BMW 2002 - One Love

Bob’s BMW Bavaria and a BMW 2002

Just finished Bob Marley: One Love. I loved it. I say that about most films I watch now because I hardly ever watch them, and when I do it tends to be a special occasion and therefore under some sort of influence. I’m currently on the plane for a one-day trip to Barbados. That sounds nuts and makes me sound like Taylor Swift but hear me out. My mum’s a flight attendant for BA and I’ve managed to pattern a cling-on seat on one of her flights. Naturally, everyone’s treating me like a king, so when everyone else is offered tea and coffee I’m asked “tea, coffee, anything else”. When I say a glass of red they bring two. A few more later and here we are, whittling away to myself somewhere over the Atlantic.

I’m loving musical biopics at the moment. I’m sure we’ve all seen Bob Dylan’s ‘A Complete Unknown’ by now. I was fully immersed, and now a huge fan. Of Timothée. The sets and soundtrack were impeccable. At times I felt as if I was there, in the Sixties, living the bell bottom jean dream. Great, until you have to trudge back through the harshly lit Stratford Westfield late on a Monday night and get the stinkin' tube home. Some creepy crawly creatures around those ends at that time, let me tell you.

Mum’s just brought me a rum and coke and rushed off with two bottles of water. Tells me “Brad” (ley Walsh) is feeling worse for wear after too many Bloody Marys.

One Love was touching in a different way. You really feel the message being portrayed in each scene. You see the struggle. You grasp the generosity. You sense the greed. You marvel at how far we’ve come in the years since. You wonder how incredibly far we’ve to go before achieving their goals. Unfortunately but undoubtedly, it’ll never happen. You understand imperfections, the battle of love versus lifestyle. You wince at the ignorance and selfishness of higher powers.

Bob’s car in the film and notoriously his favourite car was a 1971 BMW Bavaria, effectively an E3 2500, the predecessor to the first generation E23 7-series. What a gorgeous thing. She really speaks to you. Stylistically ahead of its time. Malleable. She looks just as at home hosting Bob’s paternal moments as she did fleeing violent scenes, gang members aboard. She’s aggressive in a peaceful kind of way. Don't fuck with me and I won’t fuck with you. A combination of the sharp shark nose with a cute, stout little boxy profile and elegant, characteristic styling.

Pictured, is not a 2500, but a 2002. Apologies, but my camera roll has its limits. The 2002 is special enough as it is, but I’d never seen anything like this semi-convertible turquoise specimen. Shaped more like a boat than a car, it was certainly a stand out of this Cars On The Common. With 20-spoke wheels and a busy but beautiful face, she’s somewhat of an Alpina before their time, admittedly with chrome instead of decals - no complaints!