FEBRUARY 2022 £5
BMW E30 M3 by Redux
We review the E30 M3 Restomod built by Redux Leichtbau and bring you all the facts behind the £300k mega M3...
BMW ACCIDENT SUPPORT. DEDICATED EXPERTS. EXCEPTIONAL CARE. BMW Accident Support Should an accident happen, BMW Accident Support will assist you with everything from arranging recovery and insurance claims to repair at your preferred BMW Approved Bodyshop, guaranteeing that your BMW receives the care it deserves. All you need to do is call us on 0344 335 0284, so be sure to save the number in your phonebook. Repairs at your preferred BMW Approved Bodyshop will be performed by BMW Trained Technicians using only Genuine BMW Parts and the latest approved BMW repair techniques to restore your car and its Euro NCAP safety rating. What’s more, you’ll be covered by our Lifetime Workmanship Guarantee*.
Find out more at BMW.co.uk/AccidentSupport
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Formed in 1952 as The BMW Car Club of Great Britain, incorporated in 1982 as BMW Car Club (GB) Ltd. A non-profit making club owned, run by and for its members. Combined One-Make Car Club Associated 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 Chairman Martyn Goodwin Board of Directors Dave Evans Jamal Blanc Nick Thomas Richard Stern Club Office Michelle Evans Lisa Davies
inside this issue
BMW Car Club Insurance Henry Francis Patron Colin Turkington, Mike Wilds, The late Barrie Williams Editing Team Jeff Heywood Lisa Davies Will Beaumont
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Cover image: Redux Leichtbau & Alex Penfold Advertising Print & Digital Next Step Heritage Madeleine Lillywhite 01485 779455 07855 447968 advertising@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Website advertising Next Step Heritage Madeleine Lillywhite 01485 779455 07855 447968 advertising@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
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Published on behalf of BMW Car Club by Cedar Group, Unit 3, The Triton Centre, Premier Way, Abbey Park Industrial Estate, Romsey, Hampshire SO51 9DJ Tel: 01794 525 020 info@cedargroup.uk.com BMW Car Club (Great Britain) Ltd Registered in England Number 1617753
MLife: Enhanced and Evolved…
If BMW had built another E30 M3 model after the Sport Evo, what would it have been like? Redux founder, Simon Lord, answers that question with his own dream specification.
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Shared DNA: iX xDrive50 v i4 M50
Will Beaumont reviews two of BMW’s flagship EVs, who share the same electric motors and technology. Are there any differences? Here’s your chance to find out.
34 Creating the Ultimate Garage: Automobilia In this month’s Creating the Ultimate Garage, we discuss all things automobilia to help you showcase your favourite posters, enamel signs or whatever else you enjoy collecting.
Classifieds - From £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
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38 Club Life!
42
Straight Six editor, and long standing Club member, Jeff Heywood reminisces about his life in cars and the Club (part 1) as it celebrates its 70th Anniversary…
42 Sumptuous Touring! Alpina has decided not to follow the EV crowd and have, instead, released the latest B3 with a turbocharged six-cylinder under the bonnet. There’s epic performance too, which Alpina is always known to deliver.
Contents
from the editor Welcome to the February issue of Straight Six. In this month’s MLife, we take a look at number 002 of the BMW E30 M3 by Redux. Posed with the question, if BMW had built another E30 M3 model after the Sport Evo, what would it have been like? Redux founder Simon Lord not only answered this question, he built it. Take a look at the finished result on page 20. Will Beaumont reviews BMW’s two flagship EVs, the iX xDrive50 and i4 M50. Both share the same electric motor and technology, so how different are they when you’re sat in the driver’s seat? Find out on page 28. We bring you the next part of Creating the Ultimate Garage, where we discuss all things automobilia. You may want to find vintage or replica collectables to add the finishing touches to your garage, so where are the best places to get these, and is there anything you need to watch out for? Find out on page 34. Club Life! We continue the Club celebrations by bringing you part one of long standing member, Jeff Heywood’s early Club memories on page 38. And on page 42 we take a look at Alpina’s latest B3, a turbocharged six-cylinder tourer with epic performance.
20 regulars 6
Board Torque
8
Thoughts from the Boardroom
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. Please send article suggestions to officeadmin@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk. 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. Below is this month’s winner, Mike Dickinson.
10 Club News
Happy reading!
12 BMW News
Jeff, Lisa, & Will Straight Six editorial team.
14 Motorsport News 16 Dan Norris 18 Products 47 Social Media 50 Pirelli 52 Crossword 55 Regions 67 Registers 81 Your Photos 82 Club Pub Meets
boardtorque Jamal Blanc – Marketing Director
“Your club, your benefits, since 1952” 2022 has got off to a flyer. With restrictions easing, demand for promotional material and merchandise has gone up tenfold as we prepare for a busy year ahead, and there is none bigger than the 70th anniversary of BMW Car Club of Great Britain. Being Chairman was a huge honour for me, and I am fortunate to be stepping back to my previous role of Marketing Director, a fascinating area of the business to be involved in. Tasked with engaging members, partners and attracting new business through advertising and promotions, every year we take stock of what we delivered, what worked, slow burners and service improvements. Over the years you will have seen things like the inflatable arch, gold and silver membership cards, presentation packs, branded trailer, Pirelli displays, marquee hospitality, digital artwork, classic clothing designs, a Concours d’Elegance certificate on parchment paper with an authentic wax stamp, all aimed at increasing awareness and adding value to our Club in collaboration with the members and partners. Keep things simple, know your audience, evolution not revolution, quality not quantity, brand awareness, cost effectiveness. These basic principles form the basis of our approach and it helps when you enjoy the creative process, as I do, making mental notes of picturesque places visited, the research and due diligence, doodling designs on scraps of paper for upcoming events or campaigns, or Googling merchandise ideas, it is hugely rewarding. For our anniversary, readers will have seen some of this work, such as the new emblem on the front cover, the 70th anniversary logo which will adorn all print and club media, and the free sticker to all members. If your copy of Straight Six didn’t include one, do contact the office. So what do we have in store for 2022? We turned to the popular pin badges, dust caps, key cases, cups, trackers, wallets, goody bags, key rings. After all these gifts have always been well received and if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,
6 BMW Car Club Magazine February 2022
but I didn’t feel they quite grabbed the imagination or represented the scale of what is a major milestone. What worked previously isn’t necessarily a formula for ongoing success, it was an article by BMW authors Frank Griese and Marcus Loblien that provided the answer. Imagine a production BMW without its trademark kidney inspired air intake, unthinkable. The first car to include the grille was also the first six-cylinder production engine in 1933, the BMW 303. Pre-1933 cars, such as the 3/15 and 3/20, didn’t have one as the trademark grille didn’t exist. However, there have been a few BMWs since without it, the Isetta, the 600 and 700, and the Glas 3000GT. Kidney grilles to BMW have become what Bert was to Ernie, inseparable, the design has changed over time but that distinctive and iconic image remains, from a vertical alignment on the 327 and 328, to horizontal layout on the 507, it is a fascinating read with several relatable podcasts. Go to BMW.com and search for “the BMW kidney grille”. The 52nd year of the 20th century, BMW Car Club shares its anniversary with the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, NME magazine, and B A Baracus. We have taken inspiration from what has become synonymous with BMW, to produce a limited edition anniversary pack featuring a hinged kidney grille key-ring based on the prestigious BMW 503 Gran Turismo, our mascot for the year. The 1950s 507 would have been an easier choice, thanks to BMW UK who have loaned us theirs on request. Both cars were the brainchild of the same designer, but the little known and understated 503, and its elegant grille, was more fitting, but only 412 were built – 273 Coupés and 139 Convertibles. The anniversary pack also includes a branded tyre pressure tool and the new black series membership card. Continuing the anniversary theme, a limited edition Classic Motorsport holdall, clothing and merchandise will be available to order from March 2022. For more information or to reserve an item please contact the club office.
www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
BMW Car Club GB Ireland Tour
4th – 8th September 2022 | Killarney, County Kerry Join fellow BMW owners in exploring some of Ireland’s most dramatic scenery on this relaxed driving holiday. The combination of rugged coastlines, imposing mountains and picturesque villages make this area perfect for exploring in your car. When you are not out enjoying the pre-planned circular daydrives, you will be able to relax at the 5-star Hotel Dunloe & Gardens, which will host us for four nights. What is included: • Return cruise ferry crossings from Holyhead – Dublin with Stena Line (other routes are also available) • 4 nights at the 5-star Hotel Dunloe & Gardens in Killarney, in a double or twin garden room. • Breakfast at the hotel each morning • Sunday evening welcome barbecue in the hotel’s gardens • Wednesday night tour dinner • Use of the hotel’s facilities including swimming pool, gymnasium, horse stables, fishing & indoor tennis courts • Suggested driving routes, route plans & rally boards
Tour Price: £879.00 per person (based on 2 people in a car sharing a double or twin room) non-refundable deposit of £200.00 per person A will be required at the time of booking This exclusive tour will be limited to 25 cars.
Please call Travel Destinations on 01707 329988 to reserve your place.
www.traveldestinations.co.uk/driving-holidays/BMW-Car-Club
A BTA No .W597X
thoughts from the boardroom I
Chris Brownridge. CEO BMW (UK) Ltd.
can’t help but feel a certain frisson of excitement at the start of a new year. Even in these testing times I’m looking forward to what 2022 will deliver. As always, BMW will be hugely busy and, while I obviously can’t reveal everything we have planned for the year ahead quite yet, I am delighted that we’ve already got the ball rolling with a number of unveilings to coincide with the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. First up is the exciting combination of the best of three worlds: i, X and M. We unveiled the most potent member of the iX family, the M60. This will be a stunning range-topper for the iX range, complete with a peak output of 619hp and 1,100Nm of torque that allows it to whisk its occupants to 62mph in just 3.8 seconds. All while being capable of up to 357 miles on a single charge. Of course, the iX M60’s sister models, the iX xDrive40 and xDrive50, both went on sale in November last year and, although I’m in the mood for looking forward, I would like to briefly talk about these models as I didn’t have a chance to mention them in my last column. I’ve been delighted with the way both these machines have been received. Early press reports from the international launch of the xDrive50 were universally positive, but now both models have been driven in UK specification on our roads I’m very pleased with the glowing reviews. There are so many facets to the
8 BMW Car Club Magazine February 2022
iX that it’s incredibly hard to choose which of its elements to highlight here. Some of its most intriguing aspects aren’t really on show. Its bespoke platform and packaging is second to none with a complex mix of steel, carbon fibre reinforced plastic and aluminium. While its fifth generation BMW eDrive technology is absolutely state-of-the-art both in terms of its performance and environmental impact. Then there are the little details that I love. The kidney grille is more than just a styling element with radar, cameras and sensors sitting behind it. One very clever aspect of it is that the polyurethane coating to the grille is self-healing, meaning that minor stone chips and scratches will heal themselves. The interior is wonderful, too. It’s spacious and luxurious and the new Curved Display is a joy to use with its next generation iDrive and Operating System 8 making its debut in the iX. You don’t just have to take my word
for it though as I think Car summed up my feelings quite succinctly; “The iX is good to drive, good to sit in and good at making you feel like you’ve just slightly stepped into the near future. Which is surely what a modern highend electric car should be.” While we’re looking forward there were several other innovations presented at the CES including a preview of in-car entertainment of the future and the BMW iX Flow, which features E Ink and the ability to seemingly magically change the car’s exterior colour. There have always been different ways of personalising your BMW, but this really does take it a step further and it’s great to see the typical forward-thinking design BMW is famous for being used in a new and unusual way. At the moment, it’s an advanced research project and certainly won’t be coming to the showrooms during 2022, but rest assured we will be adding further exciting models as the year goes by. I’m hoping they’ll garner as many plaudits as 2021’s cohort. The i4 was Top Gear’s Saloon of the Year, the M5 CS fought off supercars to be named evo magazine’s Car of the Year. BMW was also named as the Most Reliable Carmaker at the Fleet News awards with the 3 Series the UK’s most reliable car. I hope you all had a good festive break and that 2022 will be a year to remember for all the right reasons.
www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
Insurance solutions for BMW Car Club members. At Footman James we understand that every classic vehicle owner is different and with FJ+ enthusiasts can build their policy from a range of cover options including breakdown, agreed value, salvage retention and spare parts. Whether you prefer to transact on the phone or online, FJ has you covered, including access to our online document portal, allowing you access to your policy documents digitally at all times. Call our friendly UK team on
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clubnews Limited Edition 70th Anniversary BMW Car Club Stickers and Rally Plaques By now, all members should have received their complimentary 70th Anniversary window cling sticker. If you have not received yours, please email office@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk. Additional stickers and rally plaques can be purchased on the Club Shop by visiting www.bmwcarclubgb.uk/shop
BMW Car Club @ Le Mans Classic! Club members Kevin McNally and Silas Benaiah are among a group of Club members who are attending this year’s Le Mans Classic on 30th June to 3rd July. They are hoping that more members will join them and either meet them here in the UK, possibly at the ferry port for the run down to le Sarthe, or at the circuit for a drink and a good natter. If you would like to join up with the guys, give Kev a call on 07773 775471 or kevin. mcnally1965@btinternet.com or Silas on 07831 554466 or evom3@btinternet.com
The Classic at Silverstone returns on a new date for 2022; Bank Holiday August 26th to 28th. 2022 also marks the 70th Anniversary of the BMW Car Club and 50 years of the M, so why not join us at The Classic and be part of the Club display to celebrate these fantastic milestones. Club Code: Pre-1982 BMW: 087CCDP22 Post (and inc.) 1982 BMW: 088CCDP22
Practical Classics Classic Car & Restoration Show Although the BMW Car Club will NOT be having a club stand at this year’s Practical Classics Classic Car & Restoration Show, as a member you can still benefit from the discounted ticket price. Just visit www.necrestorationshow.com to book your tickets and insert the code C22RS164 at checkout.
10 BMW Car Club Magazine February 2022
www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
New Members CENTRAL Matt Fahey Rodney Turner Peter Mailsey Naginder Sandhu Billy Barden Phil Stone Martin Gordon Richard Stedman
CENTRAL WEST Josef Sadowski Ashraf Salim
COTWOLD David Beal Matt Carmichael
CUMBRIA Joshua Umpleby
DEVON Benjamin Tucker
EAST ANGLIA George Redpath Steve Hodgson Chris Greenall Vincent Grist Andrew Brown Ross Siggers Benjamin Cornell
What’s Planned for 2022…
Neil Humphrey Tom Hunsley David Earnshaw Toby Agar
Stephen Davies Darren Galway Damian Manville Gary Smith
IRELAND
SCOTTISH
John Mc Swiggan Peter Monahan
Phil Johnston Alasdair Chalmers Jon Dewar
LONDON Vincent Alexei Betos Mohammed Awan Tamer Hassan August Florianowicz Alexander Macino Raj Mistri Ian Beagley Ronald Lin Rick Blade Jennifer Senerat Mark Evans David Driver Sebastian Kinnaird Barry Christie
SOUTH EAST
NORTH EAST
Jacob Tongue Andrew Philbey Peter Jones Aidan Talbott Karen Musselwhite
Mark Hayter Martin Philip Paul Cooper James Simms Janice Webster
EASTERN
NORTH WEST
Christopher Shea Chris Lyons Clare Grice
Sean Thompson Graham Lillis Jason Mansell
Joe Whiting Andrew Powell David Macdonald Julian Dalrymple Sophocles Alexiou Russ Smith
THAMES Mark Simon Derek Underwood
WALES - SOUTH Mark Burge
WESSEX
WESTERN Brett Chandra Jessica Barsley Boluwatife Ojo
April 24: Southern Concours Southern Concours returns in April 2022 at Sherborne Castle, Dorset.
June 5: BM’s on the Lawn The Show & Shine returns next year on the Weston-super-Mare front lawns, in memory of late Club member, Robert Scanlan. 12: Munich Tour Previously postponed due to Covid restrictions, this tour is now scheduled for 2022. To register your interest, email 3series@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk.
August 6 – 7: BMW Sommerfest The BMWCCGB national show returns this summer. More details to follow. *Provisional dates 26 – 28: The Classic, Silverstone The Classic returns on a new date for 2022. Bookings open soon. *Provisional dates
September 4: BMW Car Club GB Ireland Tour Four days exploring some of Ireland’s most dramatic scenery on this relaxed driving holiday. Head to page 7 for more information.
Trackday Calendar 2022 *Provisional dates
March 26:
Anglesey
£179
Cadwell Park
£195
June 30:
September 12: Croft £215
November 11:
Oulton Park
£175
Contact lisa@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk for more information.
www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
BMW Car Club Magazine February 2022
11
bmwnews BMW sales hit an all-time high in 2021 The BMW Group posted record yearon-year sales growth of 8.4% last year, with a total of 2,521,525 BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce vehicles delivered to customers worldwide. BMW sales reached a new all-time high of 2,213,795 units (+9.1%) in 2021, with the brand leading the global premium segment. Thanks to its young and attractive product line-up, BMW achieved its highest-ever sales figures. In 2021, 13% of BMW and MINI vehicles sold worldwide – a total of 328,316 units (+70.4%) – were already electrified. In Europe it was already more than 23% (225,415 units). The MINI brand delivered 302,144 vehicles to customers last year – 3.3% more than in 2020. Around 17% of these vehicles had an electrified drivetrain. More than one in ten MINI customers opted for the fully-electric MINI Cooper SE* (34,851 units sold). Rolls-Royce Motor Cars reported
BMW again broke all sales records in 2021, and the X models again led the way with huge percentage sales gains, the new X3 and X4 in the photo contributing massively by finding new customers…
the highest sales in the brand’s 117-year history, with 5,586 units sold worldwide (+48.7%). This overall figure includes alltime record sales in most regions. There was a high demand worldwide for all models, particularly Ghost and Cullinan
and all Black Badge variants. Bespoke commissions were at record levels and the company announced, alongside the launch of Boat Tail, that Rolls-Royce Coachbuild would become a permanent fixture in its future portfolio.
The new BMW iX M60 breaks cover The BMW iX M60 is the third model variant of the BMW iX flagship model, embodying the best of BMW i, BMW X and BMW M in one powerful model. With a peak output of 455 kW/619hp and maximum torque of 1,100Nm combined with an M specific suspension set-up, the BMW iX M60 offers top performance and emissionfree mobility with a range of up to 348 miles. This allows the iX M60 to accelerate from 0-60mph in only 3.6 seconds, while acceleration remains constant up to the electronically limited maximum speed of 155mph. The iX M60 has a plethora of standard equipment, far too much to list here, so if you would like to read more on this model, please visit your local BMW dealer or go to www.bmw.co.uk where you will find comprehensive details on the vehicle. The iX M60 has an OTR price of £111,905.
12 BMW Car Club Magazine February 2022
The new iX M60 launches with 619hp and 1,100Nm of torque to give a 0-60mph sprint time of 3.6 seconds while emitting zero emmissions…but it comes at a price - £111,905 before you add any goodies…
www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
BMW MGmbH on a sales high For the third time in a row, BMW M GmbH ended the financial year as the global market leader in the performance and high-performance car segment. Indeed, the company posted record sales once again in 2021, with a total of 163,542 BMW M cars delivered to customers worldwide last year, a 13% increase on 2020. The biggest drivers of growth among high-performance sports cars were the new M3 and M4 models introduced in spring 2021. “The response to the new generation of M3 and M4 has been simply overwhelming,” reports Timo Resch, Vice President Customer, Brand and Sales at BMW M GmbH. “We can therefore expect demand for these iconic sports cars to continue on an upward curve in 2022.”
Marmite they may be, but the new M3 and M4 have driven sales of M cars to an all-time high
BMW shows theatre screen at CES 2022
BMW displayed this 31” panorama theatre screen at the recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas
BMW previewed in-car entertainment of the future on the occasion of the recent Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2022. With the BMW Theatre Screen, BMW is setting new standards in the area of incar entertainment and offering rear passengers an entertainment experience on a par with a cinema. The BMW Theatre Screen is a 31” panorama display in 32:9 format with smart TV functions and a resolution of up to 8K. BMW is working with Amazon to fully integrate the Fire TV experience within the Theatre Screen system – giving passengers access to a wide variety of content so they can stream videos, listen to music, and watch downloaded programs, all while on the road.
Car-ma Chameleon? BMW presented the iX Flow featuring E Ink at the 2022 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. E Ink uses digitisation to adapt the exterior of a vehicle to different situations and individual wishes. The surface of the BMW iX Flow featuring E Ink can vary its shade at the driver’s prompting. The fluid colour changes are made possible by a specially developed body wrap that is tailored precisely to the contours of the iX. When stimulated by electrical signals, the electrophoretic technology brings different colour pigments to the surface, causing the body skin to take on the desired colouration. The innovative E Ink technology opens completely new ways of changing the vehicle’s appearance in line with the driver’s aesthetic preferences, the environmental conditions or even functional requirements. The technology thus offers unprecedented potential for Also at the CES, BMW showed off the new iX Flow featuring E Ink chameleon personalisation in the area of exterior design. E Ink is still in its early development stage but it could prove really useful in countries that suffer from extremes of temperature, with white cars being able to reflect sunlight, whereas a black skin will help the car absorb warmth from the sun. E Ink technology itself is extremely energy efficient. Unlike displays or projectors, the electrophoretic technology needs absolutely no energy to keep the chosen colour state constant. Current only flows during the short colour changing phase.
www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
BMW Car Club Magazine February 2022
13
motorsportnews Roving reporter - Jeff Heywood
BMW’s new M4 GT3 model passes its endurance test
T
he new BMW M Motorsport GT flagship car has passed its endurance test in the desert. After test races last season and homologation by the FIA, the 24H Dubai race on 13-14-15th January 2022 marked the first official race outing for the new BMW M4 GT3 in the hands of BMW M Motorsport Teams. ST Racing and Schubert Motorsport competed in the season opener of the 24 hour Series with a total of three BMW M4 GT3s. After a full day of racing, which were characterized by many Code 60 phases and a sandstorm on Saturday morning, all three cars reached the finish line at their race premiere. In the GT3 category, ST Racing finished ninth with the #28 BMW M4 GT3. The car was driven by Jon Miller (USA), Nick Wittmer (CAN), Louis-Philippe Montour (CAN) and Chandler Hull (USA). Schubert Motorsport suffered a setback early in the race when the #30 BMW M4 GT3 was hit and damaged by a competitor. Due to the following long repair break, the #30 car fell far behind. After 24 hours, BMW M works drivers Nick Yelloly (GBR), Jordan Witt (GBR), Marcel Lenerz (GER) and Jens Liebhauser (GER) fought back to cross the finish line in tenth place in GT3. The #1 of ST Racing, starting in the Pro-Am class, was the best-placed BMW M4 GT3 in the field and in its class, and was on course for a podium finish for
The ST Racing #28 BMW M4 GT3 driven by Jon Miller (USA), Nick Wittmer (CAN), Louis-Philippe Montour (CAN) and Chandler Hull (USA) on its way to a ninth-place finish in the GT3 Class at the 24H Dubai race in mid-January 2022. It was the highest placed M4 GT3 in the model’s maiden race…
large parts of the race. However, due to a technical problem that couldn’t be repaired, the car lost a bit of pace. Even so, the #1 M4 GT3, driven by Samantha Tan (CAN), Bryson Morris, Anthony Lazzaro, Harry Gottsacker and Tyler Maxson (all USA), finally finished fifth in the Pro-Am class. The next highlight for the BMW M4 GT3 is already on the agenda in North America in two weeks time. At the season opener of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (IMSA Series), the famous 24 Hours of Daytona (USA), BMW M Team RLL and Turner Motorsport will compete with the new GT car in the GT3 class.
