Back in the 80's, my uncle had the first 2002 I had seen. It was an original 1972 and he had kept like new. A time came when my father had to trade cars with my uncle because our car needed some work. That was the first time I rode in a 2002. I loved it. Eventually my uncle sold that 2002 to my cousin. When I was ready to drive I asked my cousin about the car. He told me he had just sold it to a grandmother who was buying it for her grandson. The worst part of that story is that the grandson crashed the car two weeks later.

A year later, our mechanic revealed his 1969 BMW 2002. It was in fair shape but had a strong engine. Eventually, I would own that car for about four years, until, unfortunately, it was hit in an accident leaving the body too damaged for repair. A second BMW 2002 to come to my ownership was in 1992 -- a 1975 with a sunroof. I drove that 2002 for 8 years and it served me well until I decided to sell it to get out of the 2002 "scene"; which didn't last long. The inevitable happened, in March of 2001, I started searching the Internet to see how much 02's were selling for when I found a nicely upgraded 1971 in San Diego. It was a 1971 Nevada Gray, repainted to a modern burgundy. The engine just had a new head installed, a five speed from a 320i, 38/38 Webber carburetor, 3:91 rear end and Ireland Racing header matched to a Walker Dynamax muffler. I couldn't pass it up, and so, again, I was a 2002 owner -- and this time with round taillights!

Uncle Saul had driven a vintage German car around Europe in the 60's. It planted a romantic image of driving my BMW 2002 around in Germany one day. Hearing Uncle Saul's stories and seeing old photos in automobile magazines painted a picture of what it must have been like to drive in Europe. Recently, Uncle Saul, was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's Disease). Consequently a vision was formed: The organization of an educational, long distance drive in a BMW 2002-call it a sabbatical. I've been putting together information on the drive in honor of my Uncle Saul. My plan is to create an educational awareness about ALS. I'll be distributing information about ALS people along the way and telling how people can help. Here is how it works: Leaving San Francisco April 21st, arriving in Newark, NJ by May 1th. The car will then be shipped to Bremerhaven, Germany, where I will pick it up around the 22th of May. From there after clearing customs, begins the drive to Southern Germany to Oberammergau. Oberammergau is the center for all the 02 Celebration events and activities. The Festival will start on May 30 and continue through June 2nd, 2002. After the festival I will take a couple of weeks with my BMW 2002, to tour around Germany, France and Switzerland. Then I will make my way back to Bremerhaven to catch the boat back to Newark, NJ. Finally, I will drive back to San Francisco for a grand total of 12,000 miles!

If it weren't for Uncle Saul's adventurous spirit, I would not have wanted to explore the world. It is something that I believe in and something that I've dreamed about for years. I'm following my dream and breaking into uncharted territory. If you would like to support my effort or just curious about my progress, log on to my web site- www.the02drive.com.