MyE28.com

The journey starts tomorrow. Driving the E28 M5. 7 days.

Points along the way include:
- Route 66
- Xtreme Xperience exotic car track event (NCM Motorsports Park, Bowling Green KY)
- Tail of the Dragon
- BMW CCA 50th Anniversary Okotberfest (Greenville SC)
- BMW Performance Center Driving Program
- Daytona

Sounds like quite the trip.

Let me know how the xtreme xperience is. I know a couple guys who instruct for them.

Also try 215 after you run the dragon.

Scenes from the drive down Route 66 from Chicago to Springfield IL ...

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Did some driving today. Springfield IL to Bowling Green KY. Ran a hot GT3 at the Corvette test track. I’ll take mine in red.

E28 M5 running like a champ. Enjoys every mile you throw at her.

Bib made sure I was safely inflated




The GT3 is seriously astonishing to drive

Longest day of driving this trip, from Nashville to Greenville SC. Rode the Dragon, which is very fun, but the roads going into and out of The Dragon may even be better. Highway 276 going through the Pisgah Forest is astonishing. Epic backroad driving on some incredible roads with a perfect day of weather. Nothing better.

Sounds like a fun time

Hanging out in Greenville SC at the BMW CCA Oktoberfest. The BMW Performance Driving Center Program this afternoon was a blast. Got to drive the tires off of multiple models: X5; M240; M4; and M850. I think the vehicle I would most like to take home would be the M4 - amazing balance of power and agility. Oh, and ceramic brakes defy physics.

If you ever have a chance to do a day of driving here ... don’t hesitate. Great instructors, great cars, great fun.

Loving this!

Toured the BMW manufacturing plant in Spartanburg. The Mrs.’ BMW X3 was built there just 15 months ago, and we saw the assembly hall for X3s and X4s. I was impressed by how much of the process - and floor space - was devoted to testing and quality checks. They actually take each vehicle out on a test drive, using either of their indoor or outdoor tracks. It takes 32 hours from start to finish, including paint, to roll a running vehicle out the door. It’s an impressive process and worth the visit.



Met some great BMW owners at Oktoberfest. Not as many vintage / classic owners as I expected to see there, so the E28 sort of stood out and gathered some attention. Had some beer courtesy of ...



I only attended Oktoberfest for two days and continued on with the journey, stopping by to visit a friend in SC and seeing some historic sights in Beaufort. Then I headed down to Ponte Vedra Beach to stay with another pal - made it to my E28’s new home state!



My car made a new friend ... 2017 Targa 4. Very fun driving that beast.

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Six days of driving 1,500 miles and the old M5 has been a champ. No issues, drives tight and true, and I’m loving every mile. I’ve got two more days of driving with a few stops before I get to Naples. This trip has been fueled by:

Great road trip! Ofest snuck up on me and I could not go. If you come back through the Charleston area, I’ll buy you a sweet tea.

Drove A1A a bit today from Ponte Vedra Beach to Daytona. Then onwards down to Jupiter.

Oddities in Daytona


Road on the beach for a while


Best of the 80s

8 days
2,318 miles
45 hours total driving
115 gallons of premium gasoline (Chicago most expensive $3.85; Greenville SC least expensive $2.66)

Home in Naples



Visited several great friends. Met some new friends. Saw some great cities and towns and countrysides. Drove some amazing roads.

The car was incredible and I certainly appreciate even more now it’s effortless capabilities - not just barreling down the Interstate, but also how good it is in the twisties. It was never off balance or caught off guard; it did everything asked of it and probably could do even more if I dared to ask. This is a 32 year old machine that never faltered and was a complete joy to drive every moment. I didn’t expect feel so fresh and revived after being in a car driving so many hours, but I’m ready for more, and I think the car is too.

Some thoughts along the way ...
Roads - I need to get off the Interstate more often. The best of America starts about 2 miles off the Interstate.
Tires - if there is a better tire out there than the Michelin Pilot Sport, I don’t know how that could be so
E28 - how did BMW get this model so right and why has there never been anything like it since?
Best music to listen to on the road? The S38 engine.

What a journey. What a car.

Great write up. Kudos!

VZehn wrote:Longest day of driving this trip, from Nashville to Greenville SC. Rode the Dragon, which is very fun, but the roads going into and out of The Dragon may even be better. Highway 276 going through the Pisgah Forest is astonishing. Epic backroad driving on some incredible roads with a perfect day of weather. Nothing better.

So sorry I missed this post. I live 1 hour East of Nashville and could have given you a great route down form about Cave City to Cookeville, unless you wanted to see Nashville. I would have been happy to meet up with you in Cookeville and we could have discussed the many great options East. I would have said don't miss the Cherohala Skyway and maybe some of the Foothills Parkway or Blue Ridge and maybe up and over Newfound Gap. The Dragon is the draw but it's often overcrowded and full of dolts who really don't belong.

And Naples is just South of Bonita Beach/Springs where my Mother & Father in law used to live and we made that trek every year for a while. Unfortunately really boring roads in South Fla with no more than stop light to stop light and over crowded everything. I don't miss it. One highlight of visiting them was a gent in the same condo complex who had a very nice 87 M6 who used to let me take it out for a spin with him (I ended up with an 88 same color)

Some shots from photographers on Tail of the Dragon ... I was amazed how well the car handled the twisties.

Great trip, thanks for sharing.