BMW Motorsport also competed in Dubai with the M4 GT4 and the M2 CS Racing. They secured several podium finishes in their categories. The RHC Jorgensen-Strom by Century Motorsport team finished third in the GT4 class with the #450 BMW M4 GT4. The #429 M4 GT4 of Century Motorsport and the #451 M4 GT4 of the AVIA Sorg Rennsport team followed in fourth and fifth place. In the TCX category, Cogemo/TLRT took second place with the #255 M2 CS Racing ahead of Yeeti Racing with the #208 M2 CS Racing in third place. Schubert Motorsport finished sixth in this class with the #200 M2 CS Racing.
The RHC Jorgensen-Strom by Century Motorsport #450 BMW M4 GT4 finished in a strong 3rd place in the GT4 Class and was driven by Daren Jorgensen (USA), Brett Strom (USA), Danny van Dongen (NED) and Nathan Freke (GBR)
14 BMW Car Club Magazine February 2022
www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
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dannorris How I Learned To Love the British Winter - I Found Something Worse.
H
appy belated New Year to my readers. As I write, we are in early January, arguably the worst month of the year for the car enthusiast. The weather’s terrible, even when there is a clear day you’re worried about any residual salt. There’s so much dirt and detritus on the road, too, that it hardly seems worth the hassle. Our storage facilities are bursting at the seams, cars tucked up for the winter and waiting for an Easter that is months away. Speed traps and average speed cameras dog our drives even in the best of weather. And now our towns and highways have downgraded us car drivers to the lowest form of road users, thanks to the new Highway Code. Soon we’ll be behind those electric scooters in the priority stakes. But before we get too carried away with our woes, let’s spare a thought for our friends in Finland. Finland is a beautiful country, even Santa decided to base himself there. And the Finns are pretty confident that they are the world’s best drivers. A quick look at the roster of world class rally and F1 drivers would certainly seem to support their claim. So, when we finally booked the flights last summer, and arranged to do a little driving while we were there, I was pretty excited. For our trip, we’d tried to borrow something interesting from BMW Finland, but they were momentarily changing much of their press fleet, so we plumped for Toyota’s kind offer of a Yaris GR. I’d heard a lot about this new machine and it seems every collector and enthusiast had put their name down for one. I was looking forward to checking out the competition, to see what the fuss was all about. The Finns are a sturdy, pragmatic bunch, with a character and humour that is easily compatible with the British demeanour. Hemmed in by much more economically and culturally stronger nations – Russia and Sweden – the Finns have developed a concept known as Sisu, which for them represents their own vision of themselves: stoic, reliable, tough and durable, hardy and endlessly resilient. Their good manners and welcoming attitude, however, doesn’t seem to extend to its government. For the Finns live under tyranny. Taking the wheel of the Toyota, we tore out of the car park and our adventure began. But no sooner had I planted my foot to the floor, in my usual devil-maycare British way, than my wife filled me in
16 BMW Car Club Magazine February 2022
The Toyota Yaris GR, very fast. Probably.
on the facts. The Finns, it turns out, live in fear. Speeding fines are means-tested, they are designed to hurt, to the max, regardless of who you are. Rumours abound of a top executive at Nokia who was fined a whopping €116,000 for basic speeding. And that was back in 2002, when 116 grand was an even bigger amount of cash. A guy who inherited his parents’ sausage business then topped that with a €170,000 penalty. I’m guessing he’ll have needed plenty of Sisu to write that cheque. At least he got into the Guinness Book of Records. The thing is though, you’d understand that sort of approach if the Finns lived on a small, crowded island like Great Britain, but they don’t. Finland is half as spacious again as Great Britain, with a population half the size of London. Within ten minutes, I started to get the picture. Speed cameras are everywhere. Every time you get to a corner – where I’d be barrelling in with a grin on my face at home – there’s a reduced speed limit. And remember, they’re not politely suggesting you go slow. It’s an order. The worst part is the roads. Ribbons of perfectly maintained tarmac, flat and curvy as they thread through flowery summer meadows and fragrant woodland, picturesque coloured wooden homes and farmsteads dotted here and there, with clear blue lakes and waterways filling the spaces inbetween the lush pastures and craggy rocks. I’m there, in my rally homologation special, all flared arches and low centre of gravity… driving at 80kph. Trust me when I say this is the seventh circle of petrolhead hell. So, in the summer, when the roads are perfect slices of automotive heaven, you’re stuck behind three Volvo drivers, all adhering to the strict limit. On the odd occasion when my patience snapped and I could no longer resist the need for speed, I could feel the tutting as I whizzed by. I could almost hear them saying to their kids in the back ‘he’ll be poor, very
soon, Juha’. By the end of the first day, as we arrived back in Helsinki, I got ready to take stock of the situation over supper. As it was late, we plumped for the easy Hard Rock Café. I eased myself into a booth and ordered a bottle of Rioja to help me contemplate what I’d learned. But when I came to pay the bill, they’d made a mistake. They’d charged me €50 for a bottle that costs £7.99 in Tesco Express. Well, actually, it turns out this was not a mistake. It turns out the tyranny stretches to my second favourite hobby. Alcohol in Finland is state controlled and, thus, heavily taxed. All off-licenses are owned and run by the state. They charge inhumane sums of money for terrible quality and to top it all, they’re closed on Sundays. By law. Restaurants can serve booze, but it’s so expensive, nobody can afford to drink it anyway. The ferry service from Estonia to Finland is full of grumpy looking people dragging round hand-carts full of beer. They’ll even buy Fosters if they can get a good price. That’s how bad things are. And it’s not as if these draconian rules stop people from becoming raging alcoholics – if history has taught us one thing, surely, it’s that people will find a way to drink what they want, regardless. If you make it illegal, they’ll go underground. Shut on a Sunday? They’ll stock up on a Saturday. Limit the supply? They’ll make moonshine. It’s enough to make a grown man cry. So, what of the Toyota Yaris GR? I’ve no idea, other than to say that it looks really fast. It corners supremely… at 50kph. I have a feeling that the main reason these Finns go so fast around the race track is due to years of pent up speeding, finally finding an outlet. Makes sense if you think about it. But you can see why they all own Volvos. And I haven’t even been there in the winter yet. I love Finland. I love the Finns. I had a supremely relaxing time, and I even learned two Finnish words. But I made my decision right there on the flight home. Britain isn’t perfect, and there are many things I’d change, starting with the winter weather. But as long as I can take the fast and scenic route to the pub for a Sunday pint without risking mortgage-sized fines, and have a swift one with change from a tenner, I’m gonna say life is good. Maybe Great Britain in 2022 isn’t looking so bad after all. Before long it’ll be Easter, you’ll see. www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
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AC Schnitzer conversion for BMW i3 Product MPN: i3conv
Convert your i3 or i3S to AC Schnitzer specification with our hassle-free in house conversion packages. Simply drop the car off to us (or we can collect it and return it for a small extra fee) and let us do the rest. This example conversion includes: • Front splitter • Roof spoiler • Wheel spacers set
18 BMW Car Club Magazine February 2022
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With their new generation AC4 Flow formed rims, AC Schnitzer has used advanced manufacturing technology to deliver a wheel that has both cutting edge styling and also reduced weight, compared to a cast wheel, for enhanced driving characteristics. Features: • Lightweight, just 11kg front and 11.9kg rear, gives improved acceleration, steering, braking and suspension response (compared to a similar sized cast wheel) • Spoke edge cutaways at the rim make the spokes appear optically larger • Wheel rim undercut passes behind the spokes and is laser etched with AC Schnitzer logo This unique design is finished in metallic black with polished edges to the spokes and rim, all finished with a long-lasting clear gloss lacquer for outstanding durability and stunning good looks. Fitting kit and UK mainland delivery are included as standard.
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BMW Car Club Magazine February 2022
19
Life Feature – BMW E30 M3 BY REDUX
20 BMW Car Club Magazine February 2022
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LIFE
Enhanced and Evolved… Words – Jeff Heywood ~ Photos – Alex Penfold
Redux’s founder, Simon Lord, was asked a simple question: if BMW had built another E30 M3 model after the Sport Evo, what would it have been? His immediate answer was an E30 M3 CSL - Coupe Sport Leichtbau. Or Lightweight for those still working in pounds shillings and pence. Redux was formed and he started compiling a list of the components for his dream specification, a lightweight E30 M3, of which there will eventually be 30 in total. 002, the car you see here, is the latest incarnation of Simon’s dream. But does it hit the mark, and can it justify its price tag of over £300,000? Read on before you fully make up your mind…
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BMW Car Club Magazine February 2022
21
Life Feature – BMW E30 M3 BY REDUX
P
eople have become obsessed with the price tag of the ‘BMW E30 M3 enhanced and evolved by Redux’ (we have to address it this way because BMW’s lawyers become tetchy if it is called anything else). And rightly so, £300K is a fair chunk of anyone’s brass. But when that only gets you an 80s BMW 3 Series, that really is a lot of wonga. But admittedly, it is the iconic topof-the line M version and one that has been modified to a degree that makes it almost a new car… but even so it is a lot of wedge, so it has to be special. No, make that very, very special for it to succeed in convincing the naysayers, who if you venture on social media, will explain to you how they would have built the car with “three times the horsepower” with better everything for £100K. That, to be honest, is total rubbish. First, you have to actually own an E30 M3 to start with, and secondly, the amount of horsepower they are talking about is a non-starter for the S14 engine. Okay, I may have been stretching it just a bit with my ‘three times the horsepower’ quip, but to be honest, to obtain any meaningful increase that is robust and reliable over and above what the 002 car is producing isn’t possible. The other alternative is to fit a
22 BMW Car Club Magazine February 2022
different engine into the car, but surely that is taking the soul out of the M3, a road that Simon and the Redux team definitely weren’t willing to go down. In keeping the S14, Redux have kept the delightful balance and nimbleness the E30 M3 is renowned for as weight distribution remains very close to when the M3 left the factory back in the 1980s. So just how does the BMW E30 M3 by Redux justify its £300K price tag? Well, I think we need to run through the spec and build information of the car to shed some proper light on this… Now, before you recover fully from having to pay £300K for your BMW E30 M3 by Redux, I’ll let you into a little secret. Are you sitting comfortably? That price doesn’t include the donor M3! You have to find a car for Redux to work their magic on, so going off the prices currently being paid for E30 M3s you’re probably looking at £40K as a minimum for a relatively clean car before Redux can get to work. Thankfully a standard E30 M3 will suffice, as a Sport Evo model will now cost you way north of £100K.
The Build So you’ve delivered your E30 M3 to Redux and agreed the spec. Here’s what goes into a build. Redux has partnered with the
restoration and modification specialists, Retropower, for each build. Renowned for creating Gordan Murray’s bespoke Escort Mk1, their obsessive attention to detail is evident in every aspect of their work. First off the donor car is stripped of its interior trim and all the mechanical and electrical components. The engine, gearbox, propshaft, back axle and front suspension is then removed followed by all exterior panels and trim to leave a completely bare steel shell. The bodyshell is then blasted to remove paint and underbody protection (using crushed glass) and pyrolysis (heat treatment). Once the above is complete, the shell is fixed onto a Celette metal frame to ensure it matches the factory measurements and cannot flex. The chassis is then prepared so it’s in pristine condition, getting it ready for the upgraded components and new pre-preg, carbon fibre body panels and trim parts. The shell then undergoes extensive seam welding and brazing to mitigate any flex. With the original body panels removed, the latest anti-corrosion and paintwork-protection products are applied, including an underbody coating of hot zinc. The car then undergoes a dry build where all significant components are test fitted on the shell to ensure a perfect fit before paint preparation. The car then goes over to the paintshop where over 550 hours of preparation www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
The M3 by Redux corners nice and flat with plenty of grip on tap for spirited cornering action
alone goes into the car before the car enters the paint booth for paint application. The car is then subject to hours and hours of wet sanding, and polishing to ensure that all the painted surfaces are totally orange peel free for a glass-like flawless finish. While the shell is being prepped and painted, the 2.3 S14 engine goes off to be re-engineered and rebuilt. It is completely stripped down, leaving only the block, head and sump from the original engine. The engine is enlarged to 2.5-litres and rebuilt using quality components including a BMW Motorsport crankshaft. Billet aluminium (BA) is used extensively in the engine build, including the redesigned valve cover, brake reservoir tank (redesigned), a BA expansion tank (redesigned), BA power steering reservoir tank (redesigned) and a BA dipstick
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handle. The airbox is a carbon fibre jobbie, while the radiator is hand made from aluminium. The engine’s parameters are looked after by a MoTeC M130 ECU, while the electrics are taken care of by a Raychem engine loom with Autosport connectors. A 175A WOSP alternator and a 2.0kW WOSP starter motor are fitted while a lightweight (2.0kg) Liteblox battery saves even more weight and is fitted in the boot. Finally, a hand-made stainless steel manifold and exhaust is fitted. Meanwhile, the Getrag 265 gearbox is stripped, the bellhousing and casing are meticulously blasted clean and new close ratio gears are fitted. The gear shift mechanism is also re-engineered to remove any play. After comprehensive re-engineering, remapping and upgrading, the 2.5-litre S14 engine now revs smoothly to
Powering out of the bend, the nose rises slightly as the rear compresses to squeeze all 300 horses through those rear tyres onto the tarmac
8000rpm and delivers a maximum power output of 300hp and 278Nm of torque. The car’s dry weight drops to approximately 1150kgs through extensive use of carbon fibre. And thanks to the combination of weight-saving and increased horsepower, the power-toweight ratio rises from 198hp/tonne (E30 M3 Sport Evo spec) to 260hp/tonne, which is in E46 M3 CSL territory. Upgrades include Bilstein Group A spec coilover dampers (with road-friendly spring rates), H&R anti-roll bars, roll centre and bump-steer correction spacers, a 2.7 turn lock-to-lock steering rack, Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tyres and a powerful AP Racing brake system, consisting of 362mm front discs and six-pot callipers. While at the rear, 315mm rear discs are paired with four-pot callipers. The result is pinpoint handling and a dynamic ride, guaranteeing unprecedented driver engagement for an E30 M3. The rest of the drivetrain sees the newly refurbed Getrag 265/5 dogleg pattern gearbox fitted and mated to a lightweight TTV flywheel and clutch, while BMW Car Club Magazine February 2022
23
Life Feature – BMW E30 M3 BY REDUX
The E30 M3 in profile looks delicate in comparison to today’s behemoths. It’s interesting to note just how black the paintwork looks in these photos, especially in the shade…
The M3 sits silently as the setting winter sun warms the Goodwood circuit, with only a discreet Redux grill badge letting people know that this is no standard car…
an upgraded LSD is fitted and a quickshift gear mechanism (which has been re-engineered to remove any play) is fitted. The car’s electrical system is also uprated with three bespoke Raychem wiring looms, Autosport connectors (main loom, rear and engine bay) and two MoTeC 30 Power Distribution Modules make sure all the cars electrical systems receive power, including the MoTeC LED display screen that is discreetly fitted in the headliner just above the windscreen. One of the scariest costs in this whole idea of building thirty E30 M3 CSLs are the pre-preg carbon fibre panels, which are manufactured by KS Composites, the same company who make the carbon fibre tub and panels for the Hennessey Venom V5. Imagine the R&D costs that went into this project before a mould was even produced. Admittedly these costs are
24 BMW Car Club Magazine February 2022
spread over the whole project, as are the billet aluminium parts, which we’ll come onto shortly, but the carbon fibre panels took seven months to shape, mould and manufacture. And let’s not forget, hundreds of thousands of pounds. But what a result. All the body panels (except the door skins and roof) are made from pre-preg carbon fibre, unique to Redux. Both the door skins and roof (including scuttle panel and A-pillars) can also be supplied in pre-preg CF as premium options. The wider and taller front wings and rear quarters accommodate new Cinel 18-inch lightweight, forged aluminium monoblock wheels perfectly, with Nogaro silver-painted wheel centres, a nod to the Sport Evo. The new front bumper incorporates a redesigned splitter and undertray, twin circular intakes (also a nod to another iconic BMW, the E9 CSL), and a revised swage line. The mirrors, side sills, boot lid, rear spoiler, and gurney flap are all
Close up with the sunlight shining on the M3’s bonnet and front bumper, one can see the paint flipping to Emerald Green, quite similar in principle to BMW Ruby Black and Carbon Black…
The engine bay is a paragon of tidiness, the S14 sitting proudly and looking quite special with the billet aluminium valve cover to the fore, painted blue and sporting the Redux name and logo
understated, modified designs. Particular attention was paid to the rear end, most noticeably the interface between the rear window surround, boot lid and rear quarter panels. In total there are eighteen pre-preg CF panels and parts. Opening the bonnet or boot lid reveals a stunning chevronpatterned, carbon fibre bare weave with a satin lacquer. The interior is another area that has seen a big investment in R&D, with billet aluminium used throughout to give a premium feel. Replacing the original BMW black plastic dash parts with redesigned, anodised and machined billet aluminium versions gives a cleaner look with minimal distractions. The instrument gauge surround and binnacle, wiper and indicator stalks, headlight knob and bezel, centre dash console (including heater controls), and new lower dash section are subtly different to the originals. The new parts are likely to go unnoticed, as intended, www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
not a VW Golf GTi golf ball gear knob. New windscreens are fitted front and rear and stunning new headlights, hella bi-xenons for all four lights are fitted to give the front of the M3 a subtle new look.
Nearly there… Both the bonnet and boot are made from prepreg carbon fibre and the weave can easily be seen on both photos. Both are like pieces of art in their own right…
but the owner can feel the quality of the new billet aluminium parts. A total of sixty machined billet aluminium parts are fitted throughout the car, both inside and out. A MoTeC keypad, discreetly hidden under a lid that looks like the original ashtray lid, controls the LED MoTeC headliner screen and gives the driver real-time data from sensors in the engine bay. The 002 M3 is Redux’ first road specification model, 001 was mainly a track focused car. Being an E30 M3, multiples of three features throughout the vehicle. For example, sumptuous dark brown Nappa leather covers the Recaro SRD sports seats showcasing the discrete Redux logo perforated design. The total number of perforations on each logo is thirty, arranged in formations of nine. And a total of thirty dimples on the brake and clutch pedals, footrest, and throttle pedal, equals the total number of builds in the
series. There’s three on the throttle pedal, nine on the brake and clutch pedal pads, and nine on the footrest, including the laser engraved Redux logos in the centres. Anthracite Alcantara covers the headliner, front and rear door cards, lower and centre dash console, and each pillar. For those who love their hi-fi, they will be delighted to hear that the tweeters, footwell and rear shelf speakers and under-seat subwoofer are all supplied by in-car audio specialists Audison, while controlling the sounds is a Blaupunkt Bremen SQR 46 DAB head unit. The whole interior panelling is covered in Dynamat superlite sound deadening to provide a serene backdrop to enjoy the hi-fi or more importantly, the S14 engine screaming to 8000rpm. Quality wool carpets add to the ambience and the finishing touch is the BMW Motorsport gear knob, which is definitely
Once final assembly is complete, the car is transported in a covered trailer to Topaz Detailing in London. Topaz are regarded as the best paint protection film (PPF) applicators in the business, and 002’s hand-painted midnight emerald green paintwork was fully covered by their bespoke Redux TopazSkin custom design kit, a premium option on the cars Redux produces. The midnight emerald green paint is a stunning finish. From some angles the M3 looks jet black, however, in sunlight, the green comes to the fore and its flecks of silver catch the light of the boxflared body perfectly, making it shimmer in the sunlight. Once the car has returned from Topaz, it then undergoes a thorough shake-down test. Final adjustments and tweaks ensure a perfect set-up tailored to its new owner. The car cannot be signed off until they have passed the test with flying colours. And there you have it. £300,000 for an E30 M3 enhanced and evolved by Redux into a lightweight M3 with 300hp under your right foot and a very similar power to weight ratio as an E46 M3 CSL.
