Diving With Sharks – BMW 2800CS | Your Cars

9 September 2020 Redazione News, Vintage, Your Cars

Edited by Alessandro Marrone / Photos by Adrian Cobzasu

A bunch of weeks ago I’ve stumbled upon the picture of a shiny BMW from the early ‘70s. It was the one which gained the shark nose nickname and by just looking at it you can easily understand why. Its dramatic yet out of its times muzzle started to create in me an incredible amount of questions regarding its life, its story and especially the person behind such a maniacal restoration. I had to ask its owner and when he started talking, I’ve entered into his world filled with passion for cars of a time gone by, his love for hunting special BMW like this piece of avant-garde design’s lesson in beauty and be reassured because there still are keepers guarding the legacy of vintage heroes out there, preserving them like they deserve and creating hundreds of stories enriching cars with character, something nowadays incredibly rare in Bluetooth’s device with wheels and a muted exhaust at the back.

Hi, tell our readers something about you.

Hello. I’m Florin Emanuel and I drive a BMW E9 2800 CS and an E3 3.0SI.

How did your passion for classic BMWs started?

My passion for BMW came about the time my neighbour bought a 525i, in nachtblau metallic paint. It was 1993. From day one he’s had that car, I’ve kept telling him one day I’ll own one in exactly the same shade of blue. Every time I saw him working on that car, I used to get out and give a helping hand at whatever was needed: holding a wrench, passing a screwdriver, cleaning the tools, getting beverages… everything an apprentice does.

That’s how my passion for classic BMWs started, particularly for shark nose models. My interest in cars was already there since the age of 7, when I started mingling with my neighbours owning these cars.

Seems you don’t just enjoy driving them, but you also restore and mod them, right? Take us through.

I’ve bought my first car when I was 20, a 2000 NK. No repair shop would help me solve the issues that occurred, sending me away using the same excuse: “The car is too old and doesn’t worth the repair time and costs”.

My limited budget made me look for alternatives, so I started picking up notions on mechanics, basic electrics and bodywork repairs. Together with a couple friends that were also into classics, we started fixing our own cars. We soon gained enough experience to have a steady workflow, and from this point onward we started salvaging cars that would have ended up at a junkyard.

How is cars culture in Romania?

In Romania the car culture level is the same as it probably was a century ago. Everybody is full of hate and envy and a lot of newbies share their unrequested opinion. If you pay attention, you’ll find during the annual meetings those few that actually understand classic cars and invest time and money in restoration and maintenance. To me, the best annual meeting was one particular Bimmerfest that took place in 2006, at Cheia. Nothing came close since.

What is, according to you, the things that differentiate vintage cars lovers from modern ones?

New cars enthusiasts and classic car owners are clearly two different things. In some cases new car owners appreciate or even have a classic car. But in most cases, new cars enthusiasts refer to old ones as junk. Responding to them, I ask myself where is the passion in a car filled with plastic, hard to find in a crowded place due to being so many alike?

Is there a particular driving day you’d like to tell?

One particular driving day stands out in the recent years. I took part in a challenge to get my BMW E9 featured in the 2019 BMW Group Classic global calendar. To get featured, I had to document a driving day. The best stories found their way in the calendar. Mine sounded like this:

“Today the whole world is in a rush and I like to slow the rhythm down once in a while. I just go back to basics, I hop into my car and drive. My E9 is a driver`s car so I simply pick a piece of road that lets me enjoy its agility and the torque it delivers. I chose my journey with one criteria in mind: a hillclimb route. This way the car`s factory brakes wouldn`t be constantly on my mind.

It`s not just a cliché, a car like this really does take you back in time, away from the modern society that makes everything almost artificial with its technology. With this in mind I searched for overlooked places and some historical ones along the way, places where the time stood still. Home, after some 500 km, with the scent of half burned petrol, the reminiscent aroma of the`70s blues permanently imprinted on my mind, I see the fast moving society that surrounds us and regret this memorable era when BMW made exceptional cars. It was a beautiful day with that „freude am fahren” the BMW is known and loved for.”

Any advice you’d like to share for enthusiasts willing to drive the iconic Transfăgărășan?

Transfăgărășan is not the same in real life as you see it on the web. The asphalt is degrading and maintenance is scarce. Yet the scenery remains breathtaking. My advice for travellers: don’t go there with a 2.0 diesel. But, most important, if your car doesn’t have the power, it should definitely have the brakes. A good alternative close by is the Transalpina (DN67c), The King’s Road. Nice, smooth tarmac for low, fast cars, and spectacular views for the passengers.

Incoming projects or something interesting you’re currently working on?

My ongoing projects are a 520 E12 conversion to 525i and a complete restoration of an E23 735i with an engine swap to become a 745i. I can speak about individual problems once I finish the projects. In general, the common issues are the rusted bits, depending on each case, sticking brakes, damaged upholstery due to prolonged sun exposure and some electric problems.

I’m glad to see you give classic cars the attention they deserve. I hope that more and more owners will salvage old cars, otherwise destined for scrapyard, and restore their original beauty.

Best regards to your readers and to the worldwide SharkBoys community members.