Car and Driver chronicles the death of a car

Bloggers we may be, but we're still fans of good old fashioned long-form journalism – or what passes for it in this day and age. Yes, digital attention deficit disorder and the failing fortunes of print publishing have combined to largely neuter the art form, but there are still some publications willing to think high concept and go out and spend some shoe-leather on stories.

Here's a good one: Car and Driver buys a used-up car to take to the auto recyclers, then traces the derelict vehicle's progression through the process of being reduced to its elements.

The magazine's choice, a 338,000-kilometre 1993 BMW 3 Series, is a brilliant way get us emotionally involved. The E36 is one of those cars that is just so likable, a product that was head and shoulders better than anything else in its time, that we can't help but care what happens to it once it's cast into the clutches of the salvage yard.

The story is fascinating in the way it focuses our attention on things we rarely think of when we ogle sheetmetal and obsess over the performance profiles of new models. The numbers are all there too – who knew that a scrap BMW catalytic converter was worth US$250?

But enough with that, just go read it for yourself at C/D's website.

News Source: Car and Driver

Image Credit: Pej Behdarvand for Car and Driver