Let me start then... at least from my high school days somewhere in the early 1980's I remember loving the sharknose styling from BMW. I even kept a few old school agenda's and they already have magazine pictures of E21's and E24's glued in them haha! While on high school I remember one of the girls in my class had a boyfriend who had this amazing Kastanienrot 323i with a full body kit (Zender style or something) and sports exhaust, we were all drooling over that car! One day my father went out for cigarettes and oh surprise he came back, and with a new car. After ages of Opels he came home in a BMW! It was the most simple of them all I guess, a beige 315, but still I loved it. Compared to our heavy old estate this car was fast and nimble!
My parents were also very fond of it and it didn't take long before my mother's Opel was replaced as well. She got to drive the 315 while my father got himself a real sporty car, a black 316 with a rear spoiler, wow, hahaha! He drove that for a few years and then traded the car in for quite an upgrade, an E23 732i that was later upgraded to Alpina B8 spec. Man that was a fast and comfortable car! In the meantime we got new neighbours and they had the real stunner, an E12 Alpina in Alpine white and with the blue and green stripes. What a noise was in that car, especially when he took some time warming up the car after a cold start, drools!
Anyway, when I obtained my drivers license in the mid 80's I usually had the E21 at my disposal in the weekends. Go out driving in the weekends with my girlfriend, go to the Zandvoort track (just as spectators), all great fun. Real pity I can't find any pics from those days!
When I got to go to university I wanted a car of my own. Started off buying a 2nd generation Honda Civic from an old man, all sounded so trustworthy but with not much knowledge of cars only after a couple of months it became clear he was ripped off by the local garage and I didn't buy much of a car. Rust holes were covered with bitumen sheets and the car was up for major maintenance. Did only what was absolutely necessary and took a summer job to save for a better car.
When I gathered some money I was on the lookout for a car. Can't remember if I was focusing on something in particular but through a friend I got in touch with a guy working for a car body shop. He had just finished a project and the car was all new I was told. When I got there, there was this graphite E21 316. Defo in mint condition and apart from the painted bumpers and the tinted tail lights and reflector in between them, the car looked pretty original. Only after I bought the car I noticed he had fitted the 323i's dual exhaust system! Loved its looks all the way and it didn't take me long to fit a set of 15" Alpina replica's from OZ. My first E21 and I had so much fun with it for quite a few years before selling it to a guy that also cherished it for several years.
In the meantime I got me a lot of nice contacts in the car business so I had all sorts of cars after, but the E21 remained the car that stole my heart. And even after many years in E21's now, yes the E30 is the better car by far, but I'm still in love with the E21's styling. Still an above average driver's car too, especially considering its age, so after many trips to Alps, Ardennes, Eifel and all I still love to take trips like these in the E21.
Here's a pic of my first E21, the 316 I prolly bought around 1994. Yeah I know, I've shared it with you before
