Every man remembers the first car that, as a young boy, he lusted after. Depending how old you are, it could be an early Aston Martin or an example of Italian exotica. Whatever the car, it sticks in your mind. For me, it was the first BMW E30 M3. At the time, this was a car that reset all existing perceptions of an ‘affordable’ sports car. In race guise, it remains the world’s most successful Touring Car of all time.
For the lucky few, which I count myself as one, the opportunity arises to fulfil the aspiration. The car was launched in the late 1980’s and at the time, I worked at a BMW dealership. We ran one as a demonstrator for a period and when the opportunity arose to get behind the wheel, I jumped at the chance. And I wasn’t disappointed. It was as fast, as free-revving, as dynamic and as fun to drive as I imagined it would be. Curiosity and childhood fantasy satisfied.
A good few years have passed since then and the other day, another opportunity arose to drive one. With petrol still flowing through the veins, it was an opportunity too good to miss. However, in those same years technology has move forwards leaps and bounds. Modern cars are now much, much easier to drive and they have considerably more power than their predecessors – the new M3 has twice the power of the first generation. They also feel a lot more solid. In short, there’s no comparison. To say that it was disappointing is overstating it but it certainly wasn’t the same aspirational experience.
And the morale of this story? The romantic recollections of driving these cars in your youth simply aren’t matched by the driving experience today. On this basis, if ever you get the opportunity to drive the car you lusted after as a lad, think twice before accepting – it might just shatter the illusion.
