Straight Six MEMBERS EDITION
FEBRUARY 2020 £5
Less is definitely ore… We discover just how good the diminutive M2 is in our latest MLife road test
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
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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 BMW Car Club (GB) 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
inside this issue
Richard Stern Club Office Michelle Evans Lisa Davies Anya Edwardes BMW Car Club Insurance: Henry Francis
23
Life with my BMW 2000
Stefan Wingate goes through a turbulent journey with his BMW 2000, after it goes missing in action.
38
Patron Mike Wilds, The late Barrie Williams
28
MLife: M2 – Instant Crush
The Ultimate Driving Machine – Steve Carter and BMW Car Club members discuss their M2 ownership.
Editing Team Jeff Heywood
35
BMW Thorne VDC Tour
Lisa Davies
Our 6 Series Register Captain takes a group tour around the BMW Thorne Vehicle Distribution Centre.
Andrew Coles Cover image: Dean Grossmith Advertising Display Advertising
38
BMW Vision M Next
What’s next for M? One of BMW’s future projects unveiled at Munich was the BMW Vision M Next; the stunning machine you’ll see on page 38 .
40
Bicester Heritage Sunday Scramble
The January Scramble kicks off the 2020 season! Co-editors Andrew Coles and Jeff Heywood take a look around the first Scramble of the year.
45
North West Region Xmas Lunch
Christmas lunch with the Shelbys! North West members dined at Arley Hall, Cheshire, the fictional home of Thomas Shelby from BBC drama ‘Peaky Blinders’.
40
Hine Marketing 01452 730 770 nick@hinemarketing.co.uk 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
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BMW Car Club Magazine FEBRUARY 2020
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48
M Power E39 M5 Brakes
The part 2 article from M Power Register Captain Richard Baxter. Part 2 discusses the finishing touches on a E39 M5 brake refurb. www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
Contents
from the editor
23 regulars 6 Board Torque 8 Thoughts from the Boardroom 10 Club News 12 BMW News 15 Motorsport News 19 Products 52 Pirelli
Welcome to the February issue of Straight Six! Inside this issue, we bring you another MLife article from Steve Carter; M2 – Instant Crush. Read the feature on page 28. We also attended the Bicester Heritage Sunday Scramble on the January 5th. Go behind the scenes of the Sunday Scramble with co-editors Andrew Coles and Jeff Heywood on page 40. This event is growing in popularity, so if you’d like to attend the next one, mark it in your diary for April 26th! BMW Car Club member Stefan Wingate shares the story of his BMW 2000, passed down from his father. Read the heart stopping article on page 23, to see the time and effort put into this rare beauty. Ever wonder what happens to ex-BMW management, ex-fleet and ex-hire cars? They go through BMW Thorne’s Vehicle Distribution Centre (VDC). Our 6 Series Register Captain, Mani Singh Hayer, takes a tour around the facility to see the work undertaken to bring a second hand car up to excellent condition. Read this feature on page 35. On page 38 we take a look at the BMW Vision M Next, a stunning machine that was unveiled in Munich as one of BMW’s future projects. Do you like what the future has in store for BMW? North West Region’s Christmas lunch was well attended in December. They dined at Arley Hall, the fictional home of Thomas Shelby from BBC drama ‘Peaky Blinders’. If you’re a North West member and would like to attend their events, take a look at their Regional news on page 65. BMW Car Club and BMW Car Club Racing attended the Autosport International show, at the NEC on January 9th – 11th. Our stand was recognised as the Best Club & National Motorsport Stand at the show, awarded by Autosport International. A short article will feature in your March issue of Straight Six! This month we are attending the London Classic Car Show, which has moved its home to Olympia London. Our theme this year is Alpine White E30s! Interested in attending? Make sure you use your Club discount code: BMWCLUB. We also see the Club heading off to its first trackday of the year in Anglesey! The trackday is on February 22nd. Members price is £175, so if you’d like to whizz around this fantastic Welsh circuit, contact the office on 01970 267 989, or visit www.shop.bmwcarclubgb.uk. Do you have an interesting article for Straight Six? Whether it’s a restoration project, technical information, Club event, or simply why you love your ultimate driving machine – please don’t keep your BMW adventures to yourself, we want to read about them! Remember, Straight Six is a magazine for members, written by members. 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 officeadmin@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk. Part-time photographer or just love taking pictures? Send us high quality images of your BMW along with a caption to officeadmin@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk to be in for the chance to win FREE Meguiar’s products! Happy reading! Jeff, Lisa & Andrew Straight Six editorial team.
54 Your Letters/Classifieds 56 Crossword/Social Media 59 Regions 71 Registers 80 Your Photos 82 Events www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
BMW Car Club Magazine FEBRUARY 2020
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boardtorque
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, please contact us at limitededition@pirelli.com Richard Stern – Technical Director
I’m looking forward to the new season and things are already heating up, don’t forget to register with Jaymic (01263 768768) if you have a classic Beemer and want to be part of the “Jaymic Jaunt” on their ‘02 Day’ run - 02/02/20, and if you want to be included for the pub lunch. We (the Directors and Office staff) are working furiously in the background all year round to improve the Club from general operations to planning major events. Just because you don’t hear anything doesn’t mean we’re sitting idle. Every day we’ll be following up emails and actions from all kinds of subjects from helping members to organising the events and planning new ones. I can assure a few sceptics out there that the Club will grow stronger and I hope everyone wants to be part of the journey and have lots of fun. Which leads on nicely to a main events in the diary; Silverstone Classic in July which should be vastly improved this year for the Club in a new key central location. New Year’s Day Parade In all the years and all the events I’ve done I have to say, “OMG”, “Amazing” and “Incredible” to this event. I had done a few carnivals before and they were hard work for hours crawling along, but being a Londoner and funnily enough I used to work right where the start point was, it was great to be back in the West End for a day. It is an amazing city and its atmosphere and diversity are the best in the world.
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I drove in via Park Lane, wanting to stop outside BMW Park Lane, but it’s all Red Zone and you just don’t know whether a camera will see you “illegally” parked and automatically send you a fine, so sadly I didn’t get a photo opportunity. As I turned around the corner from Marble Arch into Piccadilly I was told where to park. Luckily, I found Franc Falco’s lovely Fjord Blue 2002 Targa and was told to double-park there. After a cuppa in the old Shepherds Market we went back to the cars. Even some of the groups and bands from the USA had flown over to be part of it and televised live in the USA, it had massive exposure and publicity. We set off around 13:15 and to be honest it wasn’t at the slow speed I anticipated. From the start point the crowds lined both sides of the road ten deep in some key viewing areas. Yes we did stop from time to time, but at least it wasn’t constantly slipping the clutch for hours upon hours. We headed off down Piccadilly, then Regent Street, Pall Mall, past Downing Street, and then finally past the Houses of Parliament, taking about two and half hours end to end. Everyone was waving and cheering, on both sides of the road. I have never seen so many people and obviously cameras/phones were busy filming us. Riding in the Porsche 928 ahead was famous cricket bowler Monty Panesar. The event was live on television, but I found out later you didn’t even get a glimpse of us sadly, it all focused on the bands, floats and cheerleaders, eight
thousand people actually took part in the event. The only cars you briefly saw were Minis, a Rolls Royce for a split second and a few American cars. But you know what? It didn’t matter – some friends on social media were there and it was all over Facebook. For gallery and videos check out; https://lnydp.com/. We hope to be back next year, bigger and stronger in numbers. Big thank you to the organisers for inviting us to participate in this fantastic event.
www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
THE ORIGINAL AND THE BEST As the original equipment manufacturers to companies such as Rover, MG, Triumph, Jaguar and many others over the years, Tex has established an unsurpassed reputation for quality and service. Today that quality remains evident in our Classic range of products, over 95% of which are manufactured in our factory in Oxfordshire on the original tooling. Tex products range from wing and door mirrors, wiper arms and blades and accessories are all supplied as original accessories on most British cars in the 50s, 60s, 70s. Tex were ďŹ tted as original equipment to all British Leyland vehicles between 1974 to 1983.
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H IS T I BR 48 AT 9 E 1 E GR C A N SI
D N A R B
thoughts from the boardroom
Graeme Grieve, CEO BMW (UK) Ltd.
The last year of the decade was a hugely busy one for everyone at BMW with a plethora of new models hitting the streets and I’m pleased to say that this year will be similarly busy. We have some mouthwatering machinery in the pipeline and this month I’d like to focus on some of our more performance-orientated models that will be revealed during the course of 2020. Trying to decide which new BMW from the past year was my favourite was a tough task but over the Christmas period I was fortunate enough to be able to sample our new M8 Competition for the first time and I was staggered by its breadth and depth of ability. As the most powerful road-going BMW ever its rapid acceleration should come as no surprise, but the way it reels in the horizon still took my breath away every time I sampled it. Of course there’s far more to the M8 Competition than raw speed, and to me it is the epitome of luxury high performance motoring. As you can choose various settings for the engine, suspension, steering and braking the M8 can switch from a high speed luxury
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BMW Car Club Magazine FEBRUARY 2020
machine to tack-sharp sportster at the press of a button and its poise and agility never failed to impress. The M xDrive all-wheel drive was a revelation too, endowing the M8 with the typical BMW M rear-wheel-biased feel yet at the same time providing traction and grip no matter the conditions. Safe to say I really didn’t want to relinquish my grip on its keys when I returned to the office. While the M8 Competition is the flagship of the BMW M range we have a significant number of M Performance and M cars to whet your appetite due to arrive during 2020. The M340i xDrive Saloon is already on sale and will be shortly joined by the even more versatile Touring model – it’s quite incredible to think this car offers a zero to 62mph time of just 4.4 seconds yet can also haul up to 1510-litres of luggage when the seats are folded. The M2 CS – in which there has been a large amount of interest – will hit the roads in the spring and like the M8 this is a car I can’t wait to sample. With its compact dimensions, lightweight carbon components and its finely honed chassis
it will be nimble and agile and offer an unadulterated driving experience. The M2 Competition is already a seriously entertaining car so it will be fascinating to see how M’s technicians have gone about enhancing it still further. To my mind it looks to be the ultimate pocket rocket and while its performance is in another league altogether, in spirit I see the M2 CS as being in the same mould as the iconic E30 M3 – the personification of a pure driving machine. Any talk of the E30 M3 elicits memories of the British Touring Car Championship in which it triumphed in 1988 and 1991 and as I’m talking about high performance BMWs this month it would be remiss not to mention our 2020 BTCC line up. After last years’ successes I’m delighted to welcome Andrew Jordan as a member of Team BMW where he will join Colin Turkington and Tom Oliphant behind the wheel of a 125i M Sport. Not long to go until the season opener at the end of March at Donington Park. In the meantime I’ll have to give some thought as to which of 2020’s new BMWs will be my favourite – I suspect it’s going to be another tough choice.
www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
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For more information, contact your local BMW Centre or visit bmw.co.uk/fastlane
BMW Service
clubnews Thank you! The BMW Car Club and BMW Car Club Racing won Best Club & National Motorsport Stand at the Autosport International Show 2020! Thank you to those who supported the stand!
Anglesey Trackday Will you be at the Practical Classics Classic Car & Restoration Show with Discovery on 27th-29th March? Book your tickets online: www.necrestorationshow.com Use the Club discount code before midnight 26th March: RSCC1784
Saturday February 22nd Member’s price: £175 Contact lisa@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk for more information or secure your entry at: shop.bmwcarclubgb.uk
Be event ready for 2020! Club branded merchandise is available from our online shop shop.bmwcarclubgb.uk See the full range on display at our National Events such as NEC Autosport International, NEC Restoration Show, London Classic Car Show, Silverstone Classic, and our National Festival.
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BMW Car Club Magazine FEBRUARY 2020
www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
New Members CENTRAL Frederick Mccabe Luke Brown Mike Bainton Karl Alliban Mark McCormack
CENTRAL WEST Paul Stubbins Darren Meddings Martin James Deepak Aggarwal
CHESHIRE & STAFFS Garry Hayward-Bird
CUMBRIA Rob Ward
DEVON Phil Parratt Stuart Clegg Stephen Hill Julian Greaves
EAST ANGLIA Mark Havers Justin Webb Ian Everett Paul Sistig Dave Stewart Steve White Tommy Easlea Peter Sweet Graham Dye Adam Horsley Jay Culham
EASTERN Mark Booth Garrie Whittaker
Martyn Trickett Andrew Littler Robert Lewis Toby Sanders Dave Woods Jonathan Shilling IRELAND Neil Colgan Richard Gibson
LONDON
Stephen George Simon Blackboorne Birdi Balraj Jason Lane Ivan Reed Djelal Reshad Nathaniel Rackowe Kuldeep Virdy Igor Wajs Nick Matthews Chaudry Viseem Ahmed Keith Wilkins
MID WALES & SHROPSHIRE
Rhys Ridge-Evans Constantin- Gigi Ciornei
NORTH EAST Phil Richardson James Powton Derek Cochrane
Nick Taylor Robert Stringer
SCOTLAND Paul Gibson Alasdair Cochrane-Mills Lewis Mitchell R Taylor Brian Dickson
SOUTH EAST Niall Bradley Paul Duprey Tom Hilder Christopher White David Gaunt Cris Descher George Jack Donald Broad Peter Gooch
SOUTH WALES Andrew Jones Nigel Burbage Mark Rogers David Newton
THAMES
Lee Moran David Stuart Mark Stanley Christopher May Anthony Caufield
20-23: London Classic Car Show
A new beginning: The London Classic Car Show moves to Olympia London, Kensington.
March 27-29:
27-29: The Tykes Tango 2020 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.
April 26:
June
Anglesey – £175
9 April:
Cadwell Park – £175
16 June: Brands Hatch – £120
(track evening)
28 Sep:
Snetterton – £200
6 Nov:
Oulton Park – £170
Bicester Heritage Sunday Scramble
May
WESSEX
22 Feb:
Practical Classics Classic Car & Restoration Show, with Discovery, NEC
Book before midnight on Thursday 26th March to save up to 12% on the door price.Club Discount Code: RSCC1784
3:
Trackday Calendar 2020
www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
February
Max Walton Ian Hughes Conor Taylor
Sam Sandhu Alex Yallop Richard Lewis Dominic Smith Jason Finn Raymond Richards
NORTH WEST
National Show Calendar 2020
Southern Concours Held at Sherborne Castle and Gardens. For more information, email western@bmwcarclubgb. co.uk
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
30th anniversary of Silverstone Classic. Club code: 2020CCD057
BMW Car Club Magazine FEBRUARY 2020
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bmwnews BMW Group UK sales for 2019 announced In a difficult UK car market, BMW Group UK registered 234,637 BMW and MINI vehicles in 2019, meaning one in ten UK new car customers now select a BMW Group vehicle. BMW increased its market share to 7.3% in a declining market, accounting for 169,753 sales, although when compared to 2018 sales figures of 172,048, actual BMW sales decreased by 1.3%...
MINI achieved a UK market share of 2.8% with sales of 64,884 vehicles representing a 3.2% decrease over the previous year. The 1 Series was BMW’s biggest selling model in 2019, closely followed by the 3 Series. And nearly a third of all BMWs sold are X Series models, with 52,466 vehicles delivered to customers.
Nearly a third of BMW sales are made up the X models, but this figure jumps to nearly a half of all models sold worldwide…
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars delivers historic record sales in 2019
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has delivered an historic annual sales record in 2019, with a global performance unequalled in the company’s 116-year history. A total of 5,152 cars were delivered to customers in over 50 countries around the world, an increase of 25% on the previous high set in 2018 when 4,107 cars were sold. There was strong demand for all models - Phantom retained its rightful place as the company’s pinnacle product, with Dawn and Wraith continuing to dominate their respective sectors, with strong demand experienced for all three models during the year. Cullinan, the marque’s new SUV, surprised many by generating the largest advance order book and fastest post-launch sales growth of any Rolls-Royce model in history…
BMW Group achieve worldwide sales record in 2019
BMW Group confirms position as world’s leading premium car company. The BMW Group reported its ninth consecutive record year in 2019, with a total of 2,520,307 (+1.2%) BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce vehicles delivered to customers worldwide. BMW brand reported a new all-time high last year, with a total of 2,168,516 (+2.0%) vehicle deliveries worldwide, whilst MINI brand deliveries totaled 346,639 units last year (-4.1% year-on-year). BMW X models made a significant contribution to the total BMW brand sales, with deliveries rising 21.0% to 958,732 vehicles. 2019 was also the most successful year in the almost fifty-year history of BMW M GmbH with sales growth of 32.2% which equates to 135,826 deliveries. This seems pretty impressive until you consider that M sales include the X3 M, X4 M, X5 M and X6 M models, as well as the regular M-cars… So there you have it, nearly half of all BMW sales are made up of X models, which makes you step back and think to the time when BMW once rejoiced under the banner of “The Ultimate Driving Machine”
Neither BREXIT nor a stuttering economy seems to be of concern to Rolls-Royce customers, with record sales reported in 2019
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BMW Car Club Magazine FEBRUARY 2020
www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
Android Auto comes to BMW
Former BMW Design Chief Jozef Kaban returns to VW Group
Former BMW Design Chief Jozef Kaban returns to the VW Group in July 2020
The BMW Group is extending the reach of seamless connectivity in its vehicles with the introduction of Android Auto™ starting in mid-2020. Android Auto allows customers to connect their Android smartphones wirelessly with their vehicle, giving access to information like suggested destinations and upcoming appointments when required. Android Auto is a simpler, safer way for customers to use their smartphone in BMWs, making it easy to access music, media and messaging apps. Easy wireless connection makes the process of linking up an Android smartphone to a BMW extremely userfriendly. Added to which, Android Auto is integrated directly into BMW’s fully digital cockpit, meaning that customers can view all important information not just on the central Control Display, but also in a simplified format in the instrument cluster’s Info Display as well as in Head-Up Display. Android Auto will be available for customers in 20 countries (including the UK) from July 2020 for all vehicles with BMW Operating System 7.0.
After a short stint at BMW Group, the former Head of Design Jozef Kaban is to return to the VW Group. A VW Group spokesman announced in December that after a reshuffling of its design department, Kaban will take over as Chief Designer at the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand from July 1, 2020. A non-compete clause in his contract has delayed the beginning of his new tenure at VW. 46-year-old Kaban was previously the chief of exterior design at Skoda (2008 to 2017) before moving to BMW and then Rolls-Royce. At BMW, Kaban worked on the next generation 7 Series limousine which will come to market in 2022. Kaban made a name for himself early when he designed the Bugatti Veyron while still in his 20s.
BMW Group recognised worldwide as outstanding employer From Germany to China, the BMW Group has once again been confirmed as one of the world’s most attractive employers by various studies in 2019. The BMW Group was the highest-placed automobile manufacturer worldwide in the Universum ranking of the World’s Most Attractive Employers in 2019. Among engineering and IT students, the company also placed fourth, behind Google, Microsoft and Apple. Universum surveyed more than 240,000 students from 12 countries for the study.
www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
The BMW Group has once again been confirmed as one of the world’s most attractive employers
BMW Car Club Magazine FEBRUARY 2020
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motorsportnews Roving reporters Jeff Heywood & Neil McDonald
BMW poaches Audi DTM Program Manager BMW Motorsport has announced that former program manager of the WRT Audi DTM team, Maurizio Leschiutta, has joined BMW. Leschiutta will oversee BMW’s DTM operations for the 2020 season. Prior to Audi, Leschiutta worked for the Ferrari Formula One team and was a key member of the championship winning Maserati MC12 GT1 project. BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt described Lescuitta as the “perfect fit” for the BMW DTM Team.
“He has a vast experience in motorsport. I think we have experts on all levels, but what we need in the program is leadership.” BMW are looking for vast improvements after last season’s poor showing. A promising start saw a BMW driver win on every race weekend up to round six at Brands Hatch in August, but the manufacturer’s results dipped in the second half of the campaign as Audi went on to dominate, beating BMW to
Maurizio Leschiutta, has left Audi to become the new boss of BMWs DTM effort in 2020. BMW will run two teams and six cars in the coming DTM season
the constructors’ title by an embarrassing 582 points.
BMWs DTM efforts faded badly last season, resulting in Audi securing the Manufacturers Championship with a staggering 582 point lead
Bruno Spengler leaves DTM…
BMW Motorsport also announced that Canadian driver Bruno Spengler was leaving the DTM series to drive an M8 GTE in the 2020 IMSA Series…
BMW Motorsport has confirmed that Bruno Spengler will not be part of their DTM programme in 2020. The Canadian will instead move to the IMSA series racing in the M8 GTE next year. “Firstly, I am obviously disappointed that I will no longer be racing in the DTM in 2020,” said Spengler. “I had a fantastic time for 15 years, during which time the DTM became part of my family. I have been racing in the DTM for almost half of my life.” Spengler made his DTM debut for Mercedes in 2005 and switched to BMW in 2012, claiming his first DTM title in his first year with the Bavarian manufacturer. Besides competing in IMSA for BMW, Spengler will act as BMWs reserve and test driver for Formula E.
Huff at the Double Images: Brian Stott
A look back at the eventful 2019 BMWCCR Race in Brands Hatch The BMW Car Club headed for Brands Hatch en mass with many drivers feeling they had the chance to win whether overall or in their class. A month before the race www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
we had a full grid and 12 drivers on the reserve list. We had some drop out, so we were able to give all registered drivers an entry and one invitation driver, too. It was very pleasing to see good numbers in classes M1, M2, 6 and Cup, we welcomed Paul Laramy for his first
ever race in the BMWCup and also Steve Schweikhardt who after many car club trackdays started his first race. Qualifying saw 35 cars take part and it was impressive to see all those cars make it safely round the technical Kent circuit. Motorsport can be full of ups and BMW Car Club Magazine FEBRUARY 2020
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Feature
motorsportnews
Paul White – Driver of the Day Race 2
Gareth Montgomery – Class 6
downs and it was this for Rick Kerry who after his double win at Castle Combe had mechanical issues that meant he could not start race one. David Kempton took his first pole position of the year, but he was unable to finish race one. This opened the door for other drivers and it was Chris Bialan who led the cars away, but he was overtaken by Gary Hufford early in the race and he didn’t give this up to repeat his win from 2018, he was followed home in M1 by Hugh Gurney and Jason Holyhead then Paul White in his first M1 race. The M2 honours were taken by the local driver Graham Crowhurst, closely followed by Class leader Adrian Williams and then Gary Burstow. In the competitive Class 6 it was great to see another new winner as Gareth Montgomery in his E36 took the win, followed by Dean Clayton in his Mini and Stuart Pywell in his 125i. In the BMWCup Matt Page stole the win from Clive Watson, followed by Darren Anderson.
