02Meet Denmark 2005

Saturday 28th May

Early morning and the excitement is starting to build as we near the beginning of 02Meet Denmark 2005. Last years event – the first of its kind – was a huge success, so the expectations for this years event, now running over the whole weekend, are massive. The weather is certainly with us. Not a cloud in the sky and already 25 degrees Celsius.

It’s close to 11 am as my girlfriend and I pull up in front of Sommers Automobile Museum in Naerum just north of Copenhagen in my newly polished Verona red BMW 2002 from ‘73. In my rear view mirror I’m followed by my mate who has borrowed my 3.5 litre BMW 323i Alpina B6 replica (E21) for the weekend. It might not be a 02, but luckily there’s room for other classic BMWs too, and I’m getting goose bumps every time my mate tickles the loud-pedal a bit… The yard in front of the museum is filling up quickly with a great variety of classic BMWs. There’s immediately loads of activity as the old BMW’s are being parked and given a quick last polish. Programs and lanyards with nametags from the events sponsor Walloth & Nesch are being passed out to the 65 to 70 participants, while the BMW-chat has already kicked off among the 34 beautiful classic BMW’s parked in front of the museum. We’ve got 18 Danish cars here, an impressive 13 cars which have driven down from Norway and 3 cars from Sweden. The atmosphere is fantastic as many enthusiasts are showing off photo albums from previous events, various BMW books and old brochures and there’s even a few boot sales with original BMW parts going on from a couple of 02’s. For those who need to get out of the burning sun for a while, there’s of course the fabulous museum where there’s even a variety of 60’s and 70’s BMW videos on show.

But obviously most enthusiasts are staying out in the sun and admiring the classic BMW’s on show. The majority of them are naturally 02’s but there’s also an excellent variety of other classic BMW’s here. Klaus Graversen is here with a stunning example of the characteristic BMW 2000CS from ’68. This elegant coupe is the predecessor to the great 6 cylinder coupes with which it shares most of its design, but the 2000CS makes due with the legendary 120hp 2 litre engine with 2 double Solex carburettors which was also used in the 2002ti. Furthermore the 2000CS has its own very special front, which would easily have been every bit as controversial at its introduction back in 1965 as Chris Bangles new BMW design is today.

But besides this fabulous coupe, there are also two majestic 6 cylinder E3 saloons. Erling Nielsen’s fjord blue 3.0Si is actually sold and going to its new owner just after this event, so that Erling can start his next project – the extremely rare, top of the range 3.3Li!! The chairman of BMW 02 Club Sweden, Christer Olofsson, is also here in an E3, a just as rare, very original 2500 automatic in agave green. It’s great to see this luxury cruiser is gaining in popularity. My E21, which my mate Steen Petersen is driving, is held company by Tore Vulpius’s amazing E21, a 323i from ’81 in kastanie red metallic. His 2002 didn’t get out of the paint shop in time to make it to the event, so instead Tore has brought his E21 which received a complete restoration just before Tore started work on his 2002 – clearly a man who doesn’t fear rusty BMW’s… Then there’s also Norwegian

Per Furules’s totally original and very early BMW 520i E12 from ’74. These are getting really rare too – think about it, when was the last time you saw one? And I can’t leave out Peter Ravnsholt’s stunning low-mileage BMW 628CSi which the always cheerful Ravnsholt brothers have showed up in. This 6-series is nothing short of mint.

But as I mentioned, most of the BMW’s are obviously 02’s, and there’s really something here for every taste. The variety is amazing – from Michael Prasz’s original agave green BMW1802 from’73 which looks as if it rolled out of the Munich factory yesterday to four hugely modified 02’s with 2.3 litre M3 engines – a rather extreme contraption popularly called a M2. Three of these M2’s have been driven all the way from Norway by their owners Stig Johansen, Geir Moe Karlsen and Rune Kvamme in the very low Touring with full cage and Turbo arches. But Karsten Kammersgaard proves that the Danes shouldn’t feel left behind when it comes to wicked 02’s – his M2 is not just a pure drivers car, but the stunning attention to detail makes this car a genuine concours contender too!

