Collection Day!!! It had finally arrived, and I felt like a small boy and Christmas - even though this time I knew the present was 20 years old. We arrived to see Mario (Pennella) just double checking the coolant system. With the checks done, the number plates were put on, the keys handed over - and we reversed out of the garage.

Next stop was the Alpina Chur - the local BMW dealership - to collect a BMW sump guard. Unfortunately I had neglected to order the mounting kits - so it will have to wait a week before I can mount the guard. Once back home I inspected the fuel and brake pipes for how vunerable they would be to rocks. The are recessed into the chassis - so I decided not to attempt build a guard - and will gamble of the fuel tank being OK as it is.

So that left in-car entertainment. My hope was that the radio had been upgraded at some point and that the Blaupunkt stereo was not the original - but guess what? It was!!! So a trip to the local retailer was on the cards. Unfortunately their cable kits only went back as far as Sept 1989 - 3 months after our 525 was first on the roads.

As for how the car drives - it appears pretty impresssive. A quick blast along a country road revealed a decent steering setup, a tenacious chassis and plenty of grip from the nice new and wide Kumho tyres. Onto the motorway and the acceleration above 40kmh is quite impressive - and pulled strongly enough to suggest that a 140-160kmh cross continental cruise will not be beyond the cars capablility.