Steve Schweikhardt was an impressive 8th overall in his E46 powered by an M42 engine that earned him well deserved driver of the race – that’s quite a start to racing with the club. The drivers and supporters enjoyed chatting and sharing stories whilst they prepared for race two which was going to be a challenge with some of the M1 drivers starting from the back. Gary Hufford, now starting from pole, got off well and whilst he was fighting with Hugh Gurney for the lead, Mike Cutt and David Kempton were making their way through the pack and caught up with Gary, but were not able to pass. Gary took the double to leave Brands leading Class M1. Mike Cutt pipped Hugh Gurney to take a 2nd place on his first visit to Brands Hatch. It was Paul White who took a fantastic 4th place that earned him the best driver for race two and we look forward to him taking podiums later in the year. Class M2 was a repeat of race 1 position wise but a lot closer over the finish line. In Class 6 it was a very close finish with Jim Benson overtaking Gareth Montgomery on the last lap, followed by Dean Clayton. In BMWCup it was Page, Watson and Skinner, who took another podium in his first season with the Club. It was also pleasing to see Paul Laramy finish his first race with a big smile that was evident all day and we look forward to seeing him move up the grid as he grows in confidence.
Dave Kempton – The fastest driver of the day
Gary Hufford – The Winner at Brands Hatch
Steve Schweikhardt – Driver of the Day Race 1
We owe a big thankyou to those who supported on the day, Lisa Heasman for the food, Dean Dignam for bringing the club trailer, Phil Brough and Matt Smith for being Stewards on the day – without these people these events wouldn’t run as smoothly and all the drivers and teams appreciate their selfless support.
Paul Laramy – New driver for BMWCup
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BMW Car Club Magazine FEBRUARY 2020
www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
Advertisement Feature
C
lassic Car Auctions (CCA) specialise in the sale of ‘Everyman Classics’ – that’s classic cars that fall between the value of approximately £5,000 £50,000. 2019 saw the company host five sales throughout the year, four at their home from home, the Warwickshire Event Centre and one as the official auction partner for The Practical Classics Classic Car & Restoration Show which takes place at the NEC, Birmingham. Many BMW models crossed the block during those 2019 auctions, and we have selected a series of highlights for you. First up are two E30 325i Sport models, the first, a 1989 example finished in Dolphin Grey and only 67,000 miles on the clock. This car sold above it’s pre-sale estimate at the Practical Classics Classic Car & Restoration Show for £29,082* in March. The second was a 1987 Sport M-Tech 1 which was in a beautiful unrestored condition. This Lachs Silver example featured an unmarked grey interior and sold in their August sale for £21,978*.
Three further highlights include a 1999 Z3M Roadster in Estoril Blue which had just 6,000 miles on the clock and at the time of going under the hammer, it had had just one owner from new. The car sold to its second owner on the day at the CCA sale in May, for £29,082*. In the same auction there was a 2003 BMW M3 (E46) Coupe which was offered from a private collection and finished in Phoenix Yellow, that example sold for £25,530*. CCAs final sale of the year took place in December at the Warwickshire Event Centre and a superbly restored 1974 BMW 3.0CS (E9) Manual went under the hammer. This example had plenty of desirable upgrades and was offered after eight years of ownership and sold on the day for £25,530*. We can’t not mention CCA’s sister company, Silverstone Auctions and the
success that was achieved at the NEC Classic Motor Show in November of last year. A superb, low mileage (6,800 miles at the time of the sale), collector-quality 1991 BMW 325i (E30) Sport was offered for sale and it significantly exceeded the pre-sale estimate where it sold for an amazing £51,188*. CCA are currently inviting entries for their annual auction at The Practical Classics Classic Car & Restoration Show, to talk to one of the team, email: enquiries@classiccarauctions.co.uk or call 01926 800651. *All sold prices include buyer’s premium at 11%
CLASSIC CAR AUCTIONS 2019 HIGHLIGHTS www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
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Products products GAZ Gold Suspension Kit for BMW E46
The BMW E46 3 Series has now attained the status of ‘modern-classic’ so it’s only fitting that GAZ should provide a GAZ Gold suspension kit to turn this Teutonic Cruiser into a high performing classic racer or trackday car. The kit includes adjustable coilovers on which the ride height can be adjusted through 60mm. The coilovers have a coarse acme form thread for ease of height adjustment and to ensure that they remain in good order even after considerable service. Damping rates are variable by means
of an adjuster knob on the damper bodies. The GAZ Gold range is designed primarily for out-and-out racing; each comes with a reservoir filled with a high viscosity index multi grade oil to reduce fade and a gas cell to prevent cavitation under harsh racing and trackday conditions. However, springs (included in kit) are supplied to the customer’s specifications according to the vehicle’s intended use - road, road and track and out-and-out race/trackday. Camber adjustable top mounts can also be supplied as an optional extra for race/track vehicles. All the units are individually tested before leaving the factory. The damper bodies are now finished in the new GAZ black plated coating to shrug off dirt, dust and minor gravel debris. The GAZ coilover kit for the BMW E46 3 Series includes front and rear dampers and springs and is priced from £1,013.58 + VAT. Rear fixed top mounts - as shown - available extra: £121.28 per pair. For further details visit the GAZ website: www.gazshocks.com
M-Style Remus ‘Wolf Inside’ exhaust for BMW G30 540i - with FREE FITTING!
M-Style is pleased to announce that as an official Remus dealer it can now offer the latest quad tailpipe, ‘Wolf Inside’ rear performance exhaust for the BMW 5 Series G30 540i. Versions are available for both the two wheel drive and the XDrive 250kW models. The rear silencer has integrated valves on left and right pipes and comes with four 102mm angled, straight cut, and chromed tailpipe tips. Carbon tips are also available at extra cost. The rear box and pipes are made from 100% stainless steel, feature a shot blasted surface, low back pressure, light weight construction and an aggressive racing sound (but within strict German TUV limits). The rear silencer is handmade in Austria to provide a perfect shape and fitment for customers that wish to install it themselves, however M-Style also provide a fitting service should it be required. Remus Wolf Inside rear exhausts for the G30 540i start at £1,299.65 and must be used with the BMW original rear diffuser panel (BMW original part no. 51 12 8 067 763). Wolf Inside rear silencer with carbon tips - £1,600.00. M-Style is currently offering FREE FITTING on these exhausts at its Romford fitting centre! For further details e-mail info@mstyle.co.uk or call 0208 598 9115 www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
DEI Black Floor and Tunnel Shield®
DEI Floor and Tunnel Shield is a dimpled, bright, 10mm aluminium facing, bonded to a finely woven layer of high temperature resistant glass fibre material. It is able to withstand harsh road conditions as well as exposure to extreme weather. In response to customer demand DEI is now producing its Floor and Tunnel Shield in black as well as the more familiar bright alloy finish. The black finish will appeal to classic car owners who want to insulate their car’s interior from outside noise and heat with a less conspicuous modern material. DEI Black Floor and Tunnel Shield is applied to the outside on the underside, on the firewall or under the bonnet with the black side facing the heat/noise source. DEI Floor and Tunnel Shield will conform to the contours of the panels and an aggressive peel-and- stick adhesive backing will ensure it will withstand wind and water and yet will be easy to shape, trim, cut, peel and stick. The black coating will withstand high temperatures and will be unaffected by heat from turbos, catalytic converters and exhausts. DEI Floor and Tunnel Shield is available in two sizes: Part No.: 050549. Black Floor & Tunnel Shield 42” x 48” (14 sq ft) RRP: US$246.15 Part No.: 050552. Black Floor & Tunnel Shield 21” x 48” (7 sq ft) RRP: US$131.28 In the UK and Europe DEI’s products can be ordered from Demon-Tweeks.com. Please contact Demon Tweeks for current UK price. To keep up with the very latest DEI product introductions and company news connect with DEI on Facebook or Twitter or subscribe to DEI’s You Tube channel BMW Car Club Magazine FEBRUARY 2020
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Products B-G Racing – Large Folding Table (New Lower Price)
Price reductions are always good news. Thanks to improved efficiency B-G Racing has just relaunched its folding work table at a lower than previous price. The Large Folding Table is the ideal companion in the pits or at home in the workshop. It features a sturdy 6ft work surface and folds in half for ease of storage and transportation. The table (as shown) includes an optional shelf (BGR176SHELF) that can be purchased. Also available is a specifically designed Kart Tyre Rail (BGR176BAR) which can be positioned in several different arrangements to suit the user’s requirements and increases the available storage and working space. Weight-rated levelling feet on the bottom of each leg make it quick and easy to achieve a level working surface. The Large Folding Table is manufactured from high-grade mild steel with a durable silver-grey powder coated finish. Price: £359.99 inc. VAT For more details contact Brown & Geeson Ltd. +44 (0) 1268 764411 or visit their website: www.bg-racing.co.uk
M-Style BMW M2 Exterior Carbon Pack
M-Style is pleased to announce that it can now offer its own four part carbon pack to enhance the exterior of the M2. The kit includes: a pair of aerodynamic side-sill fins, a front lower lip splitter and a quad exhaust rear diffuser. All parts are finished in genuine carbon fibre and are designed to be easily installed by the customer, however,
Webcon’s Redline Performance Adjustable Fuel Regulator (0-5psi)
Now that the well-known Pro-Fuel fuel pressure regulators are no longer available, Webcon has teamed up with leading Australian fuelling specialists Redline Performance to make its Adjustable Pressure Regulator available as a top quality alternative. Displaying the familiar 0-5 psi markings, the new regulator pack includes 5/16in/8mm unions as well as fuel hose and clips and features a push and lock knob to ensure the desired pressure is accurately maintained. The regulator will be sold with the Redline branding to allow easy identification of this superb quality regulator and avoid confusion with the cheap, non-branded versions currently on the market.
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BMW Car Club Magazine FEBRUARY 2020
M- Style can offer a fitting service should it be required. The complete package retails at an introductory special offer price of just £1195 incl VAT, (but only while stocks last). For further details e-mail info@mstyle.co.uk or call 0208 598 9115.
Webcon Crank Position Sensor
Part number WFR190 is available at £44.95 plus VAT. For maximum accuracy when setting fuel pressure, Webcon recommend the use of the Webcon Pressure Gauge WFR150 and In Line Adaptor FGA100. For further details contact Webcon UK on +44 (0)1932 787100 or visit www.webcon.co.uk
For over 40 years, the Weber Marelli crank sensor type SEN8D from Webcon has been the benchmark in terms of outstanding performance and an unbeatable price. However, as of November 2019 production in Italy ceased so they are now no longer available. Webcon is thus delighted to announce that, following extensive testing, it has sourced a superb quality replacement for the SEN8D and these are now available for immediate delivery. The sensor is branded ‘Webcon’ to avoid confusion with non-Webcon-approved, unbranded versions and is available under a new part number: WSS075W. Just like its predecessor it is extremely competitively priced at just £31.00 plus VAT. For further details contact Webcon UK on +44 (0)1932 787100 or visit www.webcon.co.uk www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
Efficient performance. What’s a better hybrid than a BMW i8? An i8 by AC Schnitzer. A few tweaks are all that is needed to give it a little extra spark. Our front spoiler elements, centre splitter, side skirts, diffuser and rear wing enhance the bodywork. Lower suspension and 21� forged alloy wheels give the typical AC Schnitzer stance and muscular appearance. The AC Schnitzer branded alloy pedal set and i-Drive cover remind you from the inside that this is no ordinary car. New lower prices for 2020 while stocks last. Please contact us for further details and the location of your nearest AC Schnitzer dealer.
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Feature
LIFE WITH MY BMW 2000
MISSING IN ACTION! Words and photographs by Stefan Wingate
M
y 1972 BMW 2000 was passed down to me by my late father who left it to me in June 2012. I didn’t really know much about the car as my dad took it off the road in ‘87 when I was only six years old, and it remained
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locked up until I towed it out in 2013. Over the years it was locked away, all I knew was that my dad had bought it new from Park Lane London, and after only one week of owning the car he took my mum and eldest sister on a two month
trip of Europe, and I can remember him saying that the 2000 was a dream to drive on such an epic trip. Later in the years to come I learned that the car went through France, Switzerland, all around the north of Italy and many others. The photos my mum dug out looked amazing, and even more amazing to see the car in such extreme and epic locations. In February 2013 I got my friend, Stewart of Sussex Classics, to come to the garage and get the car out of its storage, which had now been there for 26-years untouched. I wanted Stewart to be there as his knowledge and many years in the trade could figure out the best way to
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go about ‘rescuing’ the car. To Stewart’s surprise when we lifted the garage door, he said “Blimey, it’s a 2000 not a 2002, these are somewhat rare now!” I should have known when someone says “rare” it means parts are hard, if not impossible to source, but seeing the car in the daylight and the memory of my dad, it didn’t faze me in the slightest. I told Stewart to start work on it right away. I have to add, the car was in a very sorry state when we looked at her. It was in desperate need of new panels across the car, as they had rotted away in storage. The engine was seized and the interior was unrecognisable. At this point I was off on a travelling holiday to Asia, and my only goal was to find parts and panels that we needed in the next year and get them sent to Sussex Classics for the build. Panels came from across the world, including America and Germany but surprisingly some came from north England and Park Lane BMW as well.
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Fast forward to the start of 2014, the car had now reached a point when it was rolling and ready for a spray, but had all the engine, running gear, etc to sort out. So, I decided at already £12,000 in, I’d store the car until I was ready to finish it. The 2000 went to a storage garage for a year as my house doesn’t have a garage, but when a good friend of mine offered me his garage for a reduced cost per month I jumped at it. The garage my friend offered was not his, he was renting it off his mate for his car, so when it came to it I was subletting a let garage! All was fine for now, until the dreaded day of 24th June 2016. It was just a regular check-up which I did every few months or so. When I arrived at the garage, my key would not turn the lock! I didn’t think much of it so I called my friend Simon to ask if anyone had changed the lock as I couldn’t gain access. Simon said he’d make a quick phone call to see if the owner of the property/garage knew what was going
on. Ten minutes went by and I had a phone call back from Simon sounding extremely anxious and worried, telling me to force the door open and see if my car was there. He quickly told me that the owner of the garage had sold the house two months ago and the garage with it. Can you imagine what I was thinking? I certainly can’t express in writing what my reply was. After a simple crowbar to the door, I lifted it up to be greeted with cardboard boxes and children’s toys. My world all of a sudden went very dark when the realisation that my dad’s car, which I was in the process of lovingly restoring, had suddenly been erased without a trace! So where to start a search? Estate agents – useless – bmw02forum… not useless and very understanding, but no leads. Stewart of Sussex Classics? He’d put the word out. That’s all I could do, so I just had to wait. Two days passed, and nothing. On the third day Stewart rang me, “I’ve found the car.”
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Feature
He was contacted by his friend who runs a local salvage company, who was instructed by a property maintenance company to remove and dispose of what was in the garage… my car! Lucky or not, the owner of the company looked at what he was instructed to pick up and crush, but thought better of it as he could see the car had a lot of time and money spent on it, and it wasn’t due for the scrap heap. As all this information was coming through to me, I eventually got told that it was put on eBay and sold to a guy down in Poole, Hampshire. His name was
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Shaun and that was all I was told, until the salvage company got in contact with him and he agreed I could phone him to discuss getting my car back. Two days later, the morning came where I had the green light to call Shaun, as he was expecting my call. “Hi Shaun, my name is Stefan and I do believe you have my late father’s car” was the first opening line. Shaun to be fair was very understanding of what had happened, and agreed I could have the car back for a price, of course. He wanted £1,800 back which he had bought the car for, and £1,000 for a BMW 2000 donor car he had bought to finish my project. “Oh yeah, I’ve sprayed it” he said, which he wanted £2,000 for the labour and paint. Yet again, words can’t express what I was feeling right now. Not only did I store the car away as I had no more money, but now I’m being asked to buy my car back for the sum of £4,800. How could I let my dad’s only last wish be ripped away? So before I even contemplated raising the cash, I contact the DVLA to see where I stood. It only then came to my attention that owning a V5C is not enough
to validate that you own the vehicle, and has no enforcement to say I’m the owner. What a rubbish system, I thought. But anyway, the police are bound to help me as it was stolen in my eyes. “Sorry, but we can’t help as it’s a civil matter.” I’ll leave it up to you to think about what you would have done in this situation. There I was, no money, no help, so I had to apply for a loan to get my car back and process what the hell just happened. Eventually the car was returned, and yet again went into more storage (but a very secure lockup now). The paint job that was done by Shaun was an absolutely shocking job, so it would all have to be striped right back. But hey ho I thought, at least the car’s home and it has some sort of protection. Fast forward to 2018 where the car had by now been in storage for a year and a bit. It was time to finish this project once and for all. I just couldn’t bear thinking about the car not being done any longer and it was time for the final push. Sussex Classics got the car back to start the final work on it, and my friend Simon who was still feeling extremely guilty about the BMW Car Club Magazine FEBRUARY 2020
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garage situation kindly offered to rebuild the engine free of charge. As he’s been in the game for 20 years, I knew that part would be in safe hands. Apart from the costs of things needed for the car mounting, the next few months seemed to pass without any more horror stories and all seemed perfect. Cue the next slap across the face; DVLA trouble. I posted on the 02 forum to ask for yet some more help from the community. This dilemma came to light when I applied for my certificate from BMW’s archives for all the info regarding the car, and I thought nothing of it when sending my V5C copy and the form
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BMW Car Club Magazine FEBRUARY 2020
out to them, and eagerly awaited my certificate. A few weeks later it dropped through the post and I couldn’t wait to read the certificate. I stared at it for a while, I was dumbfounded on how and why the certificate explained that the car was Chamonix White and was sent to Bangkok, Thailand, on February 1972! Clearly the archives were somehow wrong, so emails were exchanged between a very nice lady and me at BMW archives, but she assured me they were the correct details that BMW held for that chassis number on my V5C. Okay, let’s think about this, I said to myself. Let’s check all chassis and engine numbers and make sure they’re the same as the V5C! Oh no…there it was, the next epic battle I was going to face. The chassis number on the V5C was wrong, so in good faith I contacted
the DVLA to get it changed. What a big mistake that was. They said not a problem, so I sent the V5C to them so they could amend the details. Two weeks passed and then a DVLA letter came through explaining that it was possible to change the details, and I needed proof of purchase and a signed written confirmation from BMW. Months and months went by with me battling to try and prove to them that the car was original and purchased by my dad from BMW Park Lane. I was only the second owner, and the car had never been changed in any way to warrant the chassis number to be wrong. The saddest thing about this was that they held all the cards as I now had no V5C, and they were threatening to place the 2000 on a Q plate at best. All I got was ‘computer says no…’
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Feature I took to the forums and went into great detail to see if anyone could possibly help. To my amazement I had a private message from a guy called Ian explaining that he was willing to help me as best as he could. Ian as it turns out was very knowledgeable when it came to car fraud and the DVLA as he served in the Met Police as a detective for the car squad for most of his career, which then took him into the role of Chief Trainer for all DVLA vehicle inspectors. After explaining everything to Ian and telling him about all the documentation I owned and photos, etc. he was for sure on my side to fight the DVLA to reconsider their answer and change the chassis number on the V5C. Ian explained if the DVLA still had their inspection centres open then it would be a simple case of driving the car down to a centre so it could all be verified. But they are no longer open, Ian said, and I’m just facing essentially a written answer from the computers at the DVLA. The format would never change
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its mind as the people there wouldn’t have a clue what to do in this situation. The more Ian and I spoke and put all the evidence together, the more he couldn’t believe or understand how the original V5C had the wrong number on it. Then suddenly it dawned on both of us that this was a mistake made over 40 years ago! Everything was written by hand and logged in the 70s, and we came to the conclusion that human error was the cause for this totally unnoticed but huge mistake. Picture the scene - you have 15 cars arrive from BMW Germany to England and you’re the one with the task of distributing them around the UK. You have a lot of paperwork to fill out, different chassis numbers to assign to each car and it’s possibly a Friday at the office and you want to go home. My dad would never have needed to check if the numbers matched up to the car as you would have just expected everything to be correct. When you buy a brand new car,
all you want to do is go drive something you just paid outright for Ian said in all the 40 years in his career he never experienced anything like this, and said we’re going to need help from an insider. Luckily for me, Ian still had contacts in the Met Police and told me to send everything I had on the car to a detective who was in charge of fraud prevention in the car squad. Sending all information to Scotland Yard was something out of a dream, but sure enough two weeks later and after months of battling the DVLA, my new V5C came through with the correct chassis number. Finally, everything had slotted into place and I was now on the home stretch of finally driving the old girl. The deadline for me was 6th June 2019, as I wanted the first real public display to be at my wedding, and I’m happy to say it was. Family and friends who saw the car for the very first time loved it, especially as they know the struggles I faced with her, it was even more special.
