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The BMW 3 Series E21 and Eurometric's Jesse Nemec
I decided to try my hand at interviewing this month. I’ve noted from watching Top Gear and Racing Legends Patrick Stewart, the famous British actor of Star Trek fame, is quite the gearhead (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtRWhPQVAY8). I checked LinkedIn and it seems, sadly, that neither I nor any of my friends know him. So, I expanded my search for an interviewee that could be found within my circles. Now I have quite a few “gearhead” friends, so it wasn’t an easy decision. I landed on interviewing Jesse Nemec because owning three versions of the same car puts you into an elite group of car owners.
Well, elite may be too strong a word. I’m sure there are rich guys with multiples of the same Ferrari, but I’ve also seen trailers parked out on the reservation with countless old Chevy half ton pickup trucks in some form of disrepair scattered around the lot.
Anyway, Jesse was willing to subject himself to my first interview so we grabbed some Saturday morning breakfast at Davidson’s before our kids were up and talked car.
Real interviewers probably use a tape recorder but I just listened and took some notes. The reason I add this revelation is so you know that if Jesse starts to sound like an uneducated hillbilly in the quotes, well, that’s just my writing style and not really how Jesse speaks.
Jesse, how’d you end up with a BMW e21 in the first place?
When my Grandmother emigrated from Czechoslovakia the 1983 blue BMW 320i was her first car. It was literally her first car; she didn’t own a car, or even know how to drive a motor car before she entered the states.
The car was eventually handed down to my father, who let my sisters drive it. The car wasn’t especially great for my sisters due to its quirky mechanical fuel injection and expensive maintenance, so it eventually came my direction since I was the “car guy” in the family.
I had been into Jeeps but I’d reached the point where I realized four wheeling was incredibly expensive because of all the parts I kept breaking. It was a constant cycle of bigger lifts & tires which resulted in replacing axles, wheels, u-joints, etc. The BMW was something that brought me back to my roots from high school, a “sports car”. Plus, the handling was amazing. The connection to the road in the e21 is something you have to experience. Simply put, it’s really fun.
Photo courtesy of Jesse Nemec and Adam Simmons - Photo by Adam Simmons- All Rights Reserved
I hadn’t owned it long when nature snuck up and pistol whipped me. I was coming out of a tunnel one January morning into a corner that also transitioned into a steep grade. This same corner has a significant bump where the concrete changes to asphalt. This particular day it’d been raining. To make matters worse, I had installed studded snow tires on only the rear of the car. All those forces came together to send me sideways like a cheetah on roller skates and leave me parked against the center divider wall, and not because I wanted to go shopping. I’d totaled grandma’s car.
I’d already fallen for the car so I decided I wanted to rebuild it. Plus, my family considered the car a link to grandma and I hated to lose that. Also, they’d be very unhappy that I’d wrecked it. I resolved myself to rebuilding it before they found out.
I bought a second parts car e21, this one the euro 6-cyl 323i that I had always wanted to upgrade mine to and resolved to make a single car out of the two, while also upgrading what I could.
As a kid I’d picked a small hole in grandma’s dash when left in the car one day (remember, back before you would get arrested for leaving a kid in a locked car?). My father had repaired the hole with epoxy (in addition to some discipline that came my way).
As I pieced the two cars together I made sure to use the repaired dash.
Once I had one car back together I had the car sprayed the same blue color as grandma’s car.
Photo courtesy of Jesse Nemec and Adam Simmons - Photo by Adam Simmons- All Rights Reserved
The next time my father was looking over the blue car I realized he was looking for dents that he had caused that were no longer there. I think he was getting suspicious until he saw the dash, which instantly ended his inspection.
Now I understand you couldn’t find all the parts you needed for your car so you started fabricating your own?
Yeah, the only bushings available on the market were cheap reproduction garbage rubber. None of the major brands produced urethane bushings for the e21. So I tried my hand at casting my own. My first set were rough, but the handling improvement was significant & some friends asked me to make some for their cars as well. After 2.5 years of making them for friends, I decided to make it a business. About 2.5 years ago I started Eurometric.comas an official business for e21 urethane bushings.
Photo courtesy of Jesse Nemec and Adam Simmons - Photo by Adam Simmons- All Rights Reserved
That seems like it’d be a pretty good gauge for the e21 restoration market. How’s business?
You know, some months I won’t have any orders, and some months I’ll have more than I can keep up with. But as a whole the business seems to be picking up. I think more and more people are starting to appreciate the e21. I think they’re starting to head the direction of the 2002 in terms of being collectible.
How many e21s do you own now?
I have three e21s now. I have the blue 1981 323i. I also have a 1981 323i Baur TC1, and a rolling shell.
With its targa top, the Baur is an interesting choice. What draws you to the Baur?
Well, there wasn’t an e21 convertible, so the Baur is the closest thing you can get. Also, the funkiness of the Baur takes it up a notch in my book. And I appreciate the rarity of the Baur. There were just over 5,000 of them ever built, and less than a hundred are known to exist in North America. It’s such a rare car that if you do a Google image search of “Baur TC1”, you will see my car 3 times without scrolling down.
Photo courtesy of Jesse Nemec and Adam Simmons - Photo by Adam Simmons- All Rights Reserved
What are some of the common e21 upgrades?
