Straight Six December 2019 by BMW Car Club GB

Straight Six MEMBERS EDITION

DECEM BER 2019 £5

Showtime!

The Club’s display of ‘Autobahn Stormers’ woo the crowds at the NEC Classic Motor Show

PLUS: MEGUIAR’S CLEANING GOODIES TO GIVE AWAY!

BMW CAR CLUB

INSURANCE DEVELOPED BY EXPERTS FOR BMW CAR CLUB MEMBERS

BMW CAR CLUB GB ARE THE ONLY CLUB ENDORSED BY BMW UK

Bespoke arrangements for your Motor, Home and Commercial insurance needs. COVER AVAILABLE CAN INCLUDE: Ÿ Classic and Modern Car Policies

Ÿ Multi-Vehicle policies

Ÿ Limited Mileage Discounts

Ÿ Trackday Cover

Ÿ Salvage Retention

Ÿ Like for Like Cover on

Ÿ Agreed Values

modiﬁcations

Breakdown Cover

www.BMWCARCLUBINSURANCE.co.uk Call the dedicated members line on 0330 123 0197 and speak to one of the team for all your Motor, Home, and Commercial Insurance needs. This agreement has been designed specifically for BMW Car Club GB, who have become an Introducer Appointed Representative (IAR) of A-Plan Holdings. A-Plan Holdings is Authorised and Regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Registered office: 2 Des Roches Square, Witney, OX28 4LE. Registration number: 750484. To confirm our registration on the FCA website, go to www.fca.org.uk/firms/systems-reporting/register/ or by contacting the FCA on 0800 111 6768.

Formed in 1952 as The BMW Car Club of Great Britain, incorporated in1982 as THE BMW Car Club (Great Britain) Ltd. A non-profit making club owned and run by and for its members. Combined One-Make Car Club Assoociated Club of RAC Motor Sports Association Ltd. The views and statements made in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of the BMW Car Club GB Founder The Late R.J.T Hewitt President John Safe Vice Presidents Chris Wadsley, Jeff Heywood, Len Oakshett

Chairman: Jamal Blanc Board of Directors: Dave Evans Martyn Goodwin Neil McDonald Richard Stern

inside this issue

Club Office Michelle Evans Lisa Davies Anya Edwardes BMW Car Club Insurance: Henry Francis Patron Mike Wilds, The late Barrie Williams

Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show

The BMW Car Club has its final outing of the year to the Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show, where they celebrated the 30th anniversary of the E31 8 Series.

MLife: “I Have Good News and Bad News”

This month’s MLife features the part 1 article exploring Christos Spyrou’s ownership of an E30 M3 Evo ll.

Editing Team Jeff Heywood Lisa Davies Andrew Coles Cover image: Andrew Coles Advertising Display Advertising Hine Marketing 01452 730 770 nick@hinemarketing.co.uk

A Balearic Adventure

Straight Six co-editor and photographer Andrew Coles takes a BMW 116i around Mallorca’s twisty roads.

Trans-Euro Express! BMW 1M BBQ and Meet

Our 1 Series Register Captain, Anthony Mason, takes his 1M to Luxus Car Detailing’s 1M BBQ and Meet in Frankfurt.

Website advertising office@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Online classifieds - £4.95 bmwcarclubgb.uk Classifieds - £9.95 per issue Club Office 01970 267 989 office@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk BMW Car Club (GB) Ltd, Unit 5h, Glan Yr Afon, Aberystwyth, SY23 3JQ Website: www.bmwcarclubgb.uk Email: office@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Tel: 01970 267989 Office Hours: 9:00am-5:00pm - Mon-Fri Published on behalf of BMW Car Club by Hine Marketing, Hill Farm Studios, Wainlodes Lane, Bishops Norton Glos, GL2 9LN. Tel: 01452 730770 sales@hinemarketing.co.uk

Swapping Old for New Z4s

Paul Rice reviews the new Z4 from Marshall Scunthorpe.

Warren Classic Show

East Anglia members join the fun at The Warren Classic & Supercar Show!

It’s been Sensational

Silverstone welcomes the BMW Car Club Racing finale!

Contents

from the editor

37 regulars 6

Chairman’s Chat

Thoughts from the Boardroom

10 Club News 13 BMW News 16 Motorsport News 19 Products 22 Dan Norris

Welcome to the December issue of Straight Six! Where did 2019 go?! It’s been a fantastic year, soon we will be planning another 12 months of Straight Six! Our last National Event of the year was the Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show at the NEC, Birmingham. Read the feature on page 24, we had a fantastic display of the 8 Series E31, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary! This month’s MLife on page 30 features the part 1 article from Christos Spyrou, and his difficult mission is obtaining an E30 M3! Visit Germany on page 37! Anthony Mason takes his BMW 1M to the 1M BBQ and Meet at Luxus Car Detailing, Frankfurt. Eastern’s Regional Chair Paul Rice reviews the new Z4 on page 41, courtesy of Marshall Scunthorpe! On page 47, Andrew Coles explores the best driving roads of Mallorca in a 116i, whilst East Anglia members attend the Warren Classic Show on page 45. It has been a successful year for BMW Car Club Racing, which saw its finale at Silverstone. Find out the final standings on page 50! Want to help the Club? We are always looking for volunteers with knowledge in BMW models to fill our vacant registers. To find out what roles need filling or to show your interest, email lisa@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk. Part-time photographer or just love taking pictures? Send us high quality images of your BMW along with a caption to lisa@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk to be in for the chance to win FREE Meguiar’s products! Happy reading! Lisa & Jeff Straight Six editorial team.

52 Meguiar’s 54 Pirelli 56 Crossword/Social Media 57 Your Letters/Classifieds 59 Regions 71 Registers 80 Your Photos 82 Events BMW Car Club Magazine DECEMBER 2019

chairmanschat Pirelli P Zero . Custom-made performance since 1986. TM

For more than 30 years, P ZeroTM tyres have been the choice of the most prominent carmakers, for the best vehicles in the world. Today, based on this experience and on its cutting-edge technology, Pirelli launches the new P ZeroTM, the custom-made tyre for the next generation of cars, designed to draw out an even greater range of driving emotions. For custom-made performance, look no further than P ZeroTM. Discover more on Pirelli.com

The new P ZeroTM tyres are now available. The coloured limited edition version shown in the image will be available to order from September 2016, in selected sizes only.

For further- information, contact us at limitededition@pirelli.com BMW Car Club Chairman Jamalplease Blanc

After a hectic schedule last year, one could be forgiven for expecting something of a hiatus this time around, but that has hardly been the case, it is no exaggeration when I say this year has been my most challenging to date. With a number of key projects to deliver coinciding with changes within the leadership team, priority is given to tasks that if left unattended, would have the biggest impact. Straight Six is our single most valuable asset, and during an unexpected period of disruption, has flagged the need for better contingency planning. Having developed a good working relationship with Next Step Heritage, I am pleased an agreement has been reached for Automotive Journalist and Photographer Andrew Coles to join the editorial team. With the majority of our social media marketing strategy moving in-house, that leaves this dynamic new team better equipped to provide varied content and coverage of our Regional and National events. It has become obvious over the past few years that Regions and Series registers is a stretch too far for one person to manage. By splitting into two distinct areas we can be much more proactive, with Dave Evans to continue as Regions Director and Richard Stern joining the Board to lead as Series Director. His reputation preceding him, Richard needs no introduction, his work with the 02 Series register is well documented, and is looking forward to the challenge of developing this previously under-represented area. For 3years we have been debating the merits of a new Membership Management System, a lengthy process of feasibility studies, cost analysis and vetting. As reported in my previous Chairman’s Chat, implementation costs will be our single biggest investment to date, however it will be built on an industry standard platform with minimal maintenance and running costs. We have certainly reached our very own ‘blue pill red pill’ Matrix moment. With the capability to support e-commerce, event management, classifieds, member experience, valuations, parts finder, media libraries, website and content management, we are arming ourselves with the tools for future growth, alternative revenue streams, and attracting new business sponsors. Expect delivery by Q4 of 2020. The Club office has undergone some changes of its own, with long term staff

BMW Car Club Magazine DECEMBER 2019

moving onto pastures new, we are very pleased that Michelle will be leading the line, supported by Lisa Davies and Anya Edwardes. The introduction of new database will automate many of the time-consuming manual tasks, enabling us to run with three full-time members of staff. With NSH providing a dedicated resource, this will ensure staff are not spreading themselves too thin, maintaining a high level of service to the business and its members. To mitigate any employment liabilities, HR Solutions will provide the consultancy to deal with any issues that arise. With unlimited access to consultants with extensive knowledge of employment law, they are actively engaged in updating all internal policies, procedures and contracts, and affirming our commitment to ensuring staff are being treated fairly and with due care and attention. New deals have been agreed with APLAN who underpin BMW Car Club Insurance, and with Footman James, a long-term Insurance partner who has been endorsed by the Club since 2009. Our account managers Henry Francis of APLAN and Emma Dodds of Footman James are a pleasure to do business with and always make themselves available, I trust we can continue to develop the relationship for many years to come. Subscriptions is at its highest, at 4500, we held several successful regional and national events attracting strong attendances, a busy year by any measure. For the third year in a row merchandising has exceeded expectations, when we started this journey it was with a very clear set of objectives, to improve the quality, create bespoke attractive designs, reduce waste and be cost neutral. I am pleased to say we have achieved that and more and due to how well it has been received, a new theme is being launched in 2020. Discussing financial matters never makes for an easy conversation, but to budget and invest in new projects, spending has been placed on a financial diet. Everyone is being asked to be more prudent, avoid any unnecessary spend, revisit service contracts, even our commercial policies are under scrutiny, which leads me to another uncomfortable topic, subscription costs. Our subscription fee has remained the same for over 20years and is one of the lowest in the mid to premium range of endorsed clubs in the UK. The financial landscape has changed signifi-

cantly since 1999, between what it cost to run the Club then, and what it does now. Is that sufficient justification for an increase, and if so by how much? How would members feel about it and what have we done to negate an increase? The very same dilemma faced the Board of Directors 15years ago, it is still being rationalised and debated now. The hospitality at Silverstone Classic was one of the standout performances this year, with free drinks to members and donations from non-members, we not only raised money for charity, we were well prepared during the contrasting weather to handle the additional footfall. With its stable door design and spacious layout, the ‘members lounge’ truly impressed, catering to everyone looking for a comfortable place to relax and shelter from the driving rain. Despite its success, it wasn’t all pain sailing, our charity box went missing and our stand received some unwanted attention from revelers leaving the night-time festival, both of which were reported to security and the authorities. A regrettable incident we will make every effort to avoid in 2020. The most recent and final Board meeting of the year was held at the Littlebury Hotel in Bicester, when we review the past 12months and our plans for the future, such as; re-launching the Retailer Partnership scheme, hosting a Regional and Series conference, revamp the National Festival, the new MMS, green initiatives and cutting paper waste, two-tier valuation choices, mitigating liability risks, to name a few. In conclusion, I would like to thank the leadership team, office staff and members for their trust in me throughout the year. A special mention goes out to Michelle, Lisa and Anya from the office who really stepped up during a difficult transition period, and to Neil McDonald for his vision of a BMW Car Club Racing series and the entire Motorsport community. I’d also like to pay tribute to BMW UK, all our regional sponsors and partners such as Pirelli, who kindly donated their time and facilities during the year, without your generosity BMW Car Club would not function as smoothly as it does. It goes without saying that the more active and engaged our members, volunteers and sponsors are, the stronger we become, so I would encourage you to join what I believe to be a very rewarding journey. Jamal Blanc www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

thoughts from the boardroom T

Graeme Grieve, CEO BMW (UK) Ltd.

he clocks have gone back, the evenings are drawing in and there’s a distinct chill in the air on leaving the house every morning. Yes, winter is upon us. There are pressing questions to be answered – will we have snow, what will the general election bring, how long will the B-word rumble on for and how long before Christmas is it acceptable to start eating mince pies? If the prospect of a British winter of short grey days followed by chilly dark nights fills you with dread may I suggest you have a look at our new M2 CS, a veritable ray of sunshine amid the seasonal gloom. Obviously I’ve known about this particular machine for quite some time and have been bursting to talk about it. Straight-out-of-the-box the original M2 was an excellent car, the M2 Competition added to its pedigree with further enhancements and I know the M2 CS will be the ultimate pocket rocket. I have to say I absolutely love the way it looks, especially in Misano Blue, the colour really accentuates the M2 CS’s curves. The CS makes extensive use of lightweight materials with the newly designed bonnet, the front splitter and the rear spoiler all made from carbon fibre. Inside the centre console is made from the same material which offers a 50 per cent weight saving. But it’s the carbon fibre roof that I’ve really fallen in love with. Not only does it really make the look of the car, but it saves weight in a crucial area while at the same time improving the rigidity of the body. It’s amazing to think that we first made significant use of carbon

BMW Car Club Magazine DECEMBER 2019

fibre on the M3 CSL back in 2003 – we’ve learned so much about using it in manufacturing since then – and the carbon roof is now used on many of our M cars, as well as for the monocoques of both the i3 and the i8. Of course there’s far more to the M2 CS than its use of carbon. With the engine from the M4 Competition it now develops an impressive 450hp and when fitted with the optional M DCT gearbox it will accelerate from zero to 62mph in just 3.8 seconds – that really is exceptional. Along with chassis changes – the M2 CS now features Adaptive M suspension for the first time – it promises unparalleled handling dynamics, agility and precision. These attributes have long been a BMW M trademark and can also be seen in the new M8 Competition, the current flagship of the M range and available in three body styles, Coupe, Convertible and Gran Coupe. With 625hp – the most powerful M engine ever – they really are performance powerhouses with the zero

to 62mph sprint taking as little as 3.2 seconds. Now the M8 has received its first outings at the hands of the motoring media it’s most gratifying to read some of their comments. The Sunday Times suggested the M8 Competition packs “serious firepower” and is “a glorious all-rounder,” while Autocar, when testing the M8 on track, commented that it has, “imperious poise and Araldite grip to leave you thinking, every time, that you could have gone quicker.” Top Gear concluded, “The M8 is a really grand, grand tourer. It looks and operates as you’d expect of a peak BMW.” But would I choose an M8 Competition or the new M2 CS? I know it’s not a choice many prospective owners will be faced with as they’re vastly different cars, but I adore them both for very different reasons. It’s a tough decision, just like wondering when you can start tucking into the mince pies!

www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

The Ultimate Driving Machine

A STATEMENT OF STYLE. The iconic style of BMW extends well beyond our cars. From travel accessories to the latest fashion, ﬁnd what you need at your local BMW Retailer – or visit shop.bmw.co.uk

clubnews Merry Christmas from BMWCC HQ! We’d like to wish all our members a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! 2019 has been another successful year for the Club, and we cannot wait to see what 2020 has in store for us! Thank you as always to our members, and our amazing volunteers, for their support throughout the year.

The Club Office will be closing for Christmas on 23rd December, and reopening bright and early on 2nd January!

From the Editors Tickets on sale now! Join us on the 30th anniversary of Silverstone Classic! Visit www.silverstoneclassic.com to purchase your Car Club Display package. Please use discount code 2020CCD057 for a discounted price and to get your BMW on the Car Club stand. *Super Early Bird Car Club Display Packages end 31st December. Early Bird tickets will be available from 1st to 31st March. *Sales will end on 31st May 2020. After this date you will no longer be able to display your BMW on the Club stand.

Want to treat a BMW enthusiast this Christmas? Our BMW Car Club merchandise will be the perfect gift! Last guaranteed order taken Monday 16th December! 10

BMW Car Club Magazine DECEMBER 2019

Thank you for the continued support from everyone involved with our Straight Six magazine! Thank you to our regulars, our Regional Chairs and Register Captains for their monthly news, and our members for sending us interesting articles and images of their BMWs. The magazine is at the heart of the Club, so thank you all for keeping it alive! The Practical Classics Classic Car & Restoration Show, with Discovery is back for 2020! Tickets on sale now for the 27-29th March Show at the NEC, Birmingham! Club discount code: RSCC1784

Lisa & Jeff

Thank you!

Thank you to everyone at BMW Car Club for uniting against dementia and raising a fantastic £227.92 towards the Alzheimer’s Society! www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

CENTRAL

Talveer Sanghera Joshua Smith Graham Edwards Chris May Adam Heathcote

CENTRAL WEST Tanveer Hussain Zahid Chishti Philip Dunn Ashleigh Lockyer Jeremy Elwell John Parry Jayne Page

CHESHIRE & STAFFS Stephen Burcham Mike Bibby Alan Cox Michael Baskeyfield Sibi Jose COTSWOLD Michael Ostroumoff Graham Turner Mark Cowell Clive Neville

CUMBRIA

Hugo Raddon DEVON Mark Wetherall

EAST ANGLIA

Paul Smith Michael Humpheryes Alan Parnham Alan Bryant Andrew Brighman Edward Holland David Wilkinson Alan Pitt David Pennells

EASTERN

Shoaib Mahmood

Keith Johnson Philip Holmes Shaun Casey

Stuart Herriot Peter Commins

SOUTH EAST

IRELAND

Richard Spragg David Mills LONDON Thomas Roberts Adrian Brown Alex Corps Ian Benning Giles Phelps John Wise Krystyna Towalska Ewa Towalska Frank Marsh Craig Watson Patryk Majewski Milosz Zienkiewicz Gordon Fu Aston Thompson Matt Hausmann Patryk Brzezinski Kagan Rustem Lewin Martin Louis Belizaire

NORTH EAST Anne Gibson Graham Mason Dennis Warriner Mark Morris Keith Armstrong

Trevor Woolmore Jonathan Duffell Peter Schofield Anthony GarnhamWilkinson Ben Delmaestro Marc Robinson Ian Humpheryes Glenn Ball Gbemi Oshifade Matthew Stace

THAMES

Graham Wise Jay Fitzgerald

WALES - MID & SHROPS Keith Hammond

Richard Bodgers Steven Moseley Michael Reedie Derry Abbott Lee Jackson Peter Champion

SCOTLAND

Howard McLean Colin Barral Gareth Gray

5 Bicester Heritage Sunday Scramble To reserve parking* with BMW Car Club: bmwcc2020ss *BMW vehicles only.

11-12: Autosport International, NEC

February 20-23: London Classic Car Show

A new beginning: The London Classic Car Show moves to Olympia London, Kensington.

March 27-29:

Practical Classics Classic Car & Restoration Show, with Discovery, NEC Book before midnight on Thursday 26 March to save up to 12% on the on-the-door prices. Club Discount Code: RSCC1784

17-29: The Tykes Tango 2020

Tom Wales Nigel Marsh Jonathan Othen

Yorkshire’s answer to the Welsh Weekend and the Highland Fling If you would like to join us, please contact howard@bmwcarclubgb. co.uk or h@635csi.co.uk as soon as possible.

Alan Wakeley Brian Tierney Simon Jones Adrian Pearce Chris Colley Sheldrick Paul Phil Roper Neil Canty Colin Morgan Bradley Moore OVERSEAS Pierce Chung

May

Trackday Calendar 2020 Prices TBC 22 Feb:

Anglesey

9 April:

Cadwell Park

16 June: Brands Hatch (track evening)

www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

January

WESTERN

WESSEX

NORTH WEST

National Show Calendar 2020

28 Sep:

Snetterton

6 Nov:

Oulton Park

Southern Concours Held at Sherborne Castle and Gardens. For more information, email western@bmwcarclubgb. co.uk

June 5-12:

Munich Trip

Open to all BMWCC members in any BMW. For more information, or to book, please email 3series@ bmwcarclubgb.co.uk.

19-21: BMW Welsh Weekend

To book, contact Metropole Hotel direct on 01597 823 700 and quote BMW Welsh Weekender Ju

July 5:

BM’s on the Lawn

31-2 Aug*

Silverstone Classic

Western-Super-Mare beach front Lawns. For more information, email western@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Purchase online at shop. bmwcarclubgb.uk

*Provisional Dates 30th anniversary of Silverstone Classic. Club code: 2020CCD057

BMW Car Club Magazine DECEMBER 2019

MILLE MIGLIA VIP TOUR 2020 Tuesday 12 to Saturday 16 May 2020 (tbc)

The original and the best! Join TV celebrity and motoring legend Tiff Needell as we dip in and out of the epic 1,000 mile Mille Miglia on our all inclusive 5 day hosted tour. Our carefully planned programme will immerse you in the history of this classic event as you enjoy exclusive viewing and privileged hospitality at some truly memorable locations, transferring in the comfort of our chauffeured vehicles. Our boutique hotels are perfectly located and of course you’ll enjoy wonderful locations, breath-taking scenery and fabulous wining and dining throughout. We will ensure a stress free, relaxed environment for you to fully enjoy this iconic event and Italian hospitality at its very best! We look forward to meeting you in Italy!