BMW Car Club Magazine FEBRUARY 2020
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Power Feature Feature
LIFE M2 – INSTANT CRUSH
Editorial by Steve Carter, Photographs by Dean Grossmith
I’m not sure about you, but seeing a brandnew M car for the first time in the metal is a highly anticipated event for me. And so, it was a little over two years ago, on a chilly November evening, that I had my very first drive in what I think might still be the best new M car on sale today. It was unexpected for a whole number of reasons, but mainly because it was launch night at Chandlers BMW in
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Brighton for a completely different M Car, the stupendous F90 M5. Next to the M5, was another car that had heavily been breathed upon by M, the M Performance M760Li, which until the launch of the F90 M5 it sat next to, was the fastest accelerating car 0 to 62mph BMW had ever produced. Yes, you heard right, the fastest accelerating BMW a couple of years ago
was a 7 Series. Who would have thought? At 3.7 seconds 0 to 62mph and deploying over 600bhp and 800Nm of torque, it was seriously getting some attention, no doubt bolstered by the small fact that you could take it for a test drive on the night, unlike the M5. Even the Chandlers Technicians were queuing up ahead of the punters just to experience that astounding sledgehammer of a V12. Very tempting. www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
Power Feature
M Life: My M2
But I didn’t take this wonderful 7 Series with its astounding space time continuum warping power for a test drive that evening. And the reason being, was that another M car was quietly parked up outside in the damp and darkness that I had been gagging to drive since it was first announced back in October 2015. With its outline only partially lit up by the neon lights emanating from within the Chandlers showroom, many of the design details were invisible to my eyes, but what was clear to me was that this car was quite different in size compared to both the frankly gargantuan M760Li and M5 models inside. This car was the baby of the M range. This car was the M2. Announced by BMW in October 2015, the M2 was no state secret and the release was hotly anticipated by journalists and prospective buyers eager to get their hands on it. I mean, what’s not to like? A smaller lighter rear wheel drive car with a 3-litre Straight Six engine, albeit with a TwinScroll turbocharger, and available with a 6-speed manual gearbox. Read www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
that back: A rear wheel drive BMW with a three litre straight six engine and manual gearbox… I could be talking about any number of 90s or early 00s M3s here. What BMW’s M division had produced was a proper old school M Car. BMW had learnt an important lesson several years earlier when they launched the limited production run of the 1 Series M Coupe, or 1M as it became known, the first modern M car to be fitted with a turbocharged engine. This car sold like hotcakes and is so revered that even today used prices aren’t far off the original retail price for average mileage examples, and in fact often much higher than the original retail price for the lowest mileage garage queens. The 1M is an outstanding M car, and arguably set a great recipe and enough time for BMW’s M division to create the perfect M baby. A closer look at the M2 ingredients was enough to convince anyone of the modern approach that had been taken. The engine itself, whilst not an S code
After owning fifteen or so BMs over the years, my first M2 proved to be an absolute delight and the best model I have owned since my M535i in the eighties. It manages to combine all that’s good in a small attractive coupe; performance, handling and comfort (apart from road/tyre noise). You don’t just drive the M2, you wear it. I chose the automatic gearbox option and have found no problems with it at all. In fact, in my year’s ownership, the only issue I’ve had to complain about was a whine from the differential. In total, I think I have had three replacements fitted, and whilst not ideal, the customer service I received from Listers BMW in Kings Lynn has been fantastic; they even kindly collected the car and delivered it back. Had the M2C not been announced I would without doubt still own the M2. It has the magical combination of looks and form, but I couldn’t resist changing up to the M2C. The M2 and M2C are chalk and cheese, they may have the same bodyshell but are totally different animals. Strangely my M2C seems quieter road noise wise than the M2 and overall this car is “something else”, especially in M1 mode. My M2C is the only car I can remember owning that after a 150mile trip and arriving home, I think to myself, “you know what, I think I will pop out again and take her around the block one more time”. These cars are addictive. Peter Barrett BMW Car Club Magazine FEBRUARY 2020
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Power Feature
engine as in regular M cars, was an enhanced version of the brilliant N55 twin scroll turbocharged unit as used in the M135i and M235i. A double VANOS unit, it gained selected components from the high-performance unit used in the BMW M3 and BMW M4 presented in 2014. Components including the pistons, the
M Life: My M2
top piston rings and crankshaft and main bearing shells were all enhancements that helped the engine be tuned to deliver 365bhp and 465Nm (343Lbft) of torque, with a 7.5 percent overboost capability. The engine was mated with two gearbox options, the sweet six-speed
The M2 competition is the 2nd M car I have been fortunate enough to own. Like all purchases, I mithered over the original decision for some time. I was contemplating a number of options, including an Audi RS5, BMW i8 and Tesla (perish the thought)… But more of that in a moment. The M2 is the “baby M” of the range but don’t let that fool you. She will deal with 0-62 in 4.1 seconds thanks to over 400+ bhp and my word don’t you know it! And that’s the thing about this car, you know everything about what it’s doing, all the time. It demands your respect as the driver and rewards you in abundance when you get it right. This is exactly what drew me to the model in the first place. If you’re looking for a sure-footed, 4-wheel drive “point and go” drive then I’m sure you could name the alternative options. But that’s not what I jumped on a 4-month waiting list for. For me it’s about “SPM” (Smiles Per Miles) and this car delivers that in abundance. Sure, you can drive a more extravagant, cheaper to run, arguably “better” vehicle. You might even save a polar bear in the process. But for me, it was love at first drive. You can keep your “sure footed”, ABS ridden, electric panel gaps on wheels. I’ll get there slower, with less money in my pocket, but arrive with a bigger smile on my face. Dale Gough
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manual with carbon-fibre friction lining and rev matching technology, or, the superfast M Double Clutch Transmission (M DCT) with launch control. With the optional M DCT and Launch Control activated, the M2 sprints to 62mph in scant 4.3 seconds, the manual a few tenths slower at 4.5 seconds. Keeping this power on the road is BMW’s Active M differential to maximise driving stability. The differential is able to lock between 0 and 100 percent according to how brave the driver is with his or her right foot, with full locking taking place within 150ms. The technology in the M2 is not limited to the drivetrain though. Lightweight aluminium front and rear axles are carried over from the F82 M3 and M4, and aluminium is used on the control arms, wheel carriers, axle subframes and stiffening plates of the double-joint spring-strut front. Further weight savings are provided by use of aluminium in the suspension struts and a tubular anti-roll bar. It’s fair to say that overall the motoring press loved this car when the reviews came out. Chris Harris, now of Top Gear fame, said at the time, “Simply brilliant the M2. It takes you back to when driving www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
Power Feature
was brilliantly simple.” And that sentiment was carried through many of the reviews. Matt Prior, Editor at Large at Autocar agreed, “Smallest M car is also the best. Rapid, brawny and very nearly brilliant”. Simply put, the less the car, the more the fun. But whilst the M2 was seen as easy to master, (or was that the M2 mastering you?), it was also seen as bit of hooligan. A car which if likened to a bloke in your local pub, would be the punchy one not able to handle his beer too well; all calm and “I love you mate” one minute, all in your face and a bit shouty the next. But as we all know drinking and driving don’t mix, which is just as well for the M2. But beneath the many written lines of praise at the time, more than the odd grumble surfaced here and there from the M-Car purists. Whilst the M2 has many classic M car traits such as the four exhaust tips, big fat light weight wheels and multi-piston brakes, it did without some others. For example, the M power bulge on the bonnet is missing, the wing mirrors are from the regular 2 Series and not of the M exclusive double bridged design. The engine was not an S code; an M car “must have” right back to the earliest M built cars like the 850CSi – although it’s worth noting the 1M’s engine was also a non-S code example, being an N54 variant. There was also no oil temperature gauge at the bottom of the instrument cluster, and, may god have mercy on our souls, the M gear stick was not even backlit! Now of course I’m being deliberately facetious, but these things are important and this was recognised by BMW who addressed most of these points in the later “Competition” version of the M2, known as the M2C. Fortunately, so full of personality is the original M2 to drive, that www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
all of these complaints are soon forgotten once out on the open road. Driving Impressions Ah yes, my first drive in an M2. That was pretty awesome. Three of us headed out into the night from the Chandlers Brighton dealership that chilly evening. Ian Bryant, South East Regional Chair, took first dibs at the controls as we headed towards the South Downs and away from the busy commuter strewn roads. After 15 minutes or so it was my turn to have a go. After peeling myself out of the rear of the 2-door coupe, never straight forward at my height (and age!), I settled into the driver’s seat. After a little
bit of adjustment to the seat position and mirrors, I placed my foot on the brake pedal and pushed the start button. A few pops, bangs and gurgles from the exhaust later, I lever the DCT gearbox in to Drive and I ease out on to the A283. The eagerness of the cracking, and uprated, N55 engine is the first thing that focuses my mind on this dark, greasy and cold road. Plenty of turbo driven low-down torque, but a linearity in its delivery that does not abate across the rev range. As the power comes in as the revs rise there is in fact an almost normally aspirated feel to the engine which breeds confidence; if BMW’s M Engineers were trying to make a spiritual successor to the S54 Straight Six engine, then I think this is it. After following the path of the River Adur for a couple of miles we head into the South Downs National Park and turn right off the commuter strewn A283 road and start climbing up to the Downs themselves, first heading towards Upper Beeding before taking another right and the Edburton Road towards Fulking, (Gesundheit!). It’s now the road narrows and the twists and turns start. The Visibility Package really earns its keep on these dark roads, the LED lights are simply outstanding, but even still, it’s not the lights that float my boat, it’s how immediately comfortable I feel behind the wheel of this car. Instant Crush is not overstating it. This is the first new M car I can remember for some time that I feel so immediately confident in reaching deep in to its driving talents. Within a couple of miles, I am fully leaning on that M
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Power Feature
Active Differential as I come out of the corners, drifting the back end slightly as I let the torque briefly overwhelm the 265 rear section Michelins. Picking the gears through the DCT gearbox, the shifts are quick, purposeful but never too aggressive for the rear end to unstick. This is one playful M car and one, that in a range of M horsepower monsters, let’s you ring it’s neck good and proper without the feeling that it might be wringing my neck right back as the next hedged corner appears. Eventually we reach Poynings and pick our way slowly through this small village before taking another right onto the Saddlescombe road and back over the South Downs. Here the road surface is smoother and the corners flowing from one set to the next before the big climb up towards the Waterhall Golf Club turn off. This short hill can’t be more than a third
of a mile but it’s fairly steep, it’s a perfect place to test the mid-range of the Straight Six engine. No concerns there then, the car simply flies. And before you know it, the fun is over and we are queueing to join the A27 for the run back to Chandlers. As first impressions go, I’ll admit, I was pretty bowled over. Wind the clock forward two years, and in preparation for this article, I was lucky enough to have a blast around Ashdown Forest in Photographer Dean Grossmith’s manual M2, as pictured. Here the roads are tight, twisty and pretty lumpy too. With just myself in the car this time the M2 felt proper rapid, the aggressive turbo delivery of the N55 engine dominating immediate proceedings, particularly noticeable after stepping from the normally aspirated S65 V8 M3 and S54 straight six Z4M cars with us on our photoshoot. And
I just love this six-speed manual box; BMW just gets these things so right. It’s really smooth and accurate in its gear placement, the clutch really predictable on biting point too. Couple this to the 25 kilogram weight saving over a DCT version and automatic rev matching on down shifts, and it makes for an addictively rapid driving experience. Awesome stuff. One element of the M2’s driving character that did take a little flack during initial reviews was the initial damping of the ride. On my first drive, and with the car laden down by two passengers, I can’t say I recall this trait being that noticeable, however, on these forest roads the car does initially feel skittish. Push on a little harder though, and the
M Life: My M2
I have been lucky enough to have owned both an original M2 (in Long Beach Blue) and after the completion of its PCP term, an M2C (in Hockenheim Silver). Both were new car orders to my specification but from different dealers. One of the key options for me which I had fitted to both cars is the reasonably rare sunroof. Personally, I’m a big fan, although I know the majority of M2 owners don’t go for this option. For the M2C I also ordered the optional 437M wheels, I think they just show off the big brakes much better than the stock 788Ms do. Both the M2 and the M2C met my requirements of being the 2 door, 6 cylinder and rear wheel drive concept in a compact coupe form. The effortless power in both is astounding, the M2C in particular has such a strong mid to top end torque range that it just makes me smile every time I take the car for a drive. My only gripes with the M2C is the lack of any M Performance exhaust dealer fit option, I find this really frustrating especially when other larger M cars typically have had that option in the past… the M2 is crying out for an emotive exhaust note! And the only other gripe I have is that there is no Head Up Display (HUD) option for the M2, I really miss this from the M4 I previously owned. But as I say, I’m a big fan! Chris Clarke
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Power Feature M Life: My M2
information coming through my seat and steering wheel is exactly what I need to feel where the cars grip is; yeah, it’s a likeable hooligan to drive and the steering is not perfect in its levels of feedback, but frankly as an overall package it’s simply brilliant and it has what they call character. And designing that into a car is not easy. Driving it back to back with a Z4M and E90 M3, the M2 controls feels lighter and more delicate, but still requiring enough heft to remind you that you are driving an M car, and a proper M car at that. And if driving the M2 has spread a huge grin across my face, then it is stretched even wider when I stand back and soak up the exterior design. It’s only then I realise just how muscular the M2 is over the standard 2 Series. By using the M3/M4 chassis parts, the car is widened by 71mm on the rear axle and 64mm on the front axle. To accommodate this increase, the wheel arches are swollen so significantly that they honestly, at first study, appear to be a well sorted and after-market modification. Couple that to the 10-inchwide 19” spoke alloys on the rear and the glorious Long Beach Blue paint of Dean’s example, and saying this car has an epic presence is a bit of an understatement. The M2, a bit of hooligan? Certainly. Instant crush in its appeal? Definitely. But what keeps going through my head is BMW’s eternal brand slogan, The Ultimate Driving Machine… think they might have nailed that pretty closely with the M2. And what price is this “Ultimate Driving Machine” in 2020? Well with Valentine’s Day just around the corner, that will be from a very tempting £25,000. I think I’d better start dropping hints immediately
M Life: My M2
The date was April 2016 and I had been enjoying my then M235i for almost 12 months. On that day, a visit to my local dealer to buy a touch-up stick led me towards a covered car in the showroom, under the silk sheet there was the most beautiful BMW I’d ever seen; a Long Beach Blue M2. I knew I just had to have one! Further talks with the dealer revealed the price, a hefty premium over the M235i, and the long waiting list due to the high demand. It left me feeling that this was just a pipe dream… Later that year in November my luck was about to change. I attended an early morning car meet and convoy to the Goodwood Breakfast Club, organised by YouTuber Joe Achilles. We had a great drive and some good talks once there on all things BMW, Joe was very friendly and offered to call his contact at Sytner in Nottingham. After waking up his contact, I was deflated to learn that the only M2 he had was in black with no heated seats. Wrong colour and wrong spec. The day went on well enough, but just before we were about to leave Joe’s contact rang back. He had received a cancelled order and the spec was not yet locked in. The following Saturday the deal was done. The M235i was traded in and a factory M2 with my perfect spec was ordered. Hands down, it’s the best car I’ve ever owned, and still own. Andy Neocleous
My story started way back two years ago. I was adamant on sourcing the perfect M2 but my budget was limited; it was, and still is, my dream car. My buddy and I crunched the numbers and we came to the sad conclusion that an M2 was just too pricey to run every day, but I didn’t care. After 6 weeks of searching I found my perfect M2. Problem was, it was based all the way up at BMW Lincoln. It was a 200mile journey each way. I called the salesman up, told him my dilemma, he reassured me that after one test drive I would not be able to wipe the grin off my face. How right he was! www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
I rocked up at the Lincoln showroom after a 3hr drive, the M2 was there, waiting ready for me in the customer bay. As soon as I pressed the start button, I was on cloud nine. I took it out for a blast and could not contain my excitement. The 200mile drive home after signing the papers that day was the best drive I’ve ever had. The most enjoyable part about the car is the cold start which roars to life, the exhaust tone sounds so throaty. This car demands respect. You cannot just blast away without the back-end attempting to kick out. It needs to be wined and dined before you take it sideways. What a car. A car for a lifetime. Ben Malka
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Feature
BMW THORNE
VDC TOUR Words and photographs: Mani Singh Hayer
I
n early December, a group of about 15 of us undertook a tour of BMW’s outstanding Vehicle Distribution Centre (VDC) in Thorne, Doncaster. Once again, the hospitality by BMW was fantastic and we were treated as VIPs with access to pretty much all areas of the facility showing in detail the very high level of quality and attention the vehicles receive. The morning started by a great presentation by the team highlighting some of the history behind the facility and some facts and figures. The facility, which is owned by BMW, was opened in 1992 and was the very first VDC for BMW in the UK, originally setup as a facility to dewax cars. Over the years, as more VDCs have opened, such as the ones in Killingholme and Southampton, the work that Thorne undertakes has changed. Whilst Killingholme is the entry port for new cars destined for Northern retailers and Southampton is the entry port for new cars destined for Southern retailers (and where vehicles
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are pre-delivery inspected at these two locations), Thorne is very much seen as the technical base for BMW in the UK. Several senior BMW Technicians are based here where the refurbishment of all ex-BMW management, ex-fleet and exhire cars are undertaken to the strict AUC standards before being sold to retailers. It is also where BMW Police cars are initially prepared before being released to each Police force for additional modifications. Thorne is also one of only two official Rolls-Royce repair centres in the UK and the only official repairer of BMW i products and the E52 Z8. The facility was also given the job of preparing all 2,700 special edition BMWs and MINIs for the 2012 London Olympics, and in some cases, adapting them.The centre is also home to the BMW customer experience cars. Behind the super impressive white building, the centre can hold about 4,000 cars over its 52-acre highly secure site and from January to November 2019, it
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has prepared just over 19,000 cars! The average time a car is at Thorne is about 14 days, which means that the vast array of parked cars and the view outside the windows does change frequently. Our tour started off at the point the transporters drop the vehicles off into the facility and the vast number of quality inspections that are undertaken. Whereas at Killingholme these inspections are done through the latest in high definition photographic equipment, at Thorne, tried and tested humans are used instead; picking up every detail should the car have been damaged in transit. The tour then took us deep into the workshop areas where we could see the cars being checked mechanically, both exterior and interior being inspected and tested (and fixed if anything is found) along with routine servicing tasks carried out if required. We could also see that high attention is paid to the alloy wheels as the facility has set strict guidelines when it comes to refurbishing alloy wheels; re-painting is allowed but if anything else is needed then the wheel is securely scrapped and replaced by a brand new one. Moving further into the facility, we arrived at the body inspection area where pretty much any imperfections, stone chips or blemishes are highlighted on the car body itself so that it can be rectified utilising one of the 7 in-house paint booths. A particular highlight of the tour was getting the chance to speak to and have a demonstration by the facility’s only paint technician, Steve Peacock. Steve’s job is not only to ensure he has produced enough paint to cope with the demands of the facility but also to ensure that the colour is matched to the specific car. Steve showed us how he goes through different formulas of colour to get the best match of the car. Another great demonstration was the effect that light and flame surfacing have on paint and he perfectly demonstrated this using Donnington Grey. Whilst we were with
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Steve, he was in the middle of producing a batch of Alpine White and we were really surprised that to make Alpine White requires a mix of several colours, including black and red to the exact formula as detailed on the computer that he uses. Many BMW retailers are also able to get in touch with Steve should they require a specific formula of a colour batch. Whilst panels are routinely resprayed, the facility does have the capacity to fully respray a car to a different colour should a retailer request this (including inside the engine bay). The added benefit of this is of course the manufacturer’s warranty will be in place given that Thorne is considered as a BMW factory. The tour then moved into an area where the senior technicians work and it is where campaigns (recalls) are undertaken along with the more complex work such as the rare occurrence of when an engine needs to be replaced. There is also a set area for the repair of i products too. The area is also where any technical additions are added to the car such as M Performance Parts; again, considered factory fitted due to Thorne’s status should the retailer request this. When a car has been completed, it then arrives at an area where several quality checks are performed adhering to the facility’s strict quality procedure. What was evident was that if something is not up to the mark, procedures are put in place to correct the issue and prevent if from happening again. Outside, we were shown the huge car park filled with BMWs waiting to be processed, whether awaiting some work or awaiting a transporter to take them to Killingholme for storage or to the retailer that has purchased the car. On the day we went, the facility was at max capacity with about 4,000 cars onsite. It was also great to see the mock-up car of the 2019 WSR BTCC 3 Series housed within the customer experience cars fleet. We also had a look inside the photo studio where every vehicle at Thorne
is photographed before the photos are uploaded to the BMW site where retailers can see and then purchase the respective vehicle (most of the time, the photos end up on the BMW Approved Used Cars site). Given the huge technical investment in Thorne, the photos are uploaded immediately which saves a lot of time and avoids any delays. The tour then ended with a fantastic lunch laid on by the team at BMW Thorne. I came away from the tour with several thoughts. One of which is that quality is at the heart of everything that everyone does at Thorne which is great to see as a lot of effort is put into each vehicle to get it to the high Approved Used Car standards that BMW has set. Another was that the centre is setup for change; it’s been through many changes over the years and they are easily able to adapt to best suit the company’s needs. For example, from my last visit there in 2014, several new outbuildings have been added to allow for smart repairs. The third thought I had was the people behind the facility. Nothing at the centre can happen without its people and to me, everyone looked motivated and really striving to achieve their targets to the best of their ability in a safe environment. The final thought I had was how important Thorne is to BMW UK, both from a historic point and a technical point and how proud BMW should be of the facility and its people that work there. Historic because it was the very first VDC in the UK that set the initial standards and processes, and technical because it is the home for technical queries for BMW in the UK. My sincere thanks to the entire team at BMW Thorne for making this happen and taking time out of their schedules to show us round, especially Vikki, Vicky, Steve and our hosts of the tour, Jason, Aaron and Steve. Thanks to Steve Peacock for his excellent demonstration too in the paint shop! www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
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Feature
In the summer of 2019, BMW hosted their first ever NextGen event in Munich, where they gave the motoring press and public alike a glimpse into the future of the brand, one that’s clearly heading towards electrification. One of those future projects unveiled in Munich was the BMW Vision M Next; the stunning machine you see in these photos.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR M? E
ven though not officially confirmed by BMW, the Vision M Next will indeed head for production in 2023. The car will be part of a new BMW M line-up and the first step towards a fully electric M car. The Vision M Next is said to run a plug-in hybrid with a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo engine and twin electric motors. This hybrid combination is claimed by BMW to deliver 600 horsepower, absolutely Even better than that, drivers will be able to choose between electrified all-wheel drive or pure rear-wheel drive.
