Hello all,
Admittedly, I am a bit late writing this article, but as they say . . . always late but worth the wait!
Recently, during some travels through Thailand, I had the opportunity to experience something really special. To begin, my family and I were traveling through Chiang Mai, Thailand on our way to another BMW event in Surat Thani, Thailand. We were so fortunate to have stayed at a truly unique resort hotel called the “Puripunn Hideaway“. Puripunn in Thai means “the land of sharing” and the mission of this boutique hotel is to share the generosity, culture, and beauty of both the hosts and the Thai people. Let me just say (with more to follow), that we were not disappointed.
Our taxi wound through a series of narrow roadways of the main thoroughfares of Chiang Mai when we arrived at Puripunn. This is somewhat a surprising event as this hotel is not something you would expect to see and so it completely fits with the concept of a “Hideaway” . In this court yard, there are some adjacent covered parking stalls. During the bright daylight of the afternoon, my eyes immediately caught the prominent headlight gleam of an E28 and then the sharper styling of an F10. I think I remember saying “whoa!” under my breath which caused my wife to say “what’s wrong?”. I replied, “I think I see something amazing!”
The first thing I did (completely ignoring my family and the need to tend to luggage, etc) was to walk over to the parked BMWs and begin taking in the scene. I think this probably caused my hosts to inform the hotel owner that there was “yet another BMW fanatic drooling over your cars.” This is when I first met Mr. Att Viravaidhya. “Att” as I was invited to address him, came out and greeted us with a smile and laughed when I told him that I was sorry for causing a scene. He simply replied that he would gladly show us his collection after we checked in and cooled down (it was a hot day).
Later, I caught up with Att and we shared many stories and aspects of our BMW collection. So without further ado, here’s a breakdown of Att’s fleet:
Att has clearly spent a lot of time curating his collection. The e28 picture above was originally built with a 2.0 liter M20 engine and he has swapped it with an M20B25 with a performance Schrick camshaft. He’s also resprayed the entire car, added a BBS front air dam, and overhauled the suspension with Bilstein B8 struts and H&R sport springs. Att also swapped the rear drum brakes for disk brakes, added Recaro LX seats, a Momo Gritti 14” steering wheel, and Momo shift knob.
You know, when you see the “Respect Your Elders” sticker . . . you’re not dealing with some casual owner. This guy knows what’s up.
Next up is the 2015 F10 528i:
This is a beautiful example of an F10 with a lot of very nice and tasteful upgrades.
Att’s upgrades include carbon fiber side skirts, rear valence, and front airdam. He’s also added custom staggered wheels, and Bilstein B16 PSS10 coilovers.
When I arrived at the Puripunn Hideaway, I wasn’t feeling all that great. Not terrible, but certainly not great. In the course of conversation with Att, I told him I wasn’t feeling well and he instantly asked if I needed anything. I asked if there was a local pharmacy and he immediately offered to take me there himself. When he pointed to his F10 . . . well, who am I to refuse?
I was so impressed and deeply appreciated his help and the ride was simply great. During this short trip Att began telling me about his legacy of BMW ownership. One aspect of his ownership really hit hard. Att told me that he traveled to the United States in 1995 to attend university there. Prior to leaving Thailand he owned a cherished e21 320 that his parents originally purchased new in 1979 when Att was only 8 years old.
Att completed his university education in the U.S. and traveled back to Thailand to begin his career with his wife in real estate leading to the eventual opening of the Puripunn Hideaway in 2006. Att told me that the entire time he was away in the States he wondered where his car was and if he’d ever see it again. Stranger than fiction, Att was reading a Chiang Mai automotive classified several years after returning to Thailand. Sure enough, there was his car – for sale again. The current owner had taken good care of it and Att quickly stuck an agreement to buy it back. He’s now been working to refine and tune his family’s beloved 320 with a respray (green) and a set of twin Weber 40 DCOE carburetors.
If any of you reading this have ever lost a car to life and circumstance, I think you’ll understand how finding this car again meant so much to Att. It wasn’t just about the car as it was tied to his family’s legacy in motorsport.
Att’s family has long had a love for cars and motorsport. Att’s Father owns the above MG TF Roadster. Together they worked to restore this beautiful MG to include a complete repaint.
In conclusion, I highly recommend both a trip to Thailand and therefore to Chiang Mai. The Puripunn Hideaway will be on my list of stops – not just because of the wonderful accommodations, but also because I know we’ll be with friends . . . with excellent taste in cars.