HOSTED BY

TIFF NEEDEL

4 NIGHT VIP HOSTED PROGRAMME INCLUSIONS: With numbers limited to around 25 clients this tour is intimate, friendly and exclusive. » Arrival meet & greet with chauffeured transfers directly to your hotel » Boutique hotel accommodation including breakfast » Hosted chauffeured transfers throughout the programme » Welcome drinks reception and superb regional wining and dining included throughout » Private tour of the Mille Miglia Museum including dinner & drinks

» VIP Day in the beautiful walled city of Corinaldo.The day includes privileged access passes with viewing of the cars just feet away » Informal guided tour of Bologna’s key and hidden sights with your own guide » Private tour of select motoring museums including optional exclusive behind the scenes access to the Lamborghini Factory » Motor Passion concierge management on-site throughout the weekend with hosting by motoring legend Tiff Needell

» View all the build up in Brescia and view the cars as they pass our private balcony overlooking Lake Garda Price Per Person £2,770 For further details and a full colour proposal contact steve@motor-passion.co.uk, call 01635 31658 or visit www.motor-passion.co.uk

bmwnews BMWs M2 CS finally breaks cover… BMW has released the first photos and details on the new M2 CS, and it promises to be a stunner! In a conscious decision to keep the CSs weight down like they did with the E46 CSL, BMW engineers have opted for a carbon fibre bonnet (cuts weight by 50%), front splitter, boot spoiler and a new carbon fibre roof that hopefully helps to drop the M2 CS’s curb weight significantly (no figures were available as we went to press). The roof has also been made with a new sandwich design that not only decreases weight and lowers the car’s centre of gravity but it also increases the car’s structural rigidity. The M2 CS has been fitted with Adaptive M Suspension as standard, with new uprated ball joints and elastomeric bearings on the front and rear axles. The (standard) M Sport brakes aren’t carbon ceramic but they’re bigger than the standard M2 Competition’s, with callipers painted bright red. Carbon ceramic discs are available as a (presumably expensive) option... The 19” ‘Y-spoke’ forged wheels come with either a gloss black finish or a bright silver finish with a matt gold ‘dusting’ (as seen on the photos) which look superb. Each front wheel weighs only 9 kg (about 20 lbs) and about 10 kg (22 lbs) out back, half the weight of the M2 Competition’s wheels. The lightweight forged wheels are wrapped in ultra-sticky Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres that have specifically been designed for the BMW M2 CS. Under the bonnet lies a modified version of the same S55 engine that powers the M2 Competition, M3 and M4. That means a 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged

www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

straight six engine which produces 450hp and 550Nm of torque. According to BMWs official figures, the M2 CS can sprint from 0-60 mph in 3.8 seconds with the (optional) seven-speed DCT and 4.0 seconds with a six-speed manual. BMW have broken with tradition and their unofficial gentleman’s agreement with the likes of Mercedes Benz by allowing the M2 CS to have a higher maximum speed than the usual 155mph; the M2 CS’ maximum speed is electronically governed by the (standard) M Driver’s Package to 174mph! I can’t wait for someone to remove this limit to see what top end the M2 CS really has… When equipped with DCT, the M2 CS also gains a transmission oil cooler. Three radiators, an oil cooler, two pumps in the oil pan and an oil sump baffle are some of the mechanical upgrades on the M2 CS. Inside, the BMW M2 CS has a lightweight competition look to it, with carbon fibre door pulls, door panel trim and centre console, as well as lots of Alcantara trim and seemingly miles of contrast stitching. The cf centre console reduces weight by 50% over the standard M2 Competition’s console, saving approx 2.7 kg. There’s also a lovely looking chunky Alcantara trimmed steering wheel. For anyone that’s seen the interior of the BMW M4 CS, this looks very familiar. The M Competition seats are covered in black Merino leather and Alcantara with red stitching and feature the CS logo on the integrated headrests. Black is the only interior colour choice, with red stitching, and only four exterior colours are available: Alpine White, Black Sapphire Metallic, Hockenheim Silver Metallic and Misano Blue Metallic, as seen in the photos.

Just as we were going to press Auto Bild conducted a test at the Sachsenring with the M2 CS, which posted a best lap time of 1:34.98 which compares favourably with probably its biggest rival the Porsche 718 Cayman GTS (1:35.35). It was also quicker than a Porsche 911 Carrera S (1:35.19), a Mercedes-AMG GT S (1:35.25) and the Audi R8 V10 (1:35.64). BMW plans to build a maximum of 2,200 M2 CS models to be sold globally, starting at £75,320 (around €87,500) in the UK, which is quite a wedge for the diminutive ‘M’ coupe, but cheaper than what it will cost in Europe, with prices varying between €95-99,000 from country to country. Why BMW has adopted these price variations is anyone’s guess, but at least it falls in our favour for a change…

BMW Car Club Magazine DECEMBER 2019

bmwnews bmwnews Alpina’s stunning new B3 Saloon Alpina chose the 46th Tokyo Motor Show to launch the all new Alpina B3 Saloon - the new B3 is based on BMWs new G20 3 Series saloon and is powered by a 3-litre straight six twin-turbo engine producing 462hp and 700Nm of torque Alpina’s quoted power outputs are usually conservative so expect the car to be pushing out nearer to 500hp. 0-60mph is despatched in a scant 3.6 seconds (thanks to the traction supplied by the standard 4WD system) - top speed? 188mph....but if the power figures are conservative the B3 could touch 200mph. The B3 (and forthcoming B4 Coupe) are equipped with ZF’s widely acclaimed 8-Speed Sport-Automatic Transmission as standard. The new BMW ALPINA B3 (Saloon and Touring) is available to order from the 1st quarter of 2020 with deliveries commencing from mid-2020 at the earliest.

The new Alpina B3 boasts 4WD, 462bhp, a top speed of 188mph and is a bit of a looker to boot!

UK pricing announced for new MINI GP John Cooper Works

The new MINI GP John Cooper Works, the fastest model ever produced in the 60-year history of the brand, will be offered in the UK at a price of £33,895 OTR. The GP is currently being built at MINI Plant Oxford in a limited edition number of 3,000 vehicles, and is said to offer new standards of performance in the premium small car segment. It is powered by a four-cylinder turbocharged engine delivering 306hp, and employs individual chassis technology and aerodynamically optimized body features. The GP recently recorded a lap time of less than eight minutes at the Nürburgring. The new MINI GP John Cooper Works made its world premiere on the 22nd November at the Los Angeles Auto Show, California.

The new MINI GP John Cooper Works has lapped the Nürburgring in under 8mins…

BMW sales increase in the first nine months of 2019 During the first nine months of 2019, BMW Group delivered a total of 1,866,198 vehicles to customers (2018: 1,834,810 vehicles; +1.7%). BMW brand sales increased by 2.2% to 1,601,397 vehicles delivered to customers in the first nine months of the year (2018: 1,566,216 vehicles). During this period, sales were boosted by the BMW X3 (+74.0%) and the BMW X4 (+43.4%). With 261,024 cars sold during the first nine months, sales of MINI vehicles were slightly down year-on-year (2018: 265,935 units; -1.8%). This must be worrying for BMW as MINI sales continue to decline as customers move to battery powered electric cars in this sector, so the introduction of MINI E models can’t come quick enough for the brand. Rolls-Royce sales continue to grow strongly, with 3,777 vehicles delivered to customers worldwide in the first nine months of 2019 (2018: 2,659 units; +42.0%). Excellent sales figures for BMWs X3 and X4 have helped the company to post new sales records for the first nine months of 2019

BMW Car Club Magazine DECEMBER 2019

www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

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motorsportnews

Roving reporter Jeff Heywood

BMW fail to shine in the final DTM round at Hockenheim The final round of the DTM season played out in front of 140,000 spectators at the Hockenheim GP circuit. It has been a season to forget for the most part for the BMW teams, but they were hoping to at least go out on a high in the final two races of 2019. Qualifying 1 – The rain poured down during the first half of qualifying, then as the track started to dry it was imperative that the drivers put in their fastest lap. Audi driver and newly crowned DTM Champion Rene Rast again snatched pole, closely followed by BMW M4 driver Marco Wittmann. He was then surrounded by Audi drivers in 3rd, 4th and 5th places. Glock qualified 7th for BMW, with van der Linde 9th and Eriksson 10th in their M4s. Race 1 – Thankfully the weather was kind for the first race, a dry track allowing for an exciting lights-to-flag thriller. Rast and Wittmann enjoyed a cat-and-mouse battle all race. Wittmann undercut Rast with an early pit-stop to take the lead, but a safety car period at just the wrong time allowed Rast to pit in his Audi and then close right

up on Witmann’s M4. He then took the lead, and although Wittmann took the lead back with an audacious move, which he described as “one for the cameras”, he knew he had over-committed and Rast immediately overtook him to take the lead which he held to the chequered flag. Wittmann was a close 2nd with Audi driver Rockenfeller 3rd. Glock came home 6th for BMW, Spengler was 8th in his M4 and Eriksson 10th to round off the top 10. Qualifying 2 – Rockenfeller took pole in his Audi RS5, closely followed by teammate Mueller in 2nd spot. Glock was the quickest BMW driver in 3rd, with Eriksson 5th, Wittmann 6th and Eng 7th in a much better showing for the BMW drivers in the final qualifying round of the 2019 season. Race 2 – Unfortunately the heavens opened for the second race, which was an ominous sign for the BMW teams – Audi have dominated in the wet all season. Mueller made a quick start and settled into a comfortable lead, which he kl to the chequered flag. After his first pit-stop Jamie

Marco Wittmann has been the pick of the BMW drivers all season and he took the fight to Audi in the final race of the season at the Hockenheimring, taking 2nd place in Race 1 after a race-long battle with Audi’s Rene Rast, the newly crowned DTM Champion

Wittmann takes a bow on the Hockenheim podium after finishing 2nd in Race 1

Green led in his Audi, but only because he didn’t make a stop until near the end of the race. Mueller knew this so just sat in behind Green until he made his stop and then cruised home to victory. Rockenfeller finished 2nd with Rast 3rd for a 1-2-3 clean sweep for Audi. Best of the BMW drivers was Timo Glock, who finished 4th, with Eriksson 6th and Spengler 9th in their BMW M4s. Wittmann finished a disappointing 12th. The first season of DTM’s new turbo era ended with a clean sweep of the podium for Audi. It was an achievement which, in many ways, reflected the increased dominance of the Ingolstadt marque, which secured this year’s drivers, manufacturers and teams titles as well as a dozen of the 18 race wins. For BMW, the 2019 season will be one to forget. Their cars simply just didn’t perform in the wet. Marco Wittmann was the one BMW driver who stood out; he regularly took the fight to Audi and was rewarded with 3rd place in the drivers’ standings. They need to really step things up for the 2020 season…

Podium finish for M8 GTE at Road Atlanta

In the final round of the IMSA-Weathertech Sportscar Championship, the Motul Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta, the #25 M8 GTE of Connor De Phillippi, Tom Blomqvist and Colton Herta finished a creditable 3rd in the GTLM class after 434 laps in the Petit Le Mans race. After starting last in class due to technical issues, the #25 M8 GTE moved through the field to secure the 3rd place finish at the chequered flag. The #24 M8 GTE didn’t fare as well. After qualifying a promising 3rd, they suffered early technical issues which meant they came home 9th in class. The 2019 season has been largely disappointing for the M GTEs and BMW Team RLL, with inconsistent finishing and technical issues blighting their chances…

BMW Car Club Magazine DECEMBER 2019

The #25 M8 GTE of De Phillippi/Blomqvist and Herta enjoyed a strong, trouble free race in the Petit Le Mans race at Road Atlanta, coming home 3rd in the GTLM Class www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

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Products products Webcon DCOE Manifold for BMW M10 1.6/1.8 Webcon is pleased to introduce a new range of intake manifolds to allow fitment of the ever popular Weber DCOE performance carburettors and DCOE flange EFI throttle bodies to the 1.6 and 1.8 litre versions of the BMW M10 engine. This engine is fitted to BMW: 1600 1602 1802 E21 316 E30 316 The new manifold is available ported for both 40 and 45 DCOE carburettors.

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To complement the existing range of 56mm, 63mm and 70mm diameter mesh filters, Webcon is pleased to introduce a fourth version to suit air horns with an 80mm outside diameter. The filters have been specifically manufactured to fit the new 125mm Weber 48IDA air horns. However, they will suit any carburettor or throttle body air horn that has an 80mm bellmouth diameter. The new filters are available from stock and feature twin stainless steel layers of hexagonal mesh to protect and support a latex foam filter element inside. 9900892700 80mm Mesh filters RRP £41.15 plus VAT per pair For further details contact Webcon UK on +44 (0)1932 787100 or visit www.webcon.co.uk

M-Style/Cobra Sport Rear Diffuser and Quad-Exit Exhaust Conversion Package for BMW 420d M-Sport (F32, F33 & F36)

M-Style has teamed up with leading performance exhaust manufacturer, Cobra-Sport, to offer a unique package of a new Quad-Exit Exhaust Conversion and Rear Diffuser For the BMW 420d M-Sport. The Cobra Sport high-quality, quad tailpipe conversion is a direct replacement for the OEM system on the M-Sport Coupe, Cabriolet and Gran Coupe models once the M-Style replacement rear valance has been fitted. The upgrade exhaust conversion is manufactured from aircraft-quality T304 stainless steel. The centre and rear sections feature 2.5in (63.5mm) mandrel-bent pipework with aggressive slash-cut quad tailpipes. The M-Style rear diffuser comes with tailpipe cut outs to match the Cobra Sport exhaust and is manufactured from PU-RIM. This M4-inspired conversion will make the perfect addition to any 420d M-Sport, especially those cars that have been remapped by M-Style and are capable of impressive power and torque gains. Like all Cobra Sport exhausts, this system utilises precision TIG-welding www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

techniques for exemplary fit and finish. Should you prefer, M-Style offers a free fitting service at its Romford based workshops. The M-Style Diffuser and Cobra Sport B47 Quad Exit Exhaust Conversion Package for the BMW 420D retails at £788.70 inc. VAT M-Style Remaps for the 420d M-Sport from £245.00 inc. VAT

For further details email info@mstyle.co.uk or call 0208 598 9115 BMW Car Club Magazine DECEMBER 2019

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GAZ Adjustable Monotube Suspension for BMW E36

Through their involvement in racing, the team members at GAZ Shocks have become quite the experts in designing performance suspension for various BMW models. Now they have turned their attention to the modern-classic BMW E36 320 and 325 1992-95 and come up with a monotube design suspension. GAZ gas-charged Monotube Coilovers are far lighter than other types of coilover damper and make more use of lightweight billet aluminium parts that reduces unsprung weight. This makes them ideal for serious trackday or competition use. They also react quicker and can be used in an inverted position (as shown). GAZ Monotube Coilovers come with silicone chrome springs and the required mounting hardware. The spring platforms are adjustable to allow the ride height to be altered as required and the bump and rebound settings can be adjusted by means of a knurled collar at the top (or bottom if used inverted). Like all GAZ coilovers the monotubes carry a two year warranty for non race use. Bespoke valving and the customer’s preferred spring rates are also available. Part number for the rear is GMO-490 and they retail at £233.73 each plus VAT. For further details visit the GAZ website: www. gazshocks.com

BMW Car Club Magazine DECEMBER 2019

B-G Steering Wheel Hub Kits – BMW MINI R53/R56

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B-G Racing – Fuel Bottle Stand – ATL Bottle

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BMW Car Club Magazine DECEMBER 2019

dannorris Never mind the shooters… Introducing the Kray brothers of the M world It must be a sign of the times. Classic car buyers are more than ever looking for that elusive ‘certainty’ – future values, running costs, potential horrors. You can’t blame people – gone are the days when you’d happily take a punt on an E28 M5 at fifteen grand – you’d need upwards of fifty for the same car nowadays. And that’s a lot of cash. So, I get asked more and more where I think those certainties lie in the BMW world, and I’ve given it some thought. What I’ve come up with for today are two utterly gangsta cars from the same era – in many people’s opinion the golden age for M Power – the late eighties/early nineties purple patch. In fact, they’re more than just from the same period - think of them as brothers. The E34 M5 is one of the trickiest of BMWs. Handsome as the devil himself, luxurious, capable, and packing more punch than an amateur boxer – it ticks every box – but yet is one of the most overlooked and undervalued cars you’ll find. If you look through our cars for sale page, scroll back through nearly a decade of sales of every type of M car or classic BMW, just count the number of E34 M5 saloons we’ve had for sale. I think there are two. Now, obviously we were starved of these beauties in the UK – BMW were pretty stingy with the RHD version compared to the left-hand world – but given how cool they were – (and still are) you’d expect them to have stuck around and be changing hands for a pretty penny. But – and this is the weird

thing – not only are there hardly any good ones around, but the ones that do come up occasionally seem to be hugely undervalued. For somewhere around £25,000 – in theory – you could bag yourself a very useable and together late model 3.8 six speed. The trouble is, you’ll seriously struggle to find one – and that’s why it’s odd. Because cool car + rarity = (usually) strong values. The reason, most probably, is the running costs. They weren’t cheap to run from new. Then they went through the first expensive stage, needing EDC dampers refurbishing, fuel tanks and brake pipes – that sort of thing. The trouble is – and it pains me to say it because it shows my age – they’re getting old now, and hitting the second stage of expensive. The body starts to rot in all the difficult places (not mine, the car), trim and parts become unavailable in the mainstream, and engines start to need pricey attention. What was ‘quite a bit to run’ now needs a chunky capital injection to boot. So why on earth am I picking the E34 M5 as a ‘certainty’? Quite simply this; if you can find a genuinely good one, with good history and a good heart, when its time to part company – either in two or ten years’ time – there’ll always be a buyer. And as the world cottons on to the numbers on this one – as it inevitably will – I bet you the price goes sky high. Car number two in some ways won’t be a surprise. The M5’s little brother is actually, of course, its older brother. Fantastically the M5 looks just like an E30 that has grown up a bit, and that’s just fine with me. Two of the most perfect BMWs ever made, summing up exactly the spirit of the era – and with shed loads of go to compliment that aching charisma. It might surprise some people to know that they actually sold more

Ronnie

Reggie

BMW Car Club Magazine DECEMBER 2019

than 18,000 E30 M3s. That’s a colossal number. So why do you never see any of them except at shows? Even then, the majority of the E30 M3s you’ll see will be one of the 2200-odd special editions – so where are the 15,000+ standard cars? The truth is that again, these are now quite elderly cars – predating the M5 by nearly a decade. And although they didn’t suffer so badly from the first expensive stage – being much simpler cars – they have already passed the second stage – and not so many made it. A quick YouTube search reveals a fascinating early Top Gear piece with Quentin Wilson, checking out £6,000 E30 M3 bargains. And those were the good ones. Nobody could see the future, and the ones that escaped being slammed or stanced, tracked or crashed, mostly ended up being ragged or forgotten, or both. Criminal, really. The second expensive stage is the really scary, structural one. I’ve personally just gone through the pain of a good few thousand quid’s worth of invisible work – the worst kind because there’s no visual difference on the street – just to get through the next MOT. And what I really need is a complete restoration. But the good news is that the E30 M3 really does tick all the boxes, and that’s why it will always be a ‘certainty’. Racing pedigree (and some), already established strong values, rarity – in the UK I doubt there are 500 standard cars worth owning – superb looks and let’s be honest – it’s the greatest little grin factory on four wheels. So, if you have around fifty grand to spend and you want something that will always be worth at least what you paid, a standard E30 M3 – one that is in really good condition in all the bad places and with a proper history – is one of the safest places you’ll find. Safer than an East End boozer. It might even go up in value. Forget where the market is at this moment – sure, prices seem to have stalled, but we’re not really in Business as Usual territory, after all. As soon as we’ve recovered our dignity and put politics back in its box, people will be out there looking for cool cars, and a fair slice of certainty. The good news is, right now is a very good time to buy this type of classic. And you could do a lot worse than these two very naughty siblings.

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Feature

he weekend of 8th, 9th and 10th November saw the BMW Car Club GB once more in attendance in Hall 1 mixing in with the Premier Car Clubs in what seems to have become our regular pitch now for several years. Our theme for 2019 was “8” as we celebrated the 30th Anniversary of the E31 8 Series, and fast forward over the 30-year evolution to the latest incarnation with the F92 M8 Competition in Coupe form, kindly loaned by BMW UK. Our display was enhanced with the presence of a hospitality unit set up and manned by The Event Store, thanks to Emma for her help in facilitating this and Russell for his OCD in setting up the unit and assisting us over the three

event days. Just to dispel any rumours or misconceptions, the unit, stand and our presence at the show is entirely funded by BMW Car Club GB and not by BMW UK. Each of the display cars, kindly provided by club members and the M8 arrived during the course of Thursday 7th to be cleaned and prepared for display. It never ceases to amaze me just how much time it takes to prepare the stand and the display, this year was just about 12 hours from start to finish with the final tweaks to the electricity supply being completed just 30 minutes before the show opened to the Press at 09:00 on Friday morning. Thanks go to Dave Evans and Peter Ayres for their help in setting up the stand and display, and of course to Michelle, Lisa and Anya

for setting up and organising the club merchandise and membership sign-up packs, and for their help on both Friday and Saturday in “wo-manning” the sales desk both days. The manning of the stand over the three show days is always an important facet with much of the support coming from the band of Central West Region members always keen to help, supported also by Cotswold Region. This year our thanks go out to Brian Elliot, Peter Ayres, Mike Pope, Edward Hathaway, Dean Greenfield, Graham Brown, Lee Green, Dave Stacey, Dave Cooke, Jan Owen, Adrian Baker, Lewis Grainger, and with myself and Dave Evans providing representation from the Board. A great job done by you all so I do hope that you

LANCASTER INSURANCE

CLASSIC MOTOR SHOW 2019 Words: Martyn Goodwin Images: Andrew Coles & Anya Edwardes

BMW Car Club Magazine DECEMBER 2019

www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

Feature

all enjoyed the show as much as I did. We were never short of visitors, with Saturday being the busiest of the three days. There were times on Saturday when moving through the various halls was a serious challenge. Having the M8 on our stand was without doubt a magnet for attention, there were times when the crowds were four and five deep all around the car especially when it was started! Having the car on display with the E31s stimulated a lot of interesting discussions once the theme was understood, and so a special thanks also must go to both Paul and Debbie Blythe for Debbieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s assistance in working to provide us with the five members cars and Paul for his depth of knowledge on the E31s with answering all manner of questions that arose over the event. Thanks also to Shoaib Mahmood, Andrew Simcox, Colin Spearpoint,

www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

Graham Barrett and Debbie Blythe for providing their cars to make up the display. BMW UK were also with us for the three days this year, providing key reader facilities for any visitors on the stand, with a readable key in order to enable owners to see and understand the data and particulars of their cars that are viewed by their chosen dealership when the car goes in for any aftersales visit.

The provision of this service by BMW was independent of any franchise ties, rather than using the local dealership bias towards their own business. It gave BMW the opportunity to witness the stand activity and to provide much wanted feedback to Senior Management at Summit One, Farnborough on the success of the show, and the sense of partnership between BMW Car Club GB and BMW UK that can help to maintain

It was an honour to have the opportunity to display my vehicle on the Club stand. The stand was professionally presented with a good representation of E31s together with a stunning example of the new M8 Competition. It was pleasure to meet some fellow owners and exchange experiences. I was most impressed by how many younger people were interested in and admiring the E31. This clearly shows that it is a truly timeless classic and the opportunity to raise its profile with such a well-represented display was truly deserved. A really big thank you to Martyn and his team for organising the stand and to Debbie for organising the vehicles. Graham Barrett, Orient Blue 850CSi

BMW Car Club Magazine DECEMBER 2019

Feature

the relationship and collaboration where it is mutually beneficial. It was also great to see and share with Dan Wood his experience of having his Concours Winning E39 540i AC Schnitzer on the Meguiar’s Club Showcase Stand. Well done Dan for being there and even though you didn’t win, you will always be our winner, and a much deserved box checked off on your bucket list! The Classic Motor Show at the NEC is for me one of the highlights of the year, and while it is an extremely hard few days, I am already looking forward to planning 2020 even though the theme is not yet decided. Make sure that you mark your calendars for 6th, 7th and 8th November 2020!