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BMW R&D chief Klaus Froelich said last year that a fully electric M Next with a full battery pack would have made the car far too heavy – 4,850lbs (2,150kgs) – so going with a plug-in hybrid powertrain, BMW will be able to keep weight down to a more reasonable level. The automaker targeted a weight of 3,750lbs (1,700kgs) for the Vision M Next concept but it actually came in a lot lower according to Froelich, with it rumoured to be around the 1,600kg mark.
The Vision M’s design is a cross between the BMW i8 and the M1 Hommage. There are plenty of square shapes that are reminiscent of the Giugiaro-designed BMW M1 from the 1970s. The C-pillar vents, the louvered rear window, its spindle-thin taillights with BMW Roundels inside — harking back to the original M1 — all combine to make the Vision M NEXT a visually stunning car when/if it hits the market...
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The M Next has inherited the i8’s dihedral doors that move forwards and upwards for ease of access…
The M Next looks as visually strong from the rear as it does from the front. There are styling cues as mentioned in the brief from the i8 and M1 Hommage, but there is also quite a bit of Lamborghini in this design as well.
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As mentioned in an adjacent caption, the M Next looks as good from the rear as it does from other angles, but one can’t help imagining how good it would look with 4 large exhaust tips poking aggressively out of a carbon fibre rear diffuser, a traditional M car feature
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Feature
SCRAMBLE KICKS OFF THE 2020 SEASON Words and photographs by Andrew Coles
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icester Heritage kicked off the 2020 event season in style with the first Sunday Scramble of the year, held under threateningly cloudy but mostly dry skies on January 5th. Much like the renovated World War Two-era classic car business park itself, Sunday Scramble has gone from strength to strength over the past years, and the summer Scrambles are full-on events that usually sell out weeks in advance. But the January Scramble always has something special about it. The cold and the likelihood of rain tends to weed away the fair-weather friends, leaving just a core of enthusiasts who are not bothered by trivialities like the weather. We always salute the Caterham drivers, because any car that forces you to wear a motorcycle rain suit and helmet to drive it is clearly not suited to winter, but they do anyway. A filthy Exige here,
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a mud-splattered Blower Bentley there. Motorcycle riders thawing their hands with a cup of coffee, or a traffic marshal doing the same on the exposed engine of a Morgan three-wheeler that had just arrived. Porsche specialist Sports Purpose again took centre stage with a genuine 550 Spyder and a 959, both grimecovered from a wet drive up. Vintage hot-rodders gave a damn good argument for their cause with a large selection of sixties muscle, and a pair of rallyprepared Ferrari 308 GTBs in bold primary colours made us wonder if it was even possible for a rally car to look any better. Owing to its nature, Bicester Heritage has a habit of hiding cars in the various nooks and crannies of the heritage technical site, giving you an automotive treasure hunt and corresponding shot of adrenaline when you find something www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
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incredible. A Group B Peugeot 205 T16 hiding in a car park, or an otherwise subtle looking Mini harbouring a Lotus twincam in its engine bay. The iconic Ferrari F40 stopped next to a Triumph GT6, and Aston Martin Works with the DBX prototype, still in camouflage ahead of its complete launch. There’s rarely a more diverse, high quality, aesthetic assortment of cars than at a Scramble event. The Club had a strong showing on the airfield, with just over 50 BMWs on the Club stand at the busiest point. Out the front, a beautifully modified trio of moderns grabbed attention with their flared guards and flush stance
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– an F80 M3 in rare Individual Speed Yellow, an F31 335i Touring and an F82 M4. Hidden throughout were a line of five Sharknose-era cars, Alpina gems including an E31 B12 5.0 and an E30 C2 2.7, a very pretty E24 M635CSi, a 1M and a pair of M2 Competitions, to name but a small handful. BMW Club member Silas Benaiah was around and had his Vantage N430 parked with the Aston Martin Owners Club, and John Marcar’s M Coupe was covered in a thick layer of road grime from a long New Year’s Day drive. Inside the site, there was plenty of Bavarian interest for us. An 02 sitting
low on fat Minilites with bolt-on flares, a deep chin spoiler and an eye-catching ‘Marlboro BMW Team’ livery stole excited glances. A spectacular E24 635CSi in Macau Blue with period 17-inch Hartge wheels sat super low, and a pair of Alpina homages (E28 and E30) set the tone. 2020 will be an exciting year for Bicester Heritage as they expand and activate the Bicester Motion plan, securing its place as a global centre for automotive heritage in the decades to come. But in the short term, the season’s Scrambles look to be as exciting as ever, and we’ll be back for the April Sunday Scramble on April 26th.
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JEFF’S PERSPECTIVE Photographs by Jeff Heywood
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y first Sunday Scramble was quite the experience! On the Friday before, I received a late afternoon telephone call from Lisa in the Club office asking if I would be kind enough to act as organiser on the Club stand because the usual organiser, Tony Skerrett, had gone down ill with a heavy cold. We had been planning to take a 320-mile round trip ride down to the event with my better half, Cathy (F13 650i M Sport), along with fellow North West Region members Keith and Lynn Bridge (E28 M5) and Paul Hearn (E39 M5). I reluctantly agreed to take on the roll and was asked by Tony to bring a Club flag. Keith was already bringing his ‘Sharknose Collective’ Club flag, being one of the Section’s officials. We made the journey easier by travelling down
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on the Saturday, stopping at Gaydon for lunch where I broke the news that I would be the Club stand organiser at tomorrow’s event, and I would need marshals to help with parking and meet and greeting! Our task was made more difficult because none of us had ever attended a Scramble before, so we didn’t know the layout or size of the stand and we hadn’t a clue what cars were booked on the stand, which stopped us from coming up with any kind of plan for display parking. We arrived before 7.45am on a dark, damp and wet Sunday to set up. We tried to arrange a Sharknose display, which was partly successful with five Sharknose models parked together, but because of people arriving at different times it was impossible to park everyone in groups. Keith Bridge acted as my
wingman, helping to park up the Club member’s cars as they arrived and provide an initial warm welcome. The girls and Paul carried out a lengthier meet and greet once people had disembarked from their BMs. Everyone played their part, but I must offer a big thank you to Keith Bridge who was a real trooper on the day. Keith has been a Club member since the 1980s, has served on the North West committee for most of that time, now helps to run the Club’s Sharknose Collective, owns a lovely Carmine Red E28 M5 and is a really good sort and allround nice guy. We wish Tony Skerrett a get well soon and speedy recovery before the next Sunday Scramble in April!
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NORTH WEST REGION CHRISTMAS LUNCH
CHRISTMAS LUNCH WITH THE SHELBYS! Okay, I may be stretching the truth a bit, but we did dine at Arley Hall, Cheshire, the fictional home of Thomas Shelby from the BBC drama ‘Peaky Blinders…’
Club members pose for a photo outside the main entrance to Arley Hall, home to Lord & Lady Ashbrook and also the fictional residence of Thomas Shelby of Peaky Blinders fame… www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
W
e’ve built up a good relationship with the management team at Arley Hall over the past few years, with one of the perks being able to park our BMWs in the courtyard, right in front of the house. The parking question was posed again for our visit to Arley in December for the Regional Christmas lunch; the Arley estate manager happily agreed, for which we are most grateful. And so in mid-December, twenty-four Club members turned up in convoy in their BMWs (and a Porsche!) to be led through to the courtyard where photos were taken of our cars in front of the house. As mentioned previously the Hall is home to Thomas Shelby of ‘Peaky Blinders’ fame, or more accurately, home to Lord & Lady Ashbrook for the majority of the year, in-between filming! The present Hall stands on the same site as the first Hall built by the family in 1469. The Hall standing today was built between 1832 and 1845 by Rowland Egerton-Warburon. Adjacent to the main BMW Car Club Magazine FEBRUARY 2020
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A nice mix of classic and newer BMWs provided an eclectic display and a great photo opportunity outside the hall. The strong relationship we’ve built up over the years has allowed us to ask for certain privileges, like being able to display our cars on the gravelled forecourt at the front of the house, which is normally strictly off-limits to any type of vehicles…
Hall is the Cruck Barn, constructed in 1469 and still standing today. The Grade 1 listed Barn is constructed using a timber frame with brick infill on a stone plinth with a slate roof. Internally there are seven cruck trusses. The estate covers an area of some 2,000 acres including the 750 acre Stockley Farm, an organic farm growing fruit and other crops, and it is also home to around 200 milking cows. Group photo completed, we strolled to the restaurant where we enjoyed a delightful three-course Christmas lunch, followed by coffee and mince pies. We then made the draw for the Christmas Hamper, kindly sponsored by Darren Wood BMW Specialist, with draw
‘tokens’ kindly supplied by Rob McElroy. The hamper was won by regional stalwarts Tony & Sheila Berry (see photo), but no one left empty handed, as tubs of Roses, Heroes and Celebrations were handed out to everyone in attendance. I finished by thanking everyone who attended the lunch, with a special mention for O-J and Tracy for travelling over from Blackpool to attend, and to Eastern members Steve & Jane Haslam and Les & Wendy Bush for making the journey over the Pennines from Derbyshire to join in the fun. A big thank you also goes to Restaurant manageress Debbie Kettle and her team for the wonderful food and attentive service provided.
We even had a Porker invading the party! Andy and Tracy O-J’s striking Orange Porsche Cayman S Sport (limited edition only 70 in UK) looked resplendent outside the Hall
Club members tucking into a delicious Christmas Lunch. The restaurant manageress kindly reserved the mezzanine for our party, giving it a ‘special’ feel…
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BMW Car Club Magazine FEBRUARY 2020
Lunch finished, we held the draw for the luxury prize Christmas hamper, kindly sponsored by Darren Wood BMW Specialist, and the first ticket out of the pot belonged to Tony and Sheila Berry. This win was well deserved; Tony and his family rarely miss a regional club event or meeting – we hope you enjoyed the hamper, guys!
www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
+44 (0)1242 384092 : GLOUCESTERSHIRE, GL7 5NX : INFO@CLASSICMOTORHUB.COM : WWW.CLASSICMOTORHUB.COM
SALES : STORAGE : TRANSPORT : EVENTS : DETAILING : SHOP
s t n e Ev Diary 2020
Wednesday 1st January : 12pm - 3pm
NEW YEAR’S DAY CHARITY MEET Sunday 5th April : 10am - 1pm
COFFEE & CLASSICS
Sunday 26th April : 10am - 1pm
DRIVE-IT DAY CELEBRATION Sunday 3rd May : 10am - 1pm
VE CELEBRATION
The Hub has a busy schedule of both public and private motoring events throughout the year and we always welcome new groups and enthusiasts wishing to take advantage of our atmospheric facilities. For the latest information on our events, visit our website to signup to our newsletter and be sure to follow us on Facebook.
SALES
£
STORAGE EVENTS
Saturday 16th May: 10am - 3pm
RIDE-IT DAY CELEBRATION Sunday 7th June: 10am - 1pm
COFFEE & ITALIAN CLASSICS Sunday 5th July: 10am - 1pm
COFFEE & CLASSICS
Saturday 18th July: 5pm - 10pm
HUB SUMMER BBQ
Sunday 2nd August: 10am - 1pm
COFFEE & PRE-1970s CLASSICS Sunday 6th September: 10am - 1pm
COFFEE & 70s, 80s & 90s CLASSICS Sunday 4th October: 10am - 1pm
COFFEE & CLASSICS
COFFEE SHOP TRANSPORT WORKSHOP VISIT OUR WEBSITE OR FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OUR UPCOMING EVENTS
FACEBOOK.COM/THECLASSICMOTORHUB @THECLASSICMOTORHUB @CLASSICMOTORHUB
Feature
M POWER E39 M5 BRAKES
Part 2
Words: Richard Baxter mpower@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
I
Items returned from platers with fresh electro zinc plating, the caliper having been cleaned in an ultrasonic tank, the repair kit consisting of an O ring, dust gasket and piston.
Caliper built up; the rubbers smeared with rubber grease during assembly and the caliper brushed with ACF 50 protection fluid.
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BMW Car Club Magazine FEBRUARY 2020
t is always a joy to collect components from the electroplaters, the formerly rusty items are now protected for stage two in their life cycle and again look new. As always it is the preparation stage that will ensure the best finish. The final stage of the process is for the platers to carry out a deembrittlement process to retain the correct hardness of the caliper carrier bolts. The question of whether they can undertake this process should be asked before deciding which company to entrust the work to. It can be noticed that carrier bolts are showing minor rust pitting to the ends of the bolts, these occur where they protrude at the end of the threads but are not a problem to the integrity of the bolt/ thread (in this condition at least). On return to the workshop the calipers are then subject to a cleaning cycle in the ultrasonic tank before drying with compressed air to remove any moisture. The parts are then laid out prior to building them back up with the rubber O ring and dust cover, the rubber items having been lightly smeared with rubber grease. Using compressed air and a wood stopper to halt the piston, the pistons are pushed out and back again through three cycles to observe whether they move freely and at the same rate as each other, a pressure gauge can also be used to measure the consistency and sealing properties. The calipers are then brush painted with an anti-corrosion fluid ACF 50 and can be treated again and again to help retain the electroplating. It is also advisable not to apply chemical wheel cleaner with the wheels fitted to the car (remove wheels to the bench if they have become heavily contaminated) also best not to apply water via a pressure cleaner directly onto the calipers/discs/pads. Instead deliver a gentle volume of water from an angle of 30° if you are wetting/rinsing the wheels and washing them by hand. www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
Feature
New rear disc, disc retention bolt, brake pads fitted with caliper, hanger and tension plate, handbrake tension adjusted. Pad grease smeared on back of pad and pad slide in contact areas only.
It is the pleasurable part of the process to fit all the items back onto the car as everything is clean and new. Copper grease is smeared lightly onto the threads of the fixings (a heavy application will only cause the excess grease to run). Likewise the grease
supplied for the contact patch between the piston edge and the brake pad and the pad edge and its slide, over greasing these items serves no useful purpose and will attract dirt. Following fitment of the rear discs (the existing handbrake shoes were not
One can see the shiny extension of the new piston, also the stainless steel flexible braided new brake pipe (non-OE). Bleed nipple and dust cap not yet fitted. Hydraulic system bled twice. www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
worn) the handbrake is adjusted. The caliper hangers are refitted and torqued to specification. The pads fitted and the tension clips installed. The flexible stainless steel brake lines are non-OE items and possibly provide a stronger brake pedal but at least the ends won’t corrode in the future, they are also less expensive than the all rubber OE items. The outer plastic shrouds are available in many colours but black was chosen to match the OE appearance.
The newly made metal brake pipe housed within new washers and rubber grommet now fitted to new flexible braided hose. To the left, new pad wear sensor is hanging down. BMW Car Club Magazine FEBRUARY 2020
49
Feature The brake pad wear sensors were replaced and fitted, the brake bleed nipples were replaced and now fitted prior to bleeding the system with new OE fluid, the bleeding was done twice starting at the furthest point and zig zagging to the final caliper closest to the master cylinder to ensure all air is purged from the system. A cloth is wrapped around the reservoir neck to catch any fluid spill, which has to be continually topped up during the process. Having tried many one-man systems to complete the bleed operation it is hard to beat a human foot pressing on the pedal! The excess fluid around the nipples is dried off and the new rubber dust caps fitted. Finally, the dirty work is complete. The pedal now nicely firm and the discs spinning freely with the pedal released, it’s time to refit the wheels and in this instance a freshly refinished set with new wheel studs, centre cap, M Power badge, correct length valves and valve caps. The car is returned to earth, having first checked all brake pipe connections are dry and the wheels studs correctly torqued. Allowing a gentle bedding in for 100 miles, the pads and discs are then nicely mated to each other and ready to do the job for which they were designed.
The icing on the cake, refurbished wheels took two attempts to get the correct shade of OE semi chrome finish. Fitted with new centre badges, wheel studs and M badges and the correct length valve with OE valve cap. Premium tyre for premium high performance M car!
20-23/FEB/2020
SPECIAL OFFER FOR MEMBERS OF BMW CAR CLUB GB The Capital’s premier classic car show comes to Olympia, London. This must-attend event for any discerning classic car owner, collector or connoisseur, offers you the opportunity to view and purchase from what promises to be one of the widest collections in the UK. BMW Car Club GB are delighted to be exhibiting at the show and to be able to offer our members a special discounted price on tickets.
Tickets now available from thelondonclassiccarshow.co.uk USE CODE BMWCLUB WHEN BOOKING TO SAVE £6.50* ON YOUR ADULT ENTRY TICKET
Stay up to date with the latest news *Offer only valid on Standard Adult Tickets until 19th February 2020
LCCS BMW Car Club Half Page.indd 1
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BMW Car Club Magazine FEBRUARY 2020
03/12/2019 11:09
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
best ches even
Feature
e will
PIRELLI’S NEW FORMULA 2 TYRES AT THE FOREFRONT OF AUTOSPORT INTERNATIONAL SHOW
Formula 2 is already established as the place to watch the Formula 1 drivers of tomorrow. In 2020, the championship will also be home to a new technological innovation as it adopts 18-inch tyres from Pirelli: the same size that will be raced in Formula 1 from 2021 onwards. The 2020 F2 car with its bespoke 18inch Formula 2 tyres was unveiled on the Pirelli stage at the Autosport International Show in Birmingham: the annual curtainraiser to the motorsport season. Although the new tyres have already been seen in private testing, people visiting the show were the very first to see how they look in their final Formula 2 version, complete with Pirelli’s famous coloured stripe sidewalls. Mario Isola, Pirelli’s head of F1 and car racing, was on hand to unveil the tyres and talk about the significance of the change from the previous 13-inch size. The introduction of 18-inch tyres to F2 a year before F1 is a novel initiative, and a beneficial move on two distinct fronts. On one hand, it will help Pirelli’s engineers to learn more about the larger size as the company prepares to supply F1 from 2021. And on the other hand, it will give the F2 drivers experience of the characteristics of tyre that they could be racing on if they make it to F1 in the future. Pirelli has supplied F2, and its predecessor GP2, since 2011: the same year that the company returned to F1.
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BMW Car Club Magazine FEBRUARY 2020
Helping to prepare young drivers for F1 has always been a key part of Pirelli’s agreement to supply the championship. This has included developing tyres that feature a degree of deliberate degradation to help the drivers learn about tyre management. Drivers also have to use two different compounds of tyre during their feature races, just as is the case in F1. As Isola explained, introducing 18inch tyres to F2 will provide the drivers and teams with additional challenges for the 2020 season, because the change in size is a lot more than simply a cosmetic difference. While the rims are larger, the tyres themselves have a smaller sidewall, and that will naturally lead to quite different characteristics. Teams will need to gather new data and even drivers with previous F2 experience will have to master the new characteristics of the latest tyres. A full testing campaign last year proved that the latest rubber is up to the job – now it’s down to the drivers and teams. The changes brought by the move to 18-inch tyres will be just one of the reasons to watch Formula 2 in 2020. The three rookies who lit up Formula 1 last season – George Russell, Lando Norris and Alex Albon – were the top three finishers in F2 the previous year. And the 2020 F1 grid’s only debutant, Nicholas Latifi from Canada, was F2 runner-up last season.
Pirelli fuel gift card offer Members of BMW Car 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, 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 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. This year promises another exciting F2 field, which includes no fewer than five up-and-coming racers who form part of the famous Ferrari Driver Academy. Among them is Mick Schumacher – son of seventime F1 world champion Michael – and the reigning FIA Formula 3 Championship winner, Robert Shwartzman. 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 THE FACE OF THE FUTURE? An open letter to the designers at BMW HQ in Munich: Like many drivers, I’m contemplating the day when I must trade-in or trade-up my ‘daily driver’ to an electric or hybrid plug-in model and I am keenly following the launch release news for the new i4 in 2021. The promised engineering, performance and range statistics are impressive - but the looks? Publicity shots are clearly disguised at this stage but indicate the trend towards the larger grill as evidenced across the new 7, 8 and X Series which, to my eye, looks like the design equivalent of a cheesy-grinning thumbs-up emoji has been applied to the face of the car. I’m not saying that contemporary design must harken back to the understated keynote kidney grilles of the E31 8 Series or the E38 7 Series, but before the final stamp of approval is passed on the i4 design and the production tooling committed, is it too
late for this essential aspect of the model’s kerb-appeal to be critically regarded? The i8 led the way in classy contemporary design and could become the brand ambassador for the BMW sporty electric brand - perhaps creating in its wake a modern iconic ”shark-nose” collection. As with the selection of alternative interiors I, for one, would be prepared to consider an alternative front face as a production option exterior if available. Surely it can be no mere chance that it is the enigmatic smile on the face of the Giaconda which has kept the world transfixed for four centuries while that of Miley Cyrus may appeal to a modern sensitivity but is ultimately something much more transitory. Yours sincerely, Colin Spearpoint
CLASSIFIEDS
in association with AnyM.co.uk
FOR SALE: 1983 E21 316 Mileage 58,000. Manual 5 speed gearbox. Baltic Blue. The car is in excellent condition both internally and externally. There is no rust, the dashboard is perfect, seats and upholstery are unmarked but would benefit from replacement of carpets which are now faded. I bought the car 2 years ago to use as a second car but since retiring I have found I don’t need this. Sold as seen £5,000 ono. Please phone 01642 553 357 if you are interested or want further information.
THE METROPOLE
BMWCCR
HOTEL & SPA
BMW Car Club Racing
BMW WELSH WEEKEND 2020 19th to 21st June
Donington GP 13th April 2020
Castle Combe 31st August 2020
Croft 23-24 May 2020
Oulton Park 19th Sept 2020
Brands Hatch 27th June 2020
Snetterton 18th Oct 2020
Silverstone International 9th August 2020
Silverstone GP Birkett 6 Hour 24th October 2020
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. Arrive on Friday 19th June to stay for 2 nights from £85.00 per person per night to include Dinner, Bed and Breakfast*.
