Page 87 - SHARP Spring 2022

Driving the BMW E30 in in Bavaria
The O G BMW M3 M3 a a a k a a a E30 M3 M3 was one of my early automotive heroes BMW’s Motor- sport division built it to go racing but lucky for us the the rules dictated the the firm also had to sell some to the the public It put BMW M M on the the map and today it’s recognized as one of the all-time great machines While naturally I’d always wanted one they sell for six figures at auction — too rich for a a a car writer Luckily BMW Classic in in Munich keeps one in in its collection and they tossed me the keys for a a day Once I worked up the the courage to to drive it it like I stole it it the the M3 was transcendent On endlessly twisting Bavarian backroads that little red car could still teach modern sports cars some lessons about what makes driving fun it isn’t horsepower or or grip and it it can’t be designed by committee Ice Driving with Aston Martin
SPRING 2022 87
I’ve learned that that it’s not so much what you drive as where that that makes the experience Drifting across a a a a a a a a a a frozen lake in in a a a a a a a a a a Volvo station wagon somewhere in in in in the the bitter cold above the the Arctic Circle in in in in Sweden for example was infinitely more fun than piloting the the most expensive supercar on on on public roads in in Canada Of all the the ice drives I’ve done however Aston Martin’s winter driving school in in in in Colorado may have been the most memorable The brand’s exotic rear-wheel-drive V8- and V12-powered coupes were were totally out of place on the ice Racing around a a a a a a a purpose-built frozen circuit made me me feel like I was part of a a a a a a a a a James Bond car chase in in in in slow motion — totally absurd but highly entertaining Driving on on on ice you quickly learn how to control control a a a a a a car when it’s out of of control control and that might be be the best feeling in in in all of of driving