BMW Car Club Magazine DECEMBER 2019

It was back in February that I answered the call for volunteers to show their E31s at the NEC show in November. I was nervous - I’d never shown a car at a prestigious event nor ever been to the NEC. I was very conscious that my car was not a ‘concours cruiser’, just a very normal 1992 850i which normally lives outside and which I’ve had for a shade over two years. But just like an expectant first-time father, nine months later I wondered what the fuss had been about. Yes, of course there had been some hard work (and expense) in making the car ready for the show but that was more than compensated by the genuine warmth and interest shown by enthusiastic and universally appreciative members of the public. Add to that the chance to talk to other 8 Series owners for a whole weekend and the fact that the BMW Car Club provided quite possibly the best seating area of any of the show stands made for a rewarding and memorable weekend. Would I go again? Maybe, I’ve yet to recover my legs from walking around a tremendously packed exhibition but ask me again when the 8 Series celebrates 50 years! Colin Spearpoint, Mauritius Blue 850i

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Feature

Another successful NEC Classic for BMW Car Club Words: Andrew Coles

Déjà Vu is the slightly uneasy feeling that ‘one has lived through the present situation before’, to quote the Oxford English. And as I parked up in a far-flung carpark at Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre, I had a striking onset of the condition. It’s freezing cold and raining, but if I take a jacket for the 15-minute walk to the indoor halls, I’ll be stuck carrying it around all day once in the warmth. I remember this exact dilemma last year - a chilly walk to the halls it is. Yes, the season isn’t officially over until the NEC Classic Motor Show rolls around, and no matter how many times you go, it’s always brilliant being involved in the Nation’s biggest classic car show. You’ve seen a lot of it before but there’s always the lurking oddities, and it’s these unexpected surprises that keep us coming back year after year. And what was the surprise of 2019? The miniscule display of microcars from the Peel Owners Club – everyone knows of the Peel that Clarkson famously drove through the corridors of the BBC offices during the Top Gear heyday, but did you know that Peel produced an entire range of microcars? Me neither. Slightly less obscure but no less impressive was our BMW Car Club stand in the premium Hall One. We chose to use our space to celebrate 30 years of the sleek E31 8 Series, and we had five of the models on display – a pair of the automatic V8 840Ci, a pair of the spectacularly rare manual V12-powered 850CSi, and an 850i auto. It was a great example that really showed the power of what the club movement can achieve – outside of our own

E31 Register, when did you last see four immaculate 8 Series in one place? It was certainly a surprise for many of the 71,000 attendees. Acting as centrepiece was the brand new 2020 M8 Competition, bookending the history of the 8 Series badge. The M8 Competition was only unveiled to the world a month earlier, and having the car on our stand at the NEC Classic marked the first time the vehicle had been publicly seen in the UK. Resplendent in Black Sapphire Metallic with high-gloss black accents and a spectacularly contrasting Sakhir Orange leather interior, several of the office staff spent many a moment plotting their escape with it. It’s like a treasure hunt, walking the many halls of the NEC Classic. BMWs dotted here and there, what will you find? Member Dan Wood’s AC Schnitzer E39 540i starring in the Meguiar’s Club Showcase concours competition. A cute little Isetta up for grabs in the auction, and the DTM-inspired E30 build from Goblin Works Garage. One of the Citroén clubs even had a BMW GS powered 2CV ute – keep an eye on the club social channels for more on that one. As a place to spend a cold and wintery day rummaging through the auto jumble, catching up with friends and musing as to why someone, somewhere would go to that much effort preserving a Mk2 Nissan Micra (yet you feel strangely thankful that they did), there’s nothing quite like the NEC. Déjà Vu indeed, and we’ll see you in 2020!

What a great show! An amazing display of motor cars, and enormous interest in the BMW Car Club stand with its focus on the original 8 Series E31 model, juxtaposed with a brand new M8 Competition vehicle fresh out of the box. If you’ve never been to this show before (I hadn’t), make it the first entry in your 2020 diary! Andrew Simcox, Hellrot 850CSi

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BMW Car Club Magazine DECEMBER 2019

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It was a fantastic event, brilliantly organised displaying some works of art. This is my first car show and I am really grateful to have met the other owners and members, including Debbie and Paul Blythe who run the E31 Register, and Martyn Goodwin who organised the BMW Car Club stand. A brilliant group of people with a love and passion for cars.

We were very pleased when Martyn Goodwin contacted us back in February to say they wanted to feature the E31 8 Series on the stand at the NEC show due to it being the 30th anniversary of the model. Although it took a little organising to get 5 owners to give up their cars, time and absorb the cost of doing so, it was an honour for all of us to represent the club at such a prestigious event. The stand looked really professional and although we may be biased, probably the best club stand at the show. We attracted hundreds of interested and appreciative visitors and spoke to many E31 owners, potential owners and other enthusiastic and passionate car lovers. We also had the Set Manager from EastEnders come to us as the show currently features a V12 E31 but it has an engine problem. The person had the mechanic on his phone and Paul was able to offer some suggestions about possible causes and fixes. This is the first time we had been to such a large car show and it will definitely not be our last, such a brilliant event and full of people really passionate about their cars, whether it was an Austin Allegro or a Rolls Royce. So thank you again BMW Car Club GB for allowing us the pleasure of exhibiting at the show. Paul and Debbie Blythe, Hellrot 840Ci

Shoaib Mahmood, Arctic Silver 840Ci

BMW Car Club Magazine DECEMBER 2019

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Saturday 7th December

My life with an E30 M3 Evo II – Part 1: A German Fraulein

My abiding love affair with all things BMW began with my first ride in a BMW. In 1975 a friend of my father’s brought around his new car, an Arktisblau E3 3.0 Si. Distinct and superior do not always require knowledge or experience to be recognised; one simply ‘knew’ this make/car was superior. Up until that moment, I was unacquainted with BMW; but thereafter, I would be in love with the Bavarian marque.

“I HAVE GOOD NEWS AND BAD NEWS” Words Christos Spyrou/Jeff Heywood – Photos Christos Spyrou

BMW Car Club Magazine DECEMBER 2019

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began my driving lessons dreaming of owning a new 2002tii in Verona Red. Unfortunately, by the time I passed my driving test, the 2002 had ceased to be in production, and so I bought a Jupiter Red Ford Capri 2.0S. The love affair however would not diminish, and I began saving. 1981 arrived and I became a bona fide BMW family member with the purchase of my first ‘BM’, a new E21 Alpina C1 in black with silver livery, which I ordered from Centrauto in Antwerp. Cars were cheaper than their UK equivalents when personally imported from mainland Europe back in the early 80s. With the release of the first photos of the newly announced E30 M3, my prized C1 ‘aged’ abruptly overnight; it was time for an upgrade. A call to Centrauto BMW Antwerp revealed the M3 couldn’t be ordered in

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right-hand drive (born with Erb’s Palsy, I physically can’t use my right arm/hand to change gears on a left-hand drive car), therefore I decided to hold onto my C1 a little longer in the hope BMW would have a change of heart for any future E30 M3s. August 1988 arrived, and without any announcement or indication that BMW was even considering a right-hand drive version of the M3, I opted to move away from Munchen to Stuttgart and ordered a Porsche 911 Carrera, with the new G50 gearbox. Driving to the Porsche dealer with the deposit cheque burning a hole in my pocket, I stopped off to buy a pack of cigarettes (I have since quit!). Whilst waiting in the long line of customers to be served, I looked up at the magazine rack and instinctively picked up a copy of Car magazine simply to while away the waiting. Opening Car at a random page,

the first thing that caught my eye was an advertisement by a Huddersfield outfit offering right-hand drive conversions for the E30 M3. Rather than continuing to the Porsche dealership, I made the decision to return home (this was prePCs or smartphones), and to call the number on the page. Within 90 minutes or so of that call, I found myself outside the premises of Autobahn Motors in Huddersfield looking at, or to be more precise, drooling over, an array of motoring exotica all in various stages of being converted to right-hand drive; a brace of Ferraris, a Porsche 911 and a trio of M3s. However, I could not help but notice one of the M3s was somewhat dissimilar to its two siblings. That beautiful white engine cam and plenum chamber with the M tricolour scheme; how it sat a little more ominously than the

BMW Car Club Magazine DECEMBER 2019

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My beautiful Misano Red E30 M3 Evo II sits centre-stage in the showroom of BMW Specialist Cars Tring in 1988

two others beside it; that front spoiler, that check cloth interior… I HAD to have one! Informed the Macau Blue M3 I was drooling over was one of only 500 Evo II models (I was wholly unaware BMW had released limited Evo I and Evo II models), I asked if this particular one was for sale, only to be informed it was being converted for shipment to a New Zealand owner. With the relatively stress-free part of discovering someone to convert an M3, I was still faced with the even more problematic challenge; that of sourcing one! On the return journey home a visit to my local BMW dealer at Southport as well as two other dealers elicited the same negative reply: “All UK Evos have been allocated, but we can order you a ‘regular’ M3”. I did not want a

‘regular’ M3; my heart, psyche and soul had fallen in love with the Evo II version. Disheartened, I returned home to call my friend Mr Bridts at Centrauto in Antwerp, only to hear once again: ”Sorry, but all M3 Evo II’s have been sold, we can’t order one for you”. Never one to accept defeat so easily, I ventured outside to the C1. Opening the glove compartment I picked up the BMW owners service booklet. At the rear was a complete alphabetical listing of all European BMW dealers. A number of calls to various UK dealers drew a blank… a number of calls to Belgian BMW dealers also resulted in “Sorry, but all M3 Evo II’s have been sold, we can’t order one”. It quickly became evident this quest was beginning to prove just a little more problematic than locating the proverbial unicorn horn. Turning the

The drive home from Autobahn Motors following the RHD conversion in my new M3 was epic. Here she is, parked outside the family home, her Misano Red paintwork ‘glowing’

BMW Car Club Magazine DECEMBER 2019

pages to the list of German dealers I began at the letter A, and Aachen. I lost count of the number of calls I made, all with the standard “sorry, but all M3 Evo II’s have been allocated, we can’t order you one”. But I was damned if I was to allow something so trivial as “sorry, all M3 Evo II’s have been sold” to prevent me from owning a new one. Numerous cups of tea and cigarettes later, I can’t recall the name of the BMW Munchen dealership nor the name of the young Fräulein acting as interpreter to the salesperson, but again I was informed: “Sorry, but all M3 Evo II’s have been sold, we can’t order you one”. Listening to my story about my unsuccessful marathon quest, and I guess sensing the huge disappointment in my voice, and possibly as a last avenue to help me in my fruitless quest, the young Fräulein quickly added: “I do have an idea; my fiancé works for BMW Motorsport, he is in Italy, I will call him and phone you back.” Within the hour, the phone rang: “Hello, I have spoken with my fiancé; I have good news and bad news.” (Why is there always bad news with the good?) Hearing this, the heartbeat immediately surged like a screaming S14 at 7200rpm; what should I ask for first, the good, or the bad? Should I ask for the bad first and hear, “sorry, but all M3 Evos have been sold, but....” or should I ask for the good news first with a certain “I found an M3 Evo, but....” “What is the good news?” “The good news is there are at this moment three Evo II’s, one each of the three colours at a press launch in Italy, and my fiancé says one is available.” My heartbeat now redlined! However, that “but...” had yet to be uttered. “So what is the bad news?” I cautiously enquired. “The bad news is you have no choice of colour.

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This is partly what all the fuss is about in the Evo’s engine bay; the Evo II’s ‘M Power’ painted cam cover was automotive art when the Evo II was launched back in the 80s and is still widely drooled over to this day!

The plenum chamber is also painted in the same M Power colour scheme as the cam cover…

Only the Misano Red car is available and you can’t choose any factory options.” My heartbeat was now beating at 9000rpm… relief! Since before I can remember, I have been a Liverpool FC fan (hmm, Ed)… and Misano Red would have been the colour of choice had I had to choose one from Macau Blue or Nagoro Silver. “I have the details of the UK BMW Dealer that has been allocated the car.” Wow… an official UK car with an MPH speedo… someone up there not only likes me, they must love me! Within five minutes of the call to Germany concluding, I was speaking with the sales manager at BMW Specialist Cars Tring, and ten days or so later I found myself face to face with the sales manager signing on the dotted line. Within six weeks the RHD conversion had been completed, together with retrofitting an OEM Air Conditioning system. With the addition www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

of a Becker Mexico Radio/Cassette and a Sony CDXA20 autochanger in the boot, connected to a Sony RMX2 remote control with its gorgeous swan neck holder, all firing through JBL speakers via Alpine amps; it all looked as though the car left the factory with these options as OEM. The only aftermarket trinket I added was a Racing Dynamics front strut brace. A proud and overjoyed owner was finally driving a stunningly beautiful righthand drive BMW M3 Evo II back down the M62 from Huddersfield to its new home; I swear, it appeared that everyone was staring at me as I sped by. It was almost immediately after my purchase that I began acting very strange; trivial, innocuous things. Consuming my food faster than usual. Visits to the pub with friends became more infrequent. I rarely watched TV. More and more I was to be found inside the garage simply standing and watching. Popping the bonnet I would

gaze trance-like at the unblemished engine. I don’t wish to imply I suffer from any form of M3 perversions or predilections; but I genuinely was excited by the image before me… I used her only during the short British spring/summer months and only when the forecast was for dry weather. After enjoying a number of track days at Silverstone, Cadwell Park, Oulton Park and Knockhill, the sight of a driver losing his M5 on the Gooseneck at Cadwell Park caused me to re-evaluate my track day participation. Witnessing the accident affected a reassessment: do I keep the Evo in the UK, and that permanent temptation to attend more track days and push just a little more was never going to wane; so, remove the temptation, remove the danger. Therefore, in late 1990 I decided it was much safer and healthier for the Evo to be temporarily rehoused in Cyprus away from the immediate lure of track days, and to simply enjoy her whenever I visited my parents. There was another motive for the decision - the climate in Cyprus is perfect for the preservation of cars, so long as their exposure to the unforgiving Mediterranean sun is kept to a minimum. Plus, the absence of snow, ice and frost resulting in salt free roads equals rust free cars. There are no heavy manufacturing industries, meaning zero air pollution and the effects of acid rain. On closer analysis, it was a win-win decision. However, the decision to rehome her would result in a modern automotive Greek tragedy; little was I to foresee Eris had other plans for my little red Fräulein, and Aphrodite would refuse to intervene in the discord. Arriving at Limassol, the customs official enquired whether the car was to be a permanent or a temporary ‘visitor’ import. Prior to 2004 when Cyprus obtained full EU status, permanently importing and registering expensive/ large capacity vehicles was a costly undertaking. Import tax of 150% was not uncommon. The only disadvantage to a temporary ‘visitor’ import is that the vehicle can only be used for a limited number of days within any 365 days. Should this strictly enforced maximum be ignored in any calendar year, the options were either to register and pay the import duty (£65,000 in the case of the Evo), or export the car. The only other condition to a temporary ‘visitor’ importation is the vehicle must be kept in a government registered bonded customs facility whenever the owner is abroad. Thus, Evo II 258/500 spent its days between September 1990 and March 2004 safely tucked away in the basement of Fairways Bonded Warehouse in Larnaka, whenever I returned to the UK. BMW Car Club Magazine DECEMBER 2019

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This photo was taken in the Swiss Alps; I enjoyed an amazing drive through Europe in my M3, heading in the direction of Brindisi, Italy, where I caught a ferry to Greece and then another on to Cyprus where my car was being placed in storage. The UK reg Mercedes 190E 2.3-16 was owned by another British-Cypriot I met en-route – we enjoyed a memorable duel through the Alps…

The Cypriot importation law meant high-end cars were a rarity on her roads. I quickly learned owning a rare car, especially a BMW (prior to 2004 Mercedes were the lower tier German marque on account that a taxi was more often than not a Mercedes!), opened up many doors and offered up exclusive treatment throughout the island. In early September 1992, I popped over to visit my parents. In the period prior to 2005 (when car import tax was abolished), the Cypriot roads were a truly glorious experience to drive on, simply because there were so few cars. With the approaching weekend, I decided to head off into the Troodos Mountains to enjoy the car and open up her nostrils on those fabulous snaking roads, as well as to escape the autumnal coastal heat. Tossing a change of clothing and a hammock into the Evo we set off. Thursday night I slept in the hammock strung between two trees. Friday morning I set off towards the village of Platres where I had a reservation at The Forest Park Hotel. First, however, there was the small necessity to stop off for brunch. At the village of Foini we came across a very appealing restaurant. Parking the Evo outside, I entered. Other than two women sitting at a table, the restaurant was empty. Seconds later, the 40 something owner entered from the kitchen and before I could ask for a table, I was informed: “Sorry, I’m closing.” With that I asked if he could direct me to another nearby eatery. Accompanying me to the door in order to offer directions, he noticed the car. “Ah manna mou*,” he uttered, “’Eine koukla (she’s a doll). Does she belong to you? Is she a real M3?” (He was aware M3s were available only in lefthand drive). “Yes, she’s mine and yes she’s a real M3 which I had converted to right-hand drive.” He asked if he could

BMW Car Club Magazine DECEMBER 2019

take a closer look. Unlocking the car, the restaurant owner sat in the driver’s seat and kept repeating over and over...”Mana mou, mana mou, mana mou.” Upon popping open the bonnet, the guy lost it...”Ah gamo to!! (Oh f**k!)”, he uttered, gazing onto that S14 in her Evo II guise. “Are you very hungry?” he enquired. “Well yes, I have been driving for hours and breakfast was a few grapes and an apple.” “Do you like fish?” he asked. “Yes, I do as a matter of fact.” “You can have mine which I have just prepared.” And with that, I’m being shown to a table. The fish arrives accompanied by a cold KEO beer. “Listen, I need to go and show these women an apartment they wish to rent. Here are the keys to the restaurant, help yourself to any more beer or drinks and leave the keys next door.” “What about payment?” I asked. “Oh, just leave whatever you want on the counter before leaving.” “Are you certain, you don’t know me?” I protested. “You’re the owner of that beautiful BMW M3, I know I can trust

you.” With that, he placed the keys on the table and left me alone to finish my (his) lunch. * In the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy there’s a word in the local dialect. The word is Countach, pronounced, roughly, coon-tahshe — it’s usually said to translate to “Cor/ Wow!” In the Greek Cypriot dialect there’s a phrase which also roughly translates as “Wow”, pronounced A-mann-a-mou. The literal translation being “Oh, mother of mine”. Whenever and wherever the Evo stopped for people to walk around or especially whenever the bonnet was popped open, this phrase magically carried on the air. Entering through the large archway, one drives a minute or so before reaching the front of The Forest Park Hotel. At the end of the driveway, there’s a small roundabout in the design of a fountain. Making the turn to sweep right at the fountain, I found to my surprise a row of empty parking spots. Taking one at random, I began to collect my belongings prior to switching off the

My M3 made it to Cyprus all in one piece and looked fabulous in the Mediterranean sun… here I stopped for a photo at the birthplace of Aphrodite, overlooking the Med in the background – life was good… www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

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I enjoyed many a memorable drive in my M3 on my frequent visits to Cyprus. Here my car is parked against a wall at the Ancient Stadium at Curium, built by the Achaeans, who built a new Kingdom at Curium after their sacking of Troy…

engine. I did not notice the chap in black trousers, white starched shirt and black tie until he stood next to the driver’s window, tapping gently (I had a dark tint on the Evo’s glass). I lowered the glass a few inches and he spoke: “You can’t park here. Park over there!” as he pointed to the parking area to the right. Perhaps it was the tone of the delivery of the request I found impolite or perhaps I assumed he simply did not like ‘foreigners’ (my M3 still had its UK licence plates). The first words, albeit somewhat sarcastically, out of my mouth were, “Why, are you expecting the President?” “Actually Sir, that is exactly who we’re expecting to arrive any moment.” My immediate assumption was this guy is simply ‘outsarcasting’ my sarcasm; until I looked closely and realised he was not joking! “In that case, who am I to deny The President his parking spot?” Once the Evo had been re-parked I gathered my luggage, entered the hotel, signed in and immediately went to my room to chill, shower and dress for dinner. Other than an older couple, I was the only other diner in the restaurant. I did, however, notice a number of military looking guys strategically placed around the hotel foyer and restaurant. It was during the first course I heard a hubbub and looking up I see President Vasilliou, his wife and whom I assume to be, the hotel owner offering that personal touch. Walking past my table towards theirs. President Vasillou smiled and said, “Good evening.’’ Dinner over, I patiently waited for my coffee to arrive. Fifteen minutes and no sign of a coffee arriving, I motioned the maître d’hôtel and informed him I shall take my coffee www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

in the foyer in approximately 20 minutes. Immediately leaving the hotel and strolling down to the main entrance, I am aware of two of the military types following close behind. Stopping to enjoy a Camel cigarette, I instinctively gaze up at the pristine Cypriot night sky (for all my shortcomings, I’m an avid amateur astronomer), and from behind I hear, “What the hell is he looking at?” “I have no idea,” replied the other. “Is this the pezevengi (pimp) who owns that red BMW with the foreign plates?” Pretending not to see or hear them, I return to the hotel for my coffee. Taking a seat at one of the tables in the foyer, the coffee eventfully arrives. Within seconds, one of the military types approached, and introducing himself as Andreas proceeded with: “I’m sorry Mr Spyrou (he obviously checked my details), for the misunderstanding in the restaurant earlier regarding your coffee not arriving; the maître d’hôtel mistook you to be one of the Presidential bodyguards.” We begin chatting and he learns I’m a native Cypriot from the UK taking a short weekend break in the Troodos region. “I see you’re the owner of that beautiful red BMW M3 with the UK plates. She must be a fantastic drive?” “Yes, she is, especially on these mountain roads.” I reply. “I’m planning on importing an E30 320i from England in the near future, but they are very expensive here in Cyprus...” The next few minutes were taken up with Andreas asking: “How much did your car cost? How much for the right-hand drive conversion? How fast have you driven her? How does she handle?” I then took him completely by surprise - “Do you wish to drive her?” - “Are you serious?”