WWW.AUTOMAC.CO.UK
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.
www.bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
neil@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
/BMWCCR 54
01970 267989 Ext 2
@BMWCCR
BMW Car Club Magazine FEBRUARY 2020
01597 823 700 info@metropole.co.uk www.metropole.co.uk
www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
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See us at Classic Motor Show 2019, NEC, M MEMBERS BENEFI 8-10 Nov, Stand 2-972
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Visit: www.bikeseal.com or www.autoseal.co.uk Autoseal_IAM_Autumn18.indd 1
23/08/2018 14:53
Autoseal_IAM_Autumn18.indd 1
23/08/2018 14:53
Price: £425 Contact 07786 139327
FOR SALE BMW 523SE, 5 speed Automatic, 2000, September. Only 62,000 miles
£2,995 With full service history and service log. Purchased by us from the original owner in 2012, super specification; Silver metallic/Black Nappa leather trim, Sports steering wheel with cruise control etc., radio/cassette and 6 play CD, dual climate control, remote locking/alarm with 4 keys, electric mirrors, electric windows front and rear, height adjustment to both front seats, height adjustment to steering wheel, original full size alloy spare wheel! Truly outstanding condition and without doubt a future Classic.......
Tel: David Franklin, 01275 845515, mob; 07775 895470. Portishead, Bristol www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
BMW Car Club Magazine FEBRUARY 2020
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Winner of last month’s crossword Richard Rixham - All entrants for February’s issue crossword must be received into the office by 11th February. 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 Across: 1. Individual, 10. Eos, 11. Elekta, 12. IT (Italy), 13. Hyena, 14. Greer, 15. ED, 17. Ha, 18. Horacio, 22. Titanic, 24. RR (RollsRoyce), 25. NA, 26. Chiti, 28. Pathe, 31. ie, 32. Avenue, 34. Ten, 35. Motorsport Down: 1. iEight, 2. Not rain, 3. DS, 4. Veyron, 5. Ile, 6. Den, 7. UKAEC, 8. AT, 9. Lap, 13. He Ha, 16. Dirtier, 19. Riches, 20. Ache, 21. Orient, 23. Tapet, 27. IAM, 29. Ano, 30. Tur, 33. VO, 34. To
1. Giovanni..: Italian car designer whose work included the Triumph Herald and BMW 700 (10) 9. Shortform for North Eastern US State e.g. dealers BMW of Statham and Tulley BMW of Manchester (1,1) 10. An essential fluid for your BMW - could be mineral, synthetic or semi-synthetic (3) 11. Shortform for Midwestern US State e.g. dealers BMW of Crystal Lake and Perrilo BMW in Chicago (1,1) 12. Changes, particularly to a typed script (5) 13. German for ‘village’, also anagram of American multinational automaker founded in 1903 (4) 15. Shortform for Midwestern US State e.g. dealers BMW of Fort Wayne, Dreyer & Reinbold of Indianapolis. Also chemical symbol of 2. Down (1,1) 16. Initials for Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, e.g. Andy Priaulx and 3. Down (1,1,1) 17. British car manufacturer founded in 1905 and incorporated into 20. Down in 1935 (7) 20. Shortform / initials for famous BMW subsidiary where Torsten Müller-Ötvös is currently CEO (1,1) 21. UK postcode / shortform for island location home of TT (1,1) 22. Renfrewshire location of 20. Down manufacturing plant for the Hillman Imp (7) 24. Importer and assembler of BMW cars from 1934 until the outbreak of war in 1939 - the initials of its founder (1,1,1) 25. Shortform for US State e.g. dealers Gebhardt BMW of Boulder and BMW of Denver Downtown (1,1) 26. Hans... Innovative car manufacturer (e.g. first to use a timing belt) that was acquired by BMW in 1966 (4) 28. 1980’s BMW green metallic paint colour [code 177] (5) 29. Internet country code for Ireland (1,1) 30. Entry-level first- and second-generation BMW MINI model (3) 32. Shortform for Eastern US State e.g. dealers Union Park BMW of Wilmington and i.g. Burton BMW of Milford (1,1) 33. A form of sprint style automobile racing held on a closed mixed-surface circuit (10)
Down
2. Soft metal with atomic number 49, with applications including LCD displays (6) 3. Prof Carl..: Writer and broadcaster on the social history Birmingham, particularly active on the break-up of Rover. Awarded a 16. Across in 2001 (5) 4. Volkswagen sport compact cabriolet produced 2006-15 (3) 5. M760...: BMW’s top-of-the line 7-series limousine (1,1) 6. Perhaps a classic, but certainly not one of our favourite car company’s most recent models? (3,3) 7. Initials for the international customs transit systems operational in over 50 countries - used to be signposted on the back of container lorries (1,1,1) 8. Film and photographic paper manufacturer initially founded in 1879 in the East London town of its name, but since 1983 based in Mobberley, Cheshire (6) 14. Could be Original Equipment? (1,1) 16. Volkswagen subsidiary and heavy truck manufacturer based in Munich (1,1,1) 17. ...Motors: Originally formed as a bicycle manufacturer in Coventry in 1874, and incorporated into 20. Down in 1956 (6) 18. ...Limited: Hypothetical initials for what a late 1970’s combine of British Leyland and Polenez-manufacturer might have been called! (7) 19. German for 30. Across (3) 20. ...Group: UK car business founded in 1913 by brothers William and Reginald. See also 17. Across, 22. Across, 17. Down (6) 23. British online supermarket company, named after an exotic fruit first introduced to the UK in 1968 (5) 24. Commonly-used initials for British motoring association founded in 1905 (1,1) 27. 3.3...: BMW’s late 1970’s equivalent to 5. Down (1,1,1) 28. Commonly-used initials for commercial vehicle manufacturer founded in 1912 and perhaps most famous for the Routemaster double-decker bus? (1,1,1) 31. Shortform for North Eastern US State and city e.g. dealers BMW of Brooklyn and BMW of Manhattan (1,1)
socialmedia Are you fully connected to the Club on social media? As we approach the 2020 event season, it’s a good opportunity to check and make sure that you are fully plugged in to the BMW Car Club digitally, which will help you to get the most from your membership. All the big events are in the Club calendar well in advance, but a lot of last-minute messages are communicated through these channels, both on a Region and a whole Club level. Maybe there’s a drive-out for a coffee, a few tickets left for a major event or a competition from a club partner. Either way, these are the little bits that help you to get the most from your Club membership. Starting bottom up, check with your local Region to ensure you’re on their distribution list. Every Region uses the methods that work best for them – some have an email distribution list,
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BMW Car Club Magazine FEBRUARY 2020
some have a group on WhatsApp, and some use a Facebook group or page. Whatever your Region uses, make sure you are getting these communications. Secondly, ensure that you follow @ BMWCCGB – even if you have liked the page, make sure to visit the page and click ‘follow’. The Club can be found on Instagram @thebmwcarclub, and make sure that you are receiving the fortnightly e-newsletter from the Club office – email office@bmwcarclubgb. co.uk to join the list. www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
5
ROYTHORNE THE BMW SPECIALISTS
2:39:59 pm
Roythorne
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www.roythorneandson.co.uk • All servicing and repair work undertaken • Menu service pricing (please ring for a quote) • Autologic diagnostics
• MoT testing • Air conditioning servicing, repairs and re-gas • Bodywork estimates and SMART repairs undertaken
Roythorne & Son Ltd 01553 673000 / 672213
Nursery Lane, North Wootton, Kings Lynn, Norfolk PE30 3QB
www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
BMW Car Club Magazine FEBRUARY 2020
57
BODVOANKCE
IN A
VE TO SA
KETS C I T B M/CLU O C . W O ONSH I T A R STO NECRE
SPRING’S BEST CLASSIC CAR SHOW 27-29 MARCH 2020 • NEC, BIRMINGHAM
Get hands on, sit back and learn, and be entertained at the friendliest of classic car shows! Over 1,000 Classic Cars • 150 Car Clubs • Live Demonstrations • 250+ Traders Car Dealers • Celebrities • Restoration Gurus
Exclusive discount on Saturday and Sunday adult or family tickets with your club code*:
RSCC1784
Book your tickets today at necrestorationshow.com/club-tickets
In association with
Official Show Partners
*Exclusive discount code is for club members use only, available in advance until midnight on Thursday 26 March 2020. To book by phone call 0844 858 6758, calls cost 7ppm plus network extras.
regionalnews Central Tony Skerrett Central Region sponsored by
07879 404648 central@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
Barons Bedford
Past Events December the 13th (day after the election) This was a memorable evening for the twelve Central Members who all had a jolly time with conversation flowing aided by the Regional Chair’s sister-in-law and deputy Regional Chair’s generous donation of six Eperney Champagne Magnums shared equally by the ladies. The meal was enjoyed at the Althorpe Coach House, Great Bringhton. It’s a great venue for similar events. For larger events it has a fantastic barn available but may attract a hire fee subject to the size of the party. All good fun with great company making it such a special club evening.
01234 434 122
www.baronsgroup.co.uk/bmw BARONSCC20133 = 15% discount code
June 21st – Cotswold Tour itinerary TB with proposed tour details July 19th – Henley Traditional Car and Boat Festival July 9th August – Central Tour Seaside Trip to Norfolk (East Coast) 30/31st August – Brougton Castle Festival of Transport September – Rousham House Garden Tour TBA October Date TBA – Bicester Heritage Sunday Scramble For the Car Tours there is still a possibility that Morgan Cars Malvern may be included. However, any BMWCC member interested should register now to: central@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk We may join in the Corinium Car Trip in Cirencester area. I will keep members informed. My Car by Jayne Forsythe BMWCC Marshall BMW 3 Series 320i Auto Convertible SE 2011.
5th January Bicester Sunday Scramble Due to a heavy cold I was unable to enjoy this great day out. From what I hear that in spite of the bitter cold wind the day went well. Fortunately for me and the Thames Region, the North West Regional Chair stepped in to run the event; so top thanks to Jeff Heywood and his party of volunteers from the North West Region who showed great attitude and spirit to ensure a successful event. I also heard that for once the parking display was very good. So well done North West. Future Events Ever reliable Peter Collison has proposed a day tour of the Peak district in summer 2020. Peter Collison is still working on the info. Proposed Event dates for 2020 All Factory Tours not confirmed yet. February date TBA – Tour of Mercedes Benz Engine Factory, Brixworth, Northampton 28th March Meguair’s – Entries are full, but Meguair’s say they will try and squeeze us in April Date TBC – Tour of Lotus Cars, Norfolk June – proposed tour of BMW Mini Oxford June 14th – Classics on the Crick nr High Wycombe
Central West Dave Evans Central West Region sponsored by
Autobahn Servicing Ltd Unit 11, Pitcairn Drive Halesowen B62 8AG Tel 0121 585 9146
www.autobahnservicing.co.uk info@autobahnservicing.co.uk
Recent Events We had a fantastic Christmas party on the 13th of December at the Chateau Impney, Droitwich, which provided wonderful surroundings, good company, food, live entertainment and lots of dancing. A good time was had by all and many stayed the night at the chateau and we’ve have feedback that they had www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
I chose the BMW 3 Series Convertible to replace my aged E46 Convertible, as it is ideal for a woman driver without the hassle of a leaky and cumbersome manual cloth soft top, but can’t do without the practicality of back seats and a boot. I love the retractable metal roof which makes the convertible a real everyday solution and offers noise insulation and added security and less wind noise. It can also transform from a coupe to a cabriolet in an impressive 30 seconds, making it ideal for a woman driver in getting the most out of the British weather. Performance wise it is more than capable for me; frugal on petrol, meets Euro 6 so okay for travelling to London and only incurring the standard City Levy. Compared with my old E46 it is so comfortable to drive. For the technical minded here are some facts: 320i SE (2010) 2d Step Auto, 0-60 8secs - 175hp 07800 616500 centralwest@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
Richard Felton 07739 120111 01743 632391 www.autocardetailing.co.uk enquiries@autocardetailing.co.uk 15% off with presentation of membership card
a really enjoyable time. It’s always good to know if events are enjoyable or not so we know how to plan in the future. 2020 Events Calendar to date Friday 27nd – Sunday 29th of March – Practical Classics Classic Car & Restoration Show NEC, Birmingham BMW Car Club Magazine FEBRUARY 2020
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regionalnews The Practical Classics Classic Car & Restoration Show is the show to attend to kick-start the classic car season of 2020. Whether you are looking to ignite your passion to finish a restoration project or simply want to reminisce with family and friends over the beautiful completed classic cars on display, you should join us at the NEC Birmingham in March. As a Region we will be managing the Club stand with the help of the girls from the Club office and other members. The show has been a great success in the past, although not on such a large scale as the Classic Car Show held in November but it’s full of interesting exhibits, trade stands and live shows. April / May – Spring Meander to Bletchley Park – Exact date to be confirmed Meeting at The Manor House at Whittington, driving out to a breakfast venue then onto Bletchley Park for an afternoon guided tour of the 2nd World War facility. Friday 1st to Sunday 3rd May – Donington Historic Festival Whether you’re a long-time enthusiast or have never seen a historic racing car in action before, you’ll find plenty to entertain you at the Donington Historic Festival. The event is firmly established as a major fixture on the international historic racing calendar, attracting many thousands of spectators, hundreds of world-class historic racing cars and huge numbers of classic car club displays. Details of how to register your car to be part of the Club display will be published in next month’s issue of Straight Six. Friday 31st July to Sunday 2nd August – Silverstone Classic – A three day event with loads to do and see whether you come for the day or the whole weekend. The packed weekend of the show provides spectacular historic motor racing, free access to the paddocks and grandstands, displays from over 100 car clubs featuring more than 10,000
Cheshire & Staffs Steve Cooper Cheshire & Staffs Region sponsored by
classic cars over the weekend, plus interactive driving activities and dynamic demonstrations. There’s plenty of entertainment to enjoy too, including live music on Friday and Saturday evenings, vintage funfair rides, and a Shopping Village… all included in the ticket price. It’s an event for the whole family. There will be more Regional events posted as we progress through the year so keep updated over the next couple of months. Our Monthly Pub Very informal get together of like-minded folk who just want to enjoy their cars and enjoy the social side of the club. So don’t be shy, come along and join us, you will be made most welcome and please feel free to bring along partners and friends. We have a good number of regular attendees but would love to see more of you and your cars, so if you are available on the second Tuesday evening of the month please come over and join us. Good and reasonably priced food is available until 9.30pm. 7.30pm at The Manor House, Wittington. If anyone has a short article or photo they would like us to share in the Regional news section please email or message us. Cheers, Dave, Dean & Jan cheshireandstaffs@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
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
Cornwall Jim Husband Hello to all members of the Cornwall Region. If you are a new member, welcome to 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 of the Club website for details of events. I will update this as events are confirmed, and everything will be printed in Straight Six as deadlines allow.
Knights Bede Road, Radial Park, Stoke on Trent Staffordshire. ST4 4GU Tel:01782 572100
cornwall@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
Recent Events The Cornwall Region Christmas Meal for 2019 was held at the Plume of Feathers. We had an excellent turnout with 17 attending. It was a brilliant evening. Thanks to Maurice for arranging the raffle and prizes, and thanks to you all for attending and making it a great evening. Thanks must also go to Lynn and Andy for the mystery trip on the way home, at least we had a tour of most of the Christmas lights in a good section of Cornwall!
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.
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regionalnews Forthcoming events Looking ahead to events in 2020 with dates already scheduled for your diaries. Saturday 7th March: Annual bowling evening and meal. Sunday 19th April: Drive out, route to be decided. Sunday 21st June: Cornwall RSOC Classic and Performance 2020 event, Little Bodieve Holiday Park, Wadebridge. Sunday 19th July: Wadebridge Wheels, Royal Cornwall Showground. Sunday 2nd August: Mount Edgcumbe Classic Car Show. As dates for events get finalised and announced I will add to the calendar and get the details to you. The AGM will be held at the February monthly meeting. Car of the Month Thank you to Andrew for the photos and details of updates and changes of his beautiful BMW Z4 E89 S Drive 35i. Changes made to date include: • A new updated front grille. • Alloys refurbished in Shadow Chrome (work completed by the Polished Wheel Company in Wadebridge). • New number plate surrounds. Future plan for 2020 is a Superchip remap taking the car from 306bhp up to 372bhp!
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. Monthly Pub Meets 10th February – 7.30pm AGM at the Punchbowl & Ladle, Penelewey, Feock, Truro, TR3 6QY. 9th March – 7.30pm at the Punchbowl & Ladle, Penelewey, Feock, Truro, TR3 6QY.
Cotswold Martyn Goodwin 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
cotswold@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk 01242 335 335 01242 335 345 01242 335 355 01242 335 365 01242 335 375 01432 375 555
Cumbria James France Happy New Year to all members new and old in the Cumbria Region. I managed to miss the magazine article deadline hence nothing in January’s Straight Six. Please note the incorrect contact number for me in the last Straight Six - my fault due to a typo and now corrected. Lloyd BMW have shown some interest in supporting our Region which I need to chase up this year, I am going to suggest that they pay for a year’s membership as part of a new car package, I know this happens with my local Porsche Centre. If it comes to fruition it will obviously increase local Region member numbers, most would drop out after a year I would think but others may come along to some events and keep up membership. Nothing ventured, nothing gained! As per the last magazines notes, if there are any events that members would like to attend then please let me know, contact details below.
Devon Kathy Jemfrey Devon Region sponsored by
Cotswold Motor Group offer members: Generous discounts off the new BMW and MINI range
Discounts on approved used vehicles in stock 15% plus discount 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
cumbria@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
Can I suggest we get together for pint and craic on Thursday 19th March at the Sportsman Just off the A66 Postcode CA11 0SG 7.30pm. All members welcome, feel free to contact me beforehand if you have not been to one of our meets. We can plan what events people would like to do over the summer months. Tech Tip X3 E83. I am getting an intermittent fault on my daily X3 2.0d M Sport, where every now and again the 4x4 warning light and ABS light comes on very sporadically. It is a common issue, I will change it out once it finally dies but it has not happened for 3 weeks now, anyone who owns one and it happens to you, it will be a rear wheel sensor. Should your speedo also stop working at the same time of the fault it will be the near side sensor. If the speedo stays operational it will be the offside sensor. Phone 07799 620 381 or email jimfrance1@hotmail.co.uk Regards Jim. 01626 330436 devon@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk INDEPENDENT BMW & MINI SPECIALISTS
Christmas has been and gone, but we did enjoy our Party Night back on 12th December as our few photos show. There are a few more floating round our members but they haven’t reached me yet. Hopefully all our members and friends enjoyed the start to 2020, and we look forward to seeing you all back at Hare & Hounds, Kingskerswell, 7pm for 7.30pm, last Thursday of each month where a warm welcome awaits. Happy New Year and looking forward to seeing new and www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
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regionalnews existing members throughout the year. Our diary page has begun, and if you know of any venues you wish to visit please let me know and I shall endeavour to obtain details of the venue. Dates for Diary 2020 3rd May – Southern Concours, Sherborne 5th July – BM’s On The Lawn, Weston Super Mare Seafront 11/12th July – Powderham Castle 19th September – Sidmouth Car Show
East Anglia George Champ East Anglia Region sponsored by Barons Cambridge
& Stansted
07514 216660 eastanglia@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
www.barronsbmw.co.uk Cambridge Stansted
: 0844 326 7249 : 0844 326 7244
Sunday 22nd March – Lodge Coaches High Easter. TBA April – Pistons at the Park, Stansted. Sunday 5th April – Framlingham Country Show and Festival of Dogs. Sunday 10th May – Lodge Coaches VE Day including military vehicles. Sunday 31st May – Norwich Classic Club, Strumpshall Steam Museum. Sunday 31st May – Elveden Car Show. (Yes the last two are on the same date.) Saturday and Sunday 20th - 21st June – Wormingford Essex Wings and Wheels PROVISIONAL. Sunday 5th July – Maldon Show. TBA August – Mersea Island Show. Sunday 2nd August – Helmingham Hall Festival of Cars. Sunday 23rd August – Lodge Coaches Special Event including Bus and Train Rides. Sunday 30th August – Little Gransden Air Show. Sunday 6th September – Classics by the Lake. Sunday 6th September – Glemham Hall Car Festival. (Yes the last two are on the same date.) Sunday 13th September – Kings Lynn Heritage Open Day
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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.
and Classic Car Show in Market Square. TBA September – The Warren Supercar and Classic Car Show. Sunday 18th October – Lodge Coaches including Auto Jumble. As already mentioned, numerous other things will evolve such as special M Power runs and Sytner Technical Meets, Warren Breakfast Meets, Museum of Power Breakfast Meets, Joint BMWCC, Mercedes and Porsche Clubs Event TBA, better support at Snetterton for BMWCCR Events, combined outings with Central Region (details TBA), South East Region joint invites TBA and our own pub meets and coffee mornings etc. 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) www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
regionalnews
Eastern Paul Rice Always a quiet time of the year for Car Club events, although there are the odd hardy souls who manage to get to show their cars at the occasional winter event. Our events this winter centre on demonstration days and indoor tours as well as the Region’s Christmas lunch. One of these events kindly organised by Mani was the visit to the BMW (VDC) Distribution and Bodywork centre at Thorne. Although we have visited previously, always worth a look. Feeling like VIPs for the day, the welcome and attention we received was superb. The tour itself started with an overview of operations, then a guided and informative look around the site. Seeing millions of pounds worth of cars being repaired to the highest of standards was of great interest to all. The day finished with a chance for members to have informal chats with staff about the site and BMW in general over an excellent buffet lunch.
