Badass Duo - BMW 2002tii & Honda CB750
William’s BMW 2002 and Honda CB750 on a sunny day in Copenhagen!
The first Petrolfans’ People and Cars episode features a great duo owned by a constructing architect from Copenhagen. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome William Gardner, his BMW 2002 and café-racer styled Honda CB750.
“I always wanted a BMW 2002 so some years ago I started looking for the right model for me. As I had a chance to test drive a few models and try the different engines I exactly knew which one I want. I drove the 100HP version, then the more powerful 120HP one. I can assure you, once you try the faster one, there is no turning back, you don’t want the regular ones.”
“It is a good drive. I recently fitted it with the period correct BBS RS rims. Similarly to the car, I found them in the Copenhagen area. Turned out, someone in Nordvest had them in his attic and it was a set of five, so even the spare is a BBS.”
“I don’t have too many plans for the future, but I will definitely change the front tires to match the rear – I really like the angled Toyo tread. At the same time, I might re-assemble the wheels and replace the bolts with golden ones. I think it would really match the colour and halogens. Maybe an aftermarket Alpina air-intake? They are cool but quite pricey and difficult to get.”
It drives perfectly, the clutch grasps right from the start and it has plenty of power!
“I am doubtlessly that passionate about cars because of my dad. When I was a child and then a teenager, the weekends were spent in the garage. My dad and I were polishing and fixing the cars, and I guess that is what hooked me to the automotive. Later, we also took part in classic regularity rallies. It was few occasions but rather than keeping the assigned speed, my dad was more ‘pedal to the metal’ type of person”
“When I worked farther away than 20-minute walk from the office, I used it as an excuse to ride the motorcycle. It was great fun and at the same time really easy to park in the city. However, when it rained it wasn’t the most convenient – the lack of fenders results in water all over the back as well as straight in the face from the front wheel… With car it’s different, especially living so close to the work. When the weather is good though, I tend to take it for a spin after hours. I drive on the quiet country roads up North Zealand or down south around Amager. Really relaxing!”
Rather than keeping the assigned speed, my dad was more ‘pedal to the metal’ type of person.
Shall we head back? I know a really nice tunnel nearby…
It will be a lot of fun!
We did as William suggested – headed on a by-pass with quite a long tunnel. The roaring sound of the two inline fours echoed off the tunnel walls and made for a perfect symphony of engines. The Honda was obviously in front but somehow, I managed to stay quite close. Shooting out of the tunnel onto the highway was with a quite a bit of understeer, but I brought the car back on track. Since the speedometer in the BMW does not work, we must have been right on the speed limit. For sure… We slowed down and rolled back to Copenhagen. It was a great Sunday!
Huge thanks to William, for his time, great stories and trusting me with his car!
Text & Photos: Adam Pekala ©