Andreas asks. “I’ll pop up to my room and bring down the keys. Might I suggest that in order to enjoy her better, you take her out early morning when there is little traffic on the roads.” After breakfast, Andreas returns the keys with a huge grin across his face. “Thank you Christo, that was a dream. All of my colleagues are envious of me.” He reaches into his pocket and presents a card. “I would like to give you my card and my contact details. If ever you are stopped by a police officer, call me!” Minutes later I’m pushing the Evo along those glorious mountain roads, and a moment of clarity reveals itself: I wonder if Andreas will ‘allow’ me to tag along with the President’s cavalcade when it returns to the Presidential Palace; the roads must be closed off as the cavalcade returns to Lefkosia. Returning to the hotel I seek out Andreas. “Are you returning via Limassol or Kakkopetria to Lefkosia?” I ask. He looks at me and I detect a knowing smile. “For security reasons I can’t tell you,” he answers. “I understand; but can I follow you whilst the roads are closed?” The smile broke into light laughter. “Friend, this is a free country, I can’t stop you driving behind us; I’ll see what I can do.” A few moments later and I learn I can follow behind the last motorcycle. Later that evening, the incongruous sight of a Misano Red BMW M3 Evo II, blinking hazard lights, following a line of black BMW 750iLs with their blue light flashing and motorcycle outriders driving from Platres to Limassol, and then the highway towards Lefkosia – life was good… Part 2 follows next month as Christo’s dream life with his Cypriotbased M3 comes crashing down…

BMW Car Club Magazine DECEMBER 2019

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don’t actually own a BMW but I still count myself a BMW enthusiast. It’s not that I don’t want to own one, it’s just that circumstance right now prevents me from owning an enthusiast car the way I’d want to. We live in a part of the country that essentially precludes me from having a workshop space, and if I can’t have a warm and dry space to keep, maintain and modify the kind of BMW I’d want to own, then I’d rather wait. Working on a car, even a BMW, on a damp driveway in the cold just isn’t my idea of a leisure activity. I don’t think I could sit by and watch a car I love slowly

deteriorate because of outdoor storage, and even off-site storage doesn’t quite cut it for me. Half the buzz of having a nice car is seeing it in your home garage, being able to walk out with a coffee on a Saturday morning and spend 20 minutes staring at it, pondering future plans and adventures. But not owning a fun car doesn’t preclude me from enjoying them. There are a lot of hidden, very dull expenses in owning an enthusiast car. Insurance, road tax, repairs, tyres and a place to keep it all adds up, and there really are methods for reinvesting that same budget in more exciting ways. Chief

among them is the European road trip, and there are few things that give me more of a thrill than walking out the door of a rental car office in a place I’ve never visited, keys in one hand, road map in the other. It happened the other week on a certain Spanish island, and I was keen to hunt out some new driving roads. ‘Why don’t we go to Mallorca? It’s not as bad as you think it is…’ I could see exactly what my girlfriend was trying to do when suggesting a late summer island break. I have a canny knack of bending most of our holidays into something automotive themed, be it a driving holiday, attendance at an event

A BALEARIC ADVENTURE The most humble BMW possible meets the twisting roads of Mallorca Words and photos by Andrew Coles

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BMW Car Club Magazine DECEMBER 2019

Feature or a visit to a museum. Earlier in the year at Easter time in France, our rural Airbnb just happened to be less than an hour from where the Tour Auto rally was passing by. Funny that. Yes, Mallorca has a bit of a reputation as a ‘Brits aboard’ party destination. But what my girlfriend wasn’t counting on is that as a keen cyclist, I knew that Mallorca is home to some of the best riding in Europe. And ever since watching Henry Catchpole’s brilliant YouTube film for Evo on driving the road to Cap de Formentor at dawn, I’d been desperate to visit. We needed a rental car, so I booked us a ‘BMW 1 Series or similar’ and that was that. Another

BMW Car Club Magazine DECEMBER 2019

automotive holiday in the making… A few weeks later, signing the forms at Europcar’s Palma Mallorca Airport outlet, a wry grin crept across my face when our ‘1 Series or similar’ turned out to be exactly that. Now don’t get me wrong, a 116i isn’t quite what would keep you awake at night. But if a rental agency clerk hands you the keys to a manual, petrol engined, rear-wheel drive BMW and you can’t find a way for that to be fun, the problem isn’t with the car. We’d booked accommodation in Cala Ratjada, and if I’m perfectly honest, those first few hours in Mallorca were a slight disappointment. The landscape was largely flat, the drive from the airport across the island on the Ma-15 which slices north-east was featureless, the 116i was proving to be doughy and dull and the town of Cala Ratjada was the exact package holiday

tourist trap I was hoping to avoid. Not off to a good start. Later that evening, things began to turn around with dinner at Es Coll d’ Os, a haven for local Mallorcan dining. In between all of the high-rise holiday apartments and the stumbling gents on stag weekends, down a small side road there sits an oasis in the desert, a familyrun restaurant set in the original stone estate building that they’ve owned since 1526. There’s no menu as such, just a fixed price charge and the promise of four courses sourced from the family’s nearby farm. We’d been lucky to even get a reservation at such short notice, and it immediately proved the turning point of our trip. Since this was my first visit to the largest Balearic island, I was yet to learn a crucial lesson: there are two Mallorcas. The first is the party destination, rows of faceless white apartments, overpriced and poorly made cocktails, endless racks of single-use plastic inflatable beach

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Feature equipment and DJ Snake tracks getting lost in the distortion of cheap nightclub speakers. The second Majorca is harder to find, but it certainly exists. It can be found in the mountains, it’s a secret beach at the end of a dusty trail, some long-forgotten Roman ruins or a familyrun restaurant. Es Coll d’ Os was the tip of the iceberg, and that little 116i was our key to discovering it all. The key to the 116i, I learnt, was the Sport button. It doesn’t turn the car into an E46 CSL, but it noticeably sharpens the steering and throttle response to a point where it becomes fun. And hot-damn, was the little 116 about to get a workout. Freshly caffeinated at the cyclingthemed Sa Ruta Verda in Caimari, we enacted the rental-car race harness procedure (a sharp click of the belt to engage the pretension mechanism and then one notch forward on the seat slider to pull it tight across your shoulder) and departed for the spectacular Ma-2130 toward the monastery at Lluc. The road maps here look like you’ve asked a threeyear old to draw a road – barely a straight for ten miles and endless switchbacks as

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the road ascends a craggy rockface. At Escorca, now on the Ma-10, the road flows as we dip and dive across the ridgeline, the impeccably smooth and narrow road providing an endless challenge as we stoke the little 116 on, diligently trying to maintain what little speed we have, rowing constantly between second and third gears, fourth if we’re lucky. Only a layby with an expansive view over ragged cliffs and out to the Mediterranean causes us to momentarily pause. We stop for tapas at Ca’N Topa at the summit of the Col de Soller, a road that bears more in common with a Swiss pass except for its proximity to some of the best beaches in Europe. We’d come to Mallorca in search of warmth and we’d found it, and we spent the stop hunting the web for the best hidden beach to while away the afternoon on. Setting the destination into Google Maps revealed that one just happened to be located at the end of another hour’s worth of sensational driving roads, right through the Tramuntana Mountains on the island’s west coast. Everyone has their idea of heaven on earth, but for me, it’s a little shingle beach

called Cala Deia. Surrounded on all sides by rugged cliffs, its tepid waters shine brilliant blues and greens in the sun. Snorkelers explore hidden rockpools, teenagers dare each other to jump from the cliffs into the water and bronzed locals look on from the two restaurants, which are built into the rock, as they eat paella and sip vino blanco, conversing animatedly.

BMW Car Club Magazine DECEMBER 2019

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We luck upon a beachside table at the shabby chic Restaurante Ca’n Lluc, and order ourselves some vino blanco, which is far better than a two-euro glass of wine has any right to be. And it’s here, the keys to the panting 116 sitting on the table next to my prized Nikkormat 35mm camera, that it all begins to make sense. Of course, nobody would argue that a rental BMW 116i shouldn’t kneel in deference to the famous BMW performance cars, and given roads like we’ve just had, it’s far from the perfect tool for the job. But I think people tend to gloss over the negative aspects of enthusiast car ownership, and for me, you can’t separate these from the total ownership experience. For every moment of sheer

BMW Car Club Magazine DECEMBER 2019

bliss in finding the rev limiter in an E46 M3, there’s ten spent worrying about VANOS failure or subframe repair. For every half hour of track time in an M2, there’s three hours spent calculating finance payments or worrying about depreciation. And for every day of sunny weekend motoring in a 2002, there’s at least one other in the garage welding up rust or getting your hands covered in Waxoyl. This can be fun, too, but you’ve just got to make sure that you’re comfortable with the entire experience as a whole. We finished our wines, found a spot on the beach and floated about in the water for a few hours. The next day we got up before dawn and drove out to the famous Cap de Formentor for sunrise. The road is choked with tour busses during the day and its most remote two-thirds are closed to cars after 10am, but as the sky turned

intense shades of purples and deep blues before the fiery sun popped up from its ocean horizon, we had the famous deadend access road to ourselves. Windows down, some soft music in the background, and a manual, rear-wheel drive BMW on a world-famous driving road. One day I’ll have that garage space, and I’ll have a BMW of my own that I love and adore and obsessively fuss over. But right now, in current circumstances, this is plenty for me. And at the end of the trip, the keys are handed back and that’s where it ends. No worrying about insurance, about stone chips or depreciation. It’s a different way of pursuing a passion for BMW, but no less valid. Waiting at the airport to fly home, I jump online and it seems Avis have a sale on weekend 4 Series rentals in January. I’m sure the Austrian Alps make for exciting driving in winter…

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’ve always believed cars become part of the family, and this summer has extended my family quite considerably. When I was young my parents used to pack up the family Cortina estate and we would drive down to France or around the UK for our summer holidays. The sound of Paul Simon’s Graceland playing on a bootleg tape on the stereo guided us as a family relentlessly through the miles, late into the night; normally my sister and I would fall asleep in our makeshift beds made on top of the luggage. Happy times, and what lovely trips… Earlier this year I came across a

1M meet taking place in Frankfurt, Germany. I chatted to a guy called James online, a 1M owner who was attending the event. He asked if I fancied driving down to the event with him - I literally jumped at the thought of a road trip in my new car. I booked the time off work and starting to plan. I mentioned the event to another Car Club member, Richard, assuming he wouldn’t be interested, but surprisingly he was very keen and dragged Julie, his long term girlfriend, into it too, so we made a WhatsApp group and started serious planning. James booked rooms for everyone at the Moxi Hotel, a trendy

part of the Marriott Group he had stayed in the year before in Frankfurt. Thursday 17th July We knew the first day would involve a big chunk of driving so we decided to meet up close to the Chunnel the night before to have a meal and some drinks. The hotel we chose was the Hythe Imperial Hotel, a stunning old building with an inhouse bar. The beer flowed effortlessly as we chatted about cars past and present, what we wish we had bought and what we wished we hadn’t… Friday 19th July The next morning we were on the 8:00 crossing, having met up at breakfast for a coffee and full English to set us up for the day. Our party consisted of five people and three cars, two Valencia Orange examples codenamed ‘Tango 1’ and ‘Tango 2’, with Richard in the Sapphire Black 1M affectionately called ‘Black Magic’. Due to some forward planning we had three walkie talkies. This is the first car I’ve worried about taking on the Chunnel and unfortunately I took a chunk out of my alloy wheel rim… The crossing is really quick – we arrived in France and decided to travel via Belgium to Frankfurt, using the Belgian autoroute and German Autobahns and local roads, trying to avoid speeding fines!

TRANS-EURO EXPRESS! The 1M’s boot is packed, including a full size spare, and we’re ready for the off!

BMW 1M BBQ and Meet at Luxus Car Detailing, Frankfurt 19th July 2019 Words: Anthony Mason - Images: Anthony Mason/ SBN Media/Amar Bath/Luxus Car Detailing

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BMW Car Club Magazine DECEMBER 2019

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Our convoy of BMW 1M’s on the Autobahn caused quite a stir

We drove (mostly) in convoy and used the radios to talk to each other through the trip; it was like a Top Gear adventure! Arriving in Frankfurt it was a quick change and out for dinner and again a couple or more of German beers. Saturday 19th July The day of the meet was finally with us. I awoke like an excited child on Christmas morning. We met and chatted to some of the other owners that had stayed at the same hotel. I had planned to give my car a good clean before attending the event, unfortunately we got lost on the way to the car wash! My co-pilot (my dad) has a terrible sense of direction, so, as much fun as we had, being lost in a foreign country with a lunch meet fast approaching was a tad stressful. We ended up on the wrong side of the tracks both literally and physically, waiting for

Anthony pictured with his beloved Valencia Orange 1M Coupe

An interview with Amar Bath, organiser of the 1M meet: Amar, you’re originally from Yorkshire; can you tell us a bit about yourself, and how you ended up in Germany? I was born in Leeds and lived there until my mum remarried in Germany, and that’s how I ended up in Frankfurt. My family has moved back to England since then, but I opted to stay behind as I had just started a career and felt more at home in Germany.

Amar Bath and girlfriend Jenny pose for a photo op next to Amar’s Sapphire Black 1M Coupe

BMW Car Club Magazine DECEMBER 2019

What started your passion for cars? What was your first car? I’ve loved cars since I was little. My mum bought me toy cars and I collected them. Clearly that love has followed me into adulthood and rather than collecting small toy cars, I organise car meets for car lovers from all over the world to come together. The car meets are only a recent thing but I’ve also been detailing cars for years alongside my career as an investment banker, which I still occupy. The detailing started as a hobby. I identified a gap in

the market for this kind of work; I’ve now owned my detailing company for seven years. My first car was an E46 BMW 330Ci SMG which I owned for seven years; I now own a 1M, M2 and M3 (F80). Can you tell us how long you’ve had your 1M and what mods you’ve done? I took delivery of my 1M in 2011; I have made several modifications to it – the list is long but I will make it short: BMW Performance Steering Wheel with Display, BMW Performance Seats, carbon fibre bonnet with power dome (M3 Look), turbo upgrade, Wagner intercooler, downpipes, charge pipe, inlets, Akrapovic exhaust, carbon fibre diffuser, carbon fibre interior re-trimming to the door panels, steering column etc, Brembo GT brakes, carbon fibre side skirts etc. What made you think of starting a 1M meet three years ago? It honestly started out of curiosity. I’ve www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

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The climb up the mountainside was epic and the perfect road for our 1M’s to stretch their legs

The 1M’s arrive at our mountainside rest stop and look spectacular in convoy

not one but five trains to pass before we could get moving again. When we arrived, Amar, the owner and organiser, had saved three VIP spaces for the English cars; I was, which is unlike me, fashionably late. As the cars kept rolling in, the subtle differences between them all became apparent: some had body modifications, people had massaged the ECU’s to give extra power, there were roll-cages, big brake kits, wraps and so much more. The day was laid out as a static meet-and-greet for people from 11 nations including Norway, Holland and Belgium, lots of Germans and five from the UK. There was a full on party vibe as we all got to know each other and walked round the cars. Amar had arranged for a catering company to organise a huge BBQ and non-alcoholic lager for the drivers. We were there for a couple of hours and then we drove out to the top of a mountain for a photo shoot. The drive

there was epic, with over 50 1M’s travelling together. We wound our way up the mountainside until we reached a roundabout at the end of the road. We snaked our way back down to a lay by with plenty of spaces for all 56 1Ms to park for more photos. Once we had spent some time at the photo point we all headed back to Luxus for an evening of chatting, more music and lots of beer (with alcohol!) We left the cars there with the arrangements to pick them up the next day. I can honestly say if Carlsberg made car meets they could learn a thing or two from Amar.

been a part of 1M groups and BMW groups on social media, so I simply extended an invitation and it snowballed from there. I turned it into an annual event. The first BBQ event I held was received in such a positive way and I was also asked when the next one was happening. Also hiring a professional camera team and uploading numerous videos on social media helped a lot in promoting the event.

friends, but I’m fortunate enough to be surrounded by people who support me and take part in my passion for cars. My principles though have always been the same; be happy, always look forward, stay positive and work hard on your goals.

You run a successful detailing business and work during the week, how do you fit it all in? I don’t see my detailing business as a ‘business’. A lot of family and friends call me a workaholic, but I describe my detailing business as my passion. For some it might be tough working every day at least 16 hours + 7 days a week, but I love cars and I love taking care of them and modifying them too. Life does get quite busy and hectic specially also with my full-time job in an investment bank leaving little time for family and www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

Sunday Fun Day With slightly sore heads, we had a recommendation to go to a luxury car storage facility, ‘Klassikstadt – Frankfurt’. Although we’d already had breakfast before leaving the hotel we tucked in to a huge lunch, then went for a walk around the storage facility. It’s spread out over

This year’s meet was bigger and better than last year. We are hoping to be back next year with more English cars. Have you thought about approaching the book of world records to get an official record? Yes, of course, I’ll definitely contact them for next year’s meet. I also contacted BMW this year to see if they would like to be part of the event, but they weren’t too keen this year. They then saw the pictures and noticed all the Instagram mentions etc. That’s when they got back in touch with me and asked to use my pictures for their promotions. These meets are special to begin with but having official brands and companies taking an interest makes them even more

five floors with two full size car lifts. The ‘Klassikstadt’ is made up from a number of small businesses, unfortunately not open on a Sunday: everything from car upholstery to electric bikes and a Lamborghini service centre. We toured through this huge facility, looking at some incredible vehicles, everything from Fiats to Ferraris all sealed behind glass sliding doors. Once we had enjoyed a good look around, it was time to head off back towards the Chunnel. It felt like a long drive back, probably more due to the fact the last few days had been physically and mentally draining. When I got on the Chunnel I closed my eyes for what felt like five minutes and then we were back on British soil. The traffic in the UK was worse than we had experienced in Germany and Belgium. We had time for a quick pit stop for one last pint and a chat before we all set off for home. There is a video of the event, go to: youtu.be/YRp4jVrhbJk

special as it feels like our passion for cars is being recognised and celebrated worldwide. You have a heart of gold, what keeps you motivated and humble? I was brought up being told to always remember where I came from and to be grateful for the things I achieve. My parents always taught us to give back to the community and they also instilled the value of hard work in us. They’re also generous people and I get that from them. I’m determined to succeed because there are things I want to achieve, and those things can only be achieved through hard work. That’s my motivation. As for my humble side, well I think I simply have an appreciation for the things I’ve managed to achieve and I’m not taking my success for granted. I think the day I become complacent is the day I’ve lost my motivation because I’m someone who is always looking for the next big challenge otherwise, I won’t be satisfied. I like being on the go. BMW Car Club Magazine DECEMBER 2019

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SWAPPING OLD FOR NEW Z4. Words by Paul Rice

ith a busy weekend ahead, and after contacting our good friends at BMW main retailer Marshall Scunthorpe (thank you Rachael and Charlotte), my wheels for the days ahead were ready and waiting. Sitting looking stunning in the midday sun at the main entrance to the dealership was a new Z4 sDrive30i M Sport in Alpine White. After parting company with my own Z4 E85, I took the helm of the new Z4 G29. First thing to remember - no clutch pedal as all new Z4’s have the eight speed auto (rumours say there is a manual in the offering, yet to be confirmed). On exiting the dealership, taking a little extra care I soon adapted to the slightly larger size, although bigger the first thing to notice is the shorter bonnet compared with previous Z4s. The engine is very responsive and the auto box is an absolute delight, that coming from a diehard manual worshiper, I am now a convert and will be looking for auto in my next car (only the BMW 8 speed of course).

BMW Car Club Magazine DECEMBER 2019

Day 1 Met up with a couple of friends and fellow Z owners for comparison and a photo opportunity. With both an E85 and E89 available this made for a nice trio, and they were all looking very photogenic. Day 2 An early start for the trip to the Lincolnshire Wolds and a visit to Cadwell Park to watch BMW Zed cars along with a full day’s racing of saloon and sports cars presented by MSVR. As we were attending as a group with several Zeds in attendance, a special display area was made available. The New Z4 created lots

of interest during the day especially from the race drivers, I’ve seen these guys in action so I was definitely keeping the keys firmly out of their reach. As racing came to an end and we prepared to depart the heavens opened, so unfortunately no top down driving, but what it did show was how refined and saloon car quiet the Z4 is. Day 3 After yesterday’s busy day at the track it was time for a change of tempo, and a day in the Derbyshire dales seemed the ideal playground to enjoy the Z4. Meeting up with friends, also in a Z4, but a recently acquired E85 2.2 which

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was a replacement for several past Z3’s. The meeting place, the Carding Shed and Oil Can Restaurant at Holmefirth, is always worth a visit. Then after breakfast we set off for our trip, heading for what is probably my favourite road around these parts, “The Strines”. The road links the Stocksbridge Bypass A616 and the renowned Snake Pass A57. The road was resurfaced after being chosen as part of the Tour de France route, and it is a rarity to be able to enjoy a flowing B-road with a billiard table surface. The Z4 didn’t disappoint, and in this environment the car came alive. With the powerful yet light 258-bhp four-cylinder engine set further back than previous six-cylinder Z4’s, the balance for me was near perfect, with the ample power and super reactive eight speed box making light work of the bends and undulations. Our route took us over the Derwent Dam and off towards the Hope Valley and the popular tourist trap that is Castleton. Many admiring glances were cast as we navigated our way through the village and out towards what is one of my favourite locations - “Wynatts Pass”, Derbyshire’s very own Cheddar Gorge. Taking a tea stop at Longnor before setting of for Carsington Water, we yet again enjoyed some fantastic Dale’s roads that offered a few choice opportunities for some arty pictures of our weekend with the new Z4. After parting company with our friends we set off for home. The sensible choice was to head for the Motorway, not the slower more scenic roads of Derbyshire, but having a convertible isn’t always thought of as a sensible choice, but it’s often the most satisfying.

enjoyed top down motoring on my journey back to Marshalls. All in all I did over 360 miles in the car returning 33 mpg, so based on smiles per miles it represents excellent value. If I had to be negative I would have preferred BMW stick to the slatted grill, a BMW trademark for so long and the rear styling will take some getting used to (does my bum look big in this?) and the price at just over £50k for this particular car (£8k worth of extras which I would do without) but to finish on a negative would be unfair. If you look at the Z4 as a twoseater sports car in the same context as an MX-5 it’s an expensive piece of kit, but if you look at it as a rival for the Porsche Boxster or Jaguar F-Type it’s a great car at sensible money. Now that the Z4 has grown up even more, please BMW bridge the gap with a no nonsense Z2 at under £30K (well I can dream). So now back to the E85, well, it was nice whilst it lasted. It’s always more relaxing to be back behind the wheel of your own.