February will see a visit to the Leather Care Centre at Hull. Full report to follow in the March edition of Straight Six. The year ahead Now we all have our new diaries for the year ahead, here we have some dates of events we will be attending. Unfortunately we have a couple of major event dates not available as we go to press, but will no doubt have more information to follow. 2020 Events list February Friday 7th – Leather Care Centre, Hull March Sat 28th/Sun 29th – Tykes Tango May Sunday 3rd – Thoresby Hall / SCITP Newby May Thursday (TBC) – Picnic in the Park (The Reindeer) June Sunday 7th – Yorkshire Classic Car Rally (Holmfirth) June Wednesday (TBC) – Renishaw June Sunday 21st – Castle Howard June Sunday (TBC) – Doncaster Show July Sunday 12th – Ruskington Village Show (Lincolnshire) July Sunday 19th – SCITP Lotherton August Sunday 9th – West Yorkshire Classic Bus and Car Show August Monday 31st – Thoresby Hall September Sunday 13th – Bridlington Festival of Motoring September Sunday (TBC) – Lincoln Roman Guided Tour Information of all events will be posted on the Car Club forum and our two Regional Facebook pages, with updates in Straight Six as publishing time limits allow.
eastern@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
Car of the Month Richard Rixham’s Z3 1.9 I wanted something that would be a project car so we kept a lookout for a likely subject, and not long after, up popped an advert for a project car that someone didn’t have the time to finish. The advert showed it to be of fair condition so a trip to Leicester was made early one Saturday morning, and £750 lighter we were driving home in a Boston Green 1997 1.9 Z3. It turned out that this was going to be a little bit more of a project than first expected. The tyres were shot on non-BMW wheels, the decat exhaust was just too noisy and the lowered springs meant it was catching on some road humps. A couple of weeks in the local garage saw the exhaust and springs replaced (the previous owner had kept the original parts so these went back on the car), all the corroded pipes were replaced and a new thermostat fitted. Replacement wheels and tyres were fitted. New body panels were purchased conveniently in Boston Green. What appeared to be some surface rust on the passenger rear wing turned out to be quite a large hole. New outer sills have been purchased from Sytner and are now sprayed ready to be fitted to the car. Issues with the locks not operating turned out to be a worn master key, and a Genuine BMW replacement remedied the problem. Issues with the roof not going down or fitting properly were rectified with some adjustment to the front of the hood on the frame and it now works well. The Zed community have been fantastic in helping me with some of the issues with the car and finding replacement parts. I am loving the Z3 and can’t wait till the show season starts so that I get to display the car. The highlight of the year and in celebration of both mine and the better half’s 50th, a plan to take the Zed up to Scotland and drive the NC500.
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 London Region Christmas do January; New Year, New Me. I shall be writing about the London Region’s Crooked Chimney meet – with contributions www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
from regular attendees. Every month from February, I shall be writing about the Regional pub meets. This is partially because our Christmas bash was after the January’s deadline for the BMW Car Club Magazine FEBRUARY 2020
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magazine. What shall I tell you about the London Region’s Crooked Chimney pub meet? It originally was the brainchild of Tim Fathers who was responsible for its location, and inception 78 months ago (running for nearly seven years). The pub is a charming old pub with very low beams and open fires in every nook. The food on offer is very good and they offer a discount for AA members and some Barclays Bank customers. The highlight I suppose is a lovely large car park with a green hedge that makes for a great backdrop for late evening summer photos. We are here through the year and in the colder winter months we have a smaller room with a roaring open fire. Through the summer months we use a larger room with more seating, as shown in the Christmas party photos. There is a hardened bunch that regularly meets for dinner here. I’m 99% there as long as I’m not on a night shift... through the summer we get really great attendance and can make for a lovely evening of chatting about cars. We welcome new members and new cars – so don’t be shy! December saw our Christmas meal and quiz. We have an ally at Specialist Cars in Stevenage and the parts department gave us all sorts of car related bits; the grand prize for the highest scoring team was a pair of limited edition mini desk
diaries. The quiz was written and presented by myself and Paul Travers. We had over 20 cars and 30 people there, which isn’t bad considering the awful weather around that time. I must say the quiz is one of my favourite meets of the year and I am looking forward to seeing what we can do and really explore it next time. When the nice weather comes back we are starting to plan a few Sunday morning driving trips like cars and coffee meets, and if you’ve been to the Sunday Scramble you may have seen some of the Club up there. Any questions you can contact me at 1series@ bmwcarclubgb.co.uk. Let’s start as we mean to go on. Anthony Mason
Mid Wales & Shropshire Phil Pinnington
Welcome to February’s edition of the Mid Wales & Shropshire Region Chairman chitty chat. Happy New Year to you all. I hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Year and is looking forward to the shows of 2020; a new decade of fantastic shows and fantastic cars. I’m looking forward to some of our old favourites and to some new shows as well. Tim has already been
North East
Nick Thomas
midwales@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
busy going through websites and looking at dates. By the time you read this we’ll have already got together and compiled the show list which will be published in the March issue of Straight Six. Thank you to everyone who came to the Region’s Christmas lunch, along with plenty of banter and of course great food. Phil
northeast@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
Welcome all North East members who have joined the Club recently. We run a number of events throughout the year, so please come and join us. The monthly meet is a good place to start and get to know fellow members. Cooper BMW Teesside and Cooper BMW Sunderland are offering a discount on parts when you show your membership card. Recent Events: In December we enjoyed our Christmas Dinner; thanks to Greg
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regionalnews Frost for organising this at our new regular venue, Black Horse Beamish. The monthly meet at the Black Horse Beamish is also doing well, with a few teething problems getting sorted. Forthcoming events: North East events over the next few months are: • Sunday 12th January – Monthly meeting at Black Horse Beamish. • Sunday 26th January – Wheel Alignment Demonstration. Keith Bates will be demonstrating his new 4 wheel laser wheel alignment from 10:00 to 12:00 at Moto Tec, Unit 4, Hutton Street, Boldon Colliery NE35 9LW. Note that although we will be indoors the unit is not heated so wear warm clothes. Light refreshments will be supplied. Spaces are limited so this is for members only. Please email Keith at bmautos@yahoo.co.uk if you are attending. • Sunday 2nd February – 2002s on 02.02.2020. It will be uniquely 02.02.2020 and the ’02 Register thought that is a fine reason to get out in your ’02 or classic BMW and have a lovely drive it day. As we don’t have many ’02s in the Region any car made in 2002 or earlier is invited to join the fun! Final locations to be advised and also it will be weather dependant but the proposal is for a meet at Northumberlandia at about noon, and then Sunday lunch at 2pm at The Snowy Owl next door. If you own an ’02 model or know someone who does then it would be excellent to get them out on this unique date. • Sunday 9th February – Monthly meet at Black Horse Beamish • Sunday 16th February – Visit to Woodhorn Museum • Sunday 8th March – Monthly meet at Black Horse Beamish • Friday 27-29th March – Tykes Tango organised by the Eastern Region. NE Members can join the whole event, or just the runs. I’m looking forward to the summer months when the weather is warm, the flowers are out and we can sit in the garden at the Black Horse! I will be very pleased to see you at one or more of our events, whether a new member or an old hand. Plans can and do change so keep checking on the North East section of the Club website or the NE Region Facebook group. Please note individual events are no longer posted on the forum.
North West
Jeff Heywood
Car of the month The December ‘Car of the Month’ was awarded at the Black Horse meeting to Mike Milbourne with his 2002tii. All BMWs are eligible to win COTM and a goodie bag supplied by The Polishing Company. The winner each month is selected by the previous month’s winner. Join us at our next monthly meet to be in with a chance of winning.
BMW Car Club GB North West image Twitter: @BMWNW
News Welcome to February’s North West News. Hopefully Xmas and the New Year celebrations will be a distant memory as we head into 2020 and one of your New Year’s resolution is to start supporting NW events! Later in February (23rd) we visit the fascinating Museum of Science & Industry, Manchester, (free entry!), followed by lunch in the private dining room of Dukes 92 – don’t miss it! March sees us return to the Swan (29th) for the second pub meet of 2020, where we’ll also be holding the regional AGM – please give the Regional AGM your full support.
07801 506632 northwest@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
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 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
Alloy Wheel Repair – Highly recommended Class Alloys – mobile visiting service, repair and refurb alloy wheels, all finishes inc chrome shadowline. He covers most of www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
Forthcoming Events 23rd February – Visit to Museum of Science & Industry and Lunch Join us on our visit to the fascinating Museum of Science & Industry, Manchester, where you’ll find some amazing exhibits such as the 1830 Station Exhibition, the world’s oldest surviving passenger railway station is on site - discover how it changed BMW Car Club Magazine FEBRUARY 2020
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regionalnews both Manchester and the world as the first railway line between Manchester and Liverpool terminated here, plus the amazing Air & Space Hall, home to some exciting exhibits. Once our visit is over, you have the option to travel a couple of hundred metres around the corner to Castlefield to enjoy lunch in the private dining room at Dukes 92. Please meet at the entrance to the museum on Lower Byrom Street at 10.30am – there is a car park on site + plenty of on-street parking. We plan to leave the museum at 1.30pm for lunch at Dukes 92 at 2.00pm. Places for lunch are very limited so please book ASAP with Jeff.
29th March – NW meet at the Swan and NW AGM Let’s see a great turnout of club members for our second Swan pub meet of 2020 and more importantly, the NW AGM! The AGM serves to elect a committee to run the region for the following 12 months. Do you have any questions you would like to ask about the region or the club itself? Come and join us and have your say on how the region runs/works. The AGM finishes at 12noon. We’ll then retire downstairs to take lunch in the dining room. We’ll also be holding round 2 of the NW Quiz, with prizes kindly provided by sponsor Darren Wood, plus the committee will be judging who’s arrived in the best prepped car for the Swan Car of the Month award, sponsored by the Car Detailing Centre, the winning car/owner also receives a write-up in Straight Six, so let’s see some effort
Scottish Isabelle Phillips As I write this month’s Regional news, I am not long back from the Region’s first monthly meet of 2020. As always, it’s great to catch up with everyone after the break for the festive period, but we don’t really take a break as we have a monthly meet of one sort or another arranged every month of the year. The events list has been updated on the forum and as always it will be shared through the website, Straight Six and our Facebook group. There has been a lot of online discussion recently about the benefits of the forum and whether it’s falling foul to social media. Our committee had already discussed this at the AGM in November and we agreed that there is still a place for the forum in our planning cycle, so please rest assured nothing will change and the forum is still the best place to find our events. As a committee we need to be conscious that not everyone uses social media – Facebook etc, just as some members do not use the forum and some members do not read the magazine. Therefore, all our events will be posted on the forum first. We will continue to gather the names on the forum for booking etc. The event post will then be added to the website and our Facebook group with a direct link to the forum for awareness. I hope this tried and tested process will continue to ensure that no one misses out on our events and that we are covering all members.
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put into preparing those BMWs! The NW AGM starts at 11.00am PROMPT. The meeting will take place in the first floor meeting room. The Swan 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.
Local NW Branch News Manchester Branch News The first Sheldon meet of 2020 was sparsely attended, which is a real shame – a big thank you to Andy, Paul, Norman and Dave for turning up. Topics of conversation were the coming year’s events, Bicester Heritage Sunday Scramble, new wheels, potholes and football! 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 Jct23 M60 and accessible to all. Future meetings – 4th February – 3rd March – 7th April 8.00pm onwards. 07803 612220 bmwccscottishregion@gmail.com
I hope to be able to provide some details of the proposed shows which we will be attending in 2020, next month. Recent Events For the first monthly meet of 2020 we did something different and went bowling. It was highly competitive but I think everyone had great fun as we didn’t have to stand about in a freezing cold car park! Afterwards we headed over to the nearby Hungry Horse for a late lunch. Fair to say a great start to the New Year with 23 members attending.
www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
regionalnews Forthcoming Events February Monthly Meet The next monthly meet is on 2nd February, and because we cannot rely on the weather it will be in the central belt. I don’t have much info at the moment, apart from that it will be a drive & dine near the Campsies, as we are still planning it. Please see the forum for all the meeting times and details of the event. Just a reminder that Andy W and Andy H are planning a trip to the Lakes in September for our monthly meet. There is a hotel arranged for those wishing to make a weekend of it. So, don’t delay in getting that booked if you are interested. All information is on the forum. As always, the events list below is posted on the forum and all the dates / locations are provisional so may be subject to change. We will always give notice of changes where we can. Some dates may need to be confirmed and any changes will be advised on the forum and on our Facebook page. I look forward to welcoming everyone to the meets this year. Our Facebook page can be found by typing this address into
South East South East Region sponsored by
your browser. http://www.facebook.com/groups/13576080191/ Our Forum page can be found by typing this address into your browser. http://www.bmwccgbforum.co.uk/scottishregion_forum24.html Scottish Region Events List 2020 Monthly Events & Shows 2nd Feb – Drive & Dine – Campsies 1st Mar – Drive & Dine – Lanarkshire 5th April – Drive & Dine – South Coast 300 3rd May – Drive & Dine – Leadburn 7th June – Breakfast meet – Whitby 5th July – Drive & Barbeque – tbc 2nd Aug – Silverstone 6th Sept – Drive & Dine – tbc 12th / 13th Sept – Overnighter to the Lakes 4th Oct – Drive & Dine – tbc 1st Nov – AGM – Eastern 6th Dec – Christmas Party Night
Ian Bryant
Chandlers Brighton 01273 769 812
The 2020 season commences with the Sussex Micro Meeting at Shoreham on Sunday 23rd February 2020, closely followed by the Kent Micro Meeting at Chatham Dockyard the following Sunday 1st March. The Kent Meeting is hosted in the car park of the Copper Rivet Gin Distillery at the Chatham Dockyard, and Larry is currently trying to organise a tour for members at the Distillery, hopefully on March 1st. Keep an eye on the WhatsApp group and flyers from the BMW Office to find out more. The frequency of the Micro Meetings remains unchanged: monthly, with the Kent Micro Meeting being on the first Sunday of the month from 10:00am and the Sussex Micro Meeting on the fourth Sunday of the month from 08:30am. In terms of planning for future events in 2020 • We have contacted our sponsors Chandlers reference events • Larry is in discussions with Brands Hatch about events the
southeast@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
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Club can support this year • Nigel has organised the German Car Show at the The Hawth in Crawley • I have contacted a few car show venues to see what is available in the Region • I am also in discussions with neighbouring Regions East Anglia and Wessex to see if there’s any events they are running we could attend • BMW Car Club National events, National Meeting, Concours Meeting etc Lastly I would like to hear from you if you have any ideas or know of any venues that you think would make a good event for members. Forthcoming events: 12th July 2020 – The German Car Show, The Hawth, Crawley. BMW, Porsche and Mercedes.
South Wales Adam Mazaheri & Jonathan Bamford Welcome to our South Wales Region February news. Having recently taken over in sharing the Regional Chair duties with Adam, I would like to extend my thanks to everyone who has given their support this far. Having a strong passion for cars and everything related to them will hopefully help me continue the great work done, and still being done, by previous and current Regional Chairs. My main aims are to create more events for our Region, increase the number of new members, continue to obtain more discounts and make the overall experience fun for everyone. Since the last issue, up until the time of writing this month’s article, there are a couple of events that have yet to be mentioned. Firstly, the winner of our karting evening was our very own Adam Mazaheri. It was a very successful evening and one which is sure to become an annual event, so don’t miss your chance next time. There was a vast range of abilities on the evening. Fun was the number one aim and it certainly delivered. Most recently, we attended Sunnyside Breakfast Meet on December 29th, an early morning breakfast meet in Newport. With one eye kept on weather reports in the days leading up to it, we were not disappointed. A few members travelled from Swansea, meeting up with others along the M4 towards Newport. With some members having been before, we arrived
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early to ensure our space. It was a well organised event which saw a host of motors from modern sports cars, classics, restorations, modified cars and even the Highway Patrol from LA! There were many BMWs in attendance and we spoke to a couple of people who will hopefully become members very soon. There was one thing on everyone’s mind shortly after our arrival, breakfast! Once the Cabin Cwtch opened at 8:30, we were all over it. Unfortunately for some of us, full breakfasts were not on the menu that morning. However, very thick cut sandwiches filled with sausage and bacon went down great. After we had reset our dislocated jaws, we had a good walk around looking at other cars, with more arriving all morning. There was a variety of motors for all to see and friendly people who welcomed like-minded chit chat. If you are interested in visiting, meetings are posted via their Facebook page, Sunnyside Breakfast Meet. You will see all the photos taken on the day, and from other meets, by their resident photographer. Eventually it was time to leave and we handed over to our faultless run planner, Phil. We meandered our way back home through some great Welsh roads, passing through tree covered A roads and at times breaking out into sunny spells alongside the River Wye. It was a run that most had been waiting for all BMW Car Club Magazine FEBRUARY 2020
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regionalnews Bridge Run – Our trip organiser Phil will work his magic once again to capture iconic landmarks in this well planned trip – Date TBC. Spring Action Day, Castle Combe – It looks as if this is the first confirmed show of our season. To be held at the famous circuit on Saturday 4th April. Please contact myself to confirm your interest and attendance. Christmas! Along the way we passed Tintern Abbey, a 13th Century abbey made from sandstone that just cries out for a number of BMWs to park in front of it and have photos. After one more coffee stop, we arrived back where we started. All in all, it was a great morning and got me thinking about future plans for us as a Region. If anyone has any suggestions for a café/coffee shop that has the capacity for a handful of cars and members then please suggest them to myself or Adam. Having spoken with a few members, a monthly ‘Cars & Coffee’ morning could be a great idea. This month we held a quiz night with prizes donated by various companies. It was a great success and many people ended up winning the prizes on offer. If you missed out on this then don’t fret. I am looking to introduce different events along this year’s timetable. Keep an eye out on the WhatsApp group for more details. If you are not a member of this group then please contact Adam or myself and we will be pleased to add you to join in with all the chit chat.
Car of the Month As this is my first article, I thought I would introduce you to my car. It is a 2016 430dX F36 Gran Coupe M Sport. As far as performance goes, for now she is pretty much standard apart from some H&R springs. The wheels are 20” 763M wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport. Interior has been changed considerably, including the M-performance carbon fibre and suede trim on the dash/gear lever/handbrake/doors. I have dabbled with a little bimmercode changing some of the standard features to make the car a little more welcoming. My latest purchase is the flat bottom steering wheel, covered in soft leather and handmade contoured grips. It certainly adds to the driving experience. The M colour stitching finishes it off nicely. It was reasonably priced at just £200.00 from Germany on an exchange basis. If anyone is interested to check what’s available for their car then let me know and I will put you in touch with the company. It’s always been in my nature to modify my car and I’m sure more mods will follow. High torque is my aim, so let the journey begin.
Forthcoming Events Rolling Road Day in Cardiff – Organised for the end of February/early March. Cost £30/£40 per run. Contact Adam or myself on the WhatsApp group to book your place. Round Wales Trip – Proving to be a great trip already. Plans to cover all the great sights of our wonderful country. Organised photo shoot at Portmeirion and much more. Dates TBC.
Thames Tony Skerrett Firstly, Happy New Year to all members! Thames is in a bit of a shutdown at moment but the Regional Meetings will resume at the Littlebury Hotel in Bicester either March or April, subject to the weather. I’m delighted to report that after almost five years since it started, the Region is thriving. Membership is currently at around 65 members which is an amazing achievement. New members are welcomed on a regular basis and I’m particularly pleased that some of the E31 members of the Club have recently “moved up” to the M6 – what a car. We are also going from strength to strength BMW Series-wise, tackling more challenging cars with great confidence and success. Our highly successful events include the Bicester Sunday Scrambles, Rousham House and importantly the splendid Broughton Castle Event, held in late August on boiling hot day.
07879 404648 thames@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
Bicester Heritage Sunday Scramble 5th January Not well enough to attend, but Jeff Heywood took over and did a great job and for once our parking was organised! Well done all those who travelled with Jeff from the North West Region. My Wife’s desired ‘in car’ at the moment
Typical poser’s car! Ok for a Sunny day, I guess! Future Events The ever reliable Peter Collison has proposed a day tour of the Peak District in summer 2020, Peter Collison is still working on the itinerary and info. Proposed Event dates for 2020 All Factory Tours not confirmed yet. February date TBA – Tour of Mercedes Benz Engine Factory, Brixworth, Northampton 28th March Meguair’s – Entries are full, but Meguair’s say
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regionalnews regionalnews a worthy successor to the M1. Speculation was ratcheted up another bysqueeze two further they willnotch try and us inprototypes, the BMW Nazca C2 (Tokyo 1992) sibling, theNorfolk C2 Spider (1993). But April Dateand TBCits–open-top Tour of Lotus Cars, the BMW M12 tour never intoOxford series production. June –Nazca proposed of made BMW itMini Which was –a Classics shame, of butnrnot theWycombe one-way June 14th oncourse, the Crick High ticket to obscurity it might have been. Because Group June 21st – Cotswold Tour itinerary TB with BMW proposed Classic has gathered together a treasure trove brimming with tour details FORGOTTEN – and we Car delight telling the fascinating July 19th –HEROES Henley Traditional andinBoat Festival July stories unforgettable milestones in BMW history. 9thbehind Augustthese – Central Tour Seaside Trip to Norfolk (East Coast) Correction to the Jeff Leek article in SS6 Issue. 30/31st August – Brougton Castle Festival of June Transport Jeff September Leek has requested it toHouse be known thatTour the Gearbox in the – Rousham Garden TBA
Aston Martin (pictured below) is a Tremac and the following pictures of his car are the correct I amScramble deeply sorry for 4th October – Bicester Heritageones. Sunday getting in such a tangle. Won’t again.that Morgan Cars For the Car Tours there is stillhappen a possibility Malvern may be included. However, any BMWCC member interested should register now to: central@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk We may join in the Corinium Car Trip in Cirencester area. I will keep members informed. Diary Date Next Thames Regional Meet at the Littlebury Hotel Bicester will be either March/April 2020 subject to the weather.
Tim Maltby Maltby Wessex Tim
07885 252448 wessex@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
Barons Barons Farnborough Farnborough 01252 883 565
New Forest Treasure Hunt We met at our usual rendezvous, the St Leonard’s Hotel, for coffee a chat and a chance to check out the cars. A staggered start began at 2.00pm and the 36.8 mile drive through the most stunning New Forest countryside began. It must be said that one or two of us did considerably more than 36.8 miles. With 45 questions to solve, our navigators were kept busy. During the drive we saw New Forest ponies and their foals, longhorn cattle and everyone’s favourite, donkeys, all roaming freely from village to village. Various stop off points around the route enabled us to learn facts relating to the New Forest whilst solving the questions. We all arrived at the Bell Inn in Brook and sat down to a hearty meal.
