Car Throttle’s created a great series of giving back to their enthusiast community, by restoring cars for enthusiasts that have fallen down on their luck. The last episode in the series featured a MINI that was restored for an owner that had suffered a horrible back injury. This episode is about a BMW E46 3 Series Coupe owner, Daniel, who’s fallen on hard times due to a severe knee injury that’s kept him from work. His E46 first belonged to his late father, who bought it when new and love it. Now, he wants to restore it, in his father’s memory, but has neither the funds, nor the physical ability to do so.
That’s where Car Throttle stepped in. They took the E46, which wasn’t in horrific shape but certainly needed quite a bit of work, and completely restored it. It received a full engine service, a transmission service (I felt actual pain watching all of that ATF splatter on Gareth, that stuff smells horrid), and even had its exhaust fixed. Body panels were fixed, rust was treated, and the wheels were both painted and wrapped in brand-new Pirellis.
Finally, the E46 3 Series received a full, comprehensive detail that included not just the body but the interior and even the headlights. When it was all said and done, Daniel’s E46 3 Series Coupe looked like it rolled off the factory floor. It was great to see his response, once he finally saw the finished product in the flesh. He’d never properly seen its paint color before, as the detail truly brought it out, and he’d never actually heard its exhaust.
While Daniel had it, the exhaust valve was stuck closed, which didn’t allow it open when it reached its typical rpm. They removed the valve altogether and it sounds brilliant. Daniel hadn’t heard it prior and hearing it like that must have been a real thrill.
These videos are great, as they not only show off the nerdy side of working on cars but also the human, emotional side of owning cars and what they can mean to their owners. Check it out.