Day 4 Up bright and early and although reluctant to take the Zed back, I took pleasure in giving the car a clean, returning the Alpine White paintwork back to its gleaming best. To return the car, I once again avoided the Motorway and instead www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

BMW Car Club Magazine DECEMBER 2019

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Feature

WARREN CLASSIC SHOW Words: Anthony Shilsdon

e had 14 cars for the brilliant Warren Classic, held at The Warren in Woodham Walter. But initially, things didn’t go as smoothly as I’d hoped. Despite our plans, I arrived to the day prior to find three of the venue owner’s Jaguars parked in our spot, but he luckily soon turned up in his Veyron and sorted the error up. The Jaguar Owner’s Club had also begun setting up in the wrong spot but had already erected a small marquee, so after meeting their team and Regional Chairman Graham, we both found our new homes. I marked ours with a BMW M Power flag, kindly provided by club HQ via George ‘the champ’ Champ, and I must admit to thinking about Moto GP rider Jorge Lorenzo as I put the flag in the ground. For those of you still reading, yes I am wasted here and no, I’m not a real comedy writer. So I left the grounds

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happy that we had a new good spot for Sunday. Sunday morning most of us met at the communicated location and I explained the new spot (I even did a drawing) and we agreed which direction to face our cars. Off we went in convoy and were soon at The Warren. We found our spot and parked up, leaving room for other members arriving later. Typically, after almost two weeks of no rain, the forecast was for clouds and showers. Luckily it didn’t rain until around 11am and there were periods of intense sunshine. George and Chris arrived later and parked up with our group. There was a great selection of new cars from some of the corporates in attendance such as BMW, Mercedes, Ferrari and Bentley. There were also Lamborghinis, Aston Martins, Mustangs, AC Cobras, classic Jaguars, American muscle cars, Fords, TVRs and plenty more.

Best in Class A Club member’s Fjord Blue BMW 3.0 CSi won Best in Class in the European Sports Car concours class. The car had been the owner’s daily driver for five years, and then went to Jaymic for restoration in 2017, including a full body repair covering all the usual areas of rust, a respray, refurbished wood trim, rebuilt modified engine running Shrick camshaft and Jenvey throttle bodies and fuel injection system (running 220bhp), and a manual gearbox conversion – the quality of their work well deserving the win.

BMW Car Club Magazine DECEMBER 2019

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Mike Cutt - M1 Champion

he last meeting of 2019 for the BMW Car Club Racing community was at the home of British Motorsport on the Silverstone GP circuit. The Birkett 6 hour race was on the Saturday and our races would be on the Sunday to finish what has been an amazing year. The people involved on and off track have made it enjoyable and fun for all involved. There are so many people to thank, my appreciation for the support we have had from so many people has been quite extraordinary and has been emotional at times. This is what we set out to achieve, to extend the ethos and spirit within the Club Trackday Register. We set out to encourage Club members to join and enjoy the racing, the interest has

Matt Page – Overall and BMWcup Champion

been exceptional and working with the Regions and 750 Motor Club has been the icing on the cake. We have worked together to create a wonderful Club activity and a true BMW family we should all be proud of. All season the grids have been large and the racing has been close and fair. Silverstone was no exception, with the overall championship and class winners and positions going down to the last race. In M1 Mike Cutt needed good finishes to secure the class win, whilst Rick Kerry and Gary Hufford were still in the running. In M2 Graham Crowhurst and Adrian Williams battled for the class win, whilst Mark Culmer and Paul Cook

were in the hunt for third place. In Class Six, Darren Ball started in top spot, but it went to the last laps of the last race to decide the remaining positions. In the BMWcup Matt Page and Clive Watson, with Crowhust in M2 were going to decide the overall winners. Qualifying went well for all the drivers with Hugh Gurney achieving his first pole of the year, joined by Graham Crowhurst on the front row to do as much as he could to win his class and the championship. In M1 Mike Cutt was with his nearest challengers so he could look forward to a good race. In class 6 Darren Ball qualified just ahead of Jim Benson, Kevin Denwood and Stuart Pywell. In the Cup, Matt Page did what he needed to by pipping his nearest rivals Clive Watson, Paul Laramy and Gareth Thomas so they were looking to give him a race if he was to win the Championship. When the cars took the grid for the first race there were plenty of smiles,

IT’S BEEN SENSATIONAL

Silverstone welcomes BMWCCR finale Words: Neil McDonal Images: Jon Elsey

Darren Ball – Class 6 Champion

BMW Car Club Magazine DECEMBER 2019

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Feature

Graham Crowhurst – M2 Champion

an ideal way to celebrate a ‘FUN’ year. During the race it was close and fair as it has been all year between the drivers in all the classes. For the race win it was between victor Michael Pensavalle and Hugh Gurney, whilst Mike Cutt was holding off Robert Davidson, and Rick Kerry was defending from Gary Hufford and David Kempton. In Class M2 it was a close battle between Crowhurst and Cook joined by Gary Burstow. In Class 6, Jim Benson edged out Denwood and Ball. In the Cup, Matt Page completed a consistent year’s racing with the class win and another lap record, followed by Watson and Paul Laramy. These results confirmed our class winners and overall top 3. Mike Cutt would be the M1 Champion, M2 Champion would be Graham Crowhurst, Class 6 honours were Darren Ball’s and Matt Page took

the BMWcup and Novice awards. It was Matt Page (BMWcup 325ti), in only his second year racing following his Scholarship win, who took the overall BMW Championship win, followed by Graham Crowhurst (M2 E46 M3), and then Clive Watson (BMWcup 325ti) who was also in only his second year’s racing. All the drivers celebrated and congratulated the winners. The organisers believe every competitor, helper or supporter was a winner this year. When we handed out the awards, it was an honour to present the ‘Whizzo Award’ to Matt Smith who has been a huge support at every meeting; it was well-deserved and Barrie ‘Whizzo’ Williams I am confident would have approved. The last race of the season would also be the last race of the day and a fitting celebration and tribute to the drivers who have made it such a good year. The race would start in daylight and end in the dark. The last reverse grid of the year helped Mike Cutt take the overall race win, followed by Pensavalle and Davidson.

In M2 Cook edged out Crowhurst after they had spent the race glued to each other. In Class 6, Jim Benson took the victory to take second in class by one point, from a charging Denwood and a resurgent Pywell. In the Cup it was Matt Page taking his 13th win of the year; he had to improve over the year to hold off Clive Watson. Whilst not wishing to be a bore I can’t apologise for repeating how pleasing this year has been, and a huge success for the Club to be proud of. The euphoria around some of the races and level of support has amazed me, and for the drivers to then reward me with a thank you card and trophy was special and will make 2019 unforgettable for so many reasons. I must also mention the Club Regions that have supported the racing, in particular Cotswolds, Central and Central West. Dave Evans, Dean Greenfield, Martyn Goodwin and Brian Elliott deserve my thanks. The helpers included Paul and Sam Travers, Phil Brough, Matt and Glenn Smith. Technical help was given by Wayne Schofield and Hugh. The guys at 750 Motor Club worked hard to help, Giles, Nicky and James and the official photos from Jon Elsey. Apologies if I have missed anyone as there have been so many people who have contributed.

The BMWCCR Awards night will be on the 8th of February. Thank you! Now we start planning for the awards event and 2020!

Winners of the BMWcup trophy highest placed BMW team in the Birkett 6 Hour Race

www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

BMW Car Club Magazine DECEMBER 2019

Feature

MEGUIAR’S INTRODUCES EXCITING NEW HYBRID CERAMIC WAX

CUTTING-EDGE SPRAY ON, RINSE OFF WAX PROTECTION T Meguiar’s Hybrid Ceramic Wax

rusted car care brand Meguiar’s, has just introduced an exciting new paint protection product with sophisticated hybrid chemistry to add to their robust line of products, Meguiar’s® Hybrid Ceramic Wax. This brand-new formula is a huge departure from traditional waxes. With Hybrid Ceramic Wax you get more protection and durability than conventional wax by simply spraying on, rinsing off and then drying. It’s that easy! With all-new, advanced Si02 hybrid technology you get hybrid ceramic protection that’s so easy to use, you can actually wax your paint as you rinse off your car. After washing your

BMW Car Club Magazine DECEMBER 2019

paint and rinsing off the soap, simply spray on the Hybrid Ceramic Wax and then follow with a second rinse using a strong stream of water. This final rinse helps to spread and lay down the wax for you. Dry your car like you normally would with a premium microfiber drying towel, like Meguiar’s® Supreme Drying Towel. There’s no rubbing or buffing and there’s no curing time. When done, you’re left with ceramic protection and durability that lasts well beyond conventional wax and provides extreme water beading protection. It really is Ceramic made easy! Meguiar’s Hybrid Ceramic Wax comes in a 26 oz. / 768ml spray bottle and has an MSRP of £20.00 and can be found on store shelves. About Meguiar’s For more than 115 years, Meguiar’s has provided Car Crazy® people with specialized state-of-the-art formulations for making every car’s appearance show car perfect. Meguiar’s provides high performance car care products for every automotive surface. To learn more visit www.meguiars.co.uk www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

BMW 728i E38 AN APPRECIATING CLASSIC FOR SALE

Registered June’99 – just 20 years young! Original Service Book with 12 stamps

Long MOT until April 2020 no advisories 2 keys Full black leather High spec includes: 6-stack CD Electric front seats, windows, mirrors Driver’s 3-way Memory seats Front and rear parking sensors Cruise control Air con – fully charged Door-handle entry down-lights F/R mud guards Motorway miles with good tyres all round A good example of this gentleman’s autobahn cruiser.

£1,995 ONO PLEASE CALL OR MESSAGE: 07969 456214

www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

BMW Car Club Magazine DECEMBER 2019

best ches even

Feature

e will

WHAT IS A PPC?

When the time comes to fit new tyres to your BMW, it makes sense to select the best tyre for your needs. And if you’re getting the best tyres fitted, it makes sense to get them fitted by the best. In essence, this is the philosophy behind the Pirelli Performance Centre network, first launched by the Italian tyre manufacturer in the UK more than 20 years ago. Today, there are a total of 126 PPCs around the country: carefully selected and regularly audited tyre dealers that offer the highest possible standards of service to drivers of prestige and performance cars. Each PPC combines cutting-edge expertise in recommending, fitting and balancing high-performance tyres with first-class customer care and attention. Two technical audits a year ensure that

Pirelli fuel gift card offer Members of BMW Owners Club can now benefit from an exclusive offer from Pirelli of a fuel gift card. Available only when purchasing Pirelli tyres from a Pirelli Performance Centre or official BMW dealer. The Pirelli tyres purchased can be for any vehicle and not limited to tyres just for your BMW. It means that this offer is valid on tyres for any car and can also be used for your friends and family,

BMW Car Club Magazine DECEMBER 2019

PPCs maintain a high standard of service and that only the best tyre dealers achieve and retain the prestigious status of being a PPC. The audit is constantly evolving, with increasingly demanding criteria designed to keep improving standards. The current version consists of 130 separate items, and PPCs must meet the required criteria in at least 110. The devil is in the detail when it comes to the audit. For instance, points are up for grabs for having alloy wheel sockets available in a variety of specified sizes with a non-scratch coating. As well as preparation and presentation, the audit takes a close look at the accuracy of equipment and details such as annual calibration records for tyre pressure gauges.

provided the terms and conditions are adhered to. The card’s value depends on the rim size and quantity of tyres purchased as follows: Rim Size

Two Tyres

Four Tyres

16” & below

£10

£30

17”

£30

£70

18” & above

£50

£100

Where can you get your tyres fitted? A

PPCs are generally not owned by Pirelli, with the exception of Pirelli’s own flagship outlet in Burton-on-Trent, built as a centre of excellence for the entire network with a Tyre Campus training facility for PPC technicians from around the country. This dedication to quality and service makes your local PPC the place to go for a check-up or replacement of the tyres on your BMW. Pirelli has original equipment homologations for models including the 1, 2 and 3 Series, plus the X5, X6 and X7 among others – with  markings signifying tyres developed especially for BMW – and each PPC can provide knowledgeable advice on which tyres to fit.

dedicated website is set up at http:// pirelli.co.uk/bmwcarclub. Here you will find all the promotional details and a dealer locator enabling you to search for your nearest participating dealer. Terms and conditions apply. Please note, only claims from a Pirelli Performance Centre or official BMW dealer will be accepted. And don’t forget, you can keep in touch with Pirelli here: www.pirelli.co.uk/keepintouch. www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

EXCLUSIVE PIRELLI PRE-PAID FUEL GIFT CARD OFFER FOR BMW CAR CLUB OF GREAT BRITAIN MEMBERS RECEIVE A FREE FUEL GIFT CARD WHEN PURCHASING PIRELLI TYRES FROM A PIRELLI PERFORMANCE CENTRE OR BMW DEALERSHIP The card value is dependent on the size and quantity of the tyres purchased as follows: TYRE SIZE

TWO TYRES

FOUR TYRES

16” AND BELOW

£10

£30

17”

£30

£70

18” AND ABOVE

£50

£100

Claim your free fuel gift card when you purchase two or more Pirelli car, van and 4x4 tyres in a single transaction. To find your nearest dealer, for full details, plus how to claim your gift card please visit: Pirelli.co.uk/bmwcarclub

yourletters FABULOUS EXPERIENCE AT OULTON PARK TRACKDAY Hello all, I just wanted to say thank you for a fabulous experience on Friday at Oulton Park. This was my first track day and I was feeling a bit nervous... actually... a bit more than a bit! I was so impressed at how well everything was organised. It was a very efficiently and professionally organised event. I was very grateful for the patience and courtesy shown by the other drivers on the track. I was concerned that I was going to be considered a nuisance by slowing the experienced drivers down... maybe (in fact without doubt) I was... but it wasn’t made obvious! I really appreciate the fact that you arranged for an instructor to take me round as the sighting car and to spend the first hour with me giving tuition... thank you... that was extremely helpful. In addition, I honestly could not believe my luck to be able to experience being a passenger in Doug Simmons’ race car and to have him volunteer to be a passenger in my car... priceless! Also, I really appreciated being able to join you and the other drivers for dinner the night before Andy... even though I was very late to the table after getting lost and initially checking in at the wrong Premier Inn! I really enjoyed the evening and the company. I am so glad I booked the event and I am really looking forward to joining you again next year.

A LOVELY TRIBUTE

Dear Mr Blanc I just wanted to write to you and the club to say a huge and heartfelt thank you for the kindness shown to me since I lost Leon earlier this year. The Concours Commendation awarded at the national concours in memory of Leon’s work on my Z3 touched me deeply. It is something I will always treasure and I know Leon would have felt greatly honoured. Thank you also for the lovely tribute at the end of Dan Woods concours report in the October Straight Six. Don’t know how he managed to smuggle a picture of a ‘foreigner’ (the XJS) past the editors of a BMW magazine. Leon was a Jaguar man through and through. His beautiful Jaguar XJS is now in the safe keeping of his younger son but he also drove a BMW estate so maybe that redeems him a little! Even a laryngectomy in 2003 couldn’t curtail his love of classic cars and car shows. He never ceased to amaze me with his knowledge of all things Classic. I’m afraid that prior to meeting Leon my idea of cleaning a car was to punch six numbers in at the local car wash - how wrong can a girl be!! Don’t worry, he took my education in hand and I now understand the error of my ways! With much love and support from his two sons I have managed to do most of the things he had planned for this summer, including the National Festival at Gaydon and Silverstone Classic, and I’ll probably go on and do more next summer. Once again thank you. The award, the tribute in the magazine and the kindness of all the club members I’ve had the pleasure of spending time with over the summer have meant so much to me. With very best wishes, Liz Mackay

Thank you so much! Anne Gibson, Newcastle.

BMWCC Shop Club branded merchandise available from our online shop.

Stay warm and dry this event season with our new line of jackets& coats, adding to our extensive range of merchandise from clothing to accessories. See the full range on display at our national events such as NEC Classic Car Show, NEC Autosport International show, London Classic Car show, and our National Festival.

All available to purchase at shop.bmwcarclubgb.uk. 56

BMW Car Club Magazine DECEMBER 2019

www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

crossword 2

Winner of last month’s crossword - Jack Reason All entrants for December’s issue crossword must be received into the office by 11th December. Winner will be announced in next issue. The first correct crossword chosen at random will receive Meguiars Goodies. Please email all completed crosswords to office@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk or post it to BMW Car Club GB, Unit 5h, Glan Yr Afon, Aberystywth, SY23 3JQ Answers to last months Crossword Across: 1. Thus, 4. SMG, 7. UB, 8. Burkard, 11. Eis, 13. Brakes, 14. ARO, 15. Wear, 16. D Three, 18. OS (Omar Sharif), 19. YC, 20. A Seven, 22. JFSL, 24. Ege, 25. Colour, 27. Rue, 28. Buchloe, 30. ND (Nippon Denso), 31. RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury), 32. Wins Down: 1. Thirty Four, 2. UB, 3. Subsea, 4. Skaw, 5. Makeover, 6. Grease guns, 7. Dead, 9. RR (Rolls-Royce), 10. DSR, 12. SOHC SLCs, 17. Escrow (ES Crow), 21. Need, 22. JCB, 23. Lo Hi, 26. UL, 29. EI (Eddie Irvine)

Across

Sponsored by

1. Founded in 1916 as a manufacturer of aircraft engines (1,1,1) 3. Singular of BMW Car Club Regional Officer for London’s surname! (6) 8. Northern English colloquial term for ‘thankyou’ (2) 9. Abbreviation of a pound (by weight) (1,1) 10. Could be Estimated Take-Off? (1,1,1) 11. “...Comes but Once a Year”: a 1936 animated short film (9) 13. Type of front brake offered on the BMW /6 motorcycle models in 1974 (4) 14. Shortform for senior (3) 15. Initials for Hierarchical File System (1,1,1) 17 First used as a model designation by Maserati in 1961, but perhaps best-known for the ‘hot hatch’ VW Golf (1,1,1) 18. Originally an abbreviation, a term used in Australia and New Zealand to describe vehicles with a tray behind the passenger compartment (3) 20. Aftermarket exhaust company that started out in small workshop in Italy, purchased by US AP Exhaust Technologies in 2011 (1,1,1,1) 23. Blue / violet gemstone named after the country of its origin and also a BMW dark blue metallic colour [code X10] (9) 25. Could be University of Alaska Anchorage? (1,1,1) 26. Initials e.g. Leicester City, whose owner in 2016 treated 19 of the previous season’s squad to a new BMW i8 each (1,1) 27. Where Peter Hickman won the 2019 RST Superbike and RL360 Superstock races on the Smiths Racing BMW S1000RR (1,1) 29. The heart of any BMW (6) 30. Commonly-used initials for method of valve operation used by BMW in car engines since the M10 of 1960 (1,1,1)

Down

1. UK telecoms company that can trace its origins back to the Electric Telegraph Company of 1846 (1,1) 2. Porsche SUV named after the Javanese word for tiger (5) 3. What the 1917 BMW IIIa engine was developed for and enabled (6) 4. Commonly used initials for anti-lock braking (1,1,1) 5. Shortform (US marketing term) for the shape of combustion chamber pioneered by Chrysler in the early 1950’s (4) 6. Group of BMW E28 525e models (4) 7. ‘Nocken-Paule’, BMW legend who sadly died in 2016 (6) 12. Badge designation for the intercooled version of the M51 turbocharged diesel-engined UK models of the BMW E36 and E34 (1,1,1) 14. Always a feature of the Goodwood Festival of Speed, in 2016 this featured 3 racing BMWs depicted shooting skywards (6) 16. A man who is engaged to be married (6) 17. Initials for Russian automotive group founded in 1932 in Nizhny Novgorod (formerly Gorky), making cars and trucks to this day (1,1,1) 19. There are lots of these in a BMW gearbox, and hopefully some in your mouth! (5) 21. A leavened, oven-baked flatbread (4) 22. An unexpected obstacle or drawback (4) 24. Importer and assembler of BMW cars from 1934 until the outbreak of war in 1939 - the initials of its founder (1,1,1) 28. Fuel delivery initials e.g. Rover 2000, Triumph 2500 (post PI) (1,1) Hint: 1. 3. and 11. Across - Could well be an improvement on Rudolf’s sleigh!

socialmedia What’s next after Facebook and Instagram? Like everything in life, social media platforms are cyclical, and nothing lasts forever. Remember MySpace or Vine? Even over the past few years, the demographics of Facebook are rapidly changing as the kids who first populated the platform have gradually introduced their parents to it, and have become parents themselves. Especially now with increased concerns over privacy and online security, helped in no small part by the Cambridge Analytica fiasco, looking forward over the next decade you could feasibly see the decline of Facebook. As far as car content is concerned, Instagram is indisputably where it’s at and we don’t see that changing any time soon. But it will. Snapchat, TikTok and a host of other platforms are staking their claim at being tomorrow’s social platform of choice. But they don’t all get off the ground, and it seems once a year the community predicts a new future and some users migrate across, but here we all are, still scrolling for BMWs on Instagram. As much as we love Instagram right now, we need to keep an eye to the future, and we need a small favour. If you follow the Club on social media, please drop us a direct message and let us know where you spend your time online. If there’s somewhere we’re not, we need to be there. And if Facebook and Instagram are still the place to be, then that’s good to know as well.