Western
Our skid pan session later this month at Thruxton is now fully Smith booked so let’s hope thatNigel there isn’t too much snow and ice stopping us from enjoying the experience! Welcome newfull members. you to all thatand came along to After our house at Thank Sherborne Classic Supercar BM’s on the Lawn, hopefully you all enjoyed yourselves; Sunday at Sherborne Castle last July, I am proposing tolook out for the full article in next month’s magazine. Apologies to anyone who didn’t get the message that last month’s pub meet was held at an alternative venue due to change of ownership at our regular meet. However we will be back to normal this month unless anything else happens. At our last meet we held a little fun raffle and the prize was a bottle of Bead Maker by P&S Products, won by Scott Walters; well done Scott, we await his feedback. Our Dorset Drive is getting closer and it would be nice to know how many are interested in taking part. We have about 15
Barons Hindhead 01428 853 357 take up the maximum club allocation of 40 cars for this year. Sunday 19th July. Bookings are being taken now so if you are interested in being part of our Club display then please contact me: timsharknose@outlook.com. How did your new decade start off? Pondering over our usual New Year’s Day conundrum as to whether to go to Brooklands or Phoenix Green, we took the easier option and Sharon Mike wereOnce the winners and also so headed overand to Phoenix. again there wasthe an quickest, eclectic mix congratulations to them. of vehicles spanning from 1904 to the present era. The sun shone all day,BMWs there wasn’t a traffic Amongst the several it was good tojam seeinasight, lovelyjust E24a out. Our to Belinda and JulianAlpinas, for organising 6perfect Series,day a green Z1,thanks a couple of E30s, several an M2the whole event setting all the questions. Comp and a and couple of rare beasts in the shape of an E9 and an In conclusion E60/61 M5 Tourer.a brilliant day out and one that will be repeated in the future. Eric Thompson Forthcoming events: Diary Dates 2019 Our other events for the year are slowly taking place and details National Gaydon August. If you are parking up are also onFestival the Club’s events11th diary. with Wessex then please drop line: Wessex@ Sunday 23rd February – DriveTim andMaltby Dine toaCliffhanger bmwcarclubgb.co.ukRestaurant, Highcliffe book your tickets bmwcarclubgb.uk Sunday 15th5th September is nowMotor confirmed for ourSparkford, visit to a working Sunday April – Haynes Museum, flour mill at Sturminster Newton and to indulge in a cheese festival. Yeovil BA22 7LH More details26th to follow. Sunday April – Mottisfont Abbey and Gardens Sunday 3rd May – Southern Concours, Sherborne western@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Saturday 27th June – Norden Train Station (Corfe Castle) Steam train to Swanage carsSunday so far. 19th Please contact me to& register your Sherborne interest. July – Classics Super Cars, Please visit our FB page for a full list of event dates and any Castle updates on changes, also printed here. If you would like your car featured in our Car of Month then please forward some pictures to me. Happy motoring everyone.
2019 events dates for you all: 3rd July 2019, Pub Meet at the Woolpack, Weston-Super-Mare from 7.30pm 14th July 2019, see us at Powderham Castle classic vehicle show 7th August 2019, Pub Meet at the Woolpack, Weston-SuperMare from 7.30pm 11th August 2019, National Festival, Gaydon, Warwickshiretickets purchased at bmwcarclubgb.uk 1st September 2019, Dorset coastal drive, further details to come but will start at Portland Bill, Dorset, 9am start 4th September 2019, Pub Meet at the Woolpack, WestonSuper-Mare from 7.30pm 2nd October 2019, Pub Meet at the Woolpack, Weston-SuperMare from 7.30pm Events such6th as NEC Autosport International, November 2019, Pub Meet NEC at the Woolpack, WestonRestoration Super-Mare Show, London Classic Car Show, from 7.30pm December Christmas meal TBA Silverstone Classic, and 2019, our National Festival.
Be event ready for 2020! Club branded merchandise is available from our online shop - shop.bmwcarclubgb.uk See the full range on display at our National www.bmwcarclubgb.uk www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
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regionalnews
registernews 02 Richard Stern By the time you’ve read this you’d have missed the 02 episode of Salvage Hunters – Classic Cars on the Quest channel, see if you can find the repeat or catch-up. Pictures; Tim Cook, Tony Forbes-Marsden, Ken Donnelly and myself
07770 443373 02register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
The annual Rallye Monte Carlo will have gone past with start points all over Europe, including Glasgow. At time of press the following BMW’s were registered; 1800, 1800Ti, five E21 320’s, six 2002 Tii’s, 2000 Tii Touring, two 1602’s, two 2002 ti’s, and two 2002’s. Interestingly no Turbos this time. Wednesday January 22nd all competitors cleared to race were able to test in race conditions, during the Shakedown session (3.35 km). The official start for the 88th Monte-Carlo Rally was on Thursday January 23rd on Quai Albert 1er in Monaco. During the first nightly leg, a couple of interesting special stages in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and Hautes-Alpes. On Friday January 24th crews headed south-east and east of Gap for the second day, with 122.48 km of special stages spread out over the same two departments (Hautes-Alpes and Alpes-de-Haute-Provence). The toughest day of the rally, with two loops of the same three special stages with lots of race incidents. Saturday January 25th the north-east and south-east of gap of 75.20 km of special stages and a few more difficulties on the way. The loop was taken twice in the day, two famous tough stages: Saint-Léger-les-Mélèzes / La Bâtie-Neuve and La Bréole / Selonnet. The crews faced with a rather difficult choice of tyres, depending on the weather on the day. Then, after an ultimate stop at the Gap-Fontreyne Service Park, at the end of the afternoon, the remaining crews headed back to the Principality of Monaco at the beginning of the evening. The conclusion of the rally, on Sunday January 26th was made up of four special stages (63.54km) in the steep hills of AlpesMaritimes, with no chance of going through a Service Park. So the crews had to go twice through La Bollène-Vésubie / Peïra-Cava and La Cabanette / Col de Braus which is used as a Power Stage at the end of the second loop. At the end of the day it was followed by all deserving crews honoured and rewarded at the Prize Giving Ceremony. 2020 key events to watch out for All events here; https://www.bmw2002.co.uk/upcoming-events/ 02.02.2020 - “Jaymic Jaunt”. Speak to Jaymic or myself for details – please register. Morning run to Jaymic and pub lunch (cost) and some scenic photo opportunity. 20th - 23rd February – London Classic Car show Olympia, large BMW Car Club display, this year dedicated to “white” E30’s and the Yuppie era. For discounts contact the office or https://www.thelondonclassiccarshow.co.uk/ 27th – 29th March – Practical Classics NEC Restoration Show http://www.necrestorationshow.com/ 26th April - Bicester Heritage – Sunday Scramble (DID-Day) http://bicesterheritage.co.uk/?ticket=super-scramble-tickets-3 1st – 3rd May - Donington Historic Festival http://www. doningtonhistoric.com/ 3rd May - BMW Car Club Southern Concours, but great BMW general meet – all welcome contact western@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk. 20th – 21st June – Bristol Classic Car show (big long running popular event) https://bccs.bristolclassiccarshows.com/ 21st June – Sunday Scramble Bicester Heritage http://
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registernews bicesterheritage.co.uk/whaton/superscramble-2020-2/ 2nd – 5th July - Le Mans Classic https://www.lemansclassic. com/language/en/home/ tickets https://1st-tickets.co.uk/ Don’t forget your Paddock passes! 9th – 12th July - Goodwood Festival of Speed https://www. goodwood.com/motorsport/festival-of-speed/ 31st July – 2nd August – Silverstone Classic. Massive Club display and discounted tickets https://www.silverstoneclassic. com/
1 Series
Anthony Mason
Tail Pipe http://www.kooglewerks.com/ some fantastic 02 stuff here including air dams, rocker covers and even some cool BMW shelf brackets Touring goodness; https://www.tradeuniquecars. com.au/feature-cars/1606/bmw-2002-tii-touringreview?fbclid=IwAR0WBXSpJwCN9KM_dgas68WyC4QsG8Vf38_sc8bW8ru4U2mtlkbmGOcd-Y Back in the 1960’s in the era of rockets check out this 1000 bhp bolt-on Turbo Axle feature http://tiny.cc/kez2hz 1series@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
New Year, Old Me New Year is a time for reflection and looking forward to fresh starts. I trust by now you’ve settled into your new fitness regimes and you’ve decluttered the house of all non-essential toot from the festive season. I’ve been watching people publicly making all sorts of resolutions. I wonder how they are doing with them. I’m a big believer in appreciating what you have. Just take a minute, look around and look at what you’ve achieved and earned. I’m not talking physical possessions, I’m talking about real life and family achievements, and my guess is if you think about it you’ll be amazed at what you’ve done. I spent 10 years living with my trusty 130i. At times I got complacent and forgot about enjoying the car and it became a tool for my life. Around service times and MOTs it would receive a little fettle from Paul Travers at Specialist Cars in Stevenage and it would return feeling spritely and fresh. I would really live for the moment, and enjoy the car and then after a while I would forget the ultimate driving machine that was only one blip on a key fob away. I have had a conversation with my work colleagues about not using the 1M and the simple joy of washing it and putting it away in the garage. This helps to keep the mileage down and make the time I spend in it more special. This fell on the usual deaf ears as they think I’m mad anyway. The 1M isn’t going to become a garage queen. Shell has featured highly on my spending in the last couple of weeks. And I’ve really had fun in the car driving around the Cambridgeshire countryside; I was only going to use it for a couple of days then tuck it up away from the winter elements, but life got in the way and two days turned into two weeks of daily use. Smiles per hour all round.
3 Series
Simon Maskell
Welcome to the February edition of the 3 Series Register. Autofahrt Munich, the Register trip that takes place in early June 2020 has some more details and the final price is now tied down. There is a copy of the flyer that outlines the itinerary. 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 and Z’s. Any other 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 onto Munich. Whilst at Munich we will visit the BMW Welt, factory tour, BMW Group Classic, as well
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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 Russian counterpart the TU-144 in one place. They are mounted in a take-off 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 (they do an excellent fillet steak I can attest to). The trip then ends and you depart to www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
registernews your chosen point to return home. The hotels are a mix of 3 and 4 star. Prices are now confirmed at £1,149 per person in a car and bedroom (based on 2 people sharing) and £1,498 for a single person and car (an £800 discount from the 2 person total price). There is the ability to customise your start and finish points and
3 Series E46 Simon Maskell Hello and welcome to the February edition of the E46 Register news. Because of the way the publishing deadlines work, this article gets submitted in very early January, so Christmas and New Year have literally just finished. The reason I am telling you this is because quite frankly I’ve not been doing a lot to my cars and while there are many things I could have been tinkering with, I have enjoyed some well-earned rest. So what I thought I would do was share my plans for the fleet this year and hopefully we will see at least some of this come to fruition. The biggest change I am going to do is to my Touring. For those who read last month’s article, you will have seen that Nick Jupp is a specialist E46 breaker, well he managed to get me an auto box and torque converter so that is now being installed. This is only the beginning; for some reason I have got it into my head that I want to turn this car into a homage to a German Polizei vehicle. Now I know what you’re thinking, Maskell has lost the plot (you may be correct), but I have never modified my cars like this before, and hey you only live once. It should be relatively easy and therefore not too expensive, as the bonnet, doors and boot need wrapping in green vinyl, and some lettering cutting out of that, plus some roof decals and it should be somewhere close! I have been spurred on by a Christmas present from the North East chair, Nick Thomas, who without notice sent me a parcel from Amazon. I get a lot of parcels from them, so assumed it was something I had ordered. Imagine my surprise (and delight if I’m honest) at seeing 2 blue lights, that plug into a cigarette lighter socket in the box! These obviously cannot be mounted when driving on the road, but think they will really set the car off when it is stood at shows. Our hobby is a fantastic one and I think this will definitely draw comments,
4 Series
Paul Roberts
Belated Happy New Year to all and sundry, here are my usual ramblings. As mentioned in my last article my car went in and passed its first MOT, so that’s a relief. However, recently some of the BMW Connect apps didn’t seem to be working so I went into my local BMW garage and an updated software was found to be needed. The car has been duly booked in for a full day which seems a bit extreme to me but as it’s still a warranty job… Had our Norfolk and Suffolk Christmas party a couple of weeks ago which was good fun, but no pictures as I don’t want to embarrass a couple of people! Many thanks, by the way, to Coopers BMW Norwich for the “freebies” they gave to raffle off, much appreciated. However, the prize for most generosity must go to Lancaster BMW Bury St Edmunds who, as a quiz prize, gave the very lucky winner a new Z4 for the weekend! Sadly I didn’t win. www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
you need to tell the tour people at the time of booking where you intend to cross the channel. More details from Scenic Car Tours, who are organising this for the Club. Payment is an initial 20% deposit, with the balance paid 10 weeks before departure. Some places are still available, so contact the tour operator on 01732 879153 and speak to Emma, Beth, or James. e46register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
some of which may be positive! But anyway I’m doing it so watch out for more information on the Polizei-interceptor. I have recently managed to acquire a hardtop for my convertible, due to my garage space being occupied by something else and I didn’t like the idea of the winter weather getting to my lovely soft top. It is a different colour to my car and the original idea had been to paint it to match, but on reflection I like the 2-tone and that leaves more money for other projects, but see what you think and have a look at the included photo.
The 328i SE saloon could do with some bodywork tidying up to make it a real show stopper, but think that will have to wait till money allows, and the 330i saloon will be up for sale in the next couple of months. It is a genuine 13K miles car, has had the wheels refurbished and some minor scuffs etc done so it now looks fantastic. That just leaves the track car (the vibrator) and that needs some new brakes and a service before Nick Thomas and I attend the first track day of the year at Anglesey. Let me know what projects you have in the offing for this year, take some photos and tell me all about it. I would like to have many more people submit their plans and that would make this section even more interesting. That’s it for this month, see you in the next one, cheers. 4series@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
Back to my car, and I’ve noticed a few scratches have appeared on the left hand side front, ahead of the near side front wheel. They do look fairly superficial but as I’ve not dealt with something like this before; any 4 Series members have any thoughts on what products to use? There are a number of adverts for “pens” but I don’t think these are much good. Continuing on the car front, as the second hand warranty runs out mid this month (January) I have renewed through the BMW approved facility. Given that in the past I’ve paid stupid money for a Mercedes warranty I was pleasantly surprised at the tier 1 version for £440.00. I suppose this means I will need to keep the car for another 12 months (no hardship!) Apart from the Aberystwyth trip booked for July, I have now confirmed that we will be attending the Tykes Tango event at the end of March and have booked the required Hotel in Ripon, so that should be good fun. Just hope the weather will be okay as I BMW Car Club Magazine FEBRUARY 2020
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registernews haven’t had any chance to get the roof down for ages now! Any other 4 Series owners going? Locally we have had some thoughts on what events/drives we are looking to do in 2020 and hope to finalise these soon. Apart from the shows which we enjoyed in 2019 I think we may do a couple of drives to somewhere then lunch etc. I did suggest the other night to Richard Howard a trip to Skeggy (Skegness), so if there are any other particularly 4 Series owners in Lincolnshire get in touch! Finally, I have had contact with another 4 Series owner, Terry Nicholson who bought a 10 month old 4 Series 2.0i Convertible in August 2018. Terry and his wife are based in Loughborough and have aptly named their car Octopussy (no not after the James Bond film), but due to the complex convertible mechanism which does make you think! I’m attaching a couple of photos of their car during last year’s Welsh Weekend and hope to meet up with Terry and his wife at some point (maybe our drive to Skeggy Terry?) I need to end now as I’m being asked to get the boxes down from the loft to put the Christmas decorations away
5 Series E28
Mark Cox
Welcome to the first update of 2020. Tim has been having some “fun” with his 520i and gives us an update. 520i Front Suspension – Front damper insert renewal There’s nothing like an MOT failure to concentrate one’s mind! My fault as I had ignored a previous advisory of a leaking damper and despite a wipe clean with a rag, the tester wasn’t fooled. At least we were having a dry spell and so armed with a bunch of gleaming parts including new inserts, bump stops and their plastic covers I set to. It made sense to renew both sides. With the complete strut removed and cleaned I was pleased to only see some surface corrosion. The best bit was that the cup, where the bottom of the coil spring sits, was almost perfect. If the drain holes aren’t kept unblocked then they fill up with mud and are notorious for rotting out. After treating any rust and with primer applied, the strut and springs were treated with one of my favourite paints - two pack epoxy black gloss! With the struts removed it was an ideal opportunity to take off both the front and rear inner plastic wheel arch guards and check for rust. I assume that if you are reading this then you have an interest or are familiar with some of the rust spots on E28’s. Suffice to say that the top of the front wing and the bottom of the front wing, ahead of the doors, will also rot out for a past time. Once again I was lucky, as after hosing and
5 Series E34 Manj Sandhu May I take this opportunity to wish you all a belated Happy New Year. Last month, I mentioned my original 520i base model that I eventually replaced with a 535i Sport. This month, I would like to tell you more about one of my current E34s, and the 535i seems a good place to start. The Alpine White example was my first driving experience of a 535i and it was fantastic! Having only ever driven manuals, I thought nothing of the fact it had a manual gearbox. It was only when a friend of mine, a fellow BMW car fanatic, commented it was strange to see a 535i without the customary automatic transmission. I have often contemplated over the years how the car would perform with an automatic transmission so I could compare and contrast. For the record, my friend thought the car and engine was more suited to the smooth and refined capability of the auto box. Personally, my preference was for the manual due to the high revving nature of the M30 engine. However, having never experienced the auto box myself, I could not really validate my
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for another year. Hope to hear from other 4 Series owners whenever you have time to put “pen to paper”, or just send me an e-mail! Regards to all, Paul. e28register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
brushing down there was no rust at all on the leading edge of the wing. Of concern though, even though there wasn’t much mud and silt trapped at the bottom of the rear of the wing, there was rust and obvious thinning of metal particularly on the inner wing as depicted in one of the photos. I reckon another 12 months and this would have become a hole. I would certainly advise that you have a look at yours when you next have your front wheels off! A couple of weeks after the MOT we then took the car for a 1,200 mile jaunt around Wales, taking in the EVO Triangle which was great fun, even with a modest 2 litres under the bonnet! However, when fully laden the rear kept bottoming out so the next project on the 520i is to replace the rear struts when renewing the rear brake discs and pads which are due shortly.
e34register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
comment. Does anyone else have any thoughts on the E34 manual vs automatic debate? Back to the 535i. At the time of purchase, it appeared on face value that the car was being driven on a regular basis; it felt like it had not been maintained to the right standard. Experiences with my 520i taught me one thing above most, the E34 model does relish in the proper care and attention it so rightly deserves from its owners. It is not afraid to absorb the bank balance no matter what model or engine size you are lucky to own, it does need funding to keep it in tip top condition, and does reward the owner with fantastic long term driving pleasure. Once the deal was done, the long five-hour drive home was one of the best experiences of my life. With winding country lanes, motorways and comfortable A roads, it all added to the bonding process with the newly acquired purchase. After a few weeks of driving it around, the family and I had become acquainted with the new 535i Sport; I decided to trust it to www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
registernews my ex-BMW mechanic. The mechanic diagnosed that the 535i would indeed need some maintenance work, following a thorough investigation, to bring it up to the required level. Over the next three months or so, most of the front and rear suspension parts were replaced, including work on the cooling elements. The usual full Inspection II checklist of work was mandatory as well as sorting out some minor niggles like the oil pump, door lock, wiper blades and the sump gasket. As with any E34, and much to my annoyance, it would be fair to say neglect had taken its toll on the car! The lack of regular preventative measures and routine maintenance work over the last five years was evident. As a result, it was over to me to restore the car back to its former glory. Much to my wife’s dismay, I can be a stickler for getting my cars into tip-top mechanical shape, more so rather than focusing on cosmetic improvements. Speaking of cosmetics, the car has some spots of rust – wheel arches, lower corner sections of the doors. To my mind, it does not bother me as much as sorting out the car mechanically. More recently I have replaced: the windscreen washer pump reservoir; rear exhaust clamps; rear crankshaft oil seal; the propshaft joints; re-connected the door handle cables; welding of the inner sills; light control module; anti-roll bar links and finally the rear brake pads and discs. The main problem I had with the MOT was regarding the light control module mentioned previously. The old one had clearly seen better days and BMW wanted £550 for a new one - no thanks! My mechanic sourced a used item for less than a tenth of the price and so the E34 is working perfectly. This year I covered 3,000 miles in the 535i and it sailed straight through the MOT! The more I use it the better it gets. The one thing I will say about any E34 – driving them regularly is the best thing, they hate to sit around.
8 Series
Debbie Blythe
Welcome once again to all the 8 Series owners and enthusiasts out there. There is not much Register news to put in this column this month as this is being written on 3rd January and we are only just looking at planning the Club calendar for 2020. We have tried to organise enough events to cover the year and to fit around the multitude of other classic and BMW events that take part, including your own BMW Regional events. There is one piece of bad news about the planned events in that Vanity BMW at Beaulieu Motor Museum is not happening in 2020. We have had a stand there for the past two years and in 2019 we had an amazing 15 E31s on show there. We have been informed by the organiser that he hopes to run it again in 2021. With regards to this year’s events, please see below for a list of all the events we think you might be interested in. Our regular meetings will still be taking place on a Sunday at The Chequers Inn, Weston on the Green, near Oxford but there are a number of other places we hope to go to or have information about. There are also a number of other European E31 clubs who are having tours, annual meets and we have linked in with them to get the information about these. These are: • Spanish E31 Club tour of Mallorca in April • Italian E31 Club annual meeting in Treviso in May • German E31/BMW tour of the UK in September Please contact me on 8series@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk if you would like further information, at the time of writing I have full details of the Spanish tour and I’m waiting for the Italian Club details. We are planning on attending the Italian event which takes place over a weekend and hope to make this a longer trip by driving back through Germany and visiting BMW Welt on the way through, maybe you would like to join us? www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
As you have probably guessed, I still use the 535i as my regular (not quite daily) driver and has been so for a few years now. It does still draw the admiring comments, and a double take here and there when driven around from passers-by who are familiar with this model. I would like to arrange a meeting or an event to bring together any fellow E34 owners and their great machines in 2020. This would be a brilliant way to kick off the new decade. Let me know if you are interested and I will get on the case immediately to organise a suitable time and place. If you have a question for me please contact me directly e34register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk and I will be more than happy to assist. 8series@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
Whatever your plans are for this year, we are very much looking forward to seeing you at an event at some point during the year. Also if you have any news, information or questions you would like to share with the register then please email me as I have a large mailing list of over 120 owners that I can send out to. New Year’s Day car meet – Selsey Paul and I did decide to take the cars out on New Year’s Day this year as the weather forecast was good, and the cars could do with a run to charge the batteries and give all the moving parts a work out. There was a fairly local classic car gathering taking place near to us in Selsey, West Sussex and we joined in with the local Manhood Classics members there. The event was well attended with approximately 100 cars, including both old and modern classics, American muscle and a few modified cars as well. Here are a couple of pictures from the show.