The interior is beautifully finished, as one would expect in a motor car costing £300K. The seats are trimmed in Nappa leather including the pair of front Recaro SRDs, and include the Redux 30-hole logo perforated in the leather. The doors are trimmed in a mix of leather and alcantara while the steering wheel, centre console, lower dash, pillars and headlining are all trimmed in alcantara. Many of the black plastic trim pieces including lots of items on the dash have been replaced with billet aluminium replacements, which give the interior a real lift. A Blaupunkt Bremen SQR 46 DAB head unit makes sure you can keep in touch with the world and listen to your favourite tunes while on the move and seven Audison speakers make sure that what you are listening to is crystal clear… www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
BMW Car Club Magazine February 2022
25
Life Feature – BMW E30 M3 BY REDUX
This photo shows the MoTeC keypad mounted on the centre console that controls the MoTeC LED screen mounted in the headliner at the top of the windscreen. When not being used, a billet aluminium blanking panel pulls down to keep the keypad discreetly out of view, giving the interior a clean, minimalist feel
Driving Impressions Unfortunately we weren’t able to drive 002 before it was delivered to its new owner, as the launch was at Goodwood at really short notice before the car had to be shipped. It was a real shame, but watching the video’s online one soon builds up an impression that the E30 M3 by Redux is a fine handling machine with plenty of grip, forgiving handling and with more than enough power to enjoy its balance. It seems as though it has a real chuckability to it that impresses and keeps the nimbleness the E30 M3 is famous for. But then what do I know? Let’s hear what some professionals who’ve driven it had to say about the M3. Carfection’s Henry Catchpole said: “I certainly admire the obsessive attention to detail that’s gone into it, and you can tell it’s been created with a deep knowledge of, and respect for, the original. I also think this is what most people imagine an E30 M3 would be like to drive. I love the standard original, but I think people picture it being something closer to Snijers on the Isle of Man or Winkelhock at Hochenheim. This has the power to make those dreams come true.” While Top Gear’s Ollie Marriage added: “It’s got an induction bark that sears the ears, generous mid-range torque and a snarling 8,000rpm top end. I tore around in it, imagining I was Jo Winkelhock among a gaggle of others, tight gear lever slicing through the dogleg gearbox, brakes locking up, barrelling into tight corners, small, agile and hungry. I had a blast.”
Final thoughts… I think this is the most difficult summary that I have ever had to write, covering a car that costs £300K, plus a donor E30 M3. Add to the pot what I’ve seen in many online comments, which I must try to ignore because none of these people have either driven the car or are in a position to purchase the M3, and in the end that’s what cars are all about, being driven. Some have criticised the
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ride height, yet when you see the car on track it handles sublimely and it was never Redux’ intention to create an road-going M3 that’s so low it looks like it’s on bags. Do you think a client spending hundreds of thousands on a special M3 would want it to look as though it was stanced? And speaking of clients, don’t forget that the car you see here is the client’s choice – the paint, the interior, seats… everything is bespoke and can be tailored to suit the clients wishes. If you want a yellow and purple striped car with a pink leather interior then Redux will build you that car, although Simon will probably try to talk you into reconsidering your choices. Some have said it should have had more power, but how do you pull much more than 300 reliable horsepower out of an S14 engine? You might squeeze 20-30hp more at a push, but anymore is impossible without increasing the size of the engine again, which means more cost, plus you are going away from the purity of the car, which was to create a CSL version of the 2.5-litre M3 Sport Evo, and the SE was equipped with a 2.5-litre S14, which Redux have emulated. You can argue this point until you go red in the face, but Redux has a very clear vision and has stuck to it. I’ve read numerous comments saying the engine should have been swapped for say an S54 engine from an E46 M3. First off, there’s the weight difference to consider. The S54 weighs approximately 40kgs more than an S14, so you are putting a chunk of extra weight in the nose of the car, which has quite a bearing on weight distribution and handling. It creates a similar question raised by the car’s stance: do you think a discerning consumer spending nearly £400K on an M3 wants a car that has received an engine transplant from another vehicle? As for the comments about quality issues and faults, these are covered in the section above, where it’s explained that the
car undergoes a shake-down test before it is handed over to the customer. All builds, whether they cost £10K or £300K have a snag list of things to do and put right, and this car was just the same. Personally, if I had a vision to build an E30 M3 restomod I think I’d want the body to be a little wilder, more a caricature of an E30 M3 with even wider wings and arches. Plus, with the environment being such a prominent force in today’s society, I would specify a hybrid offering with more power, or even a fully electric powered car. I’d go down a similar path to Venicebased Totem Automobili and their classic Alfa Romeo Giulia GT restomods, which can be had as an electric powered model with 580hp, 1100Nm of torque and a 224 mile range. Or it can come fitted with the Alfa Romeo 2.9 V6 twin-turbo engine from the Quadrifoglio with power options from 620hp and 780Nm. Both cars have full carbon fibre bodies and exquisite interiors. They cost in the region of £385K… So we return to the BMW E30 M3 by Redux. Is it worth £300K and a donor M3? I’ll sit on the fence here and say a car is worth what someone is willing to pay for it. I may have splinters in my posterior but it’s the only thing that really matters. And, as the saying goes, the proof is in the pudding, two cars have now been sold and 003 has just gone into build, with an order book that looks healthy. So what do you think? I’ve given you all the facts and figures, not forgetting the R&D on the panels and billet work, plus 4,000 man hours and an 18-month build time. I also have to mention one last thing, most of us Brits are uncomfortable when talking about money, but we must take into account that each car has to make Redux a profit, so in that £300K cost there is a profit margin built in. Obviously Simon isn’t going to tell me what that is, but for everyone at home playing ‘restomod building’ don’t forget that each car you build has to make a profit or you can kiss goodbye to building 30 examples…
Author Heywood would have gone slightly wilder with the bodywork on a restomod E30 M3, making it more like a caricature of the M3, similar to Totem Automobili’s Alfa Romeo Giulia GT. The interior of Totem’s Alfa is exquisite… www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
Green hell. Less than 2 hours’ drive from AC Schnitzer’s headquarters in Aachen lies the Nürburgring, winding its way through the Eiffel mountains and affectionately known to some as “The Green Hell”. This is one of several locations, along with public roads, used by AC Schnitzer to test and develop AC Schnitzer suspension, performance upgrades and other components. Extensive R&D combined with real world testing is why AC Schnitzer upgrades feel the way they do. Sure footed, but agile. Comfortable, but precise. Thrilling, but still perfectly suited to everyday use. And all backed by our industry-leading warranty solution. Get in touch to experience our latest project, the “Green Hell” Edition ACS1 35i, or for the location of your nearest AC Schnitzer dealer.
*Images show BMW M135i 2021 model. BMW dealer enquiries welcome. E&OE. Finance available subject to status.
Performance upgrades Sports exhausts Aerodynamics
Suspension upgrades Alloy wheels Interior accessories
Feature
Shared DNA: iX xDrive50 v i4 M50 Words: Will Beaumont Pictures: BMW
Homogenous blobs, only identified by the badges on the front. White goods that all behave the same, look the same, drive the same. Other than range anxiety and phenomenally high purchase costs, it’s the concerns that electric cars will be all too similar to one another that really worries us car enthusiasts and makes us want to eschew the idea of EVs.
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do not want to choose my car purely on its practicality and then settle for how much luxury I can afford, which seems to be the purchase model that many people fear is being introduced. But, for some time, I’ve suspected that the mass adoption of electric cars will not create such bland, unidentifiable disposable products. Why? Manufacturers are already experts in sharing components across multiple models, sometimes across different brands, and tweaking things here and adjusting bits there, so that, with even a common make-up, each car has its own character. There’s a whole community of Volkswagen Group hot hatches that use the same engine, gearbox, differential, chassis and body structure and each one has its own identity. A Golf GTI is not like a Skoda Octavia vRS or a SEAT Leon Cupra. BMW are masters of it too. Take the B58 engine, BMW’s single-turbo threelitre straight-six. My quick calculations suggest it’s been plonked into over 15 cars, all BMWs with the 40i badge, not to mention the Toyota Supra and Morgan Plus Six. Many of those BMWs also share gearboxes, suspension components and back axles. You’ll find similarities in their structures, too.
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Yet, still, no two cars are exactly the same. Oh yeah, similar, for sure. They all try to behave and act like BMWs, but you’ll never confuse an X3 M40i with an M440i. Even an F31 440i and M240i, cars with a lot in common, are easily identifiable from behind the wheel. However. Despite using an engine as an example of my confidence in the variety we could have in the future, my faith wavers because of internal combustion engines. Or lack of them. Not just because I love them. No, thanks to the noise they make and how easily that can be altered with different length pipes, clever valves, strategically placed or omitted sound deadening, a car’s voice can handily be changed. And the way a car sounds is certainly a significant part of its character. As luck would have it, though, I got a chance to experiment, take a glimpse into the future and drive two of BMW’s new electric cars back-to-back to see what diversity will be available. Not just any two, but the iX xDrive50 and the i4 M50. Both cars have the same electric motors at the front and back that drive all four wheels, they share all sorts of technology and have a fundamentally similar layout. There are some differences. The iX has a slightly larger battery, 111.5kWh compared to the i4’s 83.9kWh. The iX www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
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Feature also has rear-wheel steering, but then it’s a taller SUV that weighs 2510kg, so needs a helping hand in the stability and agility stakes. The i4 M50 is 295kg lighter, and with a little bit more power (537bhp to the iX’s 515), it’s 0.7 seconds faster to 62mph with a time of 3.9 seconds. But both have 50 in their names, so BMW is happy to announce that these cars are similar. Time to find out if the only difference between these electric cars is the driving position and whether you can see over hedges or not. I am not going to discuss the looks of these cars, you can make your own minds up about them. I will say, however, like a lot of BMW’s latest creations, the iX is nowhere near as garish and as wild out on the road mixing it with Nissan Jukes, Honda Civics and even larger SUVs. It doesn’t suddenly become the car equivalent of a Riva Aquarama, all class and elegance, absolutely not. But it is less outrageous. The inside is a very different matter. There’s no other word for it, it’s beautiful. Before the iX, one of my favourite modern car interiors was that of the i3. It was kitted out like an expensive modern Scandinavian log cabin. It was fresh and interesting, like it wasn’t constrained by previous car interior rules. It also felt
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luxurious. The iX’s interior seems as though it’s been created by the same designer. Only, they’ve matured in the intervening years, spent some time in Paris, lounging on a chaise longue and smoking some Gauloises. There’s that same sense of space as the i3, but the finish and the details are more opulent. The materials are softer and the colours are less austere. The bronze metals add warmth, the big screens make it contemporary, and the little nuggets of crustal on the doors and centre console make it feel expensive and a little bit decadent. There’s no doubt about it, it’s a special place to be. One element I am not totally convinced by in the iX is the hexagonal steering wheel. It looks great, it fits with the shape of the digital dials, but where you put your
hands – at a quarter-to-three – is at too great an angle. The bottoms of your hands are pointing inwards, twisting your wrists unnaturally. It’s certainly uncomfortable for my creaky carpal tunnel-burdened forearms. If you’re a ten-to-two-er, the angle is more natural, but there’s a big bulge for you to wrap your hands around. Nothing else about the iX is at all awkward, however. In fact, it’s eerily simple. Foot down, and it’s off. Like most electric cars, there’s a thrilling jolt of forward thrust as soon as you touch the pedal. There’s also the incredible way that, despite such vast and instant performance, it remains composed. Especially as my test drive is on cold, wet and slimy tarmac. There’s no wheelspin, no heart-in-your-mouth moment when it feels wildly out of control. Nothing like
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the sort of adrenaline rush you’d expect if a petrol-fed power unit unleashed such torque, 564lb ft of it. It’s mightily impressive that computers can adapt to such changing environments and still control the electric motors to such an extent that you’d think the iX’s tyres had limitless traction. Precise and incredible it may be, but it does mean the actual excitement the car can generate is fleeting. There’s only so many times you can be stunned by a blisteringly quick 2-second 0-30mph time. That’s okay, though, isn’t it? The iX is not an enthusiast’s car, it’s premium transport. Is it, perhaps, the sort of car we fear the future holds? A bit sterile just with a fancy interior? No, it’s better than that. It’s competent and energetic enough for anyone to be happy for it to wear a BMW badge. www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
This i4 promises much more. It’s not just a BMW, there’s the letter M somewhere in its name, M50, and that’s sacred. It might not be a full-on M car, but the recent M Performance range has included some wonderful driver’s cars with real grit. The i4’s interior lets you know there is a vast difference between it and the iX. It’s BMW 3 Series territory here, welldesigned, logically laid-out, luxurious enough, but there’s none of the dazzle, sparkle and glamour of the iX. And I miss it. Especially because, with a more ordinary interior, it’s super simple, fussfree drivetrain, that feels identical to the iX 50’s, doesn’t add any magic. Oh dear. Again, like the iX, the i4 M50 is fast and deeply impressive. Technically brilliant. Plus, thanks to being saloon shaped, it’s
a tiny bit more nimble than the iX and no less comfortable. But where’s that M car-lite persona the badge alludes to? There are Sport modes for the drivetrain, suspension and steering. Maybe you have to fiddle with those to find its performance car zeal. After meandering around in a few different configurations, I start to discover some of that tough bold M car character. But it isn’t until I tickle the traction control button that the car’s M50side is truly exposed. Press the TC switch, let the computers release a degree of control, and the i4 hands the reigns to you. Stamp on the throttle and you can feel each wheel claw at the tarmac for grip, each one grabbing, slipping, then grabbing again. It’s no slower, it seems, but it’s like the torque has been turned up. Like it’s giving you the car’s full 586lb ft, rather than the same as the iX… Because it isn’t limiting it so massively to maintain traction, I guess it sort of is. Back off the stability control too, with a long press of the TC button and you have even more to deal with, torque that really manipulates the car’s behaviour. Now, I’ve really got to be on my game, or I could find myself in real trouble. The i4 M50 oversteers if you’re eager with the right pedal, and it’s quite different from the way an internal combustion-engined BMW Car Club Magazine February 2022
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car slides. It’s rapid, jolty, like the way it accelerates, and as the car responds instantly to your inputs, you can put an end to any tail-out action immediately with a lift. That’s not so satisfying, it feels stunted and cumbersome. Without any revs or noise, without being able to sense if the motors are under load, you can’t read the car as well as one that grumbles from under the bonnet. It’s a bit like jumping on a computer game. On the PlayStation, or whatever, a car behaves the same way as in
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reality, but without the same feedback or g-forces, it takes you some time to get into the groove of how to drive again. The i4 M50 is more exciting than a computer game, it’s real life, but there’s that same requirement to adapt. You need to learn it, get used to it, understand it. I didn’t get on top of it during my test drive, I didn’t feel like I could manage it expertly enough to be truly satisfied. But I know, given time I would get more and more from it. I’d be able to read it, understand it better and, after hours
of wheel time, I’d have more and more enjoyable drives in it. And boy do I want to spend some time learning it. The i4 M50 is the first time I’ve experienced an electric car where the manufacturer has had the confidence to give a driver too much, too much torque, too much performance. Yes, that means it might slide about. But even if that’s not your thing, or you don’t have access to anywhere to do that safely, being trusted to take full control, rather than leaving it up to computers or too much mechanical grip, is a trait great driver’s cars have. What’s most remarkable is not how different these two cars are, straight out of the box they are really quite similar indeed. Both are nippy yet laid back usable transport. What is surprising is just how the i4’s character can be developed by prodding some buttons and breaking down some safety barriers. It’s not totally unconventional, either. It behaves broadly the same way as any hot four-wheel-drive car, an M440i driver would not find it totally alien. But there is something new, something to adapt to. And learning how to get the best from an electric car will be another string to our bows, a valuable skill to learn. And if driving the i4 M50 has taught me anything so far, it’ll be a thrill working it all out.
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Feature
Creating the Ultimate Garage: Automobilia Words: Will Beaumont Pictures: Chaydon Ford, Doug Palmer, Jeff Heywood and Will Beaumont
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don’t know how I’ve done it, but I’ve managed to sneak a 1973 Avon Tour of Britain poster, complete with a purple screen printed BMW 2002 and a green Mk1 Ford Escort RS2000, onto the wall of my landing. Even more remarkably, it sits opposite a reproduction 1960s Porsche poster and an original Unimog sales print. Actually, I can tell you how I did it. I waited for my girlfriend to go out and I hung them without her consent. She’s too polite to tear them down, plus she doesn’t have anything to replace them. Not yet anyway. When they are eventually replaced with Harry Potter memorabilia or boring conventional family photos – who wants those? – my prized posters will be relegated to the garage. Relegated? No, that’s not fair. Because garages have just as much right to be pretty as the rest of the house, they deserve decorations, adornment, artwork and posters. And appropriate ones at that. No one wants delicately stencilled mermaids on the wall of their workshop, curtain swags and china ornaments, even if you have them in your house. No, I think most of us agree, garage decorations want to be car-related. You know the sort of thing, old petrol pumps, oil cans, dealership signs and, of course, posters. Ideally, we’d fill our garage walls with
34 BMW Car Club Magazine February 2022
old and original items. Bits and pieces that have survived decades, have history and maybe, show a little bit of patina. Items that we can identify with all too well… antiques. But the antique world is a scary place for exceedingly rich people who are only interested in the rarest and most valuable items, acres of corduroy, fast-talking auctioneers and a rogue in a leather jacket. Perhaps I’ve watched a little too much Lovejoy… Still, for us car enthusiasts, us types who don’t mind smelling of VPower, who grovel around
under cars and can’t always get rid of the oil stains on our fingertips, entering a world where phrases like ‘occasional table’ and ‘Ming Dynasty’ are said with a totally straight face is terrifying. We needn’t worry, according to the owner of Vintage Automobilia, Doug Palmer, carbased antiques are not just for the superrich. “It’s a really wide market. Some of the garages we walk into, your jaw hits the floor, you know, the person that’s got 14 Aston Martins. But you’ve got to just act like it’s normal. There are plenty of other places we go to and it’s just a townhouse on a normal street and they’re buying something on the same level as the other person I’ve just described.” People still spend a lot, though. “I know people who’ve spent twenty, thirty thousand pounds on a glass globe petrol www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
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pump.” Even Doug, who deals in this world thinks, possibly, exactly what we’re all thinking. “To me, I’d have a car instead…” What’s popular in the world of automobilia, then? “Enamel signage and advertising. The traditional old school badges, mascots and books version of automobilia has definitely been replaced with, what’s kind of often referred to as, Petroliana. It’s a bit more of an American term, but it includes anything around petrol and oil.” But it really is whatever you want to buy, display and use for decoration, it turns out. “We know people who just collect vintage spark plugs right up to people creating a whole garage scene. They want the petrol pump, the sign and they want the two-stroke pump and the fire bucket and everything that goes with it.” We love collecting, us humans. There must be something primal in our nature. And this sort of stuff is prime collection material. Doug sees it in his customers all the time. “You get given, or you buy a cheap two-pound, five-pound oil tin at a car boot. Then you buy another one and another one. Then, before you know it, you know people, you’ve gone on websites, you’ve gone to auctions and suddenly you’re thinking, ‘Oh, I want the two-hundred-pound tin. I want the threehundred-pound tin.’” Oil and petrol cans are some of the most popular items to buy. “We have big collectors for the two-gallon petrol cans and the square oil cans. That market is very hot.” They’re popular because they look great. “The branding and colours are www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
very evocative to certain eras. You can very often look at something and say that’s thirties, that’s sixties, that’s eighties. It’s very easy to put 20 or 30 on the wall and they look really nice.” Something that looks properly old is what everyone wants, isn’t it? “Some people want it to show its age. Like a
really nice vintage Rolex where the face has faded, or the case is grazed. There’ll be someone else that would want it as if it’s still fresh out of the box. There’s a market for both. The best condition stuff tends to be reserved for the top end collectors that will spend the money.” Old objects rarely survive unscathed, so it
Writer Will’s pair of vintage posters that will both, inevitably, find their way into the garage at some point. BMW Car Club Magazine February 2022
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Feature makes sense that your pristine items cost more than ones with more character. Collecting memorabilia from a manufacturer is also possible. Our very own editor, Jeff Heywood, has started to amass a range of BMW signs, including a large roundel that was used outside a dealership. But building a solid collection of original BMW automobilia isn’t so easy, according to Doug. “Anything car branded really is popular. Just like the petrol and oil memorabilia, it has its little niches and its rarity. If, say, you can pick up a nice 1930s MG lightbox, you’re gonna pay four figures. To pick up one from the 90s era, you’re gonna pay a lot less. It’s very much the same with the European marques as well, some of these brands have been around for so long now they’ve got such a rich heritage. But it’s not often found over here because, even in the sixties and seventies, there weren’t that many dealerships around.” Doug has a warning, though. “There’s a big market for fakes.” Especially with the enamel signage. “They take hammers to them, they go around the edges, they chip them up. They bury them in the ground for six months trying to rust them a bit.” And people do get taken in by the copies. “They think, ‘This looks great.’ They go to an auction, they’re rushing. They spend a lot of money. A couple years later they might wanna sell them and you walk into their garage and go ’I’m really sorry about this, but that, that and that’s wrong. They’re only fifty quid a piece.’ And they’ve gone and spent three or four hundred pounds on each.” How can you avoid spending money on a phoney sign? “Knowledge. Learn as much as you can. Don’t rush and look around. Just with buying a car, join a club, go on a forum, talk to some people, open a book. There are a few really good Facebook pages for signs and advertising. Talk to dealers. Generally,
like a car dealer, we will want to try and sell you something. But we’ll always help source something for someone, and we’ll always help try and pass on knowledge too. “There are some very good auction houses that specialise in memorabilia. So talk to those ones, but also there are a lot that will use the age-old thing in enamel signage: they won’t even say it’s vintage. They’ll leave the description very loose because even they don’t know. Lightboxes are the same. We always sort of say, with collecting, buy the best you can, if you want that.” Those last four words are essential, because what if you don’t want to spend a big chunk of cash on an old bit of tin. “It’s not that there’s anything wrong, if you know what you’re buying. Just like any car, buy what you like. Some people aren’t worried about it, it might be a twenty quid something that fills a space on a wall.” It’s your garage it’s going in after all. This world isn’t snobby, you see, it isn’t all authentically faded tin, original rust
and new old stock immaculate objects, even if that’s what Doug specialises in and sells, he’s seen all sorts of wonderful creations used to decorate garages and offices. “The old V8 engine as a coffee table has been done to death for a reason, because it looks cool and everyone likes it. We got a friend, Chad, who, with cars that are too far gone and that get cut up and broken, some parts go off to help others stay on the road and he cuts the back end off and it gets mounted on the wall with some lights in it.” Whatever goes, then. It’s posters for me. I’ve got some old and original ones, including an A1 poster that documents all of BMW’s competition vehicles up to when it was printed in the early 1980s. I also have some cheaper reprints, because I like them. Jeff’s original dealer signs are complemented by a wonderful reproduction BMW thermometer, that’s much bigger than any antique one. Whatever it is that you put on your garage walls, make sure that you like it.
Editor Jeff’s collection of BMW memorabilia, including original dealership signs, branded oil cans and large reproduction BMW thermometer.
36 BMW Car Club Magazine February 2022
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BMW Car Club GB 70th Birthday Celebration Club life, great memories. Tatton Park 2010 and BMWs as far as the eye can see. Just the turnout you want at a club event!
