derBayerische March/April 2022 - 24

T H E
V I N T A G E
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over the weekend in fact - I met
people for the first time that I've
been chatting with online for years -
sharing experiences, advice, and
helping trouble-shoot automotive
issues. I followed Zach and his
friends Johnathan and AJ across
the street to the BMW Zentrum once
we wrapped up at the Foundation.
BMW describes the Zentrum
■ Parked in front of the BMW Zentrum for a quick photo op with Zach Ketring.
The show on Saturday is only
part of The Vintage experience.
Many arrive on Thursday in time for
one of the first planned activities,
the driving tour and fun rally.
I arrived later in the afternoon and
missed the tour, but as a consolation
prize the Clarion Inn's parking
lot was phenomenal. It's an event in
itself as enthusiasts stay out all
night enjoying each other's company.
This experience was when I first
started to understand why I've heard
so many say The Vintage is more
about the people than the cars.
One attendee in particular,
Mark Rodocker of Classic BMW
Garage in Guyton, GA, gathered a
small group for a drive on the Blue
Ridge Parkway on Friday morning.
Starting at the Asheville Arboretum,
we lined up and planned our route.
Mark took the lead position in his
wonderfully patina'd 1976 2002.
Despite long sections of rain and
heavy fog we stopped at a number
of overlooks and even a waterfall. It
was definitely a highlight of the trip.
As Mark and the rest of the
group headed to lunch, I made the
90-minute drive to the BMW CCA
Foundation in Greer, SC for their
■ The BMW CCA Foundation's Z exhibit.
new Z exhibit that details the complete
history of Z Series roadsters
and coupes. The Foundation had a
special parking section for the
" show cars " , which consisted of a
nice selection of the cars in town
for The Vintage. The exhibit was
extremely well done and I enjoyed
reading and learning the history as
I walked past each car on display.
By chance, I ran into Zach
Ketring in the Foundation's parking
lot. I've followed Zach's E30 builds
and chatted with him online, so it
was great to finally meet him in
person. This happened a few times
Museum as a place to " experience
the past, present and future of BMW
in the only BMW museum in North
America. " Before we headed inside,
Zach and I took a photo of our cars
in front of the large " X " , which is the
centerpiece of the Zentrum's circular
driveway. Ok, it may have been
more than one photo. Yes, fine, a
line may have started to form.
Inside, we admired the cars on display
and grabbed a quick bite to eat.
We also stopped by the gift shop
where I performed the sacred parent-on-a-trip
duty of buying gifts
for my kids. It was getting late in
the afternoon, so our small group
headed back to the Clarion Inn for
registration check-in for the show.
After a seamless check-in
thanks to the tremendous efforts of
Scott and his team, I headed outside
to the Clarion's parking lot to
enjoy the evening. The one-third
mile parking lot around the hotel
was lined with cars for Saturday's
show. It was essentially a huge
block party for BMW enthusiasts.
People brought camping chairs,
people brought grills, people
worked on each other's cars.
I heard a rumor that in years past,
cars have received new head gaskets
in that parking lot. If your
classic BMW ever breaks down, the
Clarion Inn during a Vintage weekend
is the place for it to happen -
the parts and know-how will be
present to get your car back on
the road.
Saturday morning arrived and
there was a flurry of people preparing
their cars for the hour drive to
the Hot Springs Resort and Spa -
the show's venue in Hot Springs,
NC. I exchanged some texts with a
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