BMW Car Club Magazine DECEMBER 2019

www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

regionalnews Central Tony Skerrett Central Region sponsored by

Barons Bedford

Our Christmas Dinner is to be held at the Althorp Coaching Inn, Main St, Great Brington nr Northampton NN7 4JA. Great Brington is 10 miles north of Northampton and is easily accessible from the M1, A5 and the A428 and even the A5199. Having had a social evening there late summer it is a charming traditional English inn with great ambience, sociability and very happy staff who offer a polite and courteous service. The actual menu is tremendous value at £19.95pp for two courses. If you wish to come please email or text: central@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk / 07879 404648, and a menu will be sent out. It is too large to print out in the magazine! Future Events 13th December – Christmas Jolly at the Althorp Coaching Inn. See above for more details. Proposed dates for 2020 5th January – Bicester Sunday Scramble February Date TBA – Tour of Mercedes Benz Engine Factory, Brixworth, Northants 28th March – Meguairs, Daventry, lecture on cleaning etc your car April Date TBA – Tour of Lotus Cars, Norfolk 1st April – Earls Barton Classic Car Shows recommence from 5pm to dusk 11th May – Central AGM June – Tour of BMW MINI Oxford 14th June – Classics on the Crick nr High Wycombe 21st June – Cotswold Tour itinerary TBA with proposed tour details: 19th July – Henley Traditional Car and Boat Festival 9th August – Central Tour Seaside Trip to Norfolk (East Coast) – itinerary TBA

We might try this road trip: Take in England’s eastern coastline with a drive around tranquil Norfolk. Meet Norwich, from there take the coastal roads north towards Cromer, a traditional seaside resort and home to the UK’s only remaining end-of-the-pier variety show. Further along the coast, wide, windswept beaches like Brancaster Beach are perfect for an afternoon relaxing by the sea. 30th/31st August – Brougton Castle Festival of Transport September Date TBA – Rousham House Garden Tour October Date TBA – Bicester Heritage Sunday Scramble For the Car Tours there is a possibility that Morgan Cars Malvern may be included. However any BMWCC member interested should register now to: central@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

07879 404648 central@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

01234 434 122

www.baronsgroup.co.uk/bmw BARONSCC20133 = 15% discount code

My Car Tips from Pete Austin Follow on from Pete Austin’s article on ‘My Car’ from October magazine 2019 Remapping etc My 64 plate 320 series diesel auto always sounded very rattly, an old fashioned diesel; so I looked for an upgrade. Firstly through looking around I found insurers who would happily let me upgrade for a minimal fee, in my case £25 back in the day. I decided I wanted to try and do the job myself; I liked the ability to take it off if I was not happy, revert to standard settings or to keep it when I changed cars. That ruled out the remapping route. The Race Chip website looked more established and professional, and the product looked more engineered. The warranty including engine cover. I decided on the mid-range upgrade. This seemed to offer the best value of pretty much maximum performance for less expense. I would do the same again; the extra cost for minimal % power upgrade does not seem worth it. Quality was good, with nice moulded case. It comes with a bypass plug, so you can unclip the chip in situ, clip in bypass plug and it’s back to normal BMW settings. I checked the methodology/locations beforehand. This confirmed I had been forwarded the incorrect engine picture showing cable connection. A call (via UK) to Germany fixed this so I was confident I had everything. I fitted myself. The only things to be careful about: • Finding which type of plug was involved so you could release and re-connect without damaging the OE items. • Making sure car was prepped, you need to follow warm down and restart procedures so the chip is not affected by electrical current still in the system. • Routing wires and locating a good place for the chip. Taking my time and being thorough, I fitted in two to three hours. As for the results, I was very pleased. • I did not try to change factory settings, I was happy as supplied. • Fuel consumption – no noticeable improvement, but I was not bothered due to other benefits. • The old rattly diesel sound was largely gone, the engine was much smoother and seemed quieter. • No issues on installation, temperatures seemed fine. • Much smoother drive, the engine was more responsive with less throttle lag. • Noticeably better torque/mid-range, quicker in gear acceleration. The main benefit was the torque and driveability, for example if you want smoothness and seamless extra power to improve 50-70mph acceleration it’s good, if it’s for 0-60 probably not as beneficial. I have now sold the 320d and upgraded to a new 520d with a new engine type. The 520d engine is much better than the old standard 320d, I would say the Race Chip upgrade went a long way to help bridge the gap on the 320d. I will get a Race Chip again when my warranty runs out, no reason not to. Aside: I would not refit the old Race Chip as the new 520d has three years warranty. I have a friend who has a 120d manual, so we got Race Chip to re-programme my chip for his car, a no cost upgrade on the package I originally bought, total cost £35.00. BMW Car Club Magazine DECEMBER 2019

regionalnews

Central West Dave Evans Central West Region sponsored by

07800 616500 centralwest@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

Richard Felton 07739 120111 01743 632391

Autobahn Servicing Ltd Unit 11, Pitcairn Drive Halesowen B62 8AG Tel 0121 585 9146

www.autocardetailing.co.uk enquiries@autocardetailing.co.uk 15% off with presentation of membership card

www.autobahnservicing.co.uk info@autobahnservicing.co.uk

Welcome to the final Regional news of 2019, and as Christmas approaches with ever increasing speed we are looking forward to our party night at the Chateau Impney on Friday 13th December. For all those attending we are in the Broadway suite, the doors open at 7.00pm and dinner will be served at 8pm.

Cheshire & Staffs Steve Cooper Cheshire & Staffs Region sponsored by

Blue Bell Fourth Avenue, Weston Road, Crewe

Cheshire. CW1 6XH. Tel:01270 212525 

DISCOUNT OF UP TO 10% IS GIVEN TO MEMBERS WITH VALID MEMBERSHIP CARD *Conditions apply

Hello to our existing members and a warm welcome to any new members of the Cornwall Region. I hope you will enjoy being a member of the Club and Region. Please contact me if there is anything you wish to know about the pub meets, Club events or Regional activities we have planned. I hope to meet you at one soon. If you are a Facebook user please check out the BMW Car Club GB – Cornwall page. Details of meets and events are posted on this page along with any last minute changes / updates. Please also check the Cornwall page on the Club website for details of events; I will update this as events are confirmed, and everything will be printed in the Club magazine as deadlines allow. Monthly Meets The monthly pub meets continue to be held on the second Monday of the month, please check the dates below for time and venue. We are a friendly bunch so please come along! If you are a new member or a member who has not attended before and are planning on attending, give me an email or call beforehand so I can look out for you. Recent Events: There have been no local events to report on this month. I am writing this at the end of October for the December edition and this year has flown by. We have had a great year in the Cornwall Region with events well attended and enjoyed by all I hope. I would like to wish all the Cornwall Region members a very Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year, and I hope to see you at a meeting or event (or two) in 2020! BMW Car Club Magazine DECEMBER 2019

cheshireandstaffs@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk



Cornwall Jim Husband

As we approach the end of 2019 we would like to say a big thank you to all of you who have supported our Region this year. From the regular pub meets to the major shows such as the Classic & Restoration at the NEC, you stalwarts (you know who you are) continue to give up your time to support the organisers and promote the Club; we would not be able to do this without you all. Hopefully you have enjoyed whatever events you have attended. It’s been good to meet some new faces over the last 12 months and we look forward to meeting many more next year. We would also like to thank our Regional sponsors Auto Car Detailing, Autobahn Servicing Limited and Rybrook Wolverhampton for their continued support over the last 12 months. Please don’t forget we will continue with our monthly pub meets throughout the winter months if you are available to join us. If anyone has a short article or photo they would like us to share in the Regional news section, please email or message us. Finally we would like to wish you all a Very Happy Christmas and a prosperous 2020! Dave, Dean & Jan

Knights Bede Road, Radial Park, Stoke on Trent Staffordshire. ST4 4GU Tel:01782 572100

cornwall@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

Forthcoming events: 13th December Christmas Meal – This year’s meal is at the Plume of Feathers at Mitchell. We will meet at 7pm with the table booked for 7:30pm. If you have not supplied me with your menu choices yet I will need them this week please (1st – 8th). Looking ahead to 2020, I aim to hold our now annual bowling evening early in the New Year along with a drive out in April. Time for our competitive members to get in some bowling practice. No names mentioned!! You know who you are! As dates for events get finalised and announced I will add to the calendar and get the details to you. Car of the month If you would like to have your car featured, please send me details with a maximum of 100 words and a good quality photo. Even if you have had your car featured previously but have since modified it, an updated report would be good. I also know some have changed their car recently so a new report would be welcomed. www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

regionalnews

Cotswold Martyn Goodwin

cotswold@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

Cheltenham BMW Cheltenham MINI Cotswold Motor Group Cheltenham Motorrad www.cotswoldgroup.com Cheltenham Parts Corinthian Way, Cheltenham, GL51 6UP Cheltenham Service Hereford Roman Road, Hereford, HR1 1LN

Cotswold Region sponsored by

01242 335 335 01242 335 345 01242 335 355 01242 335 365 01242 335 375 01432 375 555

Cumbria James France

on parts and accessories, 10% discount on all service work and labour ( 15% on vehicles 4 years old plus ) Available to members presenting current valid membership card

01626 330436 devon@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

Devon Region sponsored by

INDEPENDENT BMW & MINI SPECIALISTS

Despite the horrendous weather conditions, 12 members braved the elements to attend our monthly pub meet at the Hare & Hounds Kingskerswell which is the venue for our annual Christmas Dinner. If you have not booked, please contact me as soon as possible please. May I wish all a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year in 2020! Looking forward to another good year for reasonable

weather and good turnouts at all planned events. Dates for Diary 2020 3rd May Southern Concours – Sherborne 5th July BM’s On The Lawn – Weston Super Mare Seafront 12/13th July Powderham Castle 19th Sept Sidmouth Car Show

East Anglia George Champ

07514 216660 eastanglia@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

www.barronsbmw.co.uk Cambridge Stansted

: 0844 326 7249 : 0844 326 7244

Happy Christmas and New Year to everyone We are still hoping someone will come forward from one of our many members in Essex to help by running our Essex Facebook page, so if you can spare just a bit of time please contact me, your help would be much appreciated. We have for a very long time been the largest Region in the country in terms of membership, second only to London, but with a population of millions that is not surprising. However we have recently slipped from that position with the rise of some very successful Regions just on our doorstep. Please try to help whenever or wherever you can by reversing this trend, be it by signing up another family member, friend, work colleague or even a BMW owning stranger to become a BMWCC member, and earn £5 for yourself in the process to spend in the Club shop or to reduce your own Club membership fee. It is only by encouraging new members that we open up our horizons even more to new and exciting opportunities and ideas. Who said that being a member of the BMW Car Club is www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

Discounts on approved used vehicles in stock 15% plus discount

July. Travel options are open at the moment as we may take a minibus. If you have not been before, put this on your bucket list; the campsites alone need walking around just to see the massive range of classics. Email me or phone me (sensible times please) if this interests you and we can take it from there. Should you wish to attend something not listed above as a Club, let me know and we can look at getting some members/ cars along. My hobby cars are now SORN and tucked up for winter; a list of ‘to do’ jobs will be tackled over the wet weekends ready for the new season. Phone 07799 620382 or email jimfrance1@hotmail.co.uk It would be nice to see a few more members turn up to our monthly meet. Come along, we don’t judge or bite! Finally a Happy Christmas and New Year to you all and we will catch up in 2020! Regards, Jim

Devon Kathy Jemfrey

& Stansted

Generous discounts off the new BMW and MINI range

07799 620381 cumbria@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

It’s been a while since I wrote anything for the Cumbria Region; accept my apologies, as I have been quite busy of late. It was a great shame that the weather put the damper on one of our bigger turnouts at the Dalemain Classic Show. Thank goodness for our gazebo that managed to give some shelter. The monthly meets are suspended until sometime after the New Year, probably February/March when the evenings improve. Watch for Club emails to indicate when we shall start them off again. Some events for next year are as follows: Total Retro / Cumbria International - Both in May TBC, Westmorland Showground Hutton in the Forest – A great show, just off the A66, again May TBC The Lakes Classic Grasmere – June TBC Hayscastle Vintage on the first Sunday in July We are going to Le Mans Classic for the weekend 3rd - 5th

East Anglia Region sponsored by Barons Cambridge

Cotswold Motor Group offer members:

Barons offers members • Generous discounts off the new BMW and MINI range • A minimum discount of £500 on approved used cars in stock • 15% discount on parts and accessories 10% off servicing, excludes Value Line Servicing which applies to cars over 4 yrs old.

always fun? It was decided for 2019 in Norfolk and Suffolk, to extend the event calendar from April through to October. Seemed like a good idea at the time. We have had a very successful year with members enjoying well attended shows and trips. At the first event it was a bit chilly but the weather BMW Car Club Magazine DECEMBER 2019

regionalnews prime reserved space, plus lots of other things to enjoy including some American muscle. December Events – Museum of Power, Lanagford nr Maldon, Coffee and Cars Breakfast Meet, 22nd December Lodge Coaches, Breakfast Meet High Easter, 26th December, blow away too much turkey and mince pies and replace with a great breakfast or lovely cakes in their cafe

changed from the chilly start, through to real scorching heat. With an event booked at Trinity Park for 20th October, I knew attendance might be low, due to some members putting their cars to bed, who knows what the weather will be like. We had been to another show organised by the same company, so knew things would be great, seven cars booked in and another turned up on the day. The show had plenty to see and do, unfortunately due to the cold weather nobody wanted to linger for long (including myself) to watch the many ring events. The general public also decided to stay away. Would we do it again? Probably. Motor sport fans also missed a wet but very competitive meeting at Snetterton on 13th September. I have been to BMW Kuhmo race meets in the past, BMW Car Club Racing was equal to that and in my opinion better. Look out for BMWCCR in 2020 to give them more support. Thanks to David for his report above. Lodge Coaches on 20th October was well attended with at least eight BMWs in a

Contacts: George Champ (East Anglia Regional Chairman) eastanglia@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk 07514 216660 David Adams (Suffolk Branch Rep.) bmwccsuffolkrep@btinternet.com 07774 668596 Stewart Chambers (Assistant Suffolk Branch Rep. and Motor Sport coordinator) stwrtchambers@gmail.com 07717 327014 John Herman (Essex Branch Rep.) johnherman316@gmail.com Anthony Shilson (Asst. Essex Branch Rep. and M Power Development for EA Region) anthony_shilson@hotmail.com Matthew Hunt (Cambs/Beds Branch Rep.) matthew.hunt13@btinternet.com 07973 986525 Richard Howard (Norfolk Branch Rep.) bmwccnorfolk@gmail.com or janetrichard@rarness.co.uk Paul Roberts (Assistant Norfolk Branch Rep.) 07768 881763 Aaron Reeve (NW Norfolk, STH Lincolnshire, Peterborough Branch Rep.) westnorfolk@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk 01553 764600 Sindy Ratini (East Anglia Region Website and Facebook coordinator)

Eastern Paul Rice

eastern@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

Recent Events The Motorist Hub

A new venue and a great place to meet, The Motorist has ample parking a workshop and a showroom with many classic and collector cars for sale and on show. Hot drinks and breakfast baps available throughout the morning keeping visitors nourished. The facilities are ever expanding with plans for the showroom to be enlarged, a body and engine workshop and a fully licenced restaurant to be developed in the not too distant future. Our first organised visit took place on Sunday October 6rd after a previous exploratory visit by Nick Wright. Nick could see the potential straight away as a great location for a breakfast meet for our Region. What a great turnout for our first meet, with an organised Show and Shine event, with prizes for the Old Timer award (oldest), Star Ship (highest mileage) and BMW Car of the Day on offer giving that added interest to the day. Old timer: Ray Snape and his 1967 BMW 2000 “New class” Star ship: Simon Wright E30 Car of the Day: Tim Smith E21 Thanks to Nick and our hosts for the kind donation of prizes for the event.

BMW Car Club Magazine DECEMBER 2019

After the success of the day and the positive feedback received this will become a regular feature on our Club events calendar. A monthly Breakfast meet for BMW owners and enthusiasts. To take place on the first Sunday of the month between 10am and 12 noon. The Motorist Hub, New Lennerton Lane, Sherburn in Elmet LS25 6JE Further details on the Motorist can be found at www.themotorist.com Lincoln Castle visit

www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

regionalnews In follow up to last year’s visit to Lincoln cathedral and at the kind invitation of Lincoln Castle Tour guide and fellow Car Club member Mick Bath, a small group from our Region met at this historic and impressive castle, incorporating Court house (still in use) and not one, but two jails on site! Mick’s knowledge of the building’s and historical facts helped the morning flow so well, all of our group were very attentive, partly down to Mick’s remarkable memory for facts but also the enthusiasm he has that projected the subject so well. Mick’s knowledge doesn’t stop at the Castle gates, with a visit next year pencilled in for a tour of the city featuring many reminders of its previous occupants “the Romans”. Thanks again Mick. Car of the Month: E21 320 After taking the honours at the inaugural Easter region breakfast meet it seemed only fitting that Tim Smith’s E21 be December’s Car of the Month! Probably not one for the traditionalist, Tim’s E21 does not fit the “as it left the factory title” but it certainly fits the mantle of “eye catching” in its immaculate pale blue paint finish, topped off with sports seats, non-standard wheels and a power plant from a much later model, this E21 certainly attracted attention and deservedly took the Car of the Month award.

Forthcoming events Leather Care Centre, Hull - Friday 7th February We will once again be visiting the Leather Repair Centre Hull, this time at their new premises for what I am sure will be an informative day. The morning session will consist of repairing, renovating and caring for your leather, the afternoon we will be looking at detailing and ceramic coating. Limited numbers on the day so if interested please contact eastern@bmwcarclubgb.uk. Further information will be sent out closer to the date of the event. And Finally Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

London Tim Fathers London Region sponsored by

london@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

BMW Park Lane, 70 Park Lane London. W1K 7TT www.bmwparklane.com mail@bmwparklane.co.uk 020 7514 3559

Barons Watford 01923 700 217 and Borehamwood 02031 316 645 www.baronsgroup.co.uk/bmw

Mid Wales & Shropshire Phil Pinnington

Welcome to December’s edition of the Mid Wales & Shropshire Region Chairman chitty chat. Soon it’ll be Christmas and then another year ends and a new show season starts, so watch out for our list of shows. There will be our favourites and of course we’ll throw in a couple of new ones to whet your appetite. Don’t forget to make a note of our Christmas lunch date in this month’s magazine. This year I will be awarding a trophy to this year’s Best Car of the Year. You have to be in it to win it! I’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who has supported the Region throughout the year. Without your support and commitment there wouldn’t be a Mid Wales & Shropshire Region. Every year we grow in strength. Every show we do we promotes www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

midwales@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

the Club and the Region, and encourages those with the older classic models to show them at the events where they can be appreciated. I hope next year we can break this year’s records! Happy Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all! Phil, Regional Chairman Forthcoming Events 2019/2020 Christmas lunch. 15th December 12 noon Hanmer Arms, Hanmer Village. SY13 3DE BMW Car Club Magazine DECEMBER 2019

regionalnews

North East

Nick Thomas

northeast@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

the Market Square as the Capri Club had filled the parking spaces near the Museum, but we managed to bag the Jim Clark Café Bistro first which was a bonus! After a good lunch we walked over to the museum for a trip through Jim Clark’s motor racing career. Many thanks to Mike Milbourne for organising the day.

Cooper BMW Teesside are now offering parts at cost price + 10% when you show your membership card. Cooper BMW Sunderland are also offering a 15% discount on parts and servicing when you show your membership card. By the time you read this, our AGM on 10th November will have taken place. Due to print deadlines I will publish a summary in January, along with details of our 2020 plans. Recent Events The October meet at Black Horse Beamish was hosted again by Mike Milbourne as I was at the Scottish Region’s Highland Fling. It was very well attended with 17 cars in the car park despite the uninspiring weather. It is good to see that our new venue is proving to be so popular. The Highland Fling was excellent as usual, and hopefully the Scottish Region will run it again sometime in the future. It was suggested to me that Northumberland would make an excellent location for a weekend event, with great scenery and endless fabulous driving roads. Is anyone interested in organising an event? At the end of October we visited the newly extended Jim Clark museum in Duns. We had a great drive up through the beautiful countryside that we are blessed with. We parked up in

Forthcoming events Events for the next few months: Sunday 8th December – Monthly meeting at Black Horse Beamish. Saturday 14th December – North East Christmas Dinner at Black Horse Beamish. Sunday 12th January 2020 – Monthly meeting at Black Horse Beamish. I will be very pleased to see you at one or more of these events, whether a new member or an old hand. Plans can and do change so keep checking on the Club website, forum or NE Region Facebook group. Car of the month The October ‘Car of the month’ was awarded at the Black Horse meeting to John Rawsthorne with his 3 Series Touring. John won a goodie bag supplied by The Polishing Company.

North Wales David Allen

07788 718590 northwales@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

By the time you receive the December issue of Straight Six, Christmas dinner will have been consumed and the New Year will be almost upon us. So now is the opportunity to wish everyone a very happy and prosperous 2020! We will all be looking forward to the spring of 2020 when our BMWs will be seeing the sunlight from being under cover or from inside a garage. Forthcoming events Nothing has been scheduled for January, but the BMW Anglesey trackday is taking place on 22nd February. In the past it’s been a good opportunity for members of North Wales to

North West

Jeff Heywood

BMW Car Club Magazine DECEMBER 2019

Car of the Month If any members would like their car featured, please drop me an email.

BMW Car Club GB North West image Twitter: @BMWNW

News A warm, festive welcome to December’s North West News. We’re looking forward to the Christmas lunch at Arley Hall in a couple of weeks – here’s hoping you’ve reserved your place and will be joining us for a real treat. We’re already planning for the New Year and have booked our first Swan meet of 2020 for Sunday 26th January, followed by a visit to the Science & Industry Museum in February, with more to come!

meet up alongside the trackday enthusiasts from around the country, who participate around one of the most stunning and beautiful tracks. I will also obtain dates for local shows during the year and yes I’ll finish the work on the ‘North Wales’ trip. We’ll try and meet up early in March, and for those members unable to attend the meets I’ll be happy to email a resume of the meeting within a couple of days to keep everyone up to date.