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Future events 1st Sunday of every month – Haynes Breakfast Club at the Haynes Motor Museum, Sparkford, Yeovil, Somerset, BA22 7LH. This is an open free event for all marques of car and is open from 8.00am to around noon. They have a café serving breakfasts and rolls from 9.00am. It does get very busy. Sunday 19th April - Spring meet at The Chequers Inn, WOTG, OX25 3QH. 10.00am – 2.00pm, contact me if you would like to join us for a very enjoyable carvery at the pub. 17th – 19th April – Spanish E31 Club tour of Mallorca, email me for details. Sunday 26th April – Bicester Heritage Sunday Scramble – tickets available from their website Sunday 10th May – Classic Car and Motorcycle Show at Bowood House, Calne, Wiltshire, SN11 0LZ. 10.00am to
Z1 Register
Jamal Blanc
My Note for Z1 Register I am sad to report the recent passing of Udo (Potti) Pott (19602019) whose recent life and business was focused on the Z1. Potti was a leading light in the Z1 fraternity, with an active and growing garage business in Wewelsburg near Paderborn in central Germany. Before the Z1 garage business, which really started in 1997 when he bought his first Z1, Potti flew Phantoms in the Luftwaffe. He had excellent English as a result of spending time in the USA. His enthusiasm for the Zetti and his open, friendly, and helpful manner was infectious and he rapidly became one of the go-to people for problem solving, repair and maintenance. Over the recent years he has developed and become a source of many of the critical and unique remanufactured parts no longer available from BMW. When I first visited him about 15 years ago, his garage was already established but he mostly worked alone and allowed Z1 DIYers to use some of his garage space to work on their
Z3 Register
Alan Jones
Welcome to the February edition of Straight Six, as promised I’ll be showing you my newly recovered steering wheel that was provided by Santa over the Christmas period. I had been thinking about having the steering wheel recovered for some time now, after I saw a few that royalsteeringwheels.com had recovered on a few friend’s cars. So after a lot of thought, I decided that the winter months were the perfect time to have the steering wheel done, as the car will be off the road during the winter, so having no steering wheel on the car for a few weeks wouldn’t be a problem. There are a few ways you can have your steering wheel done, remove the steering wheel yourself and post it to them for recovering, or they will send you a steering wheel, you change it for the one on the car, and then send your steering wheel to them, after recovering they send it back and then you change the steering wheel back and post the original one back. You can also visit the factory and they will change the steering wheel for you, recover it, then you go back to the factory, and they change the steering wheel back for you. I chose the first option which meant I had to remove the steering wheel, so after disconnecting the car battery, I waited to allow the airbag to discharge so that it wouldn’t accidentally deploy. I removed the airbag by removing the two screws that hold it in
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4.00pm, advance tickets at just £4.50 are available from their website http://www.classicshows.org/bowood-classic-carmotorcycle-show-sun-10-may-2020/ 23rd – 24th May – Italian E31 Club meeting in Treviso, near Venice, email me for details Saturday 4th July – Cars in the Park, Beacon Park, Lichfield, Staffs, WS13 6RA. We are having a stand for the E31 Register. Sunday 19th July – Summer meet at The Chequers Inn, WOTG, OX25 3QH. 10.00am – 2.00pm, contact me if you would like to join us for a very enjoyable carvery at the pub. 20th – 27th September – German E31 tour of the UK. Waiting for details of this but it looks like they will be coming across at Dover and going to Stonehenge and then up the country towards Fort William and the Highlands, across to Aberdeen, down to Nottingham and back to Germany. I hope we may be able to meet them on their tour. Sunday 27th September – Autumn meet at The Chequers Inn, WOTG, OX25 3QH. 10.00am – 2.00pm, contact me if you would like to join us for a very enjoyable carvery at the pub. Sunday 4th October - Bicester Heritage Sunday Scramble – tickets available from their website. z1register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
cars – a great facility as you could work on your car with expert guidance a few metres away! With plenty of space on the site, Potti offered storage facilities and sometimes there were as many as 30 cars overwintering there. A brilliant concept as one could combine storage with expert maintenance, modification or repair during the off season. Potti’s range of modifications and rare parts has grown and his garage services have also expanded rapidly. As well as hosting workshops for the Z1 fraternity he has built a respected team to grow the service facility and more recently to include a top notch paint facility on-site. His last project was a two destination Z1 workshop visit to the USA. Sadly he passed away suddenly only a few days after his return from the trip and leaves a young family (a wife and two sons). I do not know if, and how, his business will continue but it is an unexpected and sad loss to the Z1 community. Pat Slade z3register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
place at the rear of the steering wheel, and then disconnected the airbag and horn wires. Then I removed the bolt holding the steering wheel in place, and marked the splines so that I could return the wheel to the same position as before. I then replaced the bolt loosely back, then pulled the steering wheel until it was loose. Replacing the bolt stops you hitting yourself in the face with the steering wheel as you try and pull it off. After this, the steering wheel was still connected by wires which no one had said anything about in all of the research that I had done. So I posted on the forum zroadster.org asking if I undo the three small screws (see photo), www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
registernews would this release the steering wheel, and the answer was yes, so I removed them and the steering wheel was free. After this it was just a case of parceling the steering wheel up and posting it, as I had already contacted Royal Steering Wheels who had given me a price to do the work required. The price I paid was £185 plus VAT and £10 postage, but it just depends on what work you have done to the steering wheel, and this will dictate the price you pay. Then there was a two week wait to receive the steering wheel back. On receiving the steering wheel, I couldn’t wait to open the box to see what it would look like. All I can say is that I needn’t have worried as the workmanship was first class, and I was really
Z4 Register
Paul Dodds
pleased with the result. Then on reattaching the steering wheel to the car, I was really pleased that I had marked the splines on the column, as I attached it they didn’t line up until the third attempt. I then replaced the bolt securing the steering wheel to the car, reattached the airbag and various electrical connections, then stood back to admire. After reattaching the car battery again I was pleased to see no airbag light illuminated on the dash. I did ask Royal if there was any possibility of supplying any pictures of the process that the steering wheel goes through, but I was told that they were too busy to provide any. I was just interested and I could have published them here to let you have a look, but never mind. On a totally different subject, I don’t have anyone wishing to have their car published in this section of the magazine, so if you would like to see your car in this section please get in touch. If you supply a couple of photos and a few words, please include how long you have had the car, any work carried out, etc. I look forward to hearing from you. z4register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
Hello and welcome to the February edition of Straight Six. In last month’s issue I mentioned briefly that I would like you all to get out and have some fun this winter and to send in pictures. I also mentioned clean cars would be disqualified and with that said, this month Shaun Casey has sent in a couple of pictures and a few words about his BMW journey, and Z4M Coupe in a rather filthy state enjoying some B-Road antics from his recent Ireland trip:
I have owned a Z4 Coupe since 2014, the first one was a Montego Blue, and I sold this in April 2016 to buy the Sepang Bronze M Coupe. I live in West Yorkshire not far from Leeds and the Z4’s are the only BMW’s I have owned. I fell in love with the Z4 coupe when they were first released in 2006, the design is beautiful, the long bonnet, the short cabin, the flared wings, double bubble roof and that beautiful rear all make this (in my opinion) a classic car. It’s certainly easy to see where Anders Warming and Chris Bangle took their influences from if you look at classic sports coupes throughout history and is unlike anything that BMW has ever done before or after, and certainly a big departure from the Z3 Coupe. As much as I loved the Montego Blue colour, Sepang Bronze is something else; the way it looks and enhances the curves is amazing. However, there were only 10 made in the UK (68 worldwide) and 2 of those are Cat C’s which I didn’t want and so locating the right one became an obsession. I did get into a bidding war over one that was being sold by BMW (which I lost out on when the price went crazy), and dismissed another one due to concerns over its history and potential crash damage. Eventually, I found this one on Piston Heads, I was straight on the phone and in Newcastle the next day, I didn’t even haggle, I just paid the asking price, and drove away with a massive smile on my face that has never left! Even if I was offered crazy money I couldn’t see me selling this car, as there is nothing this side of £50k that (in my opinion) looks this good and goes as well as this car. www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
Around the world, there are similar people like me with an obsession with Sepang Bronze Z4M’s, and in the UK, six of us are in regular contact. We believe that there are only 9 UK owners as we have records of all the cars sold through dealers but one doesn’t have any records, so we wonder if BMW kept this one. We are trying to locate all the cars so that we can have a meet and take some photos! All the best Shaun Forthcoming events I also want to discuss with you plans for Sports Cars in the Park which will be held on the 3rd of May this year at Newby Hall. After another successful display last year organised by the North East Region, plans are coming together to make this year even bigger and better. In terms of a BMWCC display, this year will feature a Club stand including but not limited to: Northern Regions, a Z4 Register section, E46 Register section as well as a Northern Concours for keen detailers, and of course other BMWCC Regions and members with other models will be in attendance again this year. I will be posting a thread on the BMWCC forum under Z-Series and also on the Z4-Forum.com under Meets/Events/Roadtrips. Tickets will go on sale shortly at www.sportscarsinthepark.co.uk but for now, you can register with the website for any other updates from the site organisers. A leisurely run out the day before and an overnight stay at a local hotel for people wanting to make a weekend of it will also be discussed soon. Remember you can get in touch via the forum, or email at z4register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk BMW Car Club Magazine FEBRUARY 2020
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Concours Dan Wood Concours sponsored by
concours@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
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Winter is well and truly with us, which can either mean that cars are tucked away keeping them out of the elements, or that we are faced with a few challenges with keeping on top of our work to maintain our cars! There are many very useful and helpful sources of information available these days which offer fantastic tips and guidance on all manner of maintenance tasks. For example, why not check out the ‘Forensic Detailing Channel’ and of course, the ‘Meguiar’s UK Channel’ on YouTube, and keep abreast of the news and reviews in Pro Detailer Magazine. I’m sure you will pick up a great array of tips and ideas from having a good look around these sources of information. For me, the most important thing is taking regular time to keep on top of the maintenance tasks – this approach allows you to spend shorter amounts of time on your car at regular intervals, rather than being faced with a mammoth task after having left dirt and grime to build up over a longer period of time. In our typical British weather, remember a pre-wash is essential – rinsing your car thoroughly with water before using either a dedicated pre-wash product or a snow foam product to remove as much grime as possible - before going in with your wash mitt is a great idea. Remember that there are products available to protect all areas of your car from paintwork to glass, rubber, plastic and interior fabrics. Giving your car some good protection during the winter months will ensure you reap the benefits when it comes to preparing your car for Club Concours events in the spring! And remember you can use the Club discount across the full range of Meguiar’s products. Why not get involved in Concours next year and give it a go? All Club members are welcome and it really isn’t a huge deal what ‘points’ you score, the most important thing is coming along, taking part and enjoying yourself with like-minded people at Club events. This year, there will be two Regional Concours events - the Southern Concours and the Northern Concours, meaning that
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members can choose the venue most convenient for them. Both Regional Concours events take place on Sunday 3rd May 2020. The Southern Concours will be held at Sherborne Castle in Dorset and the Northern Concours will take place at Newby Hall near Ripon in North Yorkshire, both of which are super venues. The Regional Concours events are looking at having Pride of Ownership and Master/Elite Class categories this year. A key reason for this is so that a category is in place for member’s cars which have a history of performing well at Club Concours, and a category is in place for members who are entering for the first time/gaining further experience/wishing to remain at Pride of Ownership Class. The principle behind this is in-line with the Club’s desire to offer a Concours category for everyone - whether you are coming along for the first time or you are a returning participant, there is ample opportunity for all Club members within our Regional Concours events. I look forward to seeing you all at Concours events this year! And as always, please do email me with any questions or queries you may have. Keep on Concours-ing!
Trackday Calendar 2020 22 Feb:
Anglesey – £175
9 April:
Cadwell Park – £175
16 June: Brands Hatch – £120
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28 Sep:
Snetterton – £200
6 Nov:
Oulton Park – £170
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Photo of the Month
Shaun Casey - Four Sepang Bronze Z4MC’s having a blast through Derbyshire and Holme Moss
Christina Kostova - Away from the city
David Mills - Autumn Cruise
Simon Kydd - Early morning wake Mike Salmon - BM1 130i Limited up call Edition
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Richard Acton - Throwback to those long summer days. www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
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Feature
clubevents This section is for those regular pub meets that are on-going within the Regions. You will always be very welcome to attend any of these events, so pop along and introduce yourself. CENTRAL: 2nd Monday of each month – 10th February. Aviator Hotel, Northampton, 7.30pm. CENTRAL WEST: Second Tuesday of every month at 7.30pm at The Manor House of Whittington, Wolverhampton Road, Stourbridge, DY7 6NY. CORNWALL: 10th February – 7:30pm (AGM) at the Punchbowl & Ladle, Penelewey, Feock, Truro, TR3 6QY. 9th March – 7:30pm at the Punchbowl & Ladle, Penelewey, Feock, Truro, TR3 6QY. COTSWOLD: Second Wednesday of each Month 7.30pm at “The Swan at Coombe Hill” Tewkesbury Road, Coombe Hill, Gloucester GL19 4BA. CUMBRIA: Suspended until around spring time (TBC) DEVON: Last Thursday of the month at 7.00pm for 7.30pm we shall be meeting at the Hare & Hounds, Torquay Road, Kingskerswell, TQ12 5HH. For further information, contact Kathy or Derek on 01626 330436 or mobile 07971 871739 or email: devon@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk EAST ANGLIA: Pub Meet Contacts - all members are welcome at any meet. ALWAYS double check with your Branch Rep. as some Pub meets are suspended or venues changed for a variety of reasons. Suffolk Pub Meet - White Horse, Stoke Ash IP23 7ET Contact - David Adams (Suffolk Branch Rep.) bmwccsuffolkrep@btinternet.com 0777 466 8596 Also follow us on Facebook BMW Car Club GB Norfolk and Suffolk Branch Cambs/Beds Pub Meet - The Royal Oak, Barrington, nr Cambridge CB22 7RZ - SUSPENDED UNTIL APRIL 2020. Contact - Matthew Hunt (Cambs/Beds Branch Rep.) matthew.hunt13@btinternet.com 0797 3986525 See details of coffee mornings on FACEBOOK facebook.com/groups/1795515350724518?ref=bookmarks Norfolk Pub Meet – LOOKING FOR A NEW VENUE. Last Thursday of every month. Contact Richard Howard on bmwccnorfolk@gmail.com. Also follow us on Facebook: BMW Car Club GB Norfolk and Suffolk Branch Essex Pub Meet - Various locations. Breakfast Meets are being trialed, refer to Facebook BMW Car Club GB Essex Branch which we hope will shortly be set up again. NW Norfolk, STH Lincs, Peterborough Pub Meet - The Sandboy Pub, Gayton Road, Kings Lynn, Norfolk PE32 1EP. Contact Aaron Reeve on westnorfolk@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk EASTERN: The Motorist Breakfast Meet: On the first Sunday of each month between 10am 12 noon. The Motorist New Lennerton Lane Sherburn in Elmet LS25 6JE. Further details on the Motorist can be found at www.themotorist.com Contact: 01977 681486 Peak & South Yorkshire Pub Meet: Second Monday of the month from 8pm at the Elm Tree Inn, Mansfield Road, Heath, Chesterfield, Derbyshire, S44 5SE Yorkshire & Humberside Pub Meet: Last Tuesday of the month at 18:00 at the The Percy Arms, High Street, Airmyn, Goole, DN14 8LD North Nottinghamshire at the Reindeer, Sturton le Steeple DN22 9HQ on the second and fourth Thursday of the month LONDON/HERTS: Second Monday evening of the month from 7.00pm at The Crooked Chimney, Lemsford, Welwyn Garden City, AL8 7XE NORTH EAST: Our monthly breakfast meetings are held on the second Sunday morning of each month, from 10.00am to 11.30am at Black Horse Beamish, Red Row, Beamish, Co. Durham, DH9 0RW. 9th February. NORTH WEST: North West Region Sunday Lunch & Quiz: Sunday of alternate months (all at 12.00 noon) 22nd March at The Swan, Bucklow Hill, Cheshire, WA16 6RD CONTACT: Jeff Heywood – 0161 678 2088 Manchester/NW Local Branch Meeting: First Tuesday of the month at 8:00pm, 4th February, 3rd March, 7th April at The Sheldon Arms, Ashton under Lyne, M34 5QL CONTACT: Jeff Heywood – 0161 678 2088 SCOTLAND: See Scottish region news and club forum for more information or contact Issy on: bmwccscottishregion@gmail.com SOUTH EAST: Kent Micro Meet: Chatham Dockyard 1st Sunday of month 10:00am - 12:00pm. 1st March. Sussex Micro Meet: Shoreham Airport 4th Sunday of month 8.30am. 23rd February. THAMES: Last Thursday of the month at the Littlebury Hotel, Bicester, at 7.30pm. Resumes in March/April 2020. Contact thames@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk for more information. WALES: NORTH WALES: For more information contact northwales@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk MID WALES & SHROPSHIRE: 9th February at 12PM, Hanmer Arms, Hanmer Villeage SY13 3DE SOUTH WALES: Third Wednesday evening of the month at 7.00pm (6.30pm for food) at The Twelve Knights Pub, Margam, Port Talbot, SA13 2BN WESSEX: Bournemouth Area: Usually on the first Wednesday of the month. 5th February. Tyrrells Ford Country Inn, Avon BH23 7BH. Contact John Munyard 07977 501128 or Eric Thompson 07722 835930 with any queries or confirmation of meeting venues. Basingstoke Area: 18th February. Third Tuesday of the month from 19:00 at The Fox, North Waltham, Basingstoke RG25 2BB. Contact Simon Alcorn 07973 299024. Alton Pub Meet: 25th February. Last Tuesday of the month. 7.00pm, The Jolly Farmer, Blacknest, Binsted Road, GU34 4QD. Contact Bob Ward 07980 833321. WESTERN: First Wednesday of the month: 7.30pm at The Woolpack, Weston-Super-Mare. 4th March -1st July 2020
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BMW Car Club Magazine FEBRUARY 2020
Your Region & Register officers
Regional Officers BMW Car Club Central
Tony Skerrett
central@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
Central West
Dave Evans
centralwest@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
Channel Islands
Jonathan Harris channelislands@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
Cheshire & Staffs Steve Cooper
cheshireandstaffs@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
Cornwall
Jim Husband
cornwall@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
Cumbria
James France
cumbria@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
Cotswold
Martyn Goodwin cotswold@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
Devon
Kathy Jemfrey
East Anglia
George Champ eastanglia@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
Eastern
Paul Rice
eastern@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
Ireland
Nick O’Kane
ireland@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
London
Tim Fathers
london@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
North East
Nick Thomas
northeast@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
North West
Jeff Heywood
northwest@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
Scottish
Issy Phillips
bmwccscottishregion@gmail.com
South East
Ian Bryant
southeast@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
Thames
Tony Skerrett
thames@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
Wales - Mid
Phil Pinnington
midwales@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
Wales - North
David Allen
northwales@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
Wales - South
Adam Mazaheri & southwales@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Jonathan Bamford
Wessex
Tim Maltby
wessex@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
Western
Nigel Smith
western@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
devon@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
& Shropshire
Register Officers BMW Car Club Classic E3 E9 02 M Power ALPINA 1 Series 2 Series 3 Series 3 Series - E21 3 Series - E30 3 Series - E36 3 Series - E46 3 series F30/1 4 Series 5 Series 5 Series - E12 5 Series - E28 5 Series - E34 5 series - E39 5 Series - E60/1 5 Series- F10/11 6 Series 6 Series - E24 6 Series - E63 7 Series 8 Series Z Series Z Series - Z1 Z Series - Z3 Z Series - Z4 X Series i Series + i8 MINI Modified Concours Track Days
Sam Lever classic@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Tony Wilkes e3register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Nick Hull e9register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Richard Stern 02register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Richard Baxter, mpower@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Tristan Glass & John Denny Simon Alcorn alpina@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Anthony Mason 1series@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk VACANT 2series@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Simon Maskell 3series@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Kyri Nicolaou e21register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Neil McDonald neil@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Sean Garnham e36register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Simon Maskell e46register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Katie Littler f30register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Paul Roberts 4series@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk 5series@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Stephen Coulson Pat Tremain e12register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Mark Cox e28register@@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Manj Sandhu e34register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Dan Paskin e39register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk VACANT e60register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Mani Singh Hayer f10register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Mani Singh Hayer 6series@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Konstantinos Loizou e24register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Duncan Antony e63register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Scott Margison 7series@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Debbie Blythe 8series@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk VACANT zregister@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Jamal Blanc z1register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Alan Jones z3register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Paul Dodds z4register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Jonathan Harris xseries@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Clive Neville iregister@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk David Young mini@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Dipesh Amin modified@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Dan Wood concours@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Neil McDonald trackday@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
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