Karsten’s father, Bruno Kammersgaard, is also at the event in his beautiful 2002 Turbo. It’s such a pleasure to meet a true BMW-enthusiast like Bruno, who for the past 20 years has dared to use his rare Turbo as it was meant to be, and yet also has managed to maintain it meticulously. The sight of this fascinating Turbo certainly isn’t less striking when those provocative Turbo strips are screaming for attention along with two other perfect Turbos – three BMW 2002 Turbos at 02Meet Denmark is surely more than one could have even dreamed about!! After all, BMW only built 1672 of them between late ’73 and early ’75 and today the model is so rare that even in motherland Germany, they’ve only got 56 road registered Turbos left today. Kay Riber’s newly restored Turbo is looking very butch with 15 inch Alpina-style alloys and a very low original Gr. 2 suspension where Norwegian Espen Alm’s Turbo has got the original look with a fairly tall suspension and 13 inch BMW Motorsport crossspoke alloys. Which one is the nicest I suppose is a matter of taste, but they have definitely all got presence.

There is just so many wonderful 02’s here and I feel they all deserve to be mentioned… The taiga green 2002 Baur Targa of Ole David Larsen and his wife Kirsten Larsen is certainly also becoming a rather rare 02 – especially in that colour. Another 02 that suddenly grabs my attention is Norwegian Alf Lie’s Malaga red BMW 2000 Touring, which really is so discreet that I could just as well have walked right by it. This 02 has never been restored, is totally original and believe it or not, it’s only covered km 78,000 since new – absolutely awesome.

But the BMW that makes every bodies jaw drop is Torben Kjaer’s fjord blue BMW 3,0CSL in full ‘Batmobile-trim’! Torben has just returned to Denmark from Holland where he has owned the CSL for two years after enjoying several years with a 3,0CSi. Now the Batmobile is really getting talked about as it shines in the sun and all at once looks both elegant and brutal with its timeless coupe body and huge frontspoiler, massive rearspoiler and deep 70’s Scheel bucketseats. Torben is anxiously telling anyone interested about this BMW Motorsport legend and me and my mate, Tore, are even lucky enough to be treated to a blast up and down the nearby motorway! What en experience… The straight six roars as it effortlessly launches the lightweight body up the road and never before have I witnessed a more than 30 year old car with such a perfectly setup and well composed suspension. Suddenly my life has meaning again… I must – one day – own a 3,0CSL!!

But for the next 2 hours the BMW’s are put on hold, as we now have the honour of Ole Sommer’s company inside the museum. Ole Sommer must be one of the Danish automotive worlds must influential and respected people – personally, I see him as a sort of Danish version of Sterling Moss, even though many would probably argue that it is blasphemy to compare anyone with the living legend Sir Sterling Moss… Either way, Ole Sommer’s tour of the museum is both very informative as well as being rather humoristic as he tells of exciting anecdotes about the 59 rare and diverse classics on show in the museum. We are presented to everything from British pre-war racers from Bentley and Riley to Italian GT’s from the 50’s and 60’s from Maserati, Lancia and Alfa Romeo. The collection obviously also includes a hole section dedicated to Ole Sommer’s lifelong involvement with Volvo. While this might not sound like the most exciting thing, I can assure you that there are actually some very rare and fascinating Volvo’s displayed here, such as the unique and very pretty white coupe, Volvo Special, which Ole Sommer built in period from a Volvo Amazon. The design is an intriguing mix of American 60’s as with the standard four door Amazon, but with a much more British and stylish coupe design as you would expect from an Alvis, Bristol or maybe even an early Aston Martin.

However there should be no doubt that Ole Sommer’s automotive heart belongs to Jaguar, which is also the best represented marque in the museum. There’s even an early Swallow, from before it became Jaguar. It’s funny to think that Jaguar and BMW where actually founded on the same car – the very cheap and just as small Austin Seven. Branded as the Dixi the foundation of BMW was laid in 1929 with the license-built Austin Seven which was soon developed into a very effective little pre-war racer. Bizarrely, Jaguar started life in a very similar way when they in 1928 started their automobile production with a luxuries version of the tiny Austin Seven. The further development of Jaguar up to the 70’s is well documented in the museum with a great variety of Jaguars, right from the great pre-war SS Jaguars to the massive 50’s and 60’s saloons and of course the legendary E-type. But the two Jags that really give me a rush are the two LeMans racers, the beautiful Jaguar C-type and the butch Jaguar D-type. In their own way they are both the quintessential British sportscar and it’s so refreshing to see that these two precious classics are not just mere over-restored museum cars but that they are indeed still being raced by Ole Sommer and are on show here with all the patina and battle bruises of a true LeMans racer

