"monovich" (monovich)
11/11/2014 at 15:12 • Filed to: E30, M3, EvoII, BMW

Red Bull has been in the shop at !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! for the last three months. On the drive out from Galveston to Colorado she suffered a rod bearing failure in cylinder #2, necessitating a total engine rebuild. This was a pretty horrific and traumatic event to go through (and I have to thank my amazing wife for trusting me through it all), but I'm happy to say that it's "over". Save for running the car through emissions testing here in Colorado, it's about ready for the open roads. When I picked the car up from the shop I took the opportunity to take it for a small drive in the Colorado hills. I hadn't seen the vehicle in almost three months, and it felt so so good to get re-aquainted with her after the long wait.

I'm happy to report that the engine now sings effortlessly. The power is great, the delivery is silky smooth, and the chassis is even better than I remember it. This car is truly a joy to drive.

Here is it's recent journey summarized in photos.

A bull with no heart. It's a sad thing.

Photos from the first drive back on the road:

So was it all worth it? I started this process in March and it's now November. It's been a wild ride from discovery of the car in the UK through it's arrival in my garage in Colorado, USA. There is something extremely cool feeling about having conquered all of the unknown of the process, having pushed through the setbacks, and finally experiencing the reward. In the last few days as I've walked by the faded grey-green door many times and saw those iconic headlights and box flares peaking through. Just the sight of them staring back at me is confirmation enough. Short term I'll have to come to grips with the price creep that the project endured, but long term the rarity and uniqueness of the vehicle will no doubt erase the short term pain. There were only 500 Evo IIs ever built for homologation purposes and they were never offered in the United States. Each car given a stronger than standard engine (190 vs 220hp), better braking, lighter and thinner glass, lighter bumpers, special aero, and beautiful plaid interiors. My car is #182 and it has finally found it's long term home on an entirely new continent. The Rocky Mountains await!

This was reposted from !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , where I babble about 50% of the cars I own because only 50% of them are interesting.

DISCUSSION (13)

505Turbeaux > monovich
11/11/2014 at 15:18

Kinja'd!!!

I beat everyone to this one...

E92M3 > monovich
11/11/2014 at 16:16

Awesome pics man! Makes me miss Colorado (until i realize it's 6 degrees there and 70 here). Thanks for keeping her stock and resisting the urge to swap in a less expensive motor.

Eliteboi > monovich
11/11/2014 at 16:27

BRAVO! I am glad to see another Coloradian (sp?) on here! Gorgeous Beemer! What part of the state are you in?

MarquetteLa > monovich
11/11/2014 at 18:03

Beautiful! Hope to see you & the car on the road here in Colorado sometime.

monovich > Eliteboi
11/11/2014 at 19:25

I'm in Denver and I plan on driving it all over the state so yes, hopefully we'll cross paths soon.

Denver Is Stuck In The 90s > monovich
11/11/2014 at 21:23

I wonder if this will turn into a Colorado thread. Where in denver are you? Im 125 & hampden, but I got to school a couple blocks from the capitol

monovich > Denver Is Stuck In The 90s
11/12/2014 at 11:17

I think because this is the internet, I'll just say I'm in Denver.

Denver Is Stuck In The 90s > monovich
11/12/2014 at 12:54

Well, we should get together at some point, it seems from your posts that we have interests in common besides cars. I think we would get along

Eliteboi > Denver Is Stuck In The 90s
11/12/2014 at 13:39

That's right where I live!

Eliteboi > monovich
11/12/2014 at 13:40

So I assume a few people on here are in Colorado. Maybe we could organize a get together? Would anyone be interested in emailing me? azzman05@gmail.com

Denver Is Stuck In The 90s > Eliteboi
11/12/2014 at 13:52

You're near I25 & hampden?

Eliteboi > Denver Is Stuck In The 90s
11/13/2014 at 00:15

Yes off Quincy next to Eastmoor Park

Denver Is Stuck In The 90s > Eliteboi
11/13/2014 at 00:25

You are literally up the street from me. Im on Monaco Circle