Do you believe that cars have expiration dates?  Somewhat like humans who die after years of service…  Most vehicles do.  These vehicles lose their efficiency after a period of time.  But, there are some who manage to live forever - the classic vehicles that remain and live up to their fame until these days and these are the collectible types.  BMW, one of the top automakers in the industry, has this kind of vehicles in its range.

BMW have created the so called “Mobile Tradition” program to give the vehicles the chance to live longer - more that their manufacturing period. BMW started to conceptualize this preservation of older models since 1994.  So, in the past 13 years, it has already been proven. And it has surely been proven well.

As BMW stated, “it has more than 200,000 enthusiasts on its books involved with some 600 ‘brand clubs’ and Mobile Tradition has been set up to make sure these people’s needs are looked after. BMW figures that as far as ‘enthusiast classics’ go there are something like 200,000 of its cars and 70,000 motorcycles scattered around the world that are not parked in museums or collections, but are driven on a regular basis. This is a remarkable figure by any standard, but may actually be an under-estimate. It’s probably due to the durability of the company’s products and also the fondness with which enthusiasts hold BMW vehicles.”  This has been further discussed in canada.com.

This system is responsible for supplying spare parts 20 years after the end of production for a specific car or even a motorcycle.  There are also exceptions for this rule of “20 years.”  And, it is for the Z1 sports roadster.

I say the durability of a vehicle is based on the quality of the company’s products - the parts that are being installed.  With the “Mobile Tradition”, BMW had an edge from the rest of the carmakers.  They simply help their consumers attain their demands for more efficient and durable vehicles.

The way BMW thinks is what makes and takes them on the top.  Service and quality is at most an important factor to succeed.

Bernie Ecclestone. Formula One fans would surely recognize that name. That’s because the billionaire is the president and CEO of the fastest motorsport on earth. Aside from having billions in his account, the Formula One Supremo is also the proud owner of many classic cars that enthusiasts would surely love to have. And if you can spend about $6.5 million, you have a shot of buying the most valuable of the classic cars that Bernie is auctioning off.

The billionaire will sell 50 classic cars. And for all that, it is expected that Ecclestone will get about $30.3 million. The information came from the auction house in charge of selling the vehicles. RM Auctions will be overseeing the auction of the 50 classic cars. The reason why Ecclestone is unloading all these goodies, according to RM‘s spokesman Terry Lobzun, is that: “Like any collector, he’s probably looking forward to buying some new items.” I wonder what cars the Supremo would buy with all that money.

The most valuable car on the auction block is a 1937 Mercedes. Estimate for this timeless classic reaches $6.5 million. I’m sure that with the care that the Formula One supremo has given the car, even its Mercedes-Benz fuel filter will be in pristine condition. Other classic cars owned by Ecclestone that will be auctioned off include a 1933 Rolls-Royce Faux Continental and a 1954 Ferrari 250 GT. A Ford Anglia is also part of Ecclestone’s collection which he will be auctioning off.

Aside from the classic cars owned by Ecclestone, the auction will also include 20 more classic cars from an Italian businessman that the RM spokesman did not name. For classic car enthusiasts with money to spend on these timeless classics, the auction that will be held on October 31 in Battersea, Park, London will surely be a place to find new cars to add to a collection.

Ecclestone is currently collecting historic racing cars. It is interesting to note that Bernie bought two cars of the Connaught Formula One Team. Bernie tried to compete in two Grands Prix in his younger days but failed to qualify on both occasions. The first failure to qualify came at the 1958 Monaco Grand Prix and the other one came four races later in that season at the British Grand Prix.