Dicing with the Dragon--a visit to the BMW Factory in Spartanburg
This is a preview of the text for an article in BMW CAR magazine, February 2000 issue.
The real challenge was to keep within the 1,000 word limit for the magazine. I hope to finish the full version of the article and upload photographs over the Christmas holidays
The retro beauty of the BMW Z3 Roadster appeals to a wide range of people from children to pensioners. A single Z3 attracts admiring glances while several together draw a crowd; so you can imagine the jaw-dropping reaction at the sight of four hundred Z3s parked in one street.
The only time you are likely to see such a congregation of Z3s is at the annual North American Homecoming. In an event that can be described as ‘delivery in reverse’, hundreds of BMW roadster enthusiasts drive their treasured vehicles back to the Z3 factory at Spartanburg, South Carolina.
George Chadwick and I decided to attend the third Homecoming in September 1999 and in the weeks leading up to the event chatted on the Internet to American participants. We had several offers of spare seats in convoys which we couldn’t take up due to work constraints. Instead, we hired a car and arranged to tag on to one of the Texas convoys for the final leg to Spartanburg.
After landing in North Carolina, we drove off into the Appalachian Mountains, the 2000-mile long chain that stretches the length of the east coast. By lunch the next day we met up with one of the convoys in Knoxville, Tennesee and were finally able to put faces to some of people we had conversed with on the ’net.
Our route back over the Appalachian Mountains was on twisty country roads. The highlight was the Dragon, a legendary road among motorcycle and car enthusiasts consisting of 318 bends in an eleven-mile stretch--a bend every 60 metres. We did our best (but failed miserably) to keep up with the M roadster in front. The road’s swooping curves, tight bends and brilliant camber was great fun and when we stopped at the biker’s haunt at the end of the Dragon, some drivers went back to re-run the final part.
We arrived that evening at the Marriott ‘headquarters’ Hotel to find the car park jam-packed with Z3s. For months the hotel had been saving old towels to hand out in the areas set aside for car cleaning, and the garden sprinklers were turned off--vital for a meeting of open roadsters! Ages ranged from early twenties through to several seventy-year olds, and although about half the 800-plus participants travelled in fast-moving convoys, those with more time to spare had spent a week or more on the trip.
We had a wonderful surprise the next day. Knowing we were driving a hire car, BMW Manufacturing lent us a beautiful Mora Red 2.8 Z3 for the duration of our stay. Now we really were part of the event rather than merely interested onlookers.
We had booked a factory tour for the Friday whilst the plant was still in operation. Shorts and open shoes are forbidden and the reason became apparent when we entered the body shop. Like a scene from Hades, hot metal arced in all directions as welding robots secured the major body parts. Elsewhere a less-automated approach is used to allow the greater flexibility needed to construct multiple models on the same line. Cars are painted in batches of colours and then placed in a giant stacker which allows them to be resequenced for the assembly line. Cars come down the 100-stage assembly line in no particular order, a mixture of Z3s, M roadsters and Z3 and M Coupés.
Our next stop was at BMW’s new Performance Centre. Opened only days beforehand, the centre offers one- and two-day programmes to hone driver skills. Time constraints limited our exposure to a couple of hours which included lectures, exercises in driving through cones, a session on the circuit and then the skid pan. Jets of water constantly spray the highly-polished 300-foot diameter skidpan, enabling 70-mph speeds to be emulated at 20 mph. Instructed to perform various manoeuvres with ASC first on, and then off, we quickly appreciated the benefits of traction control.
Afterwards we wandered around the employee parking lot to check out experimental colours. You can view Sahara Beige, Neon Yellow, Apricot and others on the Internet at http://www.zroadster.net/tim/colors.html.
The Friday night entertainment was in nearby Greenville where the local police sealed off an entire street to create a giant parking area for more than 400 Z3s.
Saturday started with a group photo shoot on the lawn in front of the Zentrum, BMW’s on-site museum. As well as the original James Bond 1.9 the Zentrum holds a great display of bikes and cars such as the Z1 and 507. We then had a chance to give BMW feedback in a ‘build your own Z3’ session with product managers.
Outside, a series of tents provided shade for factory workers who had given up their free time to sort minor problems with owners’ cars. Under one of the vendor tents, a Downing supercharger was being fitted to a Z3. Nearby, a host of other vendors were selling accessories and aftermarket goodies. Further displays included a owners’ coral showing dramatic audio, bodywork, performance and handling customisation. Can you imagine an M Roadster with a supercharger?
The guest speaker on Saturday evening was Dr Burkhard Goeschel, father of the Z3, who had flown over specially from Germany for the Homecoming. Originally a motorcycle designer, he led the development of the Z3, X5 and Z8. As well as relating some of the tribulations of the Z3 evolution Dr Goeschel answered audience questions and gave valuable insight into future development.
Sunday morning saw groups heading off for a lunch in the mountains, but we had a plane to catch back to the UK. Reluctantly we handed back the keys to the Mora Red Z3 and tried to remember where we had dumped the Chevvy. Looking back on the event I can’t believe how much we packed into the three days. Roll on next September.
Tim Cullis