Club Life! Words/Photos Jeff Heywood
As the Club celebrates its 70th birthday in 2022, we’ve asked our longstanding members to share anecdotes and reminisce about club life in a series of articles running throughout the year. First up is Jeff Heywood.
I
joined the BMW Car Club GB back in the early 1990s, so I’ve nearly done a thirty stretch. You get less for murder! Joking aside, the club has brought me and my family many happy memories, one or two sad ones and the odd annoyance. Plus hundreds and hundreds of friends, some who I now consider close friends. Like many others, after passing my driving test in the early 1981, I started my car ownership off with a banger, a Hillman Avenger that was more rust then clean steel. But it gave me mobility, a back seat for plenty of lurve action and a car to hone my driving skills. My first proper car was a Ford Escort Mk2 1600 Sport, in gleaming black with silver stripes. A pair of larger spotlights soon found their way onto the front of the car, it was a beauty. It’s surprising how many people soon get to know you when you have
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a nice car, plus it was a babe magnet. God I loved that car. I reluctantly sold it and after lusting after an RS2000, but unable to afford the insurance (this was the mid-80s and anything sporty got nicked!), I purchased a black Mk1 XR2. What a car, just 4k on the clock, same crossflow engine, easily tunable and a chassis like a go-kart. I then went through a My first proper car, a Ford Escort MK2 1600 Sport finished in black with number of XR models, but silver Sport striping. It was a real eye catcher and a bit of a babe magnet I was getting lured away by a serious looking German bird from and followed the RAC Rally) and also Wolfsburg! had a near dalliance with a Mk1 Vauxhall I did have a short ‘want one’ moment Astra GTE, which never happened for an Opel Manta GTE (I loved my rallying because the salesman thought a young www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
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guy like myself was wasting his time, until he saw me roar off in my XR3i… So I went for a test drive in a VW Golf GTI and I was hooked. It was so much smoother, rode well, better screwed together, handled brilliantly and went like stink. I used to read print magazines like Car, Fast Lane and Autocar, and all the scribes praised the GTI, the sober suited Golf won all the group tests. My mind was made up and my first new car was ordered, a bright red Mk2 Golf GTI. And I loved it. It felt so much more special then the Fords, but it was the build quality that stood out the most. A white example followed and I was thinking of ordering a 16V model as the Mk3 Golf was announced. Boy was I glad I drove one before placing an order, the portly new Mk3 felt sluggish, both in 8V and 16V guise. So what then? I did try a Peugeot 205 GTi. They were all the rage, everyone was saying just how good they were, so I booked a test drive in the 1.9 model. As soon as we left the Peugeot showroom the salesman’s whole demeanour changed after asking “Is that your Golf GTI?” ”Yes” came the reply. “I’ve never sold a car to anyone who came for a test drive and owned a Golf GTI…” And as soon as I set off I could tell why. Yes it was nippy and it handled like on rails, but it was so tinny and poorly built. When you shut a door it
My ten-month-old English bull terrier, Jake and me with the second Golf GTI that I’d owned, the first was a red car. This was the big bumper model with the VW Digifant injection. Nice car, not quite as pokey or flexible as the red car with Bosch injection www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
went ‘clang’ instead of ‘thunk.’ And it was noisy. Not for me I’m afraid. I soldiered on in my Golf GTI, which wasn’t a problem as it had only covered about 12k miles, but I then had my father on at me. “What car am I going to get next?” he started asking. Mum and Dad had also enjoyed Golf GTI ownership and after the disappointing Mk3 road test the panicking VAG salesman offered my dad a drive in an Audi 80 2.0E. Huge mistake! It couldn’t pull a skin off a rice pudding and climbing the many hills that make up Saddleworth, he was having to change down a couple of gears to make it to the top. Whereas, his GTi just whizzed up the hill without taking a breath. That was bye bye VAG… “What about a BMW, Dad? The magazines love them, they’re like the Mk2 Golf GTIs, as in they always come out top in group tests and the company’s engineering prowess is evident in their fantastic line-up of engines available for every model.” Yes, I was already a secret fan. “But I can’t afford a BMW” came the reply back from Dad. I explained that they are priced very similarly to the Audi that he had tried, so after a bit of arm twisting he agreed and I arranged a test drive. “Just to see what they are like” came his reply. I’ll never forget the day we went for that first drive. I booked the test with Williams BMW, Manchester. We arrived in my father’s GTI, parked up and were greeted by a very smart and professional salesman. BMW were in the process of changing over from the E30 to the E36 3 Series so the demo models were all E30s, but I didn’t care. The salesman handed me the keys. Dad didn’t like testing cars and trusted my judgement. Sat outside the showroom on a late Sunday morning was a last of line E30 318i Lux, looking resplendent in Brilliant Red. It was fully kitted with a sunroof and everything adjustable was electric powered, including the houndstooth cloth sports seats. My god it smelled wonderful when I opened the door. The car only had a few hundred miles on the clock and the salesman explained that it was “still a little tight” and “we’d probably notice it stepping out of a GTI.” I wasn’t even BMW Car Club Magazine February 2022
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BMW Car Club GB 70th Birthday Celebration
My first BMW, purchased off my parents and looking ‘very stock!’ It would soon visit the bodyshop to have the sills and front and rear valance colour coordinated. While a set of 17” AC Schnitzer wheels would round off the car in the looks department…
listening. I fired the BMW up, selected gear and set off out of the dealership and onto Upper Brook Street. I was already sold. The car was so serene, it now made the Golf feel crude and lacking. We were both hooked. Dad waited until the new E36 models had come on stream and ordered a new 318i…in Brilliant Red. When the car arrived, Cathy and myself went with my parents to Howarth BMW at Rochdale to watch Dad pick up his new BMW, he was over the moon. It somehow felt very special, and a huge bunch of flowers presented to Mum also helped. The following two years Dad loved his new BMW. He had no issues, and covered approximately 7K miles when he told me that he was thinking of ordering another new BMW and did I want to buy his 318i off him. Although I loved my test drive in the E30 and loved driving Dad’s E36, I was still zipping around in my Golf GTi, which still hadn’t clocked 20K miles and was used to the zingy acceleration and surefooted handling. Was I ready for a more grown up car that was slightly slower than the GTi (on acceleration)? After a long think about it, and a long conversation with Cathy, we decided to purchase Dad’s 318i. My first BMW!
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My Golf was now five years old and, although still in immaculate condition, it’s sixth birthday was approaching fast and prices seemed to plummet when the cars passed six years old. So I placed an ad on Autotrader and within a couple of weeks the Golf had been snapped up and we were BMW owners. I quickly looked at what BMW clubs were out there. I’ve always believed in being in a car club and had been a member of various Ford RS and XR clubs and a VW GTI Club. It seemed there were two clubs in the UK, the Car Club and the Driver’s Club. To be perfectly honest, the Driver’s Club looked a bit low rent, the newsletter they sent to me was a black and white pamphlet that was stapled together, there was no local group active in the North West and it seemed they only organised one event per year, their renowned Donington meet. Therefore I quickly signed up to the BMW Car Club. One of the very first events I went to was the North East Region’s Concours at Harewood House. I dragged Dad along and enjoyed a lovely day out, met some very friendly people and a person known to many of us stalwarts came and introduced himself. “Hey up” he said “I’m Nick, Nick Wright.” The greeting was
both warm and friendly but most of all, genuine. From that day we’ve remained good friends ever since. I was very busy with my own property renovation work, plus I was sourcing antiques and exporting them to the US so I was too busy to attend many club events. Plus our region, the North West, wasn’t the most active, so it didn’t really matter to me. But then a bad back injury forced me to be less hands on with the property side of things, which was ticking over nicely, so I suddenly had a bit of spare time. So I started to show more of an interest in the club and its activities. A few weeks later a copy of the latest club magazine dropped through the letterbox, which was then called the BMW Journal. I noticed in the North West Region section of the magazine an advert for a dealer visit to Bluebell BMW of Wilmslow. I mentioned it to my better half Cathy who said we weren’t doing anything on that date, so I pencilled the date in my diary. We were off to drive some cars and visit the dealership with the Car Club. More in part two next month when my involvement with the club is ramped up by ten… thousand! www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
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Sumptuous Touring! Words – Jeff Heywood Photos – Alpina
In these strange times of global pandemics and save-the-planet speeches, the automobile industry morphs and reinvents itself on what seems like a weekly basis. Yet Alpina feels like a strong and steady presence, their philosophy set in stone since first mouthed by Burkhard Bovensiepen back in the 1960s…
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www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
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T
hese really are strange times. Auto makers rush to bring out electric models at a frightening pace, Ferrari has announced that its forthcoming SUV will include a V6 plugin hybrid version, there are plenty of purely electric Porsches on the road and AMG recently stated that it will drop its V8 for an in-line four for its next uber S Class saloon. Yet Alpina’s latest B3, reviewed here in Touring form, has stuck to its principles for which the company is known. That means there’s a six under the bonnet, albeit turbocharged, with exemplary road manners to match a conservative but quality interior and an understated exterior to disguise the epic performance the car can deliver. The extent of the performance is interesting, as it’s the first
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time Alpina has modified an engine that has first been breathed upon by BMW M. Alpina also hopes to discreetly increase volume sales to more than 2000 cars per annum, and it’s hoped models like the B3 Touring will bring extra volume sales to the brand. Useful when development costs are becoming an uncomfortable expenditure for lots of car manufacturers. Alpina UK has placed a price tag on the B3 Touring model at near £70k, so anyone new to the brand will expect a machine that is palpably much better than the BMW M340i Touring on which the B3 is based, while it must also fend off the challenges brought by rivals such as Audi’s RS4 Avant and the MercedesAMG C63 Estate. There is also a third rival on the horizon, a car coming from a
company that Alpina enjoys a unique, symbiotic relationship with, the first ever BMW M3 Touring. Alpina and BMW’s relationship means that both cars will share the same assembly line. So will the M3 Touring hurt sales? Alpina CEO Andreas Bovensiepen doesn’t think so, he says “far from hurting sales, the B3 Touring’s corporate cousin may help boost awareness of both the car and the brand, as journalists look for competitors to the new M3.” Therefore we need to find out if you should bother waiting for the quickest canine carrier on the planet, or should you be heading to Sytner now to place your order. Alpina’s line-up of G20 generation conversions consists of the B3
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Feature reviewed here, both in saloon and, of course, Touring form. There’s also the diesel-powered D3S, which is a bit of a misnomer as there is no basic D3 model. Moving away from traditional values somewhat, both vehicles are available in four-wheel drive only, with just one choice of transmission, ZF’s 8-speed auto ‘box. In due course, if form follows tradition, a B3S model will probably follow with more power, torque and chassis tweaks.
Alpina B3 Touring Details Price £67,950 Power 456bhp Torque 516lb ft 0-60mph 3.8sec 30-70mph in fourth 5.3sec Fuel economy 28.2mpg CO2 emissions 228g/km 70-0mph 43.8m Alpina’s secret is how it has traditionally married ride comfort with the control and stability necessary for high speed driving. This is how the car’s chassis speaks to the driver instead of shouting. The F30-based models were excellent in these respects and the new car aims to continue that tradition. The B3 utilises the same engine as fitted to the M3, namely the 2993cc S58 straight-six. This marks a departure for Alpina, and a useful one, not least because it no longer needs to recast a regular BMW engine block to take an extra turbocharger. Although the S58 is a twin turbo unit, Alpina fits smaller turbine housings and modifies the intake system to achieve its own balance of torque and response. The B3’s cooling capabilities are also beefed up, with two additional external coolers plus Alpina’s enlarged intercooler and air ducts. This means the B3 has 456hp and 516lb ft at its disposal. Alpina utilises the same dampers as the M340i, but reprogrammed to suit new Eibach springs. The bumpstops and antiroll bars are also bespoke. The B3 Touring is practical. Its 1510 litres of luggage space (with the rear bench folded at the touch of a button) betters that of the AMG C63 and the Audi RS4. To get an even bigger boot you’d have to move up a class size to the AMG E-Class or B5 Bi-Turbo Touring. So how does the new B3 Touring
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The B3 Touring certainly looks the part, the G20 platform suits the Alpina external additions to give the car a real premium feel
perform? Like a thoroughbred. Ignore the 0-60mph time of 3.8 seconds, which was supercar fast not so long ago, it’s irrelevant. As is the 8.7secs it takes to blast into triple figures. And if you have to ask, the top speed is a (conservative) 186mph. Instead, it’s the 516lb ft of torque that you need to understand. It takes the B3 Touring 1.7secs to dispatch 40 to 60mph in third gear, which makes it quicker than a Porsche 911 Carrera S. The 2.1 seconds taken to devour 50 to 70mph in fourth gear beats an RS6’s time. And its 60 to 80mph time of 2.8 seconds matches the current M5 Competition exactly. So now do you understand why I said it’s the torque you need to understand, the B3 is monstrously quick in gear. The best way to sum up the B3’s performance is it’s like an M5-lite, minus the enormous body and with a more comfortable ride. The chassis is superb in Sport mode, giving you the feel of rear drive and the reassurance of four-wheel drive grip. Offering a sense of connection with the road is the steering and seats, yet the feel rarely overspills into brittleness and reactivity. Select Comfort Plus mode and you find the damper rates relax to allow the car to waft over poor surfaces in town, on sweeping A-roads or on the motorway. That the B3 Touring can be serviced at your local BMW dealer or specialist is a boon. On test the Touring returned 38mpg, too, which is slightly better than the old B3 Saloon. However, it is considerably better than the V8 C63 and just beats the RS4 Avant.
The small Alpina touches help to lift the B3’s interior over that of the M340i, and of course one can go slightly bonkers with the interior configurator in personalising your car. Shame the Alpina blue dials have gone, a victim of the new digital dash
So how do we rate the B3 Touring? We’d give it 10 out of 10, if asked to score. It’s not a game changer by any means, but the G20 chassis provides Alpina with the finest 3 Series platform since the E46. Add in a seriously potent engine and the sublime suspension tweaks that produce an almost magic carpet ride, the sort that make Alpina cars quite unique in their class, makes it feel very special indeed. It means that the B3 Touring goes to the top of the small executive estate class and will provide BMWs M3 Touring with a very stern test indeed. We’d go as far as saying that the M3 will struggle to better the B3, because although there’ll be heaps of power, the ride will inevitably be M hard. The question remains, why don’t BMW develop their suspension like Alpina? Answering the question near the start of this article, personally, I wouldn’t wait for the new M3 Touring. If it’s a quick estate car that floats your boat, I’d be heading to Sytner to place my order immediately.
www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
Mons Classic, Belgium © Chippy
30th September – 2nd October 2022
Join fellow classic car enthusiasts for the inaugural ‘Mons Classic’ event open to all marques of classic cars. © Espace Chimay
This three-day tour has been developed in conjunction with the Wallonia Tourist board and it starts in the ‘Grand Place’ of Mons, where special access has been granted to park our cars. You will have a two-night stay in the four-star Martin’s Dream boutique hotel situated just off the main square. The first night is free to explore the town with its bars and restaurants located around the square.
© Royal Mons Auto Club
The following day a road run is planned around the countryside of Wallonia. This evening a traditional Belgian dinner is planned at a local restaurant on the Grand-Place to sample the typical dishes of Mons. On the final morning a coffee stop is included at a fascinating car museum before your route back to the Eurotunnel. What’s included:
Price:
Return Eurotunnel crossing Two nights’ accommodation on a B&B basis Road run rally - including entry to Hitler’s bunker Dinner on Saturday evening Entry to car collection and coffee
A BTA No .W597X
£399 per person based on two in a car sharing a room.
To book: call Motorsport Travel Destinations on 01707 329 988 www.traveldestinations.co.uk
The Ultimate Belgian Getaway
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During the time in the BMW Approved Bodyshop, all available training was taken including: • Paint Expert • Paint Technician • BMW ATA With that in mind, we feel we are in a strong position to deliver the high service that you require. Whether that be a simple SMART repair to remove the scuff on the front bumper or a full restoration project, removing all components, we aim to give 100% to ensure the highest quality workmanship can be achieved.
With our unit based in Chesterfield, we have full facilities to conduct a high-quality, professional job including that of a spray bake to enable paint to cure as quickly as possible. This means that the high-quality work you have just paid for, is guaranteed.
Request more information or book one of our services by calling 01246 864803 1D Upper Mantle Close, Off Bridge Street, Clay Cross, Chesterfield S45 9NU
Tel: 01246 864803
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socialmedia
Thank you to everyone who shared their stories and images of their past and present BMWs. With over 80 of you sharing your memories and images, it was difficult to select some of the best. However, here are some of the responses from our Members…
Paul Rice
“My second BMW and my first convertible/ roadster. The Z4, my current car, is all round a better car,but I will always have a place in my heart for my Z3. Like a fine wine, maturing with age.”
Anthony Mason
Ws that I include two fabulous BM “I’m going to cheat and r car for me, I ss) is a long-time poste love. The 1M (The Mistre . I love its ago r a divorce three years bought it for myself afte 420i, I the la Lo e. the performanc cheeky, chunky looks and that’s so r, yea t las ay aw who passed inherited from my friend rfe pe ct for a top goes down which is priceless to me. Plus, the s man.” slightly overweight mid-40
Andy Neocleous
“Probably the most fun to drive at 9/10ths without endangering life.”
Greg Frost
one I let go, I have “Thankfully it isn’t ll ost 20 years. It sti owned my 8 for alm e.” tim is car after all th remains a dream “Sadly I did let this 2500 Auto go about 28 years ago. A 1978 car which was immaculate in every way. Sold to a gent in Scotland. I would love to have her back if anyone knows of her whereabouts.”
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Social media
Nick Thomas
“My first BMW, sold when I moved from Germany to the USA. He got sold to Finland, I wonder if he is still alive?”
Darren Teagles
before this y BMWs I owned “Not sure how man namics dy ng ivi dr ourite for one, but it is my fav nd.” 0 runs a close seco and sound. My E3
Peter Sherratt “Although I do love the E46 Coupé, and still miss mine, I think the world of my M325i. Its fun power to weight ratio makes it great to drive, plus it has proper performance, it’s affordable and cheap to run. I have spent a bit on it, modifying it and making it my own.”
Jeff Heywood
é. I owned it for “My Schnitzered M Coup azingly fun car.” am 18 years, from new. An
David Beal “My E30 and E32, photo circa 2006. The E30 had a stroker 2.7 and the torque was phenomenal. The 7 Series seems to have been off the road for many years. I wish I still had them or knew where they were.”
Ian Bird “I have owned many, this one for just over two years and I just love her!”
48 BMW Car Club Magazine February 2022
Roger Jonerites, though vou “Still my fa o.” y years ag n a m gone
Isabelle Phillips
“The one that’s about to go! The best car I have ever owned.”
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BMW Owners’ Club members receive £1 off issue 225, use code
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photograph by Jordan Butters
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17/01/2022 15:04
BMW Car Club Magazine February 2022
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Pirelli’s Performance and Safety Inspired Range P irelli has collaborated with BMW once again, with developments constantly driven by the highest levels of performance and safety. A total of 78 Original Equipment homologations have been tailor made for the latest versions of the BMW 8 Series Coupe, Gran Coupe, and Convertible, including the M Sport models. The top of the range 8 Series cars will use bespoke Pirelli P Zero and Cinturato P7 tyres from 18” to 20”, specifically developed to unleash the maximum performance on the road and provide the best safety, control and handling. The tyres were created in line with Pirelli’s Perfect Fit philosophy and homologated as Original Equipment for the luxury grand touring range, offering maximum comfort and full performance in every situation. The tyres deliver excellent wet braking performance with low rolling resistance and are marked with a star that distinguishes tyres developed by Pirelli’s engineers to meet the BMW Group’s performance requirements. They are also equipped with Run Flat
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dedicated to the BMW 8 Series – the perfect solution to your winter worries this year. To discover Pirelli’s full product range perfect for your BMW, visit www.pirelli.com/tyres.
technology, which allows drivers to continue their journeys even after a puncture or tyre pressure loss. As we are still in the colder winter months, Pirelli has developed specific Sottozero 3 and P Zero Winter tyres
Pirelli Pre-Paid Mastercard Offer BMW Car Club members can benefit from an exclusive offer of a Pirelli prepaid Mastercard. Available only when purchasing Pirelli tyres from a Pirelli Performance Centres or official BMW dealer, the card’s value depends on the size and quantity of tyres purchased as follows: Rim Size
Two Tyres
Four Tyres
16” and below
£10
£30
17”
£30
£70
18” and 19”
£50
£100
20” and above
£60
£120
Where can you get your tyres fitted? Visit pirelli.co.uk/bmwcarclub for nearest participating dealers. Terms and conditions apply.
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CLAIM UP TO
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BUY 2 OR MORE PIRELLI TYRES FROM A PARTICIPATING DEALER AND CLAIM UP TO £120* Find your nearest dealer and full details at www.pirelli.co.uk/bmwcarclub
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£120 R E WA R D
crossword Across 1.
