Some of us have dream garages and projects we’d love to have if we could afford, house or just simply had the ability to do. I personally would love to have a bunch of old classics in a big warehouse or garage to work on and have a pretty specific list. However, this unnamed BMW Collector in Southern California has a collection of BMW’s in a warehouse that is simply a wonderland for any Bavarian enthusiast.
In his warehouse, Rey, the first name of the collector who’d rather his last name be kept anonymous, has a collection of 52 different classic BMWs. There are some spectacularly rare and interesting cars in this collection but these aren’t multi-million dollar garage queens, rather Rey likes to find more affordable builds to restore and drive. In fact, he drives each car about three times a year, which is a lot considering he has 52 BMWs and there are only 52 weeks in a year.
The number total of his collection varies, especially the number of specific vehicles as he will buy/sell anything at any time. However, he does take preference to a specific sort of BMW. “I once had 14 2002tii models in various stages from neglect to perfection,” speaking of course about the famous BMW 2002tii with its fuel-injected 2.0 liter four-cylinder engine. “Presently, I’m down to three. I also have three carburetor-fed 2002ti models, which I actually prefer to drive. They are that bit more responsive.”
But it isn’t just old classics that Rey likes. He also likes some modern BMWs as well, just not owning many. “As far as modern cars go, the M2. From more recent times, the 3.0 CSL and the E30 M3. Out of the older stuff, I love the 02 series and Neue Klasse from the base 1600 to the up-market 2000tilux.”
Rey even owns quite a few ALPINAs but not all of them are originals. Though, that doesn’t matter much to Rey as he’s willing to own any sort of fun and interesting BMW, regardless if it’s necessarily original. He even owns a few funky modded cars. “And I do like crazy one-offs like the wild, wide-body 345i powered by a 745i motor, the stealth 2000 saloon equipped with a later-day 2.2-liter M3 unit, or the rear-engined lightweight 700RS roadster of which only two have survived.”
This is a crazy collection filled with awesome cars. If you’re a BMW fan, this is like car heaven.
[Source: AutomobileMag | Photography by: Barry Hayden]