Captain Kirk’s Earth Vehicle
But around the globe, he’s also affectionately known as Captain James T. Kirk in the wildly popular Star Trek TV and movie franchise. In that role, he is Commander of the spaceship USS Enterprise.
But for his own, private Earth-exploring vehicle, Shatner recently chose something entirely different. Last summer, flying with a friend across the United States, they talked about the many advantages of fast cars, such as freedom of movement. His friend raved so enthusiastically about his own, new X5 that, as soon as they landed in Huntsville, Alabama, Shatner went straight from the airport to the nearest BMW SAV center.
There, after test-driving an X5 4.8i SAV, he placed an order for one on the spot. With his well-developed sense of aesthetics, Shatner chose a model in Mineral Green Metallic with a Sand Beige Nevada Leather interior and Dark Bamboo Wood interior trim.
As an intergalactic explorer, he naturally wanted all the latest technology: Head-up Display, SIRIUS Satellite radio, Rear-seat entertainment, and the iPod and USB adaptor. Shatner’s fnal comment to the salesman was that he wanted to pick up the vehicle himself at the BMW Performance Center in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
Landing in Spartanburg in a private plane, Shatner, his wife and two companions were brought to the BMW Performance Center in BMW Magazine two 7 Series Sedans. There, Donnie Isley, one of the driving instructors, guided the actor and his companions through the tricks of the track. After a few minutes of instruction, they were weaving X5’s past cones, hitting the brakes, and gunning the engines like pros.
As Scotty in Star Trek would have said, Captain Kirk was “giving it all she got!” After lunch at the Performance Center, Shatner was back on the track, this time on the off-road course. There he climbed slopes so steep, all he saw was the blue sky above. At one point he had the X5 plowing through nearly two feet of water and balancing on two wheels.
Later, giving the X5 a rest, he took an M5 through its paces. Then the Shatners were introduced to their new BMW X5 4.8i in a dramatic, somewhat glamorous Hollywood-style presentation. “Wow, is this mine?” Shatner asked with a great, admiring smile. Back home in Los Angeles, the Shatners proudly take to the road at every opportunity in their X5.
Despite his persona as Captain Kirk, Shatner is actually more comfortable in an ordinary Earth-bound vehicle than a spacecraft. Entrepreneur Richard Branson has offered him a free ride on the frst launch of the VSS Enterprise, scheduled for 2008, but Shatner is somewhat hesitant. “I do want to go up – but I need guarantees that I’ll definitely come back,” he says jokingly. You, too, can receive the “star” treatment when you take delivery of your new BMW at the BMW Performance Center.
Source: BMW Magazine