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here is undoubtedly an art to driving well, it will contain a fluidity and smoothness where swift progress can be made without drama. I recall my first ownership experience with the E30 M3 Evo 2 back in the early 1990s, it was a step up from the preceding E30 325i Sport. The handling was more stable, the steering faster and more direct, the braking more powerful and the engine would scream to the rev limiter. My local main dealer was polite, for it took them three replacement sets of cracked front discs under warranty (in under 4,000 miles) to quietly suggest that perhaps I was over driving! They were exactly right for I didn’t have the experience or confidence to carry speed through the corners, so it would be maximum power out of the apex and stand it on its nose in the corners! It took the Club’s track days to sort that out and to learn how to go faster by driving smoothly and with less drama. At that time it was the way one learned, each new car
would tend to be a little more powerful and handle a little better so that incrementally one’s experience would grow bit by bit to adapt. Eventually you would come to learn most of the vehicle’s and your own dynamic, the trust and intimacy is then optimized. In other words, you’d learn how to get the most out of the car, and I wonder if that really happens these days? Back then, initially the car might have been overwhelming, but as one became familiar with the limits it would be you riding the horse rather than the other way round, and then you were ready for another step up the performance ladder. Has there come a time when this area of the relationship has moved out of whack? Has the cake been over baked? Why does one hear with increasing frequency that cars are lacking in soul and boring to drive? Has the technical ability to keep us safe actually denied us the involvement? It wouldn’t help new car sales if their
latest models become widow makers, and so very politely these clever guys in research and development have quietly helped out the cause by incorporating electronic devices to keep us safe, particularly traction control in all its many guises. And, incidentally, has it been noticed just how wide and grippy modern tyres have become? It was only when driving the E34 M5 from Munich back to the UK following the 2001 Club factory tour that I actually came to truly understand the dynamic of that car. Being able to drive at maximum speed on the autobahn one can immediately appreciate the engineering principles of comfort, stability, power, braking and component integrity. Let’s face it, the M Power cars are not designed for UK roads or typical UK driving, and most of the car’s dynamic capabilities are underutilized in every department on our island. The stiff suspension that is so necessary at 150mph on billiard smooth autobahns is dreadful on
WHAT MIGHT WE WANT? Words: Richard Baxter Photographs: BMW Press, BMWBlog
www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
BMW Car Club Magazine August 2020
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