THE CARS at the Spa rally, organised by the Rotary Club of Royal Leamington Spa – sponsored by Kia Warwick and supported by Leamington BID and the British Motor Museum – will see some 200 classics park up at the Pump Room Gardens on Sunday June 30.
In the run up to the rally, the Observer will be featuring some of the enthusiasts who will be showing off their prized motors.
Visit www.carsatthespa.co.uk for further details.
Dave Hull will be bringing the vehicle which he credits with “saving” him.
In 2008, while Dave was going through a painful divorce and was at the “lowest point” in his life, he visited a scrapyard and spotted a car he described as a “complete wreck”.
Having “oil in his veins” and being a huge BMW fan, Dave said he knew that although this car was in a sorry state, it was something very special so he bought it for just £75.
It was a 1980 BMW E21 C1 2.3 Baur Convertible and was a one-of-a-kind.
A total of 1.3 million BMW E21s were manufactured but only about 500 had tuning company Alpina work their magic on them. Of these 500, only four were convertible and only one was right hand drive – the car Dave now owned.
“The day I visited the scrapyard, the owner had plans to scrap the car that night as too much work was needed on it.
“I honestly believe it was fate that I walked into the yard that day and found the car, just hours before it was due to be destroyed.
“I was at the lowest point I have ever been and had absolutely no enthusiasm for anything anymore. I was really at my lowest point and just felt like giving up.
“But suddenly I had this amazing project which made me want to get out of bed every morning.
“The car saved me, just as I had saved it. It honestly changed my life.
“More than 3,000 hours of work later and I couldn’t be more thrilled.
“Me and my wife love driving through Leamington with the top down.
“I have people ask for photos of it all the time as it is such a beautiful thing.” For more information about the classic car rally, visit www.carsatthespa.co.uk.
