Takin' It To The Streets
She’s just a beauty to look at
Maybe I’m biased and ignore the fact that it is green primer. But BMW landed on what is one of the most beautiful designs in automotive history with this coupe. Of course I’ve added my personal touches such as larger wheels (though not as oversized as I’ve seen on this car), huge brakes with orange calipers that smile at you as you are being passed on the freeway. Early-model bumpers without the black rubber inserts. I know my choices don’t please everyone, but the car looks fantastic to me.
It seems like years ago now that we fabricated steel to hang a Tesla motor in the trunk of the car. So many challenges were overcome just to do that. Hundreds of challenges were overcome since then to spin the wheels, take that first drive around the building in January and get to where we are today
Since that first drive nine months ago I’ve taken her out for longer and longer drives. Even jumping on the Southern California freeways for some short stretches. My radar was tuned so strong for any little noise or vibration - the fear that something critical was going to fall off onto the road.
With each drive I would get a little more comfortable with the car. The benefit of being an engineering hack, is that you tend to compensate with over-engineering. Stronger steel, heavier gauge wiring, and more safety checks are just a few examples.
I would say that we have built a tank.
Just a Few Final Details
A few things needed to be done before I drove her home for good. Charging port, new windshield, a suspension alignment among other things.
I’ve been charging the car with a temporary cord into the trunk. It was time to install the proper charging port.
Now I can plug her in to charge the way one would expect.
Our wheels were aligned by eye during assembly, so it’s time to get a proper alignment to make sure everything is pointing in the same direction.
After 26 Long Months, I Drove her Home.
It finally happened. I drove the car home. A friend followed me the 18 miles from the shop to the house because I had not built up quite that much comfort.
The drive was without incident and I took the car to 80mph for the first time. Eighteen miles still seems like an eternity for something you bolted together with your bare hands.
Once settled into its new home I plugged her in for an evening snack.
The next afternoon a couple of buddies and I took a 50+ mile pleasure drive looping through Laguna Beach and surrounding areas. Along the way we put this little video together:
Now I’m driving the car every day. I take the kids to school, then to the office. Perhaps to a lunch place that is a ways down PCH. It’s been a couple of weeks now and I’ve driven a few hundred miles. My radar pops up once in a while when I feel a vibration or hear a noise, but it’s always just the road (and a tight suspension). The experience has already become automatic. I turn the key, drive it where I am going while enjoying the amazing spirit of the car. I start to forget all about the efforts, the challenges, and the milestones and just enjoy the drive.
While it almost feels like the journey is over, there is still much to do. I’ve got to put some windows in for one. But first I have to install a battery management system (BMS) into the car. I have to implement liquid cooling to the batteries. I have to design in my air conditioning and heating system. Then of course I have to eventually paint the car orange!
So, celebration over - let’s get back to work!
Cheers,
Paul