Alberta 02/CS Owners Group

Contributed by Daaren Boreham

Founded in September 2000, the Alberta 02/CS Owners Group was originally the brainchild of four like-minded individuals, Anthony Kalcounis, Daaren Boreham, Mauricio Aravena and Miro Stromar. The basic framework of the club was conceived during a weekend-long trip in the fall of 2000 to the BMWCBC concours event in Vancouver. There would be only one requirement for membership: ownership of either a BMW 2002 or E-9 Coupe model.

Interest in the club blossomed following the creation of a website and e-mail based forum. Club rules are simple – there are none! Membership is currently free, meetings are informal, and all participants have a say in the direction of the club. In a relatively short period of time, the club has grown to include a core group of around 45 members. Many of these individuals contribute to a lively e-mail-based forum on a regular basis. Postings come from members as far afield as Vancouver, Winnipeg and San Francisco, CA. Closer to home, club members from Calgary, Edmonton and Vernon regularly get together for local car shows, Sunday drives on local secondary highways, or just coffee and a chat. Meetings typically convene at Primal Grounds Coffee House on 37th Street SW in Calgary, which features an ample but intimate parking lot, an ideal spot for owners to display their vehicles. If the weather is fine and the participants willing, meetings will often conclude with a drive out on Highway 8 to Bragg Creek, Cochrane or beyond.

Club members bring a wealth of skills to the table, and technical expertise and information are freely exchanged. Hard to find parts or an extra pair of hands are usually only an e-mail or phone call away–all very handy when running or restoring a 30+ year old vehicle. Several members’ cars are currently undergoing restoration, while others are recently completed. Cars range from the low-mileage completely stock variety to full-blown (no pun intended – one member’s racer runs a supercharger!) racecars. All points in-between are accounted for with a couple of European spec oddities in the mix – including a real 2002 Ti and a right hand drive UK spec 3.0CS! Perhaps the most exotic of the bunch is Anthony Kalcounis’ 1974 2002 Tii. This car runs many genuine period Alpina tuning goodies, not least of which it’s very trick A4 multiple-throttle mechanical injection set-up.

2002s belonging to club members have won concours awards at both the local and national level. The club routinely puts in a strong showing at Calgary’s annual European car show in Stanley Park. Owners have also driven their cars to events as far away as Chehalis, WA, North Bend, WA, and Denver, CO. Several Edmonton based members routinely journey south for club get-togethers in Calgary. At a neutral meeting point at the Reynolds Museum, members from Alberta’s two main cities were pleasantly surprised to be honored with parking right in front of the main building in a specially roped-off area! Next year will see the club’s first meeting in Edmonton, slated for July 2005 in conjunction with the Champ Car race at Finning International Speedway. The Edmonton chapter of the club is working to secure trackside parking at the event, alongside other car clubs and special interest groups. In the planning stages are journeys to California for ‘02 Fest West, to the Monterey Historic Vintage Race weekend or perhaps to the BMW CCA Octoberfest.

Alberta 02/CS vehicles are not just for show and several club members routinely head for the racetrack. Richard Childs and Lance Hogarth are well-known to SABMWC regulars. Richard Childs’ 2002s are equally at home at Race City as they are in the deep snow and wilderness, as he has competed successfully in both vintage races and winter rallies, such as BC’s famous Thunderbird Rally. Lance Hogarth is a driver/instructor of some note whose E-30 M3 is very competitive on the track while his 2002 Tii is one of the better prepared street cars in the club. 02/CS members’ cars can often be found parked on the lawn of the Hogarth family’s residence during the annual SABMW barbeque.

Many Alberta 02/CS Group members are also members of the SABMW club, BMW CCA and other vintage car clubs or organizations. Members own a wide variety of BMWs, both old and new, with E-3, E-28, E-30, E-36 and E-46 vehicles well represented. Somewhat conspicuous by their absence are E-21’s (M-10 powered relative of the 2002) - surely the great lost BMW model long overdue for a resurgence! Other marques sneak into the equation with several Jaguars, Porsche, and even a Lamborghini featuring in the stables of club members. Recent developments have seen the club’s ranks swell with the import of several beautiful 2002 and CS models from the USA. Stories of the epic drives involved in bringing these vintage cars to Calgary from California, Colorado and Tennessee are worthy of column inches of their own and may someday make for great reading in these very pages. The club’s future would seem to be assured by these welcome additions and the continued trend towards growth within its ranks.

The club welcomes any BMW or European car owner with an interest in these milestone BMW models to join with them in celebrating the company’s glorious past. The website can be found at www.alberta02.com. Club decals in two styles are available from the site for a cost of $2 each.

Daaren Boreham

Alberta 02/CS founding member