🏁 Mel’s Motor Club – Issue No. 3

Last week, I said we’d be talking about what happens when old souls meet new tech—and the answer, it turns out, is more elegant than I expected.

Across the country (and quietly, across Europe), vintage EV conversions are becoming more than a novelty—they’re becoming a movement. Early adopters are no longer just tinkering with Teslas. They’re dropping battery packs into 912s, Alfa Romeos, and British roadsters that used to leave oil spots on every driveway they visited. Some are purists. Some are designers. All of them are chasing a different kind of perfection: silence without soullessness.

Take Everrati for example—a company turning air-cooled 911s and classic Land Rovers into fully electric icons, without losing the soul of their original lines or driving character. Their builds don’t scream. They hum—with purpose.

But it's not just about drivetrains. It's about attitude.

The idea of the gentleman driver is making a quiet return. Today’s version doesn’t need a racetrack or a V12 to prove anything. He—or she—wants something that drives well, looks better, and says something personal. Not loud. Just true.

So whether it's a battery-powered Mercedes SL gliding past or a linen driving jacket tossed over a café chair, this new chapter of car culture feels less about flexing—and more about feeling.

And if my grandfather were around to see a silent 507 glide by without a puff of exhaust?

He might raise an eyebrow… then nod in approval.

If you ask a BMW purist what the most beautiful car they’ve ever built is, they won’t say M3. They’ll say 507.

My grandfather’s 1958 BMW 507 Series II Roadster, chassis 70110, was as close to automotive art as anything he ever owned. One of only 252 made, Mel performed a meticulous restoration to its original factory appearance in the timeless exterior color of Papyros white, neatly contrasted by a highly desirable dark blue optional factory hard top and matching dark blue leather interior. His 507 stood out for its purity: no excessive chrome, no dramatic flares—just elegance in motion.

He drove it sparingly. He maintained it obsessively. And every once in a while, on a quiet morning, he’d let it stretch its legs on a backroad.

That exact car is now preserved and viewable here via Broad Arrow Auctions.

It didn’t need numbers to make a statement. Like my grandfather, it had presence. And that was more than enough.

The 507 was not a performance beast. It wasn’t the fastest, the lightest, or the most technologically advanced. But it was perfectly designed.

That’s a rare thing today—where performance metrics often lead design. The 507 did the opposite: it led with beauty, then worried about everything else. That spirit still shows up occasionally—cars like the Alpine A110, or the Morgan Plus Four—but it’s rare.

In a world full of overbuilt machines, maybe it's time to bring back the cars that just look right.

If the BMW 507 were a watch, it wouldn’t be flashy or oversized. It would be a Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso.

Born in the 1930s and refined ever since, the Reverso shares the 507’s aesthetic restraint and art deco lineage. The reversible case was originally designed to protect the dial during polo matches, but today it’s just another reason to admire its ingenuity. Manual wind. No bezel. No complications. Just clean geometry and quiet authority.

If you’re in the tri-state area, one of the best analog routes around is a cruise through Bear Mountain, just north of NYC.

Route tip:

• Start in Nyack, NY

• Head west on Seven Lakes Drive through Harriman State Park

• Cross Bear Mountain Bridge into Garrison

• End in Cold Spring for coffee and a pastry at Cold Spring Cofeehouse

Tight corners, wooded stretches, and enough scenic pull-offs to admire both the view and your car’s reflection in the chrome bumper of the Hudson.

• 🎬 Watch: F1: Drive to Survive (Netflix)
  Love it or loathe it, Drive to Survive reignited global interest in Formula One—and gave viewers a behind-the-paddock look at rivalries, risk, and raw pressure. It's more drama than telemetry, but if you want to understand how modern motorsport markets itself, this is essential viewing.

• 📖 Read: The Road Rat
  Part collectible, part time capsule, this quarterly print magazine covers automotive history, design, and culture with uncommon depth. Think longform essays, gorgeous photography, and absolutely no fluff. It’s like The New Yorker—but for people who smell like 20W-50 and espresso.

• 🛠️ Explore: Classic Driver
  Equal parts auction site, magazine, and dream garage generator. Whether you’re hunting for a ‘70s Alpina or just admiring the editorial tone, Classic Driver is car culture done with taste.

Have you ever sold a car you still think about?

Send me a note and tell me what it was, why you let it go—and if you’d take it back today. I’ll share a few responses in next week’s issue.

🏁 See you next Sunday. Until then, keep it classic.

Mel’s Motor Club
Founded in memory. Fueled by passion.