So....... Let's get this straight, this was not going to be like some Top Gear epic trip.  There would be no Jeremy, James or Richard in budget or super cars that the Beeb paid for.  I was not going to be followed or accompanied by a film crew, medical staff and all that.  This was just plain ole me, in my car, driving across America - with a little bit of a hope and a prayer and hopefully a well prepared car.  To this end, I spent a fair amount of time, labour and sweat and blood on preparing the M5 for this trip. 

 

I will share my experiences and all what I did on the car here - just follow the blogs.  The preparation of the car for the trip all took place in a top secret facility, in Northern California, close to Oakland Airport, nearby the Oakland Coliseum, right off the 880 Freeway...... 

 

After making the decision to go on this trip, the next thing was to figure out which car to take, and what to do to the car to make it ready.  I also wanted to add a little bit of a fun factor to it.  After debating and seeking input from forum members on boards like Bimmerforums, the M5 was nominated as the chariot of choice.  As for the fun factor, I thought it would be an uber cool idea to modify it and of course to bring some maintenance items up to date, or up to scratch.  Nothing to crazy like a Super Charger or some 700 BHP asphalt gobbling monster - I needed the car to be reliable and also have decent fuel mileage.  Remember, tis I who is footing the bill for this trip.  However, if Jeremy, James or Richard get wind of this and would like to pay for some "petrol", I am open to the offers :-).  Jeremy....? James...?  Richard....?    Come on, I know you all have jobs again!  :-)

 

Things soon became like a mad scientist's lab ór like the Bionic Lab, "We can fix it, we can make it better.  We can make it faster and make it hug the road more.  We can make the engine run better and smoother".

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With this thought in mind, I started reaching out to various companies that would in the end be my sponsors / partners on this trip - the time had come to make her (The Car) better.  So.... off I went on my mission .......DINAN for Tuning and more powah and sound, MEYLE for firm handling and keep her nose pointed straight and true, Steve Dinan AutoTech for service and magic, NGK for spark to make her fly, LIQUIMOLY to keep the engine smooth and lubed, Peter Pan BMW for all the BMW specific parts I'd need, Bimmeronly so I wouldn't miss any messages she had for me, EINHORN to keep her power on the ground, Bimmerforums as my counsel when the stuff hits the fan; it was all coming together.  No one warned me about how much work this would be though.... LOL!

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I am humbled and amazed at the support I have received from ALL the sponsors and partners on this project.  The Automotive Gods of Olympus must have been in a good mood the day this idea came into being. 

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So, there I was .... ready to build my reliable, yet more powerful and fun ///M5 that would whisk me across this great land.  There would long nights, busted knuckles and banged heads; there would be sailor talk and blood and tears, but I was determined to make this happen. 

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Follow me as I embark on this adventure and feel free to call me crazy along the way.  Cheers!