BMW Car Club GB Crossword 1
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Winner2022 of last month’s February Crossword
crossword Jim Husband All entrants for the February issue’s 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
Answers to January 2022 Crossword Across: 1. Martyn, 7. Ore, 8. Thema, 11. TG (Timo Glock), 12. Goodwin, 13. Ouch, 15. Pit, 16. Rerun, 17. CO, 18. On, 19. Borer (Bora), 21. Pay, 24. Stub, 25. Oldbury, 27. BU (Bobby Unser), 28. Roomy, 29. Bar, 30. Albany Down: 1. Motorsport, 2. Argue, 3. Re, 4. NTOA, 5. Newport, 6. Canterbury, 9. HD (Huddersfield), 10. Mii, 12. Ghun, 14. Croydon, 17. Cosy, 20. EU ban, 22. Alo (Alonso), 23. Suya, 26. BM, 29. BA (British Airways)
German car manufacturer founded in 1931. See also 11. 19. and 29. Across, and 1. and 10. Down (7) A type of chemical compound, typically a hydrated salt of aluminium (4) …Marmitte: Italian car and motorcycle exhaust producer founded in 1959, probably best-known for use on classic Ferrari models (1,1,1,1) (With 19. Across) model of 1. Across first introduced in September 1964 and with various changes still on sale today (4) Initials for Huntingdon-based UK producer of composite automotive aftermarket styling products including for several BMW models (1,1,1) Initials for Latin term meaning 'for example' (1,1) City and also rivers in Brazil. With an additional final letter the name of Lamborghini's SUV model (3) Initials for motorsports organisation and events operator with 6 UK venues. Former F1 driver Jonathan Palmer is CEO and majority shareholder (1,1,1) Insect species, vivid green Lamborghini colour and Marcos model name (6) See 11. Across (6) …Industries: Florida-based supplier of aftermarket motorcycle accessories, especially lighting systems, including for BMW models (1,1,1) Initials for the most common type of fuel octane rating (1,1,1) Commonly-used abbreviation for German word for a corporation limited by share ownership, such as BMW (1,1) Small pointed tool for piercing holes, especially in leather (3) Relaxed and with an absence of strong emotions: How you should be feeling when driving your BMW (4) Could be Litherland Youth & Community Centre (1,1,1,1) A soft cow's-milk French cheese (4) Model of 1. Across introduced in 1996 (7)
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emotions: How you should be feeling when Across driving your BMW (4) 1. German car manufacturer founded in 16. 1931. See also 11. 19. and 29. Across, and 1. 26. Could be Litherland Youth & Community Centre (1,1,1,1) and 10. Down (7) 18. 28. A soft cow’s-milk French cheese (4) 8. A type of chemical compound, typically a 19. 20. 29. Model of 1. Across introduced in 1996 (7) hydrated salt of aluminium (4) 21. 9. …Marmitte: Italian car and motorcycle 22. Down exhaust producer founded in 1959, probably 23. 24. 1. Model of 1. Across first debuting in 2009 best-known for use on classic Ferrari models (10) 26. (1,1,1,1) 28. 2. Shortened first name of the Chairman of the 29. 11. (With 19. Across) model of 1. Across Board of Management of BMW - though you’d Down first introduced in September 1964 and with 1. Model of 1. Across first debuting in 2009 (10) have to know him quite well to use this address! 2.various Shortened first name of the Chairman of the Board of Management of changes still on sale today (4) BMW - though you'd have to know him quite well to use this address! (3) (3) 3.12. Initials For an engine to fire on all cylinders and turn overproducer smoothly (3, 6) for Huntingdon-based UK 3. For an engine to fire on all cylinders and 4. Italian domestic and commercial appliance company founded in 1948 as an enamelling and metalworking business (4) of composite automotive aftermarket styling 5. …Kardon: Audio brand offered as an upgrade on most, if not all, BMW turn over smoothly (3, 6) models. Since 2017 part Samsung (6) products including forofseveral BMW models 4. Italian domestic and commercial appliance 6. Postcode for the Stephen James BMW and MINI Middlesex location (1,1) 7.(1,1,1) Chris…: Motoring journalist, racing driver and TV presenter who boughtcompany the founded in 1948 as an enamelling E21 BMW 323i he appeared in on Top Gear, a model his father owned (6) 14. Initials for Latin meaning ‘for 10. Headquarters location term for 1. Across (9) and metalworking business (4) 13. A person who buys goods or services. What your BMW dealership would example’ like you(1,1) to be, if you are not one already! (8) 5. …Kardon: Audio brand offered as an 17. Not quickly (6) 15. City and also rivers in Brazil. With upgrade on most, if not all, BMW models. 18. …City: Capital of this North American country of the same name. Escort model in tribute to Ford's 1970 rally success with this destination (6) an additional finalCommittee letter the name Substances, of Since 2017 part of Samsung (6) 22. Could be Advisory on Borderline a UK government body (4) Lamborghini’s SUV model (3) 6. Postcode for the Stephen James BMW and 25. An untruth (3) 27. Postcodefor for the Barons BMW and MINI most-Northerly location, actually MINI Middlesex location (1,1) 16. Initials motorsports organisation and in the new town of Cambourne (1,1) 7. Chris…: Motoring journalist, racing driver events operator with 6 UK venues. Former F1 and TV presenter who bought the E21 BMW driver Jonathan Palmer is CEO and majority 323i he appeared in on Top Gear, a model his shareholder (1,1,1) father owned (6) 18. Insect species, vivid green Lamborghini 10. Headquarters location for 1. Across (9) colour and Marcos model name (6) 13. A person who buys goods or services. What 19. See 11. Across (6) your BMW dealership would like you to be, if 20. …Industries: Florida-based supplier of you are not one already! (8) aftermarket motorcycle accessories, especially 17. Not quickly (6) lighting systems, including for BMW models 18. …City: Capital of this North American (1,1,1) country of the same name. Escort model in 21. Initials for the most common type of fuel tribute to Ford’s 1970 rally success with this octane rating (1,1,1) destination (6) 22. Commonly-used abbreviation for German 22. Could be Advisory Committee on Borderline word for a corporation limited by share Substances, a UK government body (4) ownership, such as BMW (1,1) 25. An untruth (3) 23. Small pointed tool for piercing holes, 27. Postcode for the Barons BMW and MINI especially in leather (3) most-Northerly location, actually in the new 24. Relaxed and with an absence of strong town of Cambourne (1,1) 14. 15.
15
17
11.
12.
7
10
11
8. 9.
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52 BMW Car Club Magazine February 2022
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ROYTHORNE THE BMW SPECIALISTS
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54 BMW Car Club Magazine February 2022
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regionalnews Central Tony Skerrett Central Region sponsored by
07879 404648 central@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
Barons Bedford
What a difference a year makes. That damned red airbag light has, at last, been solved by having the airbag light sensor (passenger seat mat) replaced at the cost of £252.36. Also, my faithful E46 will have a total respray at about £1000 by Keith’s Autospray. This will alarm the Club’s critical colour experts as they have identified three different blues on my E46. The original colour was/is Mystique Blue but there’s also Topaz (replaced by Mystique Blue circa 2002), Mercedes Cavansite Blue, Liquid Blue and even Orient Blue. Of course, daylight and surface materials play a big part. Perhaps this is why A07 is called the Mysterious One. However as an expert on BMW Blue Colours (de facto of course) it is pretty hard to identify the difference between Cavansite Blue/Topaz versus Mystique Blue on a sunny day. Past Events Both pictures by Chris Smith
01234 362 400
www.baronsgroup.co.uk/bmw BARONSCC20133 = 15% discount code
Aviator car park of a 1954 Citroen Light 15. As at 12th March 2021 the Citroen had clocked 26,771 miles. Back in June 2006 the mileage was reported as 25,211 miles. So just over a 1000 miles in 16 years. However it did have one fairly recent MOT fail. Date of first registration was in Oct 1954. Future Events 2022 14th February – Notice is given that the Central AGM will be held at Aviator Hotel, Sywell. 7.30pm. Nominations for Central Regional Officers are very welcome; in writing please or by email is ok. March 27th – Hopefully a visit to The Belge Café, Nash Rd, Beachampton, Milton Keynes MK19 6FW. Time TBA. April 17th – Delapre Abbey nr Northampton including tea in the Orangery and Tour of Abbey, ETA 1300hrs
Our Christmas party held at the Aviator Hotel, Sywell on the 13th December went very well. However, true to form, I caught a nasty cold after a visit to sunny Harrogate. This appeared to be the dreaded Omicron at first, but two lateral flow tests said negative! So under pressure from the thought police, it was not a good idea to go (I hated losing the deposit). Also, Jeff and Sasha Wyatt were unable to attend due to an MK business meeting and sadly our ever-present Deputy Chairman Peter Collison was also under the H2 development scenario and weather. Nevertheless, all 14 reported Central Members who did make it had an enjoyable time. This was due to Stephen Bailey who acted as compère for the evening. So big thanks to Stephen for rescuing the event. The second picture was captured by Chris Smith in the
May 1st – Waterperry Gardens Display in the Gardens. Meet up at noon. More events are planned. So please be patient
Central West Dave Evans Central West Region sponsored by
07800 616500 centralwest@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
Autobahn Servicing Ltd Unit 11, Pitcairn Drive Halesowen B62 8AG Tel 0121 585 9146 www.autobahnservicing.co.uk info@autobahnservicing.co.uk
In the absence of any regional events over the last few months, we’d like to share a throwback to a photo shoot attended by Club member Kieran Monaghan and his Z3 in June 2021: www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
Rybrook Wolverhampton 01902 457000 rybrookwolverhamptonbmw.co.uk
Photo Shoot for Classic Car Magazine – Mazda MX-5 compared to its rivals It all started when I read a post on the Zroadster.org website announcing that Classic Car Magazine wanted to find a standard BMW Car Club Magazine February 2022
55
regionalnews four-cylinder Z3. The purpose of the article was for a 10- to 15-page spread on the Mazda MX-5 and its nearest rivals as a 20-year-old roadster. Our 2001 made car is the wide body 1.9 8-valve in Dakar Yellow with no AC, but every other M Sport option including the fire extinguisher and unopened first aid kit. It even still has the original radio and working cassette player. I emailed the editor and quickly got a reply confirming that they wanted our car and the date for the photoshoot was set for Friday 4th June at Longcross Studios Test Track. The cars turned up along with all day rain and, despite all our best efforts and perseverance, it was the first abandoned shoot that the editor or photographer could remember. It was a disaster. Besides the rain, the SLK and reserve SLK couldn’t make it, the MGF had alternator and battery problems all day, and the Porsche wanted to leave early. Then, to top it off, there was no café due to Covid. Note the feet of drivers wearing shorts sheltering under the trees.
New date and new location – Thursday 10th June at the Top Gear Test Track at Dunsfold. Sunshine in abundance this time, hallelujah! And a café. On arrival the other drivers each gave their cars a quick wipe over to remove any dust. After my 6am start and driving 130 miles, the bonnet and wing mirrors of the Yellow Z3 needed some serious elbow grease to remove the legion of splattered flies, moths and green-blooded beetles, but soon the Z3 was shining with the best of them. The six cars lined up were a green Mazda MX-5, my yellow BMW Z3, a silver Porsche Boxster (first Boxster into the UK in 1996), a blue Lotus Elise (with just 40k miles), a Wedgewood Blue MGF, and a red Mercedes SLK, all about 20 years old. Proud owners exchanging pleasantries and compliments whilst watching the intricacies of a professional photographer at work. For those interested, his kit was an expensive bag of waterproof Sony lenses and mirrorless cameras with 20 frame per second capability. The first activity was to carefully position each car into a static pattern that would create the all-important cover shot. I jealously noted the Porsche and MX-5 took front and centre stage, but at least our larger comfy Z3 was next in line with the tiny potent Elise. The SLK and MGF being the poor relations at the rear of the shot. Next, the cars were paired up and driven around the track
56 BMW Car Club Magazine February 2022
(about 20mph) holding formation and taking it in turns to be leading or following. The brave battle-hardened photographer was hanging out the back of a trusty VW Passat estate doing his best to capture some dynamic shots with blurred wheels and blurred backgrounds. We drivers were doing our best to smile and look straight ahead with our best Tom Cruise sunglasses even though we probably won’t be seen in the photos. The Z3 was paired with the Porsche and then with the Mercedes. Next was the turn of the editor to drive each car to enable him to get a proper feel for the idiosyncrasies and pros and cons of each one. Finally, the photographer focused on each car in turn to capture various shots to compare interiors, under bonnets and any quirky elements for each car. And then it was time for us all to go our separate ways and wait to see how our cars would look in the forthcoming motoring magazines. The full group test article is due to be published in the next edition of Classic Car, but I really don’t know if there will be a definite conclusion. Will the Mazda MX-5 still be the iconic roadster that its rivals have failed to improve on? Will one of the other cars emerge as the clear best 1990s convertible? Or will the revelation be simply that all two-seater convertibles are the best fun and value for money and it doesn’t really matter which one you have? Just get out there, buy one and have fun now! From a personal point of view, I can’t imagine the Z3 will win any particular category outright. But I believe the Z3 should score consistently high in every category. Also, for me, the Porsche and Mercedes are too expensive to maintain for parts and servicing. The Elise is go-kart fast but is it really a practical every day or long distance car? The MGF has its mid-engine www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
regionalnews servicing problems and head gasket issues and, of course, Rover no longer exists. But it’s cheap, along with the MX-5, which has the magic ingredient of pop up headlights. So could it be that a good condition MX-5 (in the right colour) might just be the magazine’s roadster of choice?
Cheshire & Staffs Steve Cooper Cheshire & Staffs Region sponsored by
cheshireandstaffs@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
Blue Bell
Knights
DISCOUNT OF UP TO 10% IS GIVEN TO MEMBERS WITH VALID MEMBERSHIP CARD *Conditions apply
Cotswold Martyn Goodwin
Blue Bell Fourth Avenue, Weston Road, Crewe Cheshire. CW1 6XH. Tel:01270 212525 Knights Bede Road, Radial Park, Stoke on Trent Staffordshire. ST4 4GU Tel:01782 572100
cotswold@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
Cheltenham BMW 01242 335 335 Cotswold Motor Group offer members: Cheltenham MINI 01242 335 345 Generous discounts off the new BMW and MINI range Cotswold Motor Group Cheltenham Motorrad 01242 335 355 Discounts on approved used vehicles in stock 15% plus discount Cheltenham Parts 01242 335 365 on parts and accessories, 10% discount on all service work and www.cotswoldgroup.com labour (15% on vehicles 4 years old plus) gearbox oilWay, in my hair alongGL51 with 6UP a full swear box, too. Cheltenham Service 01242 335 Be 375careful, stay safe and be kind. (It’s free!) Corinthian Cheltenham, Hope to catch up with you, if you are a new member please Phone 07799 to 620 381 orpresenting email jimfrance1@hotmail.co.uk Hereford 01432 375 555 Available Roman Road, Hereford, HR1 1LN members current valid membership card
Cotswold Region sponsored by
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feel free to come along to our meets and events.
Regards Jim.
KathyJemfrey Jemfrey Devon DevonKathy
01626 330436 330436 01626 devon@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk devon@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
Devon Region sponsored by
INDEPENDENT BMW & MINI SPECIALISTS
The Sidmouth Car Show has been cancelled, however if anyone wishes to attend, we will be attending theChamp Crash Box End of George Season Car Show it is at Lady’s Mile Holiday Park, Dawlish, on
East Anglia
East Anglia Region Champ East Anglia George Barons Cambridge Cambridge: 01954 784 500 sponsored by
Sunday 27th September 10am until 4.00pm.07514 Come and go as 216660 you please. eastanglia@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Take care and see you all soon.
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packages located in Norfolk. Covers all car of the UK.I always felt the BMW was a bit ‘sportier’ and less but Hi everyone, Packages start frombe £35an + vat. Special Offer £5car’. off all package prices for ‘company To say 2020 has been a strange and difficult year would Car Club GB Members. Scouring the info@jlfcarnest.co.uk local magazines and papers I found an interesting understatement, but nonetheless I am BMW delighted to say we still www.jlfcarnest.co.uk Olly - +44to(0)7521 568the 881 Josh - +44 (0)E34 7856952383 looking 540i for sale near Watford. The advert mentioned an have new members joining the Club, soCall welcome you all, interesting previous owner but did not give any more details. A good times will return. In the meantime as I remind you all every phone call was made and a trip to Watford arranged. month, keep up to date with your respective Facebook pages Hi everyone, The car was a beautiful Forest Green E34 540i with a and enjoy reading the contributions and think about sharing your Here’s a recap of events that will hopefully take place this parchment leather interior and filled with ’toys’ such as a remote stories and photos with everyone as well. year with more details, plus any others to follow, so you can controlled radio and a car phone, completed with a personalised Wea have a little hope that will bedone able so. to enjoy make note in yourglimmer diaries ifofyou have notwe already On number plate, A2HKJ. The interior was perfect and the rear least a couple events pubto meets if the situation aatpersonal note, Iof am sayingand/or goodbye my Sea Green E36 seats looked almost new. I still remember looking at the massive allows, hence I still produce a rather small list. I am sure like Convertible, and I say hello to my E85 Z4 2.5Si Sport Roadster V8 engine under the bonnet and thinking to myself that while I me you all miss shows and events. Personally I have found it in Phoenix Yellow. Hopefully I will be agile enough to climb in could afford to buy the car, if anything ever went wrong with the frustrating that the only reason I have forced myself to get my and out of it, but you only have to fall into it at the beginning of engine I would probably not be able to afford to repair it! The 2002 out ofand the enlist garage is the fact deserves needs toso it the journey someone to ithaul you outand at the end, vendor explained to me that the car had a full service history be taken out for a spin as leaving it unused does it no good shouldn’t be too much of a problem. from new but it had never been serviced by a BMW main dealer! whatsoever. I miss meeting members and strangers at events This leads me to remind you all again that we would love you It transpired that the previous registered owner of the car was and don’t mind talking at length about my 2002 even if the same to share short stories and photos of your pride and joy whether His Royal Highness, the current King of Jordan, and that the questions keep cropping up; how owned much isBMW. it worth, and are you they be your current or previously Even a picture person selling the car was his chauffeur who had bought the selling it? I also get asked if I know of any classic or interesting car from the King (although he was a Prince at the time). The BMWs that are for sale, and sometimes the answer is yes so www.bmwcarclubgb.uk Car Club Magazine February 2022 57 number plate, A2HKJ, whichBMW had been added later, stood for keep sending me details if any of you are changing your BMW Abdullah the 2nd, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. for any reason. It is not a substitute for advertising your car
regionalnews we can feature as Car of the Month will be welcomed. Fingers crossed planned events: • Lt Easton Manor meet – book online under EVENTS at www.littleeastonmanor.co.uk. 6th February and every first Sunday of the month throughout the year thereafter. • The Castle Pub Meets recommence on April 10th and every second Sunday thereafter. • Suffolk Pub Meet - The White Horse every third Thursday evening of the month thereafter. Please let David Adams know if you would like to attend. •
Cambs/Beds Pub Meets also re-commence in April.
• Duxford, early May - Hopefully this might take place awaiting advices. • Jaguar Enthusiasts Club Classic Car Show. FREE invite to BMWCC members to join them at Rickinghall, Suffolk Sunday 22nd May, more details to follow. • 29th May – Classic Cars pre-1990 plus shops containing antiques, collectables and more including a children’s classic car show. Petersfield Village, Halstead, CO9 1PU. • 28th August – Sports Car Show. Plus the above attractions. Petersfield Village, Halstead, CO9 1PU. • Bardwell Village, Suffolk, 5th June book yourself direct from 1st February on a First Come First Served basis at info@carsonthegreen.org.uk. • Aldham Old Time Rally Marks Tey, 11th and 12th June full details to follow. • Culford School, Bury St Edmunds, 10th July more info. to follow, but bookings via David Adams please. • Helmingham Hall, Suffolk, 7th August, David again please. •
Stonham Barns, Suffolk, 21st August more info. to follow.
• Little Grandson Air Show, Cambs, 28th August. Details to follow. • Glemham Hall, Suffolk, 4th September, again book via David please. • Kings Lynn Classic and Heritage Open Day, September TBA.
Eastern Paul Rice
eastern@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
The Motorist breakfast meet The breakfast meet at The Motorist was not held on the best of December days, sadly. The appalling weather kept the numbers down on the Saturday morning meet. There was one person in attendance that delighted the young and not so young members amongst us, Santa made the journey to Sherburn in the Motorist’s Transit van. Not a BMW, but at least he had plenty of room for all the presents.
I left my Zed at home after deciding to have a bit of a mini GT meet with my mate Rob and his recently-acquired 5 GT. After hosting the first official X meet last October is this another first, the first ever GT meet?
58 BMW Car Club Magazine February 2022
www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
regionalnews
Christmas celebrations With all the restrictions of the previous year it was great to be able to have our Christmas get together. This year we held it at one of our monthly pub meet locations, the George and Dragon at Whitley Bridge, Selby. We had a good turnout of 26 members, pre-booked with a 100% turn out all looking forward to their Christmas lunch. As with most hospitality establishments the inn had its staffing problems, but full marks to the team at the G&D, they looked after us very well with a splendid meal in true Northern fashion, a proper plate full. There was a great atmosphere and time flew by, a true measure of a good event with great company.
Car of the Month Gilbert Tuplin and his 135i M Sport convertible “My ownership of 1 Series BMWs started in the autumn of 2012 when I bought a one-year-old 118i M Sport Convertible. I used the car for my daily commute from Canterbury to Redhill and it never missed a beat. In 2013 my local dealership, Broadoak Canterbury, managed to find a very low mileage 125i M Sport SE which provided so much more driver enjoyment. I raided the BMW OEM parts bin and fitted the sports air intake and filter kit along with the rear sports exhaust system, and followed that with a set of M sport discs and pads. In July 2015 I saw my current E88 advertised in Nottingham, which is one of the last ever made. A deal was done and I swapped my 125i for the 135i M Sport, which has a list of factory fitted extras that cost the first owner over £34K when it was first registered. Since owning the car I have fitted a performance air intake system, uprated oil cooler, M sport ECU, M Sport brake discs, braided hoses, a Quaife LSD, a B1 suspension kit from www.birdsauto. com, and a brand new set of 313M alloys, all of which make the car perform and handle so much better. I have always removed the run flats on all my cars. There was one other 1 Series that I owned for short while, a 125i SE auto which provided many miles of motoring pleasure.” Thank you to Gilbert for the write up and image, Gilbert is now living on the East Coast so we will hopefully be seeing a lot more of Gilbert and his rare 135i.
AGM & breakfast meet The AGM will be held on Sunday the 6th February at the Water Wheel tea rooms, Barn Hill farm, Howden, DN14 7JP. Plan to meet up at 10 for a 10:30 start. Drinks and food available. Your chance to put forward ideas on the way your Region moves forward. www.waterwheeltearoom.co.uk
If you would like to have your vehicle included in our Car of the Month feature, please send a good quality picture, details and history, in no more than 300 words to eastern@ bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Don’t worry if it’s only a few words.
London Anthony Mason London Region sponsored by
london@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
BMW PARK LANE
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 Barons Borehamwood 02089 512 600 www.baronsgroup.co.uk/bmw Normal service should resume shortly. Sadly, our Crooked Chimney meet has been in jeopardy the last two months as their outdoor lighting was broken. We were planning alternate pubs and that’s got us talking about a breakfast meet when the weather warms up. I’m reliably informed that at the time of writing there will be light again by the end of January. Our Christmas do was a smaller one than previous years. I hold myself responsible as I’ve been working really hard
www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
due to Covid related sickness the last few months and have taken my eye off the ball when it comes to the car meets. I’m hoping the new year will give me a new lease of life, or a new job.
