In 1980 a recent WMU grad traveled to San Diego in his 1969 1600 series BMW. It lasted two years in the sun until it was rear ended on I-8, permanently disabling it. As a replacement, a 1971 2002 series was purchased in late 1981 with around 105,000 miles. The car came to be known as ‘Barney' a name chosen by his future wife, who relocated to San Diego in a 1973 Camero named 'Betsy'. For a few years Barney was driven by the young couple year round. What started out as a rust free California car should have been destroyed by corrosion, but fortunately the owner had the car paraffin coated when it arrived in Michigan.

Over the years, Barney became a part of the family. There were no concrete plans to restore him, but selling him off wasn’t an option either. The car was tucked away in the garage, and spent the next 20 years waiting for the right moment, where nostalgia and love conspire with fate.

In the summer of 2011 Barney was uncovered and minimally serviced, after a spin around the block the owners decided to have it completely restored at European Auto Restoration in Fennville, Michigan. Barney's rotisserie restoration began in November 2011 and was completed two years later in October 2013. With winter approaching Barney was put into storage and picked up by his owners in May 2014, at which point he drove from Michigan to Ohio. He was put right into service transporting his owners along the pastoral roads in Ohio’s Amish country as well as the dusty paths of memory lane.