Any of the Euro spec parts are highly desirable. The bumpers and single headlights both are highly sought after. The single euro headlight setup has been nicknamed “poverty spec” headlights since it only came on the cheaper variants in Europe, but since they’re different, guys in the US really want them.
Photo courtesy of Jesse Nemec and Adam Simmons - Photo by Adam Simmons- All Rights Reserved
All of the US Guys envy the 323i with a 6-cyl that was never offered this side of the pond. A more substantial upgrade is to replace the motor with an e30 6-cyl motor. The e30 6-cyl stroke was increased, and the fuel injection was changed from Bosch K Jet (mechanical control) to Bosch Motronic (digital control). This increases the anemic 101 HP that the US Spec 320i had, to 168 HP. In a car that only weighs 2,200 lbs, that’s decent. Both of my e21s have the e30 motor.
Lowering springs and/or coil overs with Bilstein struts are a big improvement, along with strut tower braces to improve the handling is huge. And Honestly, my bushings have actually become known, at least in the US & Australia as a popular upgrade.
What’s the e21 like to drive? And when I say drive, I mean hard, not to the grocery store.
I enjoy the autocrosses...
Photo courtesy of Jesse Nemec and Adam Simmons - Photo by Adam Simmons- All Rights Reserved
... but my favorite experiences in the e21 are backcountry, twisty roads that remind you of road race circuits. The cars excel in that environment.
Some of my favorite experiences have been when a local group of e21 owners get together for our “noon to noon” runs. We meet up in Portland, take a set of windy roads out to the coast (the Siletz highway being a favorite), camp, then head back our original meeting spot in the morning.
What’s the differences between the blue car and the Baur in terms of performance?
I can tell the Baur flexes a little more. But the suspension hasn’t been gone through yet so that could be part of it. The Baur has a lot of potential because it is lighter. But right now the blue car is faster because of all the work I’ve done to it, and is probably closer to 190 HP. I’d estimate the Baur at about 175 HP.
Unfortunately the blue car is fast enough that it’s hard on 30 year old half shafts. Of course the reproduction ones are garbage so I’ve found myself collecting any original half shaft I come across. I’ve broken 6 half shafts.
What does your family think of your cars?
My daughters love them because daddy loves them. Gina, my wife, appreciates that I have an outlet for my energy. I think she’s also thankful that the cars are my hobby and not something like watching sports at the bar.
I know you to be a man of faith in Christ. How does that reflect in your hobby?
Well, I have a lot of friends in the local community and I’m the moderator of several international online forums. I think most people are aware of my faith. That gives me an opportunity to occasionally share what the Lord’s done in my life. Not mention with all of the Facebook groups, many more people, even internationally check me out, which broadens my opportunity to witness.
I’ve noticed there’s an all vintage BMW race series out at the track. What’s your thoughts on the Pro3 racing class?
All I want is their motors.
It looks like a really fun venue and concept.
Photo Courtesy of Ken Jarvis Photography - http://www.flickr.com/photos/kenjarvisphotos/5979351211/lightbox/
License for use - http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/deed.en
But I have this against Pro3. The e30 chassis they’re required to use is grossly over-hyped by the younger crowd. I actually lose interest in putting together a car because you’re not allowed to use the e21 chassis. I think they should open it up to any mix of e21/e30 chassis and motor. I’d love to compete in an e21 with an e30 motor.
What’s next on your e21 bucket list?
Well, I’m currently upgrading both cars to e30 style Euro projector “smiley” lights.
I also need to figure out what to do with my extra shell. It’s in such good, rust-free condition I might transfer the blue car over to it.
Or I might make it a race car.
In terms of adventures, every year the 5 series owners hold an event called 5er West. They invite select non-five series cars but there’s never been an award. The 5er is held in a parking lot rimmed by trees. I suggested to the organizers an event called ”3s in the Trees” that would run at the same time. We’d have 3 series BMW’s surround the 5er under the trees, with awards. They liked the idea and gave me free reign to run with it.
I’m working with some friends that work in marketing to coordinate the event. I’m really looking forward to it.
So are the e21s “lifetime” cars? Will there be one in the driveway when you pass on?
Absolutely. I will always have an e21.
I hope the blue car and the Baur are just the start of my fleet if I’m blessed with storage and funds.
Because of the connection to grandma I’ll always have the blue car. A while back, before I found my Baur, someone offered to trade me a Baur for the blue car. I thought about it, but because of the blue car’s history I couldn’t part with it.
Photo courtesy of Jesse Nemec and Adam Simmons - Photo by Adam Simmons- All Rights Reserved
I’d really like to add an e23 Baur to the collection. Or a 1975 5 series. I love that year. The shape of the hood is perfect. It’s definitely the best year for the e12. An e46 M3 would be a blast too. And the iconic e30 M3. And Isetta’s are just cool! The list could go on before I even start talking about Alphas, or…
You saw the Petrolicious video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70ufaopHIVI) with the gay Isetta owner, right ? The car seemed to fit him very well.
Ha, yeah, but I’m secure enough to drive an Isetta as a straight man. I have plenty of other outlets of testosterone.
Exit BMW Interview-
From there Jesse and I drifted into talking about cars we would and wouldn't own. Mostly, we would. I enjoyed interviewing Jesse; I got to know a little more about a friend and a vintage car. I wouldn't mind doing more interviews. If you, or someone you know, has some good vintage and classic car stories and would like to share please feel free to contact me.
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