BMW Car Club Magazine February 2022
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regionalnews If you are looking for something to get your teeth into, I’d still love a hand with the London region as my shifts mean I cannot always attend the meets. I hope you all like your BMW Car Club 70th anniversary sticker. My plan is to place it where the tax disk used to be. The great thing is it’s a static sticker so eventually when I get my new windscreen fitted I will be able transfer it over. In other news, I have been waiting patiently for my 1M to come out of Specialist Cars. I’m waiting on one front disc, which hopefully should be fitted and ready for car club events. Lola has been utterly lovely during this time and I’m slowly racking up the miles on her. And cleaning black is a beautiful hue, or lack of it I suppose but it gets dirty so very quickly. I used the Autoglym ceramic coating, the results were brilliant and speak for itself. The new diary arrived for my birthday from my daughter so I’m planning out the year, there’s so many events to cram in. I’m hoping Covid doesn’t knock the show season again.
North East Nick Thomas I would like to take this opportunity to wish North East regular Greg Webster a fond farewell as he is soon heading off to a warmer climate than the North East can offer. We will miss his participation and Aussie sense of humour. Recent Events
Our December monthly meeting was very well attended again, with a speedy breakfast, a good variety of cars and lots of chat. As we had all of the new North East committee together we took the opportunity for a group photo.
Many thanks to Greg Frost for organising our successful Christmas Dinner at the Black Horse. A feature of the dinner was the new annual regional Gold Star award. A while ago Mick Golightly found an old trophy from a precursor to the Region from many years ago. In the spirit of sustainability and recycling, it has been repurposed and was awarded by the SEC (Senior Experience Committee, consisting of three members with extensive club experience: Greg Frost, Mick Golightly and
60 BMW Car Club Magazine February 2022
northeast@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
Pete Cossavella). They decided to award it to the member who has got the most out of the membership and put the most back in over 2021. Taking into account participation in meetings, classic shows, runs out, organising runs out, track days, Zoom quizzes, club holidays and trips at home and abroad, photography and drone filming and more. It was awarded to Simon Maskell – congratulations! In future years it could be awarded for any reason to be decided by the SEC. Forthcoming Events Right now 2022 plans for the North East are: • Sunday 13 Feb – Monthly Meet • Sunday 27 Feb – Treasure Hunt • Sunday 13 Mar – Monthly Meet • Sunday 27 Mar - Brancepeth Castle • Saturday 09 Apr – BMWCCR at Croft • Sunday 10 Apr – Monthly Meet • Sunday 24 April – Cumbria Run • Saturday 07 May – Pre-SCITP meet • Sunday 08 May – Sports Cars In The Park & Northern Concours • Sunday 22 May – Holy Island • Sunday 12 Jun – Monthly Meet • Sunday 12-Monday 20 Jun – Autofahrt Munich • Sunday 26 Jun – Dent Day • TBD July - Great North Classic Car Show • Sunday 10 Jul – Monthly Meet • TBD Jul - Mercedes Club Witton Castle Show • Sunday 14 Aug – Monthly Meet • Monday 29 Aug – Durham Car Show • Sunday 11 Sep – Monthly Meet • TBD Sep – NECPWA/Beamish Show • Sunday 09 Oct – Monthly Meet • Sunday 23 Oct – Kielder Picnic • Sunday 13 Nov – Monthly Meet • Wednesday 23 Nov – NE Region AGM • Sunday 27 Nov – Dealer Day • Sunday 11 Dec – Monthly Meet • TBD Dec – Christmas Dinner www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
regionalnews Events are subject to last minute changes so keep an eye on the NE Region Facebook Group for the latest information. Information on some events only goes out via email, so check that the Club holds the correct details, either by logging into the website or phoning the office. Car of the Month The December COTM award was won by Chris Owens and his E39 523i. He won a goodie bag sponsored by The Polishing Company. All BMWs, Alpinas and Minis are eligible to win COTM and a goodie bag supplied by The Polishing Company. Join us at our next monthly meet to be in with a chance of winning.
North Wales David Allen Well Christmas and the New Year celebrations are over and hopefully we can look forward to a better 2022. Forthcoming Events There is a provisional date for the Anglesey track day on Saturday 26th March. Assuming this takes place I am suggesting it could be a good venue for our first meeting in 2022. There is a café on site and there is plenty of free parking plus, of course, the cars on the circuit.
North West Jeff Heywood News Welcome to February’s North West News. We have a great trip lined up later in the month, a visit to the Imperial War Museum followed by a late lunch at Dukes 92. See below for more details, but please book ASAP as this visit will be popular. Moving into March, on the 20th we will host the first NW AGM for two years (due to Covid) at the Kilton Inn, followed by our usual pub meet, quiz and Car of the Month. Please make sure you capture the date in your diary and come along and support your Region and committee. We want to hear your opinions and any ideas you have for events and the like, so please make the effort.
Trade Recommendations Darren Wood BMW Specialist, Bredbury, Stockport SK6 2QB. Offering BMW repair, servicing and engine tuning etc. Facebook – Darren Wood Ltd – Independent BMW Specialists. www.darrenwood.com / 0161 425 7403. Swades Car Detailing. For car detailing/valeting/alloy wheel refurb. Highly recommended. Give Darryl a call on 07415 945979. Facebook – Swades Car Detailing or visit www.swades.co.uk Independent Vehicles Ltd – BMW & Volvo specialists in Timperley, Altrincham, WA14 1TD - www.independentvehicles. co.uk / 0161 969 1551. Facebook – Independent Vehicles Limited Tallys Valeting Services for detailing and valeting. Mobile service that covers most of the North West Region. Give Ian a call on 07397 516149. Facebook – Tallys Valeting Services, or visit www. tallysvaletingservices.co.uk www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
northwales@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
There are possibly other places of interest on the island, too, and I will make enquiries as to what will be open, bearing in mind Easter is later in April. This will be a good opportunity for an early meet. I will keep you posted. No other news at this stage but if you have an interesting story with some pictures please let me know. Finally, don’t forget there is the opportunity to feature your car as Car of the Month. Take care and stay safe. 07801 506632 Search for: BMW Car Club GB North West Twitter: @BMWNW northwest@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
Forthcoming Events 1st February & 1st March – Manchester BMW Meet at Sheldon Arms Here’s hoping for a crackin’ turnout at the second Manchester meet of 2022 at The Sheldon. Come and join us for a shandy and some car related banter. The meeting starts at 7.30pm and is an informal get-together. The Sheldon’s address and postcode are in the Club-Pub-Meets section at the back of this magazine. 20th February – Imperial War Museum Visit and Lunch at Dukes 92 All I can say is, if you have never visited this wonderfully informative museum before, make sure you book on this trip. Plus, entry is free! We’ll meet in the museum car park at 10.30am where I’ll be handing out the tickets. The museum is a fascinating chronicle of war through the ages, from Roman times to the recent war in Afghanistan and how it affects the NW Region. We will then leave early in the afternoon for the very short drive to Dukes 92 for a late lunch at 2.00pm, hopefully in their private dining room. Don’t worry if you can only make the museum part of this day out, the Dukes lunch is optional. Places are limited due to Covid restrictions, so places are available on a first come first served basis, so in the first instance book with Jeff on northwest@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk BMW Car Club Magazine February 2022
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regionalnews 20th March - NW AGM and Pub Meet at Kilton Inn, Cheshire Let’s see a great turn out for our first AGM in two years, thanks to the Covid pandemic. Come and have a say on how the Region is run, tell us what you’d like to see organised and any suggestions of places to visit. The AGM starts at 11.00 followed by our usual pub meet at 12noon. There’s lots going on, including the second round of the prize quiz, plus we’ll also be handing some goodies over to the winner of the Kilton Car of the Month sponsored by Swades Car Detailing. The meeting should start at 12noon, but it could run slightly over due to the AGM taking place beforehand. The Kilton Inn is situated at Hoo Green, Cheshire WA16 0PZ. Event Reports 12th December – Christmas Lunch at Kilton Inn Even with the threat of the Omicron virus hanging over us, we still had 25 booked in for our Christmas lunch, which is still a great turnout. Unfortunately, Sarah Berry fell ill just before the lunch so couldn’t attend, we hope Sarah has made a quick recovery. The lunch itself went down well with everyone enjoying the festive fayre, while in-between mouthfuls of turkey and stuffing we also ran a festive based quiz, sponsored by Darren Wood. The competition decided which team would be crowned NW Quiz champions. There were three teams in with a chance of claiming the crown, the scores were close but on the day it was the E46 Boys who emerged triumphant, just pipping the Taylors2 team to the top spot. Never mind Nick, revenge is sweet. Third spot went to pre-quiz favourite and Macclesfield’s finest, the B10Lads. Or should that be Lad now as Steve seems to be a team of one these days. I would like to thank everyone for taking part in the quiz, it makes all the question setting worthwhile seeing you all battling away for top spot. While everyone had their heads down answering quiz questions, it gave me the opportunity to nip out into the Kilton car park to judge the cars for the Kilton Car of the Month (CotM), which was deservedly won by Nick Taylor’s M240i. Nick’s cars are always turned out immaculately, so it wasn’t a surprise that he took home the prize and a box of detailing goodies kindly donated by our sponsor Swades Car Detailing. To round off a great day out, Nick and Angela Taylor won the prize draw for the Christmas hamper, kindly donated by Darren Wood BMW Specialists – see photo. A great day out! Nick & Angela Taylor left the Kilton pub meet with the prize Xmas hamper
NW club members patiently waiting for their Xmas lunch…
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Kilton CotM – Nick Taylor’s F22 M240i Nick’s M240i deservedly won the Kilton CotM award, winning a box of detailing goodies from Swades Car Detailing, here’s Nick’s take on his car: “My M240i was first registered in September 2018. I purchased the car in May 2021 from Williams BMW, Manchester. The car had one previous owner and had covered just over 6k miles when I took ownership. As a car that had hardly been used, the Alcantara and leather interior was immaculate, while the Mineral White paint finish was unmarked; a ceramic coating should help maintain this for the future. I fell in love with the car on the test drive, at low speed the turbocharged B58 engine burbles along, but put your foot down and the availability of 340hp and 500Nm of torque really pushes you back in your seat. Power delivery is smooth all the way through the rev range, handled easily by the superb ZF 8-speed auto gearbox. BMW quotes that the M240i as being capable of hitting 60mph from rest in 4.4 seconds, while top speed is electronically limited to 155mph. The steering is nicely weighted and precise, while the cornering and handling are excellent. There are comfort and sports modes available, but to be honest I’m still getting to grips with the power in standard mode. It doesn’t look like a sports car but has sports car performance and goes like a bat out of hell in a straight line, although I am considering changing the Michelin Super Sport X tyres as they can occasionally be a little twitchy in the wet.” (This might be down to all that torque available – Ed).
For his troubles, Nick Taylor (left) also won the Kilton Car of the Month award, a box of detailing goodies presented by NW Committee member Andy Messina and kindly donated by Swades Car Detailing
The Kilton Car of the Month, Nick Taylor’s immaculate Mineral White M240i
www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
regionalnews
South East Ian Bryant South East Region sponsored by
Chandlers Brighton 01273 423 312
We are looking to commence the Sussex Micro Meetings hosted at Billy’s on the Road on the 27th February and the Kent Micro Meeting at The George, Trottiscliffe, on 6th March. Please check the South East Region homepage and the WhatsApp group for latest news as this may change. I have commenced planning for 2022 and contacted a number of places, events and shows. However, making a firm commitment is still challenging until some of the restrictions ease. I will start posting these items on the South East Region homepage as they get confirmed. I have started a couple of projects on my cars. You may recall that last year I worked with Robsclutchstopshop on eBay who 3D prints custom-built clutch stops. I found these work well on both my Z3 and Z4M. However I have encountered an issue in that the material can break. So I decided to design and get my son who is an engineer to make me a couple of aluminium ones that are now fitted to both cars – see pic. Work continues on getting the Z4M just how I want it. With suspension being a huge success last year and fully tested in Alps, my attention has now turned to extracting a bit more noise from the exhaust by replacing just the rear silencers. Eisenmann seemed like a good option, great quality and sound. SuperSprint was also considered, both the Race and Powerloop versions. But in the end, I decided to go for a small US manufacturer called Stromung Exhaust Engineering which has a decent Z4M following in the US. At the time of writing they are in transit and will update once installed. Keep an eye on the BMW Car Club South East Region
South Wales Jonathan Bamford
southeast@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
Hailsham 01323 844 032 Worthing 01903 784 147 www.baronsgroup.co.uk/bmw
BARONS CC20133 =
15% discount code
homepage. www.bmwcarclubgb.uk/regions/south-east Kent Micro Meeting – The George, Taylors Lane, Trottiscliffe, West Malling, ME19 5DR Sussex Micro Meeting – Billy’s on the Road, Stane Street, Billingshurst, RH14 9AE
southwales@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
Welcome to our South Wales Region news. I hope that everyone is safe and well. If you are new to the Club and this is your first issue, then welcome. Our monthly meets start up again during March 2022. They are currently held at the Twelve Knights pub in Margam, SA13 2DB, and are held on the third Wednesday of the month. If you haven’t been to one of our meetings before then come along. It is a great opportunity to meet other members and your passion for cars. I will notify all members by email prior to them starting again and will confirm times and location. Please ensure the Club has your correct email address so that you don’t miss out on any future announcements. We will continue to arrange, depending on the weather, meetings and small run outs. We will continue to have our cars and coffee meet on most Sundays at Unit 7 in Llanelli. It’s a couple of hours out of the house and a great opportunity to meet up and stay in touch during the winter months. If you are not involved in our WhatsApp groups, then please contact me to be added. It is here that last minute runs and meetings may be arranged. This year we will be holding several events to raise money for Maggie’s. It is a charity providing free cancer support and information in centres across the UK and online. It has support specialists, psychologists and benefits advisors if you, or someone you care about, has cancer. They are there for people to share experiences with others in a similar situation www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
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regionalnews around the kitchen table in a centre or in one of their support groups. To find out more, visit the website at www.maggies. org. I hope to see many members at specific events to help raise money for this great charity. Details of future events will be sent out to members on email. Keep an eye out in your inbox for these over the coming months and if you could confirm your attendance by return email, I would be most grateful. With very little happening over the Christmas and New Year period, I thought I would include some images of my recent purchase. As some of you will already be aware, I have had to change the M2 Competition for something a little cheaper due to
my work situation. Therefore, I have changed to an E92 M3. It’s a Limited Edition 500 and, whilst being a totally different machine to the M2, it is one of the best sounding engines I have ever heard. Really looking forward to the new season and getting out on the open road to stretch its legs. Until next month, as always, stay safe and hopefully see you soon.
Thames Tony Skerrett
thames@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
Future Events March – Proposed Tour of Hook Norton Brewery. April – Visit to Broughton Towers. 1st May – Tea and Rounders at Waterperry House and Gardens, May – Cotswold Motor and Classic Car Museum Bourton on Water. June – Tour of BMW Cowley Mini Factory if possible. My Car by Niek Nijsen of E9 Brunhilda Fame
Central and Thames line up at the 2019 Gaydon festival by Pete Austin
Firstly, a belated Happy New Year to all BMW owners. Our Christmas dinner was sparsely attended at the Chequers, no matter as we still had Tony, Mo, Roy, Gary, Karl and Shirley. Both Gary and Roy were in top form, so that made it an enjoyable evening out. As usual we now go into our hibernation season and will reappear in late March 2022 (subject to the weather) and generally after summer time comes into effect. This was voted on in 2015 at the inaugural meeting held at Upper Windrush in the inn for all seasons; so it is about time we reviewed that vote. Even so, I welcome any articles on members’ cars, technical experiences, ideas on tours or places to visit. I can’t stress enough how important these articles, pictures and ideas mean to all our members.
Hello All Members, Brünhilda received some new goodies this year, which will be extensively covered in the upcoming Project C.A.R. episodes. My model bench has had a good clear-out and reorganisation in order to refocus and hit the ground running in January. Lastly, I’ve been working on a special project that is taking quite a bit of my time, but hopefully will be ready for you in the near future. I’d like to thank you all for your support, comments, likes, subscriptions, advice and following over the last year and hopefully you’ll join me again in 2022. I wish you all the best and Happy New Year.
Niek hard at work on his E9 Restoration
BMW line up with Mercedes at Sandringham September 2019
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Visit Niek on his Facebook page: www.facebook.com/ E9Brunhilda/photos/183836023126113 www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
regionalnews
Wessex Julian Pickering
Snows BMW snows.co.uk/bmw
wessex@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
Our parts department is open 7 days a week. Portsmouth: Eastern Road, Portsmouth, PO3 5FF 02392 657500 Isle of Wight: Forest Road, Newport, PO30 5QJ 01983 522555
Barons Farnborough 01252 518 185 2022 has not started the way we had hoped. Late last year there was a strong feeling of optimism about the New Year and a return to a normal Club events schedule, but a new word has entered our vocabulary: Omicron. Hopefully this will disappear again soon but the current escalation of infections forced us to postpone our eagerly-awaited Technical Evening on 5th January. I know that our trade experts, James Robinson from Bromspec Motorworks, Jon Snow from The Wheel Specialist and Ryan David from RPM Valeting and Detailing, have all been preparing interesting presentations for this event and I send my apologies to them. I hope that we will be able to reschedule very soon. On a brighter note, we were able to hold our annual Christmas dinner back on 15th December at the Tyrrells Ford Country Inn, which was attended by over 20 members. This number was down on our regular attendance but it was a very enjoyable evening with good social distancing and a very substantial three-course dinner. I have always felt that I have a good appetite but it certainly challenged me. My E93 had an unexpected Christmas present this year in the shape of two new rear Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 5 tyres. They were a direct replacement of the old tyres, which were new in December 2018 and had only about 10,000 miles of wear. Unfortunately they had scrubbed on the inner edges and caused an advisory in my recent MOT. At a cost of about £200 per tyre, balanced and fitted, it was a stark reminder to keep a close eye on wheel tracking, particularly on the rear of your car. The fronts were fine and have many miles of use left in them. The tracking has now been checked on all four wheels. This month’s Car of the Month is a first class E9 3.0 CSA, owned by David Livingstone. David has provided the following description: “The story of my BMW E9 3.0 CSA is one of family ownership. It was first registered in October 1973 and acquired by my mother in October 1975. I remember the discussion between my parents at the time as to whether to get a new car or to get the E9. Even at two years old the E9 was the price of a new Saab 99, of which my mother was really fond. Luckily, sense prevailed and the E9 was bought. It was our family’s pride and joy and my mother’s daily car for the next 37 years! Even though there is not much room in the back, I was more than happy to be taken to school in it. Later, when I bought my first house in Stornoway, I asked my parents to bring me everything I needed for the house. They duly turned up in the E9. The car was riding so low that it couldn’t get off the ferry without catching the exhaust, so they had to reverse down the ramp onto the quay. Not all memories of the car are so pleasant. As anyone knows, BMWs of the 70s rot badly. The conversation at home, that must have been repeated across the country, was do we scrap it or spend more money than it’s worth refurbishing it? Fortunately, it was sent to Jaymic for a full rebuild. I inherited the car from my mother in 2012. Since then, it has been through the body shop of Paul Baker Custom Metal, most recently in early 2021, when I discovered that there was no inner wing or bulkhead on the offside and very little holding the suspension turret in place. I’m hoping now that all the work is done it will last me for many years. It is a delight to drive and I have enjoyed taking it www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
Barons Hindhead 01428 605 000 to shows and on tours both in the UK and around Europe. I’m looking forward to many more in the future.”
Forthcoming Events At this time, events can be added and cancelled at short notice because of weather conditions and prevailing Covid restrictions. All events will be advertised on the Club website and notifications sent out through our WhatsApp group and Facebook pages. February • Winter breakfast meeting – Second breakfast meeting, TBA. • Wessex Region AGM – Election of Region officers and Working Group. Open discussion on the 2022 programme. Sir Walter Tyrrell Pub, Brook, Near Cadnam, 26th February, 11.30am. Followed by lunch at 12.30pm. BMW Car Club Magazine February 2022
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regionalnews
Western Nigel Smith
western@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
Hi everyone, I hope we are all keeping well and welcome to any new members. Unfortunately, I missed the magazine deadline for January so a happy belated New Year to you all. Our Christmas meal went well and the food was great with a bit of dancing going on afterwards by a few of our members. A good time was had by all. Thanks to Scott and Jo for getting this organised. Well, we are now into 2022 and at the time of writing this no further Covid restrictions have been announced. With this in mind I am hopeful that this year we will get to see each other at our shows again, it’s been a shame that these have been cancelled in the last two years, but unfortunately we had no choice. We do look forward to seeing if we get record numbers this year at our events, and if we still have to be careful I trust that everyone attending will follow any guidelines that have been set. Personally I am excited to be able to look forward to our events this year as I’m sure many others are as well. Come on, get cleaning those cars and we will see you soon. If anyone has an article that they would like put into the magazine please let me know and we can see if we can get it put in for you. Please note our next pub meet will be 2nd February. 2022 Show dates for your diary Pub meet at The Woolpack, Weston Super Mare 7.30pm – 2nd February 2nd March 6th April 4th May 8th June
6th July 3rd August 7th September 5th October 2nd November (AGM)
28th March – date TBC Sunday Drive. 24th April – Southern Concours Show & Shine at Sherborne Castle, Sherborne, Dorset. This is also a general gathering of BMW’s and usually a bouncy castle for the children. 5th June – BMs on the Lawn, Weston super Mare sea front lawns, show and shine event. This event will also be in memory of our previous organiser Rob Scanlan. 9th & 10th July – we will also be sharing a stand with the Devon Region at Powderham Castle, classic vehicle gathering, numbers limited, please show your interest if you would like a place on the Club stand, either or both days. September date to be confirmed – Simply BMW, Beaulieu Motor Museum. December TBA – Christmas meal Please keep an eye out for any further events listed or any updates. We look forward to seeing you at our events and hopefully have a record attendance.