After Ole Sommers very entertaining guided tour of the museum, we are all getting rather hungry, so we all dig into the lunch hosted by BMW Club Denmark, before we again launch ourselves at all the classic BMW’s again. In the midst of all the BMW talk and people filling out their ballot note for the “Peoples Choice Concours de Charme”, we are all interrupted by Anders Michelsen who suddenly drives up in his newly restored inka orange BMW 2002tii. Obviously Anders should have showed up several hours ago, but he just received a package from Germany with 4 original Alpina alloys which just had to go onto the gorgeous tii before the meet, but with the wide 6 x 13 in front and especially the ultra rare 6˝ x 13 in the back, the wheel arches needed a bit of convincing before the fat tyres would sit proudly on this truly stunning 02. But the result is nothing short of awesome and very fitting for a 02 in such perfect condition – admittedly, there is something special about a 32 year old car where the underside of the car is every bit as shiny in gleaming inka orange as the rest of the car!!

It is now almost 4 p.m. so we all gather our stuff; start up all the BMW’s and set off on a 60 kilometre drive through the beautiful scenery of Zealand. The route takes us out of Northern Copenhagen and past several picturesque lakes and via tiny country roads through small idyllic villages. We finally follow the seafront out to Dragoer Badehotel where we arrive at 6:30 p.m. just as they are getting the barbeque started up. After dinner it is time for the prize giving from the ”Peoples Choice Concours de Charme”. Walloth & Nesch – the German company that specializes in spares for classic BMW’s from the 60’s up to the beginning of the 80’s – has sponsored all the prizes. Just like last year Norwegian Öivind Seielstad’s totally original sahara beige ’69 BMW 2002 got most votes as the best 02 of the meet and Öivind thereby bags the main prize of a Euro 100,- gift voucher from Walloth & Nesch. This year there is also a prize for the best non-02 and predictably enough it went to Torben Kjaer with his mouth-watering BMW 3,0CSL. Fittingly, the prize is a Walloth & Nesch wristwatch with the silhouette of a BMW E9 coupe on the face of the watch. Furthermore there is a Walloth & Nesch watch with a BMW 02 silhouette on the face which goes to Norwegian Per Foss who drove the furthest to get to 02Meet Denmark – more than 500 kilometres in his BMW 2002tii Alpina A4S

As night falls, the day is rounded of on the terrace where we enjoy a few beers, as we share the first days many experiences before we turn in for the night.

Sunday 29th May

The morning is free to polish the old BMW or seek out some of Copenhagen’s attractions, but by noon we are all gathered again in a convoy of classic BMW’s over the Oersunds Bridge between Copenhagen and Malmö in Sweden. Just outside Malmoe is Sturup Raceway, where we are going to give our classics their daily workout. The chairman of BMW Club Denmark, Carsten Hanghoej starts of the track day by giving instructions on the ideal track around the course, braking points and of course the various flags that will be in use at the flag posts. Furthermore it is made clear that this is not a race, so in the name of safety, cars will be let on to the track one after the other and it will only be allowed to overtake on the straight in front of the pits. This should hopefully ensure that our beloved BMW’s are not bruised and also that the track day novices are not too intimidated.

As we are let on to the track, the Norwegians immediately impress with a frightening pace around the twisty and undulating track. It’s quite apparent that BMW Club Norway has many more track days than we do in BMW Club Denmark, as the Norwegian 02’s are being thrown through the corners by some very experienced gentlemen. Luckily the Danish honour is preserved by a handful of Danes who manage to maintain the same stunning speed as the Norwegians. Father and son, Bruno and Karsten Kammersgaard are really fast as is Allan Krogh, who luckily made it to this years meet with his wife and their agave green 2002 with two twin Weber’s, 300 degree cam, 5 speed dog-leg box, 40% limited slip diff and all the rest of the toys. At last years meet Allan was prevented from participating – but who am I to complain, as he instead lent me this beast of a 02 which had me smiling just as sheepishly last year as Allan is now.