07801 506632 northwest@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

That just leaves me to wish you all a happy Christmas from the NW committee! Club Regional Cups If you are in possession of a cup or trophy handed out by the North West Region will you be kind enough to just drop Jeff an email with the cup name etc so we can arrange for it to be returned. Alloy Wheel Repair – Highly recommended Class Alloys – mobile visiting service, repair and refurb alloy wheels, all finishes including chrome shadowline. Covers most of NW Region. Discount given to Club members, wheel repairs start from £40.00 – contact Steve on 07594 018525 – see Steve’s work on Facebook, search for ‘Class Alloys’. BMW Servicing & Repair - Highly recommended Darren Wood BMW Specialist (0161 425 7403) Bredbury, Stockport SK6 2QB. www.darren-wood.com www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

regionalnews Bodywork – Highly recommended David Tully Bodyshop (Tully’s), Rochdale – top class paint/body repair shop, 01706 643866 - www.davidtullyltd.co.uk Express-dent-removal – Highly recommended Mobile Service - speak to Simon Robinson on 0800 998 9828 or 07767 832255 – or visit www.express-dent-removal.co.uk Event Reports 20th October – BCVM visit and Lunch at the Clog & Billycock We had an excellent turnout on our visit to the British Commercial Vehicle Museum (BCVM) at Leyland. The refurbished museum is a delight to visit and a great place to while away a few hours, with a plethora of fascinating exhibits, plus there’s a great café to add into the equation serving wonderful cakes! A lot of the exhibits brought back memories for many. In the photos you can see most of our group posing for a photo outside the museum, and in the second photo there is an ERF truck with wonderful Art Deco inspired styling, including lovely wrap-around windscreen glass and beautiful chromework. To the right of the ERF is an Atkinson truck, which would later become Seddon Atkinson. The truck was owned by well-known northern haulage company Bowker, who would venture into the car business at a later date, with a string of BMW dealerships to its name amongst others.

Following our visit, a slightly smaller group made a short drive to the Clog & Billycock at Pleasington, and we enjoyed a hearty and excellent Sunday lunch, even if we had to wait a while due to the size of our party. A good day was had by all, and a big thank you goes out to everyone who attended and supported the visit. PHOTOS NW2 & NW3 HERE PLEASE Forthcoming Events 15th December – NW Region Xmas Lunch at Arley Hall & Photo op! We’ve organised a real treat for our Xmas lunch this year to be held in the ‘Gardener’s Kitchen Restaurant’ at Arley Hall, home to Thomas Shelby from TV drama Peaky Blinders! The lunch consists of a three-course meal and costs £23.50. I will send out a menu to all enquiries so that you can make your choices, but I need you to book ASAP as the restaurant needs to know numbers and choices. www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

I’ve also managed to persuade the powers that be at Arley to allow us to park our cars (again) in the gravel courtyard in front of the hall, allowing us to take some cracking photos. We’ll also be holding our prize Christmas raffle, kindly sponsored by Darren Wood, with a Christmas hamper going to the winning ticket. For those taking part – please park on the central driveway at Arley on the long approach road to the Hall at 11.30am – we will then drive in convoy to the courtyard for the photo op before lunch. Places are strictly limited so please book ASAP with Jeff on 07801 506632 or northwest@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

26th January – NW pub meet at the Swan Let’s see a great turnout of Club members for our first Swan Pub Meet of 2020! We’ll be holding the first round of the NW Quiz, with prizes kindly provided by sponsor Darren Wood, plus the committee will be braving the elements to judge the prize Swan Car of the Month, sponsored by the Car Detailing Centre. The winning car/owner also receives a write-up in Straight Six, so let’s see some effort put into presenting those BMWs! The Swan meets kick off at 12 noon, and the pub is situated at Bucklow Hill, Cheshire WA16 6RD, with easy access from both the M56 and M6 motorways making it an easy drive and an ideal location for most in the Region.

23rd February – Visit to Science & Industry Museum & Lunch We’ll be visiting the Science & Industry Museum, Manchester followed by (late) lunch at Dukes 92 just around the corner in Castlefield – more info next month… BMW Car Club Magazine DECEMBER 2019

regionalnews Local NW Branch News Manchester Branch News The November meet was sparsely attended. Come on guys, make the effort or see these meetings die. Topics of conversation were driving (quickly) on the Continent, Christmas lunch, scooters and building work!

South East

Ian Bryant

South East Region sponsored by

Chandlers Brighton 01273 769 812

As the last of the main events roll off the calendar for this year, this update covers the BTCC Final Round at Brands Hatch from Larry Tampkins, plus the Lancing Motor Show and Chandlers in Hailsham Breakfast Meeting. Thanks to the wonderful team at Brands Hatch, we were able to secure 20 passes for the exciting, door handle to door handle racing that is the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC). From a Club perspective, it was lovely to see such support for this event from members; we went over the allocated 20 spaces and had the booking system re-opened twice, with more tickets made available. On the day, the final number of attendees topped out at just under the full 20 with models ranging from an immaculate Z1 through to the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;bahn-storming X5M and E60 M5. It was a great showcase for the Club. We had new members in attendance as well, some of whom have filtered down to attending the subsequent micro-meets, a clear sign that we are growing interest and membership in our own little corner of the Club. To top it all, those of us that put up with the weather, cajoled and conspired to keep other halves and travelling parties entertained long enough to see the final race, were treated to seeing Colin Turkington pilot his 3 Series from 25th on the grid to sixth place in the final race standings. That delivered enough points for a record equalling fourth drivers crown and BMW back-to-back manufactures titles (their sixth in total). Breathless? You bet. Back next year? Definitely! (Watch this space for BTCC at Brands Hatch next year.) On a cold and wet October morning, 14 cars met up at Shoreham Airport and convoyed down to Lancing Motor Show. It had stopped raining by the time we arrived but it was cold and windy, not ideal conditions. We had a good selection of cars on show with Dean arriving in his newly acquired 1M that attracted a lot of attention, what a beautiful car. The Lancing show attendance was clearly impacted by the weather; there was a real mix of vehicles but mainly modified cars, unfortunately the event was light on classics. It was great to catch up with those that attended and to sample a new event. By late morning the rain arrived and showed no sign of clearing so we departed early. In contrast to the previous weekend at Lancing, a sunny October Sunday morning beckoned for the Chandlers Breakfast Meeting in Hailsham. The decision to host the event in the Wickes car park opposite the dealership was definitely the right one as circa 35 cars attended, making this one of our larger

BMW Car Club Magazine DECEMBER 2019

Manchester Branch meetings are held on the first Tuesday of every month at the Sheldon Arms, Lord Sheldon Way, Ashton-under-Lyne OL6 7UB, half a mile from Jct 23 M60 and accessible to all. Future meetings â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 3rd December & 7th January 8.00pm onwards. southeast@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

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events of the year, with a great selection of machinery on show. We were also joined by a number of members from the German modified club which added further interest, with a bright orange 650hp M4 and a lowered 116i with 230hp just to mention a few. Chandlers provided coffee and pastries in the main dealership for breakfast. Rob, a BMW Master Technician, was on hand to perform ramp inspections; this was particularly useful for one member who had purchased a car a couple of days

www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

regionalnews earlier, and it was found to be in good order. Having the Wickes car park meant we could all park together and congregate in one area, crossing the road to the dealership using the facilities as required. Matt took the time to bring a couple of nice cars over, new Z4 and 850 to showcase current technology and perform a demo of the 850 memory function where the car remembers where it started from and returns itself. Yes, if something gets in the way it does stop. Whilst it is hard to pick a favourite car from the event as we all have different views, there was a standout personal favourite for me: an absolutely mint 2002 Turbo owned by Stuart. Lastly it remains for me to thank Matt and Rob for hosting the event for Chandlers; they did a brilliant job and everyone

seemed to enjoy, so we plan to do it again next year. Forthcoming events With the season coming to a close the Kent Micro Meeting has held its last event for the year and will re-commence on the first Sunday in March 2020. The Sussex Micro Meeting will continue but please check WhatsApp before you travel in case we cancel due to bad weather. There are no diary events yet for next year, but planning starts soon so if you have any ideas or want to get more involved, contact me. Link to the BMW South Region home page https:// bmwcarclubgb.uk/regions/south_east.html

South Wales Ben Sullivan & Adam Mazaheri Welcome to our South Wales Region December news. Happy holidays to all our members! I would like to welcome all our new members and let you know about our WhatsApp group chats. We have one based on events, shows and runs that we organise, all ideas are welcome, so don’t be afraid, post in there about events. For general chat/ banter and project updates we use a second group chat. To be added to either please email southwales@bmwcarclub.co.uk. This month we will not be having the monthly meet due to the closeness to Christmas and family lives, etc. Forthcoming events

southwales@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

seats like a fighter plane, definitely function over form, but the plan with his latest project is to strike a balance of useability and modified.

Our next meet in January will be used to discuss and plan for the upcoming show season and the runs we will be planning as well. Our Christmas party will be happening at Team Sport Go Karting Centre Cardiff on 7th December. If you want to race we might be able to squeeze in a few more karts but we will have to know ASAP to ask the karting company. Car of the Month The car of this month is Ben’s newest purchase, a gold 325ti powered by an M54B25. The car was partially modified before he got it with an aFe induction kit, EBC pads and discs all round, and all suspension polybushed. This will be his first delve into tinkering with the 24v BMW engines as his previous car was a heavily modified E28 with

Thames Tony Skerrett Firstly a Happy Christmas to all BMWCC members. Once again the highlight of the season was the Regional Monthly Meeting at the Littlebury Hotel Bicester; these meetings were well supported by approximately 12 to 17 members. So it’s best for me to thank just two stalwarts, Peter Collison and Geoff Iredale, who spent many months trying to sell his Z3. Geoff then resigned from the Club, bought a Z4 and then re-joined. Peter, always first at the meeting, sold his dual M3 Peugeot and now has a superb special metallic grey 1 Series – it’s his second BMW now! We have not yet decided on a Christmas Dinner venue so if a member has a suggestion please contact thames@ bmwcarclubgb.co.uk. Otherwise if members wish there is the Central Jolly at Althorp Coaching Inn on 13th December. www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

07879 404648 thames@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

Future Events 13th December Christmas Jolly at the Althorp Coaching Inn, Great Brington nr Northampton, NN7 4JA. Bicester Heritage Sunday Scramble 6th October 2019 Report and pictures by Chris Michael (Z4) Having seen the event advertised via BMW Car Club emails I took a look at the Bicester Heritage website, location not far from home. Two weeks before the event I contacted the Heritage site by email to confirm what time their gates opened. I was informed 9am. Setting off for home, Pinner, to get to BH for 8:45, traffic was good with the M40 free flowing. I entered the BH site via the West Gate, only a minute wait to access the ground, and BMW Car Club Magazine DECEMBER 2019

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evocative, lonely site with the River Waveney nearby, well worth a visit if I can persuade Peter Collison to include in the itinerary! It’s situated four miles north of Great Yarmouth.

then made my way to the BMW Central parking area. From the amount of cars on site, the gates, I presume, opened well before 9am! I met a chap named Ian (good to speak with you) who also has a Z4. After a chat we went our separate ways and I had a good look around the whole complex. As expected some very ainteresting worthy successor to vehicles, the M1. Speculation was breakfast. ratcheted What up cars, other companies and another notch by the twoweather; further prototypes, BMW Nazca C2 also helped was after a greythe start it was a sunny (Tokyo 1992) itscloud. open-top sibling, themy C2camera Spider (1993). But day with little and or no As usual I had and took the BMW Nazca M12ofnever it into series many photos, some whichmade are attached withproduction. this article. Which washome a shame, course, butwas not free the one-way Travelled via theofA41, which flowing, with the ticket obscurity it might havethe been. BMW Group roof oftomy Z4 down, enjoying earlyBecause autumn sun and warmth. Classic gathered together a treasure trove brimming with In allhas a great day out. I will attend in the future. FORGOTTEN HEROES – and we delight in telling the fascinating stories behind these unforgettable Proposed Event dates for 2020 milestones in BMW history. Correction to the Jeff Leekinarticle SS6 June Issue. Please look at Proposed Events CentralinRegional News. Jeff has- 4th requested to be known the Castle. GearboxAnin the 9th Leek August Centuryit Roman Fort atthat Burgh

Tim Maltby Maltby Wessex Tim

Barons Barons Farnborough Farnborough 01252 883 565 Well, that’s another year drawing to a close and we hope that you have enjoyed what our Region has to offer. As ever this is YOUR Club, so if you have any ideas or thoughts of what you would like to do next year then please let me know. Have a great Christmas and a Happy New Year! Recent Events It doesn’t seem that long ago when the run up to the Wessex New Forest Treasure Hunt We met at our usual rendezvous, the St Leonard’s Hotel, for coffee BMW Car Club Magazine DECEMBER 2019 a68 chat and a chance to check out the cars. A staggered start began at 2.00pm and the 36.8 mile drive through

My Car by Simon, Thames Region Member Hi, my name’s Simon and I’ve recently bought my first BMW. I have just joined the Club, so look forward to meeting other members. Roll on warmer days so I can show it off at BMWCC events. It is a 2013 320i Sport in dark grey, with cloth interior. Due to having bought it in the winter months, I haven’t done a lot to it, apart from getting the back windows tinted and putting it on a private plate. It is a great car to drive, especially if you have all the right options, but it is a classy car with decent performance (0–60mph in 7.3 secs) with plenty of cabin comfort and boot space. Looking forward to showing it off at the National Festival and other car shows. I particularly enjoyed the Broughton Castle event with over 50 BMW’s present, a most enjoyable day out and really sociable members to talk to, particularly the 8 Series guys who regaled me with many humorous tales on the 320 model.

regionalnews Aston Martin (pictured below) is a Tremac and the following pictures of his car are the correct ones. I am deeply sorry for getting in such a tangle. Won’t happen again.

07885 252448 wessex@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

Barons Hindhead 01428 853 357 Drive Day held on Sunday 6th October was almost a washout. As the day drew closer and the forecast showed little hope of a day without rain and several members bailed out, Norman Burnham and myself consulted the tea leaves and in those immortal words decided that ‘The Show Must go on!’ From a list of 48 we had 26 cars arrive at Farnborough to be greeted by perfect blue skies. Some of us were relatively local and Mike were the stalwarts winners and quickest, but Sharon it was great to see those thatalso hadthe come downso congratulations to them. The sun shone all day, there wasn’t a traffic jam in sight, just a www.bmwcarclubgb.uk perfect day out. Our thanks to Belinda and Julian for organising the whole event and setting all the questions.

regionalnews

from the Midlands and splashed their way from the South East. BMW and Nik Jones made us most welcome and we were able to indulge with breakfast rolls, hot drinks and have a mooch around part of BMW’s heritage collection. Outside the front entrance the M2 Comp garnered a lot of interest, especially as it had £16,000 worth of carbon fibre trim. There is certainly one gent who is studying the man-maths of replacing his E60 M5! The run down to Goodwood Motor circuit was glorious and there our numbers swelled to 30 cars. Our day was enhanced when a local popped in for one of his many visits to Goodwood and his car created more interest than any of those on our tour! The car in question was a blue BMW Isetta packing a 250cc two cylinder motor!

After a good look around sunny Goodwood the majority of us headed off to Denbies Wine Estate and it’s fair to say dodged most of the rain showers, with the odd deluge being the exception! Thankfully, most of us were indoors when the heavens did open. All said and done, it was a most enjoyable day and well worth chancing the weather. I must express my thanks to Norman Burnham for masterminding the day. Forthcoming events Events for 2020 are slowly taking shape and more details will follow, but make a note in your diaries now: Sunday 2nd February or 1st March – Haynes Motor Museum Sunday 26th April – Mottisfont Abbey Sunday 3rd May – Southern Concours, Sherborne Saturday 27th June – Norden Train Station (Corfe Castle) Steam Train to Swanage Sunday 19th July – Classics & Supercars Sherborne Castle

Western Nigel Smith

western@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

Just a little note, if you are coming along to our pub meets we may either be in the conservatory where we would normally be or may have been moved into the carvery suite. At this point I would like to thank everyone who has helped and attended our events and we shall keep organising them for our members and surrounding Regions to attend. It has been great to see such large numbers turning out for these events. It makes all the effort feel worthwhile. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year everyone! Please visit our Facebook page for a full list of event dates and any updates on changes, also printed here.

Best Member awarded to Brian Prescott (left) presented by Regional Chair Nigel Smith (right)

Welcome new members, We recently had our annual AGM on 6th November 2019, with 14 members attending and a few non-members in attendance. We are pleased to announce that we still have the strong committee that we have held for several years now, consisting of myself Nigel Smith at the helm (chairman), Robert Scanlan, Scott Walters, Robin Hammett and Dan Wood on the committee. We do have a new (or you could say old) face, Ronald Parish, who has now joined the committee and hopefully can bring some additional help to the table. Also, congratulations to Brian Prescott for winning our Ray Croxall Member of the Year award. As our regulars may be aware (but non-regulars may not), November is our last pub meet until we convene again on 4th March 2020. www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

Car of the Month If you would like your car featured in our Car of the Month then please forward some pictures to me. Happy motoring everyone! 2020 Events 12th July 2020, Powderham Castle

Z3 - Ronald Parish BMW Car Club Magazine DECEMBER 2019

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registernews 02 Richard Stern Happy 02ing Christmas and have a wonderful New Year, wow that year went fast! I’ve asked Santa for a dry suit for next year’s events and a good selection of waxes, and that’s just for me. December sees the annual Le Jog Hero run. Usually some 02s feature and even E21s and E30s (pre-1986): www.heroevents. eu/event-schedule/le-jog-2019/ This year there is already a 1602, 2002 and Tii registered for the 1,750 mile three-day endurance run. Want that classic radio or classic radio look for Christmas? Some come with Bluetooth function. These sell and repair old stereos: www.vintagecarradio. co.uk/index.html or www.koenigs-klassik-radios.de/en For Sale Classic-look, also try these companies: www.classiccarstereo.co.uk/classic-car-stereos/ www.tadpoleradios.co.uk/ www.chromelondon.com/ www.oldautoradio.com/oldautoradio-classic-vintage-car-radios-2/

07770 443373 02register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

immediately impressed and made sure to successfully bid for the car, come the sale. “The moment I saw the car at H&H Classics HQ in Warrington I knew that we would want it back if we could win it at auction,” said Adam Kirkpatrick. “It will now be given the full Williams BMW restoration and lots of TLC.” Ed – at time of press I tried to contact Adam but still no luck. Tii air box upgrade (with thanks to Jeffrey Kok for the concept) Many Tii owners fit the after-market K&N single air filter to their Tii’s but apparently find it’s not that efficient or an improvement, including myself. Jeffrey Kok, who is a wizard on these cars (from The Netherlands), told me how to modify the original air filter housing and replace the K&N filter with a better set-up using the old Tii filter housing.

This classic BMW has been saved by the dealer that sold it 45 years ago (October 2018)

First sold by Williams BMW Group in 1973, this dilapidated classic BMW 2002 is about to get a new lease of life, 45 years on – courtesy of its original purveyors. This particular 2002 would have to have meant something to whoever bought it, given its condition. It’s sorely in need of some TLC, having sat unused for 20 years in dry storage. Enter Williams BMW in Manchester. After being supplied new by the dealer, the car went through the hands of two owners. The first kept the car stamped up with Williams until 1988, before selling it in 1991. Its second owner presumably ran it until stowing it away in 1998. Twenty years on, it’s now seeking a third owner. Other than being in need of a good recommissioning, it seems a solid example in terms of history. All original fitments are included: both keys, documentation, official BMW touch up paint and even a business card. Ian Burt, now Head of Operations at H&H Classics, is a former employee of Williams BMW. He knew of the car’s significance and contacted the directors. Group Buyer Adam Kirkpatrick was sent to view it at the pre-sale. He was

www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

Above: before the K&N air filter installed

Parts required; • Tii air box • Tii air filters or Porsche 356 upgrades (try searching Amazon or eBay) • M8 threaded rod approx. 500mm long • Two M8 wing nuts and spring washers, or M8 nylon lock nuts • Paint and primer (your choice) Optional parts; • Replacement M6 x22 Hex bolts BMW Part No.07119904505 • Rubber washers BMW Part No.16114080148 • Washers A6 Zinc coated BMW Part No. 07119903791 Obviously now is the time to repaint the airbox so it looks nice in the engine bay. So after rubbing it down, degreasing it, etch priming it and coating it in several layers of matt black or colour of your choice. BMW Car Club Magazine DECEMBER 2019

registernews This modification does away with the two original ends of the Tii air box, allowing more air to be sucked into the engine via the now larger surface area of the two end filters. You need to drill a hole in the centre bracket at both ends of the filter housing. Now Jeffrey welded his threaded rod in place, but I thought it could be ‘tapped and die’ with a lock nut installed instead, but be careful when drilling the holes to insert the rod, as if this breaks you’ll need to weld it up to support the inserted M8 rod.

Above: Completed, plus period stickers installed – thanks to Kos

02 related events All events here: www.bmw2002.co.uk/upcoming-events/ It worked, then drill an M8 hole in the centre of both air filters and insert onto the newly installed rod. Measure the rod to allow for two wing nuts (either end of course) and a spring washer to fit. Carefully cut the rod to size and install the air filters on either end. Refit to original air filter housing, ensuring the rubber collar that joins to the inlet plenum isn’t split anywhere, bolt into place also refitting the brackets the correct way round (you did check before removal I trust?). I did notice a nicer inlet noise on the air being sucked into the engine, I also thought it felt more powerful (or was I kidding myself?). But in theory it should allow colder air into the engine than the single K&N filter as the air has time to cool inside the air box and more surface area as it’s utilising the two filters rather than one, also where they are positioned is better than centrally when there is more heat generated.

