This story has been sent to us by Dr. Anthony P. Ciervo or known by his username: Spyder

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Those of you with ridiculously good memories may recall that Ms. Spyder (aka Lady Wildfire) and I were scheduled to pick up a 650i at the BMW factory in Munich this summer.

We arrived at the European Delivery center as scheduled on 26 June, and, after about an hour’s wait and a free lunch, we were presented with our new ride, a Stratus Grey 650i coupe.  

Our dour technician, let's cal him Hans, dressed not in a white lab coat as we expected, but rather in funereal attire, soon began our orientation.

Hans: "Shall ve begin by starting the car?"

Spyder: "You bet." (I've ordered Comfort Access so I know that all I need do, without even taking the key out of my pocket, is push the start button with my foot on the brake. Nevertheless, the car doesn't start.

Hans, who reverts to German when he gets impatient, starts getting very impatient.)

Hans: "Please step on die kupplungspedal!"

Spyder: "Huh?"

Hans: "Die Kupplungspedal!!! On the linx.!!!" (Ha ha. Hans means clutch pedal, but I've ordered a slush box. Ha ha. Oh, whats this on the shift knob? R 1 2 3 4 5 6. Uh oh….)

THE VAUNTED BMW ENGINEERS....strike up the umpah band... HAVE BUILT US THE WRONG CAR!  

You read that right. Viewed from a distance, the ensuing conversations, first with Hans (who was busy checking the VIN number against my receipt), then with the head of the Euro Delivery Center, then with the head of US production (who has been called over from the factory), and finally, since it is now 8 am in New Jersey, the head of Euro delivery for BMW NA, are hilarious. Straight out of Monty Python with a German accent.

You'll be pleased to learn that I maintained my dismal sense of humor throughout, but I was rather stern on the issue of BMW providing Lady Wildfire and I with a proper car in order to continue our trip through Europe. Oh, and then there was the small matter of the upfront cash I paid (in full) for the 650i. As LW, whose folks hail from Wiesbaden would later remark, "This was not a good day for my peeps!"

Naturally, I was a bit disturbed by the initial assumption that I had somehow forgotten what I had ordered. Ater disabusing them of that idea, it was suggested that the dealer was at fault. As 8 am N.J. time approached, we all learned that, in fact, neither I, nor the dealer, had made a mistake; it was BMW who made the mistake. This bit of information magically changed the tenor of our conversation. A 650i Steptronic coupe in Stratus Grey--just as we had ordered, except in Euro trim—soon was retrieved from BMW's executive pool for use on our journey.

The loaner car—try renting one of these! —had 3.5 km on it, i.e., it had just been broken in, so minutes later LW and I were barreling down the autobahn toward the Swiss border at 125 mph. In a furious exchange of emails, and phone calls, over the next three days I managed to turn these lemons into lemonade. BMW would build us a 2007 car (I had ordered a 2006) to my (new) specs, and deliver it to my dealer with zero miles on it (our trip would have put 1.5k mi on the car). The dealer would be charged Euro invoice, and would still grant me the further discount we had negotiated on the 2006. We would still benefit from the free airfare on Lufthansa, and, of course, be provided with the 650i loaner (at no charge) to be dropped off in London, as we had originally planned.

We all know that s**t happens. What separates the good car companies from the also-rans is how the situation is handled thereafter. I give BMW high marks in this case.

Now, let's get on with that road trip shall ve? First stop was the town of Tarasp in the Romansh part of western Switzerland. The image was shot in front of our hotel, one of the three Relais we stayed at on the trip. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After our stay in Terasp, we drove over two dramatic passes in the Alps on our way to Grindelwald: first was the Oberalpass

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

…and then the Sustenpass…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

…and while there we spent time hiking in the Alps, accessed by a cable car out of town. This is Bachalpsee, under some dramatic cloud cover. It poured on our way out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our last stop was the best: Amberley Castle in West Sussex. These final images are of the castle, now a spectacular small hotel, but originally built in 1103 for bishops serving the Duke of Norfolk whose castle, and current home, is in nearby Arundel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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