A Quadrant Inside a Full Circle

The Release of the Fifth, Series Five, BMW

Rolfe Classic, Canberra Exhibition Centre, Saturday 11th October, 2003

Summoned from the spirited Series Three, and its beloved science and art,
With the presence of the Series Seven… heaven… in its mainstream muscular heart,
Instilled with a spirit inspired… at rest it seems alive,
Where aesthetics bends mathematics… as Three plus Seven... makes Five.

BMW’s new Series Five … strikes delight, just standing still,
From its classic headlight clusters… through its timeless kidney grill,
Attuned to the coupe-like “Greenhouse”… in its alloy–steel cocoon,
Equipped for its role on planet Earth, and side trips to the moon.

Born into the German Empire… on a winsome, winged regalia,
Clad in the classic colours of the coat of arms of Bavaria,
As the blades of a crude propeller track to a warming sun,
In the flare of a flickering foundry, a legend had begun.

A blueprint built around a billion thoughts… about starting out… commitment… arriving,
A marque that owns a fleet of thoughts… when our thoughts relate to driving,
Bedecked in heraldic livery, of argent and azure unfurled,
“A Quadrant Inside a Full Circle… And That Circle’s Encircled the World.”

And there, down a road less travelled, she’s parked on a headland’s rise,
You’ve walked the track… you’re coming back… and her vision fills your eyes,
More than the sum of its myriad parts… it’s a statement… complete… in the automotive arts,
A reward unique, for the ranks who strive… the empowered glory, of the Series Five.

That pure presence of emotional pleasure… that uncompromising textural feel,
The wings that serenade through the spirit, and work in the world of its wheel,
At ease by the amphitheatre… and the grand colosseums of world sports,
She’s rebellious, refined, when your tempo’s inclined… for tuxedo, tracksuit… or board shorts.

And tonight, as we troop our true colours, let’s engage with a dream realised,
To the birth of BMW’s emblem… that strident propeller… stylised,
Bedecked in heraldic livery, of argent and azure unfurled,
“A Quadrant Inside A Full Circle… And That Circle’s Encircled the World.”
 
Robert Raftery©