 lights up with a push notification from Spinrilla about Curren$y dropping some ‘new heat’, I forget about it until I need to write.

With new sound and a new wave, I see more words out of my vehicle to grow.

When I wrote Forever in a Werke in 2015, I hadn’t come to full fruition with the type of vehicle enthusiast I’m still becoming. I was writing about material things and areas of my interest with much substance in mind. I expressed my infatuation with other people’s possessions. Which is what most people do in general, but I was just that, infatuated. Considering my E39 BMW was well on its way, it wasn’t until this past December where I had to let go, let grow.

Four days prior to my 30^th birthday, I spun out of control driving up Caesar Chavez Boulevard. It was during Portland’s second winter snow/ice storm of the season. I pretty much totaled it. To make things worse, my dad passed the very next morning. With all the emotional energy channeled toward what car I was going to buy and cure next, I suppressed the mourning, and got enthusiastic about sports cars.

Although my dad was on my mind, I thought about a Chevy Malibu, Chevy Tahoe, BMW X5 or newer 5 series. All curable vehicles. It was a Tuesday morning when I considered going panda with an Alpine White BMW 328i coupe, but that was before I saw this Jet Black Coupe.

That Tuesday afternoon, purchased!

Eager to get working on it, Portland’s horrible winter weather only allowed me to tint the windows.

And because I’m that type of BMW guy, the badge had to go, but it made it’s way back…

After buying these BMW 343M style wheels, I installed wheel spacers for a flush look.

The rims, however, exposed the wheel hub’s rust.

Above are the before (left) and after (right) photos. I scrubbed each hub for three weekends.

For looks, I got rid of the front license plate holster. Interior wise, I patiently waited a month for a pair of BMW emblem headrest pillows from China. Some of my friends deemed this the ‘Batmobile‘, but I couldn’t call it that in respects to a previous vehicle I drove.

I took this Bavarian beast to the coast on a gloomy Oregon day and shot amateur photos to show the world what I’m wheeling.

With a new car, I’m the same driver, but a new heat of words growing out of my creative vehicle.

And that’s all I have to say about the Black Panther…