But they are certainly all giving it all they have got and Karsten Kammersgaard and several of the Norwegians are heroically drifting their small 02’s through one corner after the other. Particularly Norwegian Geir Moe Karlsen’s powerslides are extremely spectacular as he lights up both rear wheels on his M3-powered 02 and holds it at full opposite lock through the 180 degree corners!! There is no denying the power of these M2’s, but Norwegian Knud Sjölie is keeping up in his conventionally tuned 2002 Touring as is Per Foss in his amazing gulf yellow Alpina A4S, which at the same time is the 02 that makes my hair stand most on end as it screams down the straight – it’s not the loudest, but just the most crisp… Luckily I also manage to convince Per to take me around the track a couple of times in his wicked Alpina A4S and it is nothing short of mind-boggling what Alpina managed to do with the 2002! Obviously it delivers a serious shove to your back when accelerating down the straight, the brakes are very convincing and it is super composed in the corners, but what surprises me the most is the breath-taking turn-in. I have never before experienced a 02 with such a direct turn-in! It’s almost like a go-cart and Per is just tossing his 02 into the corners at ridiculous speeds, proving that the Alpina front struts with their altered camber definitely do their stuff. I must own a 02 like this one day

But it doesn’t necessarily require a heavily modified BMW or years of track experience to have fun. My own 2002 is original except for Bilstein shocks and track novice, Michael Prasz, is clearly having the time of his life in his totally original BMW 1802, which he is really pushing quite hard. It’s impressive how much speed – and fun - you can get out of a 32 year old standard BMW with just 90 bhp. After several laps at full whack, Michael retreats to the pits looking slightly hot but with a massive grin to his face.

There are several others who have never before been to a track day but they all adjust to it very fast. Anders Michelsen started of nice and easy, but quickly built up a good rhythm in his freshly restored 2002tii. But as if Anders isn’t getting enough attention with his mint 02 and his impressive progress on the track, he also decides to add a bit of excitement in the pit lane… First he rolls into the pits and informs us that he has lost the brakes – apparently the brake fluid is boiling. Luckily Anders kept it on the track, so the 02 is parked up to cool off. But it was not to be, because the second that the 02 comes to a halt the entertainment begins as it starts to smoke heavily from inside the right front wheel arch. I scream “FIRE!”, someone else screams “FIRE EXTINGUISHER!” and Anders Michelsen goes into a slight state of panic as he runs around in small circles obviously already imagining how his newly restored 2002tii will look charred black! Luckily it turns out alright, as Anders quickly finds a fire extinguisher and the flame is put out with just one small squirt. The damage is limited to a bit of burnt paint on the right dustcover, but it certainly gives us something to talk about

Another high during the day is the chance to compare my 3.5 litre E21 Alpina replica directly with Tore’s 323i, by driving them back to back on the track and swapping cars after several spirited laps. The comparison is quite exciting and I am astounded by how different the two E21’s are, even though the physical differences are limited to the engines and suspension components. While experimenting with our little E21 comparison, we certainly draw a crowd as we follow each other close through the corners in the two E21’s. While the 02’s are hilarious on track due to their low weight and amazing adjustability, I must admit that there is something magical about the sound of a BMW straight-six. It’s not just this duo of E21’s either, but also the sound of Torben Kjaer’s 3,0CSL, Erling Nielsen’s 3,0Si and Peter Ravnholt’s 6-series that gives me goose bumps all over as they are gunned out of a corner and down the straight with a quick shift from second to third – pure magic!

It is now almost 5 p.m. and it is about time to say good-bye. But first there is a final joker-prize from Walloth & Nesch, which beyond any doubt must go to Norwegian Geir Moe Karlsen for performing the most spectacular powerslides on Sturup. There is loads of laughter and applause as we all say our good-byes and promise to come back for next years 02Meet Denmark. Finally a huge thank you to Walloth & Nesch and BMW Club Denmark for sponsoring the event. Likewise to Ole Sommer and Sturup Raceway, but the greatest thanks go to all the participants who showed up with their 36 fabulous classic BMW’s and loads of enthusiasm and high spirits!!

See you next year

Words Anders Bilidt

Photography Stine Bugge-Stenkjćr and Steen M. Petersen