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registernews 02 Richard Stern
07770 443373 02register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
I have run the 02 Register for over 25 years, and almost every single month I have written articles and features. That equates to over 300 newsletters, plus multiple other features. I even used to write features for the BMW Drivers Club magazine and the American Roundel, occasionally. I am always looking for new ideas and inspiration so please reach out to me, share your knowledge and experiences with other 02 owners around the world. Just drop me an email at richstern@hotmail.com
I shall see if I can organise something and a place worthy of a meet up. If it isn’t a global virus ruining our fun, it’s the UK government. Legislation has been floated that could ruin the industry that supports old and classic cars, the aftermarket and tuners. Let’s be clear, classic cars are not responsible for the world’s problems. 90% of the world’s pollution comes from industry. 90%! The biggest culprits are China, America and India, not you and me. My message is clear, use and drive your classic car everyday as you just don’t know how long we’ve got. And remember the Premium fuel is still the old E5 with less ethanol to the normal unleaded fuel, which is not suitable for most cars pre-2002. Still, if you’d like to do more the FBVHC has set up a plant a tree to off-set your carbon footprint from your classic, if you want to know more go here; www.fbhvc.co.uk/news/article/fbhvclaunch-carbon-balancing-scheme-for-historic-vehicles A very interesting feature from Motortrend explains how the petrol engine is here to stay. Search for “How Gasoline Engines Can Survive in an Electric Car Future” to read more.
Don’t forget our big event this year, the massive 70 years of the BMWCC and 50 years of M Power, so it will be an event not to be missed and never repeated. At time of writing this I’m hoping to include an 02 Autojumble this year. April 24th should see the return of the DID (Drive It Day),
Tail Pipe The best forum in the world for 02s is, and always has been, www.bmw2002faq.com don’t forget to sign-up and search for whatever 02 subject you need. Also visit the shop for new merchandise.
1 Series Anthony Mason Readers Rides As I can only offer my opinion on life, my universe and my cars, I love hearing from other Club members. It’s extra special when people get in touch and tell me all about their passion. Here’s a real life review from Keith Mills from Cheshire. If you would like to tell me about your own car I’d love to hear it. And I can try and get it published in a section I like to call Readers Rides. Over to Keith. “I noticed that the baby of the BMW range tends to get a bit overlooked in the member’s pages, so I thought I’d update you all on the new M135i xDrive I’ve had since March 2021. I part ex’d my 2018 G01 X3 for this beast… what a difference! The X3 was very proficient, smooth and full of tech, but had no real soul. After almost three years of wafting about in comfort, I’d decided I wanted a driver’s car again. One test drive in an M135i and that was it, I picked up a new one on March 5th and off we went. A real step up in terms of tech with the new dashboard style, self-parking, seats and more. But it was the motor that had me hooked. After carefully running it in for the first 1200 miles, I finally unleashed the full power during the summer. The best way to describe it for a 60 year old driver? Terrifying! Luckily, it’s the point and squirt ability of this car rather than outright performance that makes it a joy to drive. Overtake required? Clear space, foot down and you’re past in a moment. I opted to specify the Adaptive Suspension which, on 18” wheels, gives the Comfort setting real, erm, comfort compared to the standard setup I drove on the demonstrator. In Sport it does firm up into go-kart mode for more spirited driving. The seats are the best seats I’ve ever come across in any car, helped by the infinitely adjustable electrics no doubt. www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
1series@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
“Due to lockdown, I’ve only just passed 4000 miles this month. This does include its first c.800 mile road trip to Inverness and return to Cheshire. I was mildly concerned about the cost of the trip in terms of fuel. How did the economy fare? A rather unbelievable average of 45.3 mpg in spite of the progress I tried to make on both eight-hour legs of the journey. In a 306hp 2 litre turbo! I’m totally impressed with the car in every way.
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registernews “My only niggle was almost getting chucked into a cyclist by the Lane Assistant when I wasn’t used to the car and didn’t indicate to overtake the cyclist. There was nobody either behind me or approaching me from the opposite way, I was passing a line of parked cars as was the cyclist. I wouldn’t normally indicate in that situation. As I crossed the white centre line the car steered me back in towards the poor guy who gave a friendly one finger wave in appreciation. The last OTA software update now allows you to turn Lane Assist Steering Intervention completely off, which I’ve done. “One thing I can recommend to all, if you’re going to be making long trips, is a spare full size wheel. The car comes with the standard compressor and gloop kit, but travelling around the Highlands isn’t without its risks as the roads aren’t all perfect, shall we say? I can recommend the one pictured and can confirm that it fits over the huge front brake callipers nicely. It fits into the boot floor too. In my opinion all cars, especially considering the price of this car, should have a full size spare as standard. You’re unable to specify one as an option either. “In the past, I’ve owned a 130i and an M235i and this car is a vast improvement in every way over both, despite being short two cylinders versus both of them. I couldn’t drive either of them in icy conditions without issues, whereas the xDrive simply glues you to the road in all weathers. So there you go, the M135i xDrive is an amazing car that I’d recommend to all drivers whose driving talents, like mine, don’t extend to a real M car.”
2 Series Jagdeep Bhambra Hello everyone. I hope you all had a fantastic holiday period. My name is Jagdeep Bhambra (Jag) and I’m the new Register Chair for the 2 Series section. This spot has been vacant for quite some time and I hope to bring you some useful news and information about this particular model as well as speaking to 2 Series owners. I’ve been a BMW fan ever since I bought my first E30 325i back in 2005. Since then I’ve had my fair share of E30s, E36s, E46s and E39s. While I have a soft spot for the classics, I do have a certain amount of admiration for more modern cars. I must confess, I do not know a great deal about the 2 Series but as the saying goes, nothing ventured nothing gained. During my time as the 2 Series Register Chair, I hope to learn what I can by researching and speaking to people who have been in and around these cars, collecting whatever news and knowledge I have obtained and sharing it with you all. I’ll be joining groups on Facebook to connect with owners and I’ve begun following 2 Series related pages on Instagram to see what and who is about in this community. I really enjoy attending meets and car shows, checking out peoples’ builds and, more importantly, speaking to owners, finding out about the story behind the car and its journey. No matter what car you own, it tends to be your pride and joy. Some of us put in a lot of time, money, blood, sweat and tears into our cars which can quickly turn into ongoing projects. I’m based in Romford, East London so if anyone wants to meet up for a cuppa and chat about their cars then please do feel free to get in touch. I live close to the Sytner dealership, which I have already visited and introduced myself to one of the Sales Exec’s there. Maybe they will lend me a car to drive around in and write about. I’m dreaming, I know. I also live close by to MStyle who specialise in BMWs new and old. I’ve been in touch with them as well to see if I can work with them to get some news on any 2 Series projects they may have ongoing or up and coming for me to write about, so let’s see how that goes. I’m also really pleased to say that I have made contact with a
68 BMW Car Club Magazine February 2022
2series@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
couple of 2 Series owners via the BMW 2 Series Owners Club on Facebook. Sandra Lockey (BMW Car Club member) is the proud owner of a beautiful Estoril Blue M240i. It’s been tucked away since purchasing the car in October, but it will be unleashed once winter is over. I’ll be catching up with Sandra in a couple of months to get the low down on how she is enjoying her M240i and will share her experience with you all. For now, she has kindly shared a few pictures of her pride and joy, so enjoy.
www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
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Liam Smith has also been in touch to not only share some pictures of his lovely M2C in Long Beach blue, and I’ll also be catching up with him to get some feedback on how life as a 2 Series owner is going so look out for that.
3 Series Simon Maskell Welcome to the February edition of Straight Six, the best BMW magazine, I’m sure you will agree. I am not sure how useful the following information will be to many of you, but as a northerner, it was still relevant. I have had the subject of ULEZ in the back of my mind, as a year or two ago I sold a 2000 13K-mile E46 330i SE saloon to a chap in London. The deal was predicated on him being able to register for ULEZ, so he could drive the car in central London. I believe that Manchester is going to implement something similar in the not too distant future. When you entered the registration number into the system, the computer said no. Now I know that later E46 330s did conform and fortunately there is an appeals system. From what I can establish, it seems that around the year 2002 a car’s V5 has the emissions value displayed. I have a 97, 98, two 2000 and 2002 3 Series, and it is only the newer car that displays emissions data. The irony, in my personal case, is that my 2002 car falls into the highest band of daily charge. My assumption is that this is how the ULEZ software decides if you are good to go, or not. The worst part of this saga is that there undoubtedly are car owners who are under the impression their car is not allowed without being heavily penalised, and this may not be the case. This could be a crucial factor in them deciding whether to keep a vehicle. It is possible to research the exact values that are
3 Series E36 Michal Michalski
I wish everyone a prosperous 2022 (and beyond) and look forward to learning more about the 2 Series.
3series@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
permissible and those that relate to your particular car, but that will not satisfy the suits at City Hall. What you need is a Certificate of Conformity from BMW. This is available from the following email address; eccoc@bmw.co.uk. I am aware from the purchaser of my 330i saloon that he had done this with previous vehicles and that some manufacturers had charged for the privilege, but that he now has a COC for the E46 and it was provided for free by BMW. The car is now ULEZ compliant, as he has provided the correct paperwork via the appeals process. So the moral of the story is simple, don’t take no for an answer. It may be that you are good to go or you may be thinking that it doesn’t matter. Well, the sale of a vehicle could depend on it, especially when the potential purchaser intends to use the car in a ULEZ. If it is free, why not get that COC? The other point to note is that there could be a steady supply of vehicles from these ULEZ affected cities. Food for thought! I hope this information has proved of interest and I would like to know how you get on if you do apply. Does your car indeed qualify and if so could you let fellow club members know? It may be something we could collate on the new knowledge base that will form part of the new club website. As ever, it has been a pleasure and until next time I will say goodbye.
e36register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
February tends to be my least favourite month. My E36 is in the garage, it’s cold, rainy, and unpleasant (I’m very outdoorsy). So, I decided to reach out to the BMW E36 Owners UK Facebook group to find a gem that will lift everyone’s mood and make them look forward to driving again in the spring. Ross Siggers’ E36 got the most interactions on my post, and it’s easy to see why! He owns a 1998 328i factory Sport model finished in Techno Violet. This isn’t his first E36, his very first car was a 316i Coupé, Ross said: “I wanted something different from the hatchbacks my friends were getting and I love the E36 looks.” I fully agree.
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registernews The car has been tastefully modified, as I like to say. Ross is a believer of the OEM+ mantra, which means mainly BMWsourced upgrades are used. The interior has been kitted out with almost all factory options: electrically-adjustable seats with lumbar support, heated seat cushions, extended leather dash and centre console, rear blind, PDC (parking distance control), cruise control, Harman Kardon audio, electric rear windows as well as a Nardi steering wheel. The genuine BMW Business Radio has been updated with handsfree Bluetooth. The modifications didn’t end inside, Ross has sourced and fitted:
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M3 Limited slip differential M3 6 speed gearbox M3 anti roll bars M3 exhaust M3 cooling system The list doesn’t end there, but personally I have a huge amount of respect for him as the car is actually being used for fun days on the track. Other modifications that are not OEM, but super high quality include, BC Racing coilovers, Eisenmann backbox, AC Schnitzer three-piece spoiler and full Powerflex bushings. The wheels are wider E39 fitment, with E46 330i brakes beneath. The intake manifold and slightly lightened (7.5kg) flywheel are from the earlier M50 engine. In the future, Ross has plans to fit individual throttle bodies from an M3, as well as a pair of very rare aluminium doors. All these M3 mods make you think that Ross should’ve just gone for an M3 but as he said: “Whilst an M3 would be amazing, the associated costs weren’t for me. A 328i allows me more flexibility to tinker and modify within a budget”. I think that’s a correct choice, M3 values have gone up so much recently that many owners are trying to preserve their cars in top condition.
Ross wasn’t the car’s first owner by any means. Whilst in the market he’d seen someone was looking for their old E36, to potentially buy back. The following week, an advert was posted for that very example, and the rest is history. Although Ross has spoken to the previous owner several times, even meeting up for him to drive the car. Both owners are on good terms, with the previous owner happy that the car has gone to a good home. Whilst Ross tries to do everything himself, he wanted to give a shout out to Mr Retrofits, the auto-electronics business that fitted a lot of the extra OEM equipment. Without his help the car wouldn’t be what it is.
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3 Series E46 Simon Maskell Welcome to February’s edition of Straight Six. With all that festivities behind us, I am sure we are thinking about the year ahead. Hopefully, we will be less affected by that global pandemic stuff and a degree of normality means it is time to think about those car-related jobs. For me, and Director Nick, that has meant changing the track car’s brakes. Again. Fellow track day attendee, Brian H, suggested another brake pad manufacturer, so we are trying PFC, a US firm’s product. Let’s hope these pads last longer than two outings. It is always nice when someone sends me an email that has an article attached and some photos. This month I have the pleasure of member David Mills contacting me and he would like to share with us his thoughts of his own E46 journey. “During the lockdown at the beginning of 2021, I found myself, once again, hunting online for an E46. I was unsure of exactly what I wanted, possibly an M3 or a 330Ci M Sport. After hours of endless scrolling, I decided a good M3 was definitely out of my price range. This allowed me to narrow down my hunt to a 330. “A few weeks passed and nothing that took my fancy came up for sale on the usual sites. My father, a classic Ford man, alerted me to a 330Ci he spied while looking at a few online classic car auctions. The auction in question was Mathewson in Yorkshire. I am sure many readers are familiar with them through the TV programme Bangers & Cash. After a quick phone call to their office, I was provided with a haul of photographs and a thorough walk round video of the car in question. Unfortunately, due to the government travel restrictions at the time, I was unable to fly from Northern Ireland to view the car, but with the information and pictures I had received I was confident about bidding. On the day of the auction, I was unopposed with my bid and as the hammer dropped, I was now the owner of a 2004 Alpine White 330Ci auto M Sport. “Fast forward a week and the car arrived in Northern Ireland. To say I was delighted would be an understatement. After I studied the handbooks and old certificates that came in the glovebox, I discovered that my pride and joy turned out to be a Japanese import. Sold new near Yokohama in 2004, the car spent most of its life in Japan until it was exported to the UK. It has covered just 85,000KMs with an almost complete service history from Nicole BMW Japan. When it arrived, it came with a few modifications, such as a cheap aftermarket head unit, cheap rear window spoiler and of course the classic black kidney grills. Thankfully all of these were easily changed back to standard. “I plan to use the car as a weekend and summer car and add a few OEM+ upgrades, such as a red leather interior and possibly a Super Sprint stainless exhaust system that I have spare from a previous project. This will bring out the sound of the glorious 3-litre straight-six.
4 Series Paul Roberts Belated Happy New Year to all 4 Series owners out there. Let’s hope 2022 will give us the opportunity to meet like minded people and to enjoy our cars to the full. The issue is, of course, the Covid situation, which sadly shows no signs of getting much better. Hopefully once we get into spring we can start to arrange meets and enjoy the better weather. We’re still thinking about another scenic and continental trip to the Peak District, so perhaps more on this another time. Will think about changing the two front tyres at the end of the month, as mentioned in my last article, and will let you know how I get on. I fitted new mats from Carmats, together with new wiper www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
e46register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
“I hope everyone has enjoyed my short story about my car and if anyone in the register has a similar car finished in Alpine White, I would love to hear about it!” A red interior in a white car; that will look superb and, as David asks, are there any other white E46s out there? I personally owned a 13K mile Alpine White 2 example a few years ago and that is still with the person who bought it from me. That is it for another month, so until the next one, it is goodbye from me.
4series@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
blades, so that should see me through the winter. The car continues to perform incredibly well and I’m now up to 32,000 miles so I have done around 10,000 miles in 11 months, a few more than I anticipated. Still, it seems the value of secondhand cars has increased and, having just looked at one of the wellknown websites, I would appear to have only lost around £2,000 compared to what I paid for the car in February 2021. Anyway, I’m not looking to change for at least another 12 months… but given my track record, who knows? Anyway, enough babbling, until next time. Please don’t forget other 4 Series owners, do let me have pictures and details of your cars so I can show them in the next article. So it’s goodbye from him… BMW Car Club Magazine February 2022
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5 Series E28 Tim Maltby My thanks go to two readers who responded to my musings in December regarding SORN and taxation. Robert has several cars used in rotation and tax is paid by direct debit. If a car is going back into the garage, then the DD is cancelled four days before month end and the car SORNed on the last day of that month. The car going onto the drive is then taxed the next morning, the first day of the month. Anthony taxes his car for 12 months and then pulls the plug, say at the end of November, enjoys the tax refund cheque from the DVLA, before re-taxing in March or April. Work has finally started on the M535i, albeit via a convoluted route. Three years ago I took it off the road and put the driver’s seat into the M5, as its seat, in the eye of the MOT tester, was becoming too “rocky” and the base had started to collapse. I had, in the meantime, acquired a complete seat set from a very tired donor M5. Despite the torn and faded houndstooth upholstery, the structural frames seemed sound but I had no idea if the power adjusters worked. My original black leather upholstery certainly showed it’s 200k miles but was in good condition. All the adjustment motors worked, with the exception of the extendable seat squabs. I was aware of this when I bought the car many years ago, especially as the switch and its seat trim were missing. Now was the ideal opportunity to sort the seats out. Having stripped the seat into its component form, I was immediately struck as to why the base was knackered and that somebody else had been in there before. My major disappointment was that the earlier welding on the front of the base frame left a lot to be desired. The loom that feeds the adjustable headrest motor had been cut, which is understandable as it is fed through the pivot tube of the back rake adjuster and up into the seat back to the motor. At least with bullet connectors this can then be fed back through the pivot tubes. The image with the cracked frame shows the pivot tube in question. The donor seats also came to the rescue with the seat squab. Whilst the original motor was working the guide mechanism was badly damaged and part of the wiring loom was missing. I’m pleased to report that this is, at last, fully functioning. Not bad after 17 years of ownership. What I hadn’t realised was that both the base and seat back covers had the provision to be heated, as shown in the image, with the red and red yellow cut cables. In my case these had been cut and no trace remained of the loom under the seat. The main wiring loom protruding through the carpet under the seat did have a separate feed and appropriate female connector for said heating. There is certainly no switch on the dash, but there is a blanking plate, so I can only surmise that the car wasn’t specced in the first place, which seems odd as all the wiring is in place, but who knows? Of interest, the donor seats with the houndstooth cloth trim, whilst fully electric, have no heating elements or any associated wiring. Let work commence on the passenger seat.
5 Series E34 Manj Sandhu With all my usual attention on the 535i Sport, I thought it would be a good idea to devote more time to the 525iX. After a couple of busy months with updates and back and forth on the leaks, it is finally in a place to enjoy. Truth to be told it is not 100% yet, but significant progress has been made on how it’s running and driving. There is still evidence of a coolant leak, though. Not as bad as before, mind you, but I am hoping it will be looked at before we break up. I thought I would go into some of the history behind the 525iX. Something along the lines of how I acquired it and some background on the car and why I purchased it. Some
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e28register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
The M535i now has its original driver seat reinstalled and I am fully motivated to carry on with the restoration and it is only the 3rd January at the time of writing. It is significant that these manually adjusted seats are so much lighter than the powered ones, but then six electric motors and associated drives are not present. I am looking forward to re-enacting this image of the 535 in sunnier times. As ever, please get in touch with any thoughts and ideas for the coming year
e34register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
of it relates back to my first E34, the Calypso Red metallic 520i that I owned for around 16 years. In the meantime, with some work still to do on the 525iX, I have an added complication. My mechanic, Sam, is currently in the middle of moving. I actually helped him move in some heavy new lifts that he had purchased for the new property, it was good to put my weight training efforts to use. The lovely wife always likes to comment on how I do all that weight training and it only comes in handy when stuff needs lifting or moving, such as a house or garage move. In addition, how useful I am when www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
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she needs me to open jars and bottle tops. I love you too Mrs S! Anyway, Sam is relocating a little further away in Stratford, about 35 minutes from where I am now. It is a little inconvenient, but once you find a good mechanic who understands a car, I think it is best to stick with them. Do you agree? You may recall, about a year ago, just after the house move, (I cannot believe it has been a year already) I was on the hunt for a local car garage to service and maintain my vehicles, which was about the time when I came across Sam. His energy and enthusiasm was a joy to see especially with regard to the older BMWs. We struck up a good rapport and it took off from there. I am always wary of someone taking advantage of my passion and enthusiasm for the car and getting it fixed. There are many dubious characters out there just waiting to fleece you for your hard-earned cash. I got an interesting email from a member on what I wrote about the E10 and E5 ethanol article in the magazine last month. I commented how I found the article useful with the information contained in it. However, the email included a very good point, noting: “It failed to mention the most obvious thing to do, which is use Esso Synergy Supreme as its ethanol free in most parts of England. See their website for details. It is also 99 RON.” Thanks to the member for the email. I will look into the Esso website. In fact, my nearest petrol station is an Esso so it would be much easier for me. In the meantime, I have been using the
7 Series Matthew Swanborough
Valve master-plus in the powerful cars and it seems hard to notice much difference. So much for my plan to update you on the 525iX and a bit of background on it with regard to how it is running and driving. So to make up for it I have included pictures of the 525iX after a recent much needed wash. With all my waffle I have run out of words, so maybe next month. I will try to keep the “waffle” to a minimum. I hope you all are okay despite the new Covid variant on the rise. Take care of yourselves all and just as important take care of your E34s.