1 Series

Anthony Mason

So I’ve bought a diary. This is me planning ahead for the next year of meets - I’m never too organised when it comes to life, and things constantly sneak up on me. The monthly meets I co-host do really organise themselves so I should have so much time to plan new trips out with the Club. Somehow life just keeps tripping me up – there’s the housework, seeing my daughter and fitting in a social life. In the New Year I’d love to plan a few breakfast outings like the Porsche Club do. And definitely a trip to Caffeine and Machine. Who’s got some other great ideas for the 1 Series side to the Club? The new love of my life has been quietly living in a rented garage away from all this inclement weather, which is a blessing, but when I said I didn’t want to drive my car to work due to the weather the

3 Series

Simon Maskell

Welcome to the December edition of the 3 Series Register. I unfortunately missed the publishing deadline last month so apologies for the hiatus in communication. Since this is the final article of 2019 I would like to take this opportunity to bring to

BMW Car Club Magazine DECEMBER 2019

New Year’s Day meets Brooklands: www.brooklandsmuseum.com/whats-on/newyears-day-classic-gathering Ace Cafe Hangover Meet: www.london.acecafe.com/ Stony Stratford Classic Car Festival: www.vintagestony.co.uk/ Yeovil: www.yeovilcarclub.com Cotswolds: en-gb.facebook.com/ShiptonOliffe.co.uk/ Bavaria Tour 2021 Yes folks, it’s being planned for 2021, predictably will be oversubscribed and sold out as soon as booking opens. Holding page here: www.bavaria-tour.info/ 2020 key events to watch out for Classic Le Mans 1series@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

lady on reception gave me a look that said ‘It’s only a car’ and ‘What’s wrong with you’ at the same time. Quite an eye opener, wondering if either I’m odd or people that don’t like cars are odd. I recently was given some business cards so when I’m out and about I can hand them with my contact details to potential new members; this makes me feel like a CEO of a company. I met the CEO of Lego - his business card is a Lego man that looks like him and has his contact details on it. I wonder if I should do the same, but with a mini 1 Series... might be quite costly. My plan before next issue is to test drive the F40 (not the Ferrari - the new 1 Series). In other news, I hope you enjoyed my article about the 1M meet in Germany. If you would like to join next year, let me know and we can get on with the planning part of it. 3series@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

your attention the Autofahrt Munich, the Register trip that takes place in early June 2020. I have attached a copy of the flyer that outlines the itinerary (if my IT skills are up to it!). I must stress this trip is open to ALL Club members, not just 3 Series owners; at the time of writing we have 7, 5, 3 Series and Zs. Any other www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

registernews owners could make a full house! The trip is starting to fill, but there is room for more people. Interested people should contact me through the Register email address. The trip starts in The Netherlands, continues along the most picturesque part of the Rhine Valley (lots of castles and vineyards), makes its way along the Romantische Strasse (picture postcard German villages), and on to Munich. Whilst at Munich we will visit the BMW Welt, factory tour, BMW group classic, as well as the dismantling centre, over a period of a few days. For the return journey we will visit the Sinsheim Technik Museum, which is a truly spectacular place to visit and the only place in the world you can see Concorde and its

3 Series E46 Simon Maskell

It’s the December edition, making this the last 2019 article to be written. If I look back at my year with my BMW’s it’s been another successful one for sure, and 2020 promises to be even bigger than ever, with the mix of car shows and runs, but let’s not forget the 3 Series register Autofahrt Munich trip which is organised for June 2020 (please see the register news for more details) and is an official Club trip. Since last month I attended the truly superb Highland Fling. A very well attended and run biennial event that the Scottish Region organise. It is a particular favourite of mine and this year I took my 328iSE auto. It proved the perfect companion for the trip, completing the 702 miles effortlessly, didn’t miss a beat and is a comfortable place to sit and if I do say is a fine looking car. The base is a hotel near Loch Lomond and anyone familiar with that area will know just how spectacular the scenery is. Nick Thomas insisted that we take a ferry when the opportunity presented itself, it’s a Nick thing taking a ferry and I took a photo of it waiting for said boat. I am looking forward to the next one already! As I mentioned previously The Vibrator decided that its

4 Series

Paul Roberts

Russian counterpart the TU-144 in one place. They are mounted in a takeoff pose on the building’s roof and you can go inside both aircraft. There is also a massive collection of cars, including a Bugatti Royale and many classic and modern vehicles. This is merely the tip of a very large iceberg! It takes all day to get round the exhibits. The trip then moves on to the Nurburgring, where we will stay in Sabine Schmidt’s hotel (ring expert and often seen on various car programmes) and have the opportunity to dine in her restaurant. The trip then ends and you depart to your chosen point to return home. The hotels are a mix of three and four star and it is a six night tour. e46register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

final stage resistor (or hedgehog) was now dead, rendering the fan inoperable. So having researched the job on YouTube, it was with some trepidation I ordered a new one and decided it needed fitting before the outing to the season finale at Oulton Park. Well it didn’t disappoint; what a horrible job, fortunately my mate Phil said he fancied a crack at it. The thing that makes this such an unpleasant job is the FSR is located deep in the centre of the dashboard. To access it you have to lie on your back in the driver’s footwell and go in Herriot style to remove the old one. If you tackle this task, research it as there are plenty of sources of info (another ‘common’ E46 problem) and a hidden screw (eh Phil!) that can be a source of much swearing. Suffice to say Phil scores again and the new unit is fitted and working, so we should be able to see where we are going round Oulton. To finish it seems appropriate that I should wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, hoping that when the man in the big red suit arrives he is generous. It’s been a great 2019 and 2020 is shaping up very nicely. Speak to you next year! 4series@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

Och Aye the Noo, I think they say in Scotland. As per my last article, that’s where we’ve been a couple of weeks ago! I suspect that there will be a full and descriptive article in the next Straight Six magazine; suffice it to say it was a great trip and gave us a taste of what Scotland has to offer. I did say how we were getting up to Crianlarich in my last article. Overall we travelled some 1,207 miles at an amazing 51.7 mpg! I’m beginning to appreciate what an excellent engine the 2.0d is giving, great in gear speed coupled with great economy over many different roads. I am attaching a couple of pictures but the one that’s now on my iPad wallpaper I can’t take credit for! We decided to drive down the Glen Etive road which is where they filmed some of www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

BMW Car Club Magazine DECEMBER 2019

registernews Now moving on: I’ve had an email from a fellow 4 Series owner, Chris Nicholson, who drives a 440i Grand Coupe M Sport Plus and is a new member to the Cotswold Group. I am delighted to attach a picture of Chris’ car which looks superb! Chris has also promised to be on the 4 Series stand at the next National Festival so I look forward to not being ‘Billy No Mates’ in 2020!

the scenes from the James Bond film ‘Skyfall’. This is around a 12 mile road with passing places and because of this it took some 40 minutes to get to the end, which is actually a dead end as well! On the way back with the weather turning wet we came across a most amazing rainbow. Richard Howard, who had decide not to risk his low slung Z4, and his wife Janet came with us in our car, and he then very bravely got out in the pouring rain to take this fantastic picture! I think the caption should be ‘Somewhere under the rainbow’! I would like to finish off this bit of the article by thanking again the BMW Car Club Scottish Region and in particular Issy, Gary and Stevie for making it all worthwhile. This is an event they organise in their own time without any support. A big thank you from us in the Norfolk and Suffolk Region!

5 Series

Stephen Coulson

Hello to all 5 Series drivers, Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Does seem a bit strange saying this whilst writing it in

5 Series E28 Mark Cox Hello and welcome to the E28 Register. Hopefully you are all gearing up for the festive season and enjoying this special time of year. My Register buddy Tim and I took our E28s to northern France along with another E28 and an E34 at the end of September and had a most enjoyable day. We caught an early Eurostar from Folkestone which proved to be a much more pleasant experience than the ferry on our previous trip last year to Belgium. We drove around some lovely French towns enjoying the straight six howl, and took a break for a welcome breakfast in a picturesque town. We got a few pictures of the cars in the square and then headed for a World War 2 V2 rocket

BMW Car Club Magazine DECEMBER 2019

Finally for this article again I would love to hear from fellow 4 Series owners with anything you think would be interesting so I can include it in my ‘literary ramblings’. I’ll sign off now until the next time. 5series@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

November! Any interesting photos of you and your 5 please send them in for Car of the Month! e28register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

launch site and space museum which was an interesting place for those who like their history. It was great to enjoy the quiet roads, have some fun in the cars and get a few nice pictures. Hopefully there will be more of these types of excursion going on in 2020. I would really like to wish all of you a wonderful festive season and a happy shark nosed New Year! As always if anyone would like to share anything with the Register or anything E28 related then please get in touch. I’ll sign off with some pictures from our trip.

www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

registernews

7 Series Scott Margison Hi 7ers. Not been a good month for my E38 735i. Due an MOT, it needs a bit of work. Binding brake, bushes in the steering need replacing, water pump gone and I wanted some lowered springs fitted. Car is due back tomorrow and I have missed her. On another note, a few of you have signed up to the Facebook group, which is great to see. There are so many 7

8 Series

Debbie Blythe

7series@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

Series and E38 groups out there from all over the world, so join up with those as well. Still open to ideas for a meet up, so would be good to know where you are all based so we can put something together. Regards Scott 8series@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

Welcome once again to all the 8 Series owners and enthusiasts out there. This is the last column of 2019 and I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for taking part in many of the events / shows / meets we have had over the past 12 months and hope to see many of you again in 2020. I would also like to say I hope you all have a great Christmas and New Year. The Chequers Inn, Weston on the Green. We had our last meet of 2019 at our regular venue on Sunday 20th October 2019. The weather was overcast with no rain but the wind was particularly cold so thanks to those that attended. For the second meeting running we had new owners turn up, so a welcome and name check to Alison and Eugene, and Gary and Lynn. There was also another new owner in a lovely low mileage red 840Ci with a cream interior that by the time I got around to writing this I have completely forgotten his name, sorry. As well as those three new E31s we had others from Chuck, Les, Jeff, Hugh C and Hugh N and Jerzy. So in total we had nine E31 8 Series attend, with another three owners turning up in other cars which included myself in our 730ld due to my hubby Paul being bed-ridden due to a recent hospital visit, Shirley and Karl in her purple 440i, and Colin in a Nissan Micra (his 850 was having some work done before going to the NEC a

couple of weeks later). There was quite a bit of interest in Jerzy’s red left hand drive 850i due to the fact that he had recently changed his wheels and now had genuine 20-inch AC Schnitzer alloys. They only just fit under the arches but looked very impressive. We all wandered around each other’s cars and chatted for a bit and then thankfully went into the warmth of the pub for a very welcome Sunday lunch. Future events – 2019/20 Sunday 1st December 2019 Christmas dinner at The Chequers Inn, WOTG Spring meet at WOTG – April (date TBC) 19th – 21st June 2020 – Welsh Weekend 19th or 26th July 2020 Vanity BMW – Beaulieu National Motor Museum Summer meet at WOTG – July (date TBC) August 2020 – National Festival at Gaydon Autumn meet at WOTG – October (date TBC) I am still looking for ideas for 2020 events/meetings, please let me know if you have a local event that you think would be good for the register to attend. Or if you feel there is something else we could do as a group, including drives. Maybe even a trip to the continent? There are active clubs in France, Belgium and the Netherlands that we could possibly arrange to meet up with. If you are interested then let me know and I will make contact with them. Car of the Month Sorry but I have not had any nominations for this month. If you would like your car featured, please email me with your details at 8series@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

i Series

Clive Neville

Hello everyone! My name is Clive Neville and I have just volunteered to be both the ‘I’ Register Captain – which caters for both the I8 and the I3 – and also specifically to be the I8 model representative. I am relatively new to the Club this time around although I do have history – I was a member in the early noughties when I had an S54 M Coupe. I have a wide interest in cars and motorbikes but tend to go for those that are more obscure (like the M Coupe) and the cars that followed it into www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

iseries@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

my garage, including a Honda NSX and a Light Car Company Rocket. I still have the Honda. So, why am I here now? I actually went into my local dealer to look at a new G29 Z4 but I got side-tracked by a rather nice silver grey I8 Roadster sitting in the showroom. While I didn’t buy that car, I did find myself buying a similar one from BMW UK later that month. It was one of the cars used by the company at the launch of the Roadster in Valencia in July 2018 and – what BMW Car Club Magazine DECEMBER 2019

registernews can I say – it is a fantastic car. I am a true petrolhead so to be swayed by something that has a mere 1.5 litre triple powering the wheels means that it had to be something special. Indeed, I promptly forgot about the engine after 200 yards! I surmise that the I8 might be too new and too weird for many of you who are more familiar with true ‘real’ analogue

Z3 Register

Alan Jones

Welcome to the December issue of Straight Six. Another season over and the new one to look forward to. First of all I’d like to wish all of our readers a Merry Christmas, and hope you get lots of car related presents! On that subject I’ve heard a rumour that Santa may be able to have my steering wheel recovered for Christmas, we’ll just have to wait and see if it happens. I’ll let you all know next month with pictures too. I have another member who wishes to let everyone know about their Z3, again it looks like a very nice car, and is still going strong. I’ll let Mike explain his car to you: Having just read your Z3 Register news in Straight Six, I thought you might be interested in my car. It is a 3.0 auto. I

Z4 Register

Paul Dodds

Hello and welcome to the December edition of Straight Six. It’s been a good few months since I last ‘had to’ spend money on the Z4, and with that said the old girl has now thrown an error code that I will now have to investigate. Despite no warning lights on the dash, I did notice a slight lack of power whilst on my commute to work. Plugging my Carly adapter into the OBD port confirmed I have an issue with the Valvetronic servomotor. Thankfully Cooper BMW Sunderland and Teesside are now offering discounts on parts to members when you show your membership card, which will go a long way to easing the pain. So a big thank you goes to the North East Region for working in partnership with the local Dealers. Coincidentally, at the same time Joel from the YouTube channel ‘It’s Joel’, a Z4 related channel to anyone not familiar with his content, just released a video titled ‘How much money have I spent repairing and maintaining my BMW Z4?’ This made me chuckle to myself knowing full well how relatable this video would be. It did get me thinking of what I’ve had to do over the past year and a half of owning my second Z4. Yes, it might have been more cost-effective and less hassle to buy a newer car but why make life easy for myself and more importantly, boring? Once the festivities are out of the way I plan on touching up a few age related car park battle scars in time for next year’s show season and Club events. With that said, Sports Cars in the Park have confirmed next year’s event will be held on Sunday 3rd May at Newby Hall. Tickets for the show will be released in January. This year was our biggest year with over 100 BMWs and several Z models in attendance. More details will be released nearer the time including an overnight stop and

BMW Car Club Magazine DECEMBER 2019

cars, such as the E30 M3 even up to V10 M5s. I won’t stop that desire – I won’t stop loving the howl of a six either – but I would like to try and promote the I8 within the Club and bring it more into the fold, sharing experiences (like how do you plug it into the wall socket exactly?!) and arranging meets as we gain ground. I hope to catch up with you soon. z3register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

bought it in June 2008 with only 21,000 miles on the clock, a bit more than the featured car in last month’s issue but still low. Since then I have put another 119,000 miles on it, in which time it has been totally reliable. The only work done has been routine servicing, annual oil changes, coolant and brake fluid when due and preventive maintenance such as water pump thermostat, tensioner and all suspension bushes and shock absorbers. Since 2014 when I retired it has had at least one Euro trip a year, this year was two weeks in Italy. One photo is on the Grimsel Pass three years ago and the other was taken last week to celebrate her 19th birthday. Best regards, Mike Williams z4register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

run out the evening before. (See pictures from this year’s event.) Last month Malcolm got in touch to talk about his E89 Z4, in particular an issue with the 19” Style 326m wheels cracking. The wheels do look good, however, but with the state of our roads www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

registernews and the number of potholes and speed bumps I would only consider owning a set if I was going to put non run-flat tyres on them and increase the profile size. We shall see how Malcolm gets on with my suggestions and report back hopefully with some good news after putting some more miles on the car.

MINI David Young Christmas is coming and the goose is getting fat (just like me!), please put a penny in the old man’s hat. By the time you read this we shall be getting ready for the Christmas break. Lots of presents to buy, Amazon wishlist to revise. House to decorate. Visit relatives on the annual road trip. Poor cars get stuck in the garage or on the drive. Harsh hard frosts, falling leaves in the air vents. Mud on the tyres and in the wheel arches. Do we give the car its weekly wash? A bit cold but the sun is out. You know where this is going. Clean one car and you have the power wash out so do the wife’s and daughter’s car too. The Karcher power washer is a must-have these days. A foam pre-wash eases the crud on your car prior to doing the usual twobucket wash. Several hours later all cars sparkly clean. Sunday morning out for a drive, roads are, as usual, full of earth, leaves and potholes. Why bother? A good coating of wax will mean a quick wash will get most of the crud off. I think the jury is still out on how long a good ceramic coat will last. But if your car is new it will be protected for the first year or so. Do we bother to reapply the coating? Does a clay bar remove the coating? I still enjoy cleaning my JCW and having a close look at the swirls and stone chips. Only two more years to go before the MOT or a car change. Don’t you just love my preamble? Electric cars are coming at us fast. Battery technology and charging points are all changing. So will my next car be the new MINI Cooper SE? MINI has been making a lot of noise about this little baby. “The North Loop of the Nürburgring, 20.8 kilometres of motor-sport history, was once named the ‘Green Hell’ by three-times Formula 1 World Champion Jackie Stewart. It is still the regular venue for ultimate endurance tests even 43 years after the last Grand Prix race for automobiles was held there. Every new model of the MINI brand has to put its performance characteristics to the test on the challenging circuit located in the Eifel Mountains. And the legendary circuit is just the right testing ground for the new MINI Cooper SE (combined fuel consumption: 0.0 l/100 km; combined electricity consumption: 16.8 – 14.8 kWh/100 km; combined CO2 emissions: 0 g/km). It puts the car’s exceptional qualities to the test by requiring it to master completely new challenges. However, rather than hoping for lap records, the first all-electric vehicle from the British premium automobile manufacturer is looking for records of a very different nature. “The new MINI Cooper SE is the first electrified model from the BMW Group in which the driver can individually determine the extent of recuperation and the associated deceleration effect. Depending on the mode selected, the electric motor supplies more or less energy back to the high-voltage battery as soon as the driver takes their foot off the pedal. The braking effort associated with toggling the electric motor to engage generator operation is correspondingly high or low. The technological innovation offers the incentive for a very special type of challenge. “The level of brake energy regeneration and hence also the deceleration can be harmonised with the driving style and to suit the track profile. Timely toggling ensures soft recuperation ahead of extended bends and full energy recovery with corresponding deceleration ahead of tight curves without the driver’s foot having to touch the brake pedal. Conversely, slow deceleration is adequate before the second right-hand curve of this circuit section, particularly since there is hardly any time to put pedal to metal. www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

Remember you can get in touch via the forum, or email at z4register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk And with that said another year draws to a close. Here’s hoping Santa brings lots of BMW goodies to us all this year and that everyone has a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! mini@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

“Anything that goes on the Nürburgring will also provide the additional portion of driving fun in everyday traffic that is so typical of the MINI style for local zero-emission mobility. Model-specific displays in the cockpit of the new MINI Cooper SE also help during fast changeover between sharp and wide curves when selecting the most appropriate recuperation mode. A standard setting is the particularly intensive brake energy regeneration that results in negative deceleration of 0.19 g. The change to soft recuperation with a value of 0.11 g is confirmed by feedback in the digital instrument cluster of the new MINI Cooper SE. Furthermore, only one of the two LED light fields is still active in the recuperation display. At the same time, a yellow LED lamp lights up at the front of the toggle switch.” Images: BMW Press BMW Car Club Magazine DECEMBER 2019

registernews

Concours Dan Wood

concours@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

RYBROOK WARWICK

Concours sponsored by

http://www.rybrookwarwickbmw.co.uk/

TRACK DAYS Neil McDonald

http://www.meguiars.co.uk/

trackdays@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

See images of the hugely successful day at Oulton Park that was enjoyed by many on the day. Andy did a great job organising and Steve and Phil helped many new drivers gain experience. There were lots of smiles and thanks to the Club for putting on the day. Many thanks to the Club Office for the vital part you played too, so you deserve thanks and a mention in the magazine. Driver of the Day - Brian Hibbert - travelling from Scotland Winner of Free Trackday - Chris Cocks (presented to Tom Dunsford) Clubman Award winners - Nick Thomas and Simon Maskell, who attended all the days this year and have been great supporters for many years. Images: Jessica Orr. It was her first Club Trackday, travelling from Ireland.

CLASSIFIEDS

THE METROPOLE HOTEL & SPA

in association with AnyM.co.uk

BMW WELSH WEEKEND 2020 19th to 21st June

Back again for another year is our very successful Welsh Tour. Based in the scenic Spa town of Llandrindod Wells, The Metropole Hotel & Spa will once again welcome Car Club members for the weekend. Please find details below and if you would like to book contact the Hotel direct on 01597 823 700 quoting BMW Welsh Weekender.

For Sale BMW E3 3.0L S, Manual in Atlantic blue. 1972, this car has been a restoration project of mine for many years however ill health forces sale, needs paintwork and minor internal work to finish, starts and drives. Sold as seen £5,000 open to offers. Phone Pete on 01225891672.

BMW Car Club Magazine DECEMBER 2019

Arrive on Friday 19th June to stay for 2 nights from £85.00 per person per night to include Dinner, Bed and Breakfast*.

Enjoy a three-course dinner on Friday evening followed by a full cooked breakfast Saturday morning before venturing out on some iconic Welsh roads. There will also be a light lunch included as part of the tour route on Saturday. Return to the Metropole Hotel & Spa to enjoy an evening three-course meal and catch up with fellow enthusiasts. Sunday morning early risers can enjoy the indoor pool and spa while the more leisurely wander down to our hot and cold buffet breakfast serving up to 10.00am. An optional morning drive of around 25 to 30 miles then friendly farewell or Sunday Lunch for those wishing to. Should you wish to extend your stay Sunday night with dinner can be added for just £60 per person. Classic double or twin room rate £170 per night (assuming two occupants)* Single room rate £85 per person per night It is possible to upgrade to a superior room, in which case the following supplements apply: Superior rooms £10 per room per night based on double occupancy Tower Suite rooms £30 per room per night based on double occupancy Please note that a non-refundable deposit of £20.00 per person will be payable when you reserve your room. Make the weekend extra special and stay Sunday night at a further discounted rate starting from £60 per person DB&B.

01597 823 700 info@metropole.co.uk www.metropole.co.uk

www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

JOIN US FOR THE CLASSIC’S Y R A S R E V I N N A H T 30

www.silverstoneclassic.com Our club’s exclusive Car Club Display Package code is:

2020CCD057

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