7series@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
Welcome to another month of news from the 7 Series Register. I trust that you, your family, and your BMW(s) of choice are in good health. I believe many of us are looking forward to a busy year of meet ups and events, with the calendar filling up all the time. If you wish to participate in any or invite other 7 Series owners to an event you are planning or have heard of, even at short notice, please do get in touch with me. Details are below. This month I would like to share some news from owner Jon Dewar, with his lovely 2000 728i Sport in Biaritz Blue. “I originally wasn’t in the market for a 7 Series, let alone an E38. However one happened to fall into my lap. My brother-inlaw works at a main dealer where a good customer had just returned from working overseas since 2004. This was in 2012, and he decided he wanted to buy a brand new 7 Series. He had previously bought the E38 from Grassicks BMW in Perth, brand new in 2000. He used this until 2004 when he secured a job abroad and the car sat in a garage for the next eight years. When they asked if he was trading the old E38 in he just said if you want it, come and take it away. All the brakes have seized and the radiator has rotted away. So I was offered the car and gave him £500 for it. I have owned it since then and it is now awaiting paint and a light restoration.” Thank you Jon for sharing your story. I think we all enjoy
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hearing how these cars arrive in our lives and how they can make a lasting impression and become part of the family, whether they were bought from new or offered to us out of the blue. To share your story of any E-model 7 Series (not just
8 Series Debbie Blythe Hi everyone. I hope you are all keeping well and are now thinking of planning your attendance at some of our events during 2022. Well, the list is now below, but we still have dates available to join other shows taking place in your area, so please let me know if there is one that would suit. There is also space in this column over the next couple of months for a Car of the Month or any technical tips or advice. Or even a short piece on how, when and why you got your 8 Series, both E31 and G15, so get those emails sent to me at 8series@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk So sorry about this but in the absence of any other articles I am afraid you have got to hear about our latest trip out on New Year’s Day to a local classic car meet on the South Coast. Manhood Classics, Selsey Bill – New Year’s Day The TV was on, the news had just finished and we were listening
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E38s) get in touch with me anytime, email 7series@ bmwcarclubgb.co.uk, follow me on Instagram @e38th and @bmw_7seriesregister or find me on many of the 7 Series Facebook pages as Matt Bavaria.
8series@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
intently to every word that Thomas Schafenacker was saying. The question was, was it going to rain on the morning of New Year’s Day? Well no, actually. That was it, get the cars washed and ready, have an alcohol free New Year’s Eve and set the alarm for an early start. To be fair, though, our alcohol intake is very small nowadays and early starts are not a problem as Paul is an ex-lorry driver so we are always awake before 6am. The show we had planned to go and join was just over an hour’s drive away from us at Selsey Bill in West Sussex and is organised by Manhood Classics, one of the many local car groups here on the South Coast. The drive to the show took us along the M27, which after at least two years is still limited to 50mph for most of it while they convert it to a smart motorway. Don’t get us started on that. Anyway, then it was onto the A27 along to Chichester and then turn right for a few miles to the public car park by the beach at Selsey. We arrived early enough to have a prime spot
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registernews and were able to view all the other attendees as they arrived. The Club welcomes all cars, whether it’s a 1940s Austin or a new Kia, so there was quite an eclectic mix of cars there. Our two 8 Series joined an E30 325i and a 3.0Si Z4 as the only BMWs, but we also had old British cars and a good selection of American muscle, including a Sherrod Mustang 500 with 600bhp parked just behind us. One of only three in the country, it sounded incredible when started up, but according to the owner he didn’t do that too often as it only does 10 miles per gallon. At the end of the show Thomas was right, no rain, the cars stayed clean and dry and we took a leisurely drive home to park them up until the dry weekend and local show. Future Events This list is just some of the events we hope to organise or attend during 2022, please feel free to email with any suggestions you may have, no matter where, we are always up for a trip, any excuse to get behind the wheel of the 8. •
0th March – Sunday morning meeting at The Chequers 2 Inn, Weston on the Green, near Bicester.
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0th April – The Ultimate BMW Meet at British Motor 1 Museum, Gaydon. If you want a place on our E31 stand then email me your car and reg. number ASAP so I can reserve a place with the organisers. Tickets will be £10 each and available direct from the Motor Museum website soon.
Alpina Simon Alcorn
i8 Clive Neville Last month in my piece on Garage Queens I wittered on about the potential perils of owning and not using a car for longish periods, particularly over the winter. This is something many of us classic car owning end of the spectrum do, I think, noting that the previous month’s issue of Straight Six had an article on car storage and how to do it. After gaining substantial advice from (the admittedly few) UK-based experts, I pronounced in the article that the impact of prolonged storage on one of my cars was a wrecked big end bearing. This prompted much gnashing and wailing in the household in the knowledge that the resultant engine rebuild would empty our bank account and more. As it happens, this wasn’t the cause of the terrible noise at all. Ho hum. In actual fact, the racket was coming from a worn air conditioning compressor bearing that just happened to have the same rotational frequency as the crank and was located right next to the sump. So, we were all surprised when the noise stopped after the compressor belt had been removed. Huge crisis averted and payment of far less than I was expecting. This made for a happier Christmas and one more bottle of Prosecco. Although I have to eat humble pie here and acknowledge that the article was wrong, I still firmly believe that correct winter storage and precautions are essential to the longevity of our classics. So the Parable of the Garage Queen wasn’t www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
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ate April / Early May – How about a Road Trip, a few of L the group have shown interest in the NC500 (North Coast 500 – Scotland). I am looking into a version of this as a possible event depending on the number of confirmed places, but have only had one so far.
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Late April/Early May – If the NC500 is not going ahead then
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8th May – Basingstoke Festival of Transport
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May – South East event – to be confirmed
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5th June – BMs on the Lawn, Weston Super Mare
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2th June – Sunday morning meeting at The Chequers Inn, 1 Weston on the Green, near Bicester.
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2nd July – Lichfield Cars in the Park
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rd July – Possible Caffeine and Machine visit, to be 3 confirmed.
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7th August – BMW Car Club national event.
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1st August - Sunday morning meeting at The Chequers 2 Inn, Weston on the Green, near Bicester.
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eptember – Simply BMW at Beaulieu Motor Museum, S date to be confirmed
• 23rd October - Sunday morning meeting at The Chequers Inn, Weston on the Green, near Bicester. Also if you are not on my mailing list and wish to be please email me with your name, car details and location to 8series@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk alpina@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
i8register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
incorrect in parable terms. It was just wrong in terms of fact. Anyway, we still need to keep on top of things during the winter. Indeed, I read in Classic Car magazine recently that one of the staffers has got an E46 M3 and he has decided to turn the car over regularly without the injector fuse in so that he can keep the motor lubed before he finally turns the key in anger in the spring. A good move for all of us I think. Returning to i8s I had the pleasure of meeting another i8 owner recently in a nearby village. i8s seem to be urban cars rather than rural ones, so this was quite an event. It turns out that he finds the car absolutely stunning and would have nothing else, although he did confess that his pride and joy was actually the VW Bay Window camper in his garage, the i8 was the daily driver. Like me, he found the car’s balance of looks, handling, speed and economy to be beguiling and he wonders what he might exchange it for in the future. While this is not something that I dwell on at the moment, I do see that EVs are gaining an awful lot of ground at the moment and some of them, like the Porsche Taycan and Kia Ev6 but not the iX, would be pretty tempting, even on looks alone, especially as everyday cars. However, and even though the i8 will become a technological dinosaur before I know it, I still can’t get my head around range anxiety nor the fact that these newcomers all weigh well over two tonnes. Further work still needed I think before I make the change. BMW Car Club Magazine February 2022
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M Power
essex@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
A new breed of entertainment. John Denny Now I am a big fan of TV and the variety of shows that feed the car enthusiast’s habit. Wheeler Dealers, Texas Metal, Salvage Hunters, Classic Cars, CAR SOS, Fast and Loud, and Goblin Works to name a few. What’s true of all of these shows is they tend to follow a format, often they come with the scripted drama built-in and are well-polished take after take. After a while, as was the current situation whilst we were on lockdown, you reach your fill, but you still want some interesting petrol head distractions, so what next? With the latest modern televisions and plethora of digital devices we can now harness the power of the internet and tap into streaming services such as Amazon Prime and Netflix where there is still a traditional selection of programs, with a familiar TV Show feel. So now that we have moved on to streaming and have the internet on our device, this opens up the world of YouTube with various people who have set themselves up filming their car-themed activities. Some messing around, some quite serious, various formats from rank amateur to some that are frighteningly well produced. Now one of my personal favorites is Mighty Car Mods. The channel has been around for 10 years-or-so and has developed into a brand. There is merchandise, DVDs, books, television exposure, and it has well over 1 million subscribers. Whilst trawling YouTube I came across a relativity new channel called Driftworks, new to me at least. It had not cropped up on my recommended watches or suggested links whilst looking at other content, and I was instantly attracted to some of the content. There was a video of a BMW E46 M3 with an S85 V10 engine from the M5! At this point I suggest that you go and listen to it, as words cannot describe how epic it sounded on a fly by: https://youtu. be/759n9ukBt7E I was instantly engaged and started to watch more, and more. Then, after falling in love with the car, it transpired that Phil, the owner of Driftworks, an online performance parts company for ease of explanation, had built this thing, ran it, sold it. Some years later he managed to find it again in Germany and was rescuing it. The YouTube series follows the progress and I have been watching ever since. Along the way you also get to experience fun with his mate Jay’s 1000bhp Mustang project, and Craig’s LS1 engine swaps, an E92 M3 and an Aston Martin V8 Vantage already completed, with more RX7s and TVRs in the wings. I must say his excellent welding skills are a joy to behold. One thing I quickly found, is that the lads on each episode are down to earth and show you stuff they are doing to their own cars, and just happen to have the camera along for the ride. It’s a refreshing change to the scripted over polished TV car shows that we have in abundance cross the multiple television network offerings. Given the fact these videos are very well-edited, and the viewing numbers are starting to climb, and Phil is having to constantly feed the content machine that seems to be how you stay ahead in the YouTube viewing game, I wondered what was the thought process was around getting all this content on YouTube. Was it for fun? Was it for marketing? Were they going to become a spin-off UK Gas Monkey TV brand? Basically, what was it all about? Being a smaller UK-based company, and the guys
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seemed a friendly and helpful bunch, I thought why not reach out to them and ask them just that? And Phil Morrison M.D. Driftworks Ltd very kindly answered my questions, to which I am very grateful. You can find the interview by visiting bmwcarclubgb.co.uk/2022/01/05/m_power_news www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
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Modified Borislava Pepelyashka - @bobby_shark_attack INTERVIEW WITH A CAR Completing a classic car restoration is more than just a story to tell, it’s a journey that changes us inside and out. It gives you joy, especially when you overcome many of the hurdles, but it can also make you scream, throw your spanners and walk away from your workshop. Bringing a car back to life is a rewarding experience which requires motivation, skills and commitment. I am delighted to present to you the first Interview with a car. Under the stage lights today is a bagged 1973 BMW E6 2002 Touring. The BMW 2002 played an important role in putting BMW on the map as a manufacturer of drivers cars. The Touring model, designed by Michelotti, was compact and multifunctional, much more practical than similar early 1970s competitors. The Touring never matched the high production figures achieved by the sedan, but it remained the variant of choice for customers who needed extra practicality but still appreciated the sporting alacrity of the small BMW. All in all, 30,000-or-so examples of the Touring were built over its lifetime. Tech specs and modifications? • ENGINE: M10B20 fully rebuilt, fast road piper cams, two 45 weber carburettors, 123 ignition distributor. • TRANSMISSION: standard 4 speed manual • SUSPENSION: Custom Air Lift Performance suspension • BRAKES: OEM • WHEELS: BBS RM new lips, 15x8 • INTERIOR: Fully retrimmed Astra Mk1 GT Recaro front seats • AUDIO & SECURITY: Alpine Audio System, under-seats sub 4mids, 4 tweeters • EXTERIOR: Sprayed in Ford RS’ Stealth Grey, fully dechromed, front bumpers removed, G20 headlamp conversion, Custom Badges, Webasto Sunroof, turbo-styled arches • THANKS: Car Audio and Security for the Custom Air ride, The Trimming Centre in Lewes, B-trim in Enfield, Jaymic Ltd, Paul at Fairfield BMW
modified@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
“I’m thinking about selling this.” His eyes popped out of his head and sent a message straight away asking for more details. Two weeks later I appeared at his workshop and I had no clue what would happen next… What was the most challenging thing about you being a project car? I wouldn’t want to blame it on my designers or the build technology of the 70s, but my rear arches got more than 150 tiny little spot welds… brazing and leading took an age! Not to mention the amount of times Tony walked away… anyway once we passed this stage it was alright. Also floor panels were not available, but a creative owner always finds a way. The solution was a saloon boot floor panel chopped into four sections and size reduced to fit.
What makes you a special car? There are not many left on the road in the UK and I am the only 2002 Touring in the world running on air suspension. Best thing that ever happened to you? After 25 years of rotting away in a farm, and another four years spent in a garage waiting to be restored, Tony bought me in 2018. He must have been fairly drunk whilst scrolling through Facebook and saw a photo of his friend Kieran Richardson with a caption
www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
BMW Car Club Magazine February 2022
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registernews Tell us more about your owner? Tony Forbes-Marsden is a lifelong BMW nut who goes above and beyond to get the projects done. Follow him on Instagram @essexbmwe30 to see more photos of me and his E30 Baur. Accomplishments? Within less than a year, I’ve been awarded a few times. Twice in the top 20 and top 5 of oa show. Also I’ve won Best in Show, sponsor’s Best in Show and Best Classic Car. How do you spend your winters? With winter comes wet weather, salt spreaders, icy bends and all the stuff that the majority of cars wish would go away. Not me, I’m tucked away in a cozy garage remaining in good health and ready for lots of adventures during the next car season. A few words from Tony to our readers: Thank you to all the support from the 2002 community. The support and positive comments have been outstanding. Since the car made its debut early 2021 I’ve had nothing but praise and made a shed load of new friends.
X Series Greg Lyons & James Brigginshaw With Christmas done it is time to look at the next X Register meet. The last one near Whitby was a cracking start, with an Alpina X3, a spattering of M50Ds in X5 and X7 guise, as well as great condition Xs in other model variants. This time we’re looking at breakfast at V-Ate at Sutterton near Boston in Lincolnshire. This venue often sees performance car meets as well as the odd impromptu classic meet and so forth, so there’s often an interesting selection of motors knocking about. It’ll be a Saturday or Sunday in March, which will be communicated via the usual club channels. We’ll also drop the Region a message to see if all those with other models fancy the trip out. In other news this month, a day was spent testing out the all new fully electric iX, with thanks to Listers BMW Boston’s head sales Adam Lester. Always at the forefront of the M Power and i range they were one of the first to have the iX40 at the dealership and indeed will be an early adopter of the mighty iX50 in the New Year. Quite who will need the godly torque numbers that the 50 provides in an SAV, though. It is slightly bemusing given that I discovered that the 40 overtakes like a startled hare sprinting by a sleeping tortoise. So the iX 40 then. Fast? Certainly feels it, particularly when overtaking. Although the actual figures show that the electric instantaneous torque provides a sensation of speed that isn’t necessarily true to what is actually going on. Bizarre, I know, but I suspect you’ll see what I mean when you drive one. It does nip on, overtaking is it’s party piece, but it won’t lose you your licence as it’s 0-60 is actually only in the region of six seconds
78 BMW Car Club Magazine February 2022
xseries@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
and due to the jolly caring (ridiculous?) world we live in, it ceases all activity at 112mph. Handling: decent. It’s becoming well known now that the batteries are low down in electric cars. For such heavy beasts they actually grip, steer and feedback admirably. The interior again is decent. Funky and modern, loads of space and comfortable. When compared to a Jag I-Pace, I can easily say it is on par if not better than the main electric competition. Looks: Safe to say you get looked at. A lot! It is new and a little different to say the least, but it was well received. The looks are not for me, but it is bold and possibly Marmite. Either way, it is without doubt noticeable. If you like flying under the radar I would leave it for now until they become the norm to see all over the place. www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
registernews Cost: Expensive. Buy the equivalent diesel or petrol. Its range was around 200 miles according to my normal use and ultimately electricity still costs a dime, so savings you make on fuel are far too low to offset the vehicle price. Blunt, but there it is. As an enthusiast and a commuter and normal driver, it makes little sense. Amazing device for getting you from A to B, but
with the drawbacks of electric cars such as a lack of any sort of passion or feel to the drive and the range anxiety and outright initial expense I personally wouldn’t advise it. Not yet. Hats off to those brave enough and wishing to light the way for the rest of us, as the iX is the best electric car in its bracket. A genuine marvel, just a marvel for the (near) future rather than now.
Z3 Register Alan Jones
z3register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
Welcome to the February edition of Straight Six. After all the excitement of the last couple of months where I told you about changing the sills on my car, we have come to the month of February. I know that it’s normally a quiet month for car shows and events, but I’m sure that the office staff and many club members and officials will have their thinking caps on to sort out some great shows and events for you to attend. Hopefully, we will be looking for a much better year than the last one. And, hopefully by now, we will see the Covid cases on the way down rather than on the way up. Please keep an eye on the Straight Six magazine for the national shows and, as you know, the regional events are in the rear of the magazine. Hopefully this dreaded Covid virus will have finally been eradicated enough to
allow all events and shows to be held. If anyone would like their car in this section of the Straight Six magazine, just drop me an email with up to about 500 words just saying how long you have had the car and any work carried out. I’m sure that you know the format by now by looking at this and other sections, and a couple of high resolution photos as well. As they say a photo saves a thousand words, and I know that a lot of club members do like to see other member’s cars. I am sure that there must be a few new members who would like to do this, or even someone who’s done it before and thinks that they could write an update. So get your thinking caps on and see what you can come up with. As always I’ll publish them on a first come first served.
Concours Dan Wood Concours sponsored by
concours@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
RYBROOK WARWICK http://www.rybrookwarwickbmw.co.uk/
After our planned concours events were scuppered in both 2020 and 2021, I am absolutely delighted to announce that we will be back this year with a full complement of concours events. The Club’s concours events are open to every member regardless of what model or year of BMW, Mini or Alpina you own. There are different categories offered, which means that whether it’s your first time entering and you want to just give it a go or you’re a regular competitor, there is something for everyone. The first event of 2022 is the Southern Concours, which takes place at the stunning 16th Century Sherborne Castle & Gardens in Dorset on Sunday 24th April 2022. You can follow the event on the Western Region’s Facebook page. There is no need to pre-book or pre-purchase tickets, just turn up on the day. If you plan to enter the concours, it would be very helpful to get an idea of numbers in advance, so please drop Nigel Smith (Chair of the Western Region) a simple email to let him know that you’ll be entering – western@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk. It’s as easy as that. There will be separate classes offered at this event, including Pride of Ownership and Masterclass giving opportunity for everyone. Please do feel free to come along and enter your car; you are guaranteed a warm welcome and very enjoyable day. Remember that the Club concours welcomes and is open to every member. I am also delighted to let you know that there will be both a Northern Concours and a National Concours this year and dates will be announced very soon. We also plan to pick up on our concours series of videos again this year where we work on a 2009 Black Sapphire 120i Convertible, which has covered 129K miles and take it to a concours event. Expect to see it at the Southern Concours this year. The car is a daily driver and we are starting from the very beginning in order to provide tips and ideas and encourage you to get involved in concours shows. Teaming up with our concours sponsors Meguiar’s, the videos will also showcase the range of products used to prepare the car and demonstrate www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
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them being used. Look out for the videos on the Club’s YouTube channel. I very much hope to see you at one of our concours events this year. Everyone is welcome! Keep on concours-ing! BMW Car Club Magazine February 2022
79
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Photo of the Month
Mike Dickinson - Lincolnshire Autumn dawn
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Ben Beveridge - Track day fun!
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Debbie Blyth - Pop up delight
Steve Carter - Late summer evening drives BMW Car Club Magazine February 2022
81
clubpubmeets Please check with the event organiser before attending a pub meet. 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: Central Regional Meet – Second Monday of each month at Aviator Hotel, Sywell, Northampton, NN6 0BN. 14th February (AGM) CENTRAL WEST: Second Tuesday of every month at 7.30pm The Three Horseshoes, Alveley, Bridgnorth, WV15 6NB. CORNWALL: The second Monday of the month at the Plume of Feathers, Mitchell at 7:30pm. 14th February COTSWOLD: Second Wednesday of each month 7.30pm at The Swan at Coombe Hill, Tewkesbury Road, Coombe Hill, Gloucester GL19 4BA. CUMBRIA: 7.30pm – The Sportsman, just off the A66, CA11 0SG. Feel free to contact me beforehand if you have not been to one of our meets. DEVON: Last Thursday of the month at 7.00pm for 7.30pm at the Hare & Hounds, Torquay Road, Kingskerswell, TQ12 5HH. For further information, contact Kathy or Derek on 01626 330436 or 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, near Cambridge CB22 7RZ – Recommences April to September, Fourth Tuesday evening of the month. Contact – Matthew Hunt (Cambs/Beds Branch Rep.) matthew.hunt13@btinternet.com 07973986525. See details of coffee mornings on Facebook facebook.com/groups/1795515350724518?ref=bookmarks Norfolk Pub Meet – 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 – Recommencing on 10th April. Contact Anthony Shilson essex@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk NW Norfolk, South Lincs, Peterborough Pub Meet – The Sandboy Pub, Gayton Road, Kings Lynn, Norfolk PE32 1EP. Contact Aaron Reeve on westnorfolk@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk. EASTERN: Breakfast Meet – Saturday / Sunday of each month between 9am – 12noon. For further information date, venue etc., please visit our Facebook pages or contact eastern@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Peak & South Yorkshire Pub Meet – Second Tuesday of the month from 7pm at The Elm Tree Inn, Mansfield Road, Heath, Chesterfield, Derbyshire, S44 5SE. Yorkshire & Humberside Pub Meet – Last Tuesday of the month at 6pm at The George & Dragon, Doncaster Road, Whitley, Goole, DN14 0HY. North Nottinghamshire – The Reindeer Inn, Sturton le Steeple DN22 9HQ on the second and fourth Thursday of the month. April to September. LONDON/HERTS: The Crooked Chimney: Second Monday evening of the month from 7.00pm, Lemsford, Welwyn Garden City, AL8 7XE. Ace Café: First Monday of the month. NORTH EAST: 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 if allowed, or virtually if necessary. NORTH WEST: North West Region Sunday Lunch & Quiz – Sunday of alternate months (all at 12.00 noon) at The Kilton Inn, Hoo Green, Cheshire, WA16 0PZ. Contact Jeff Heywood northwest@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk / 07801 506632. 20th March (AGM), 15th May Manchester/NW Local Branch Meeting – First Tuesday of the month at 8:00pm. Sheldon Arms, Ashton under Lyne, M34 5QL. 1st February, 1st March, 5th April SCOTLAND: See Scottish Region news and Club forum for more information or contact Issy on bmwccscottishregion@ gmail.com. SOUTH EAST: Kent Micro Meet – The George, Taylors Lane, Trottiscliffe, West Malling, ME19 5DR first Sunday of month 10:00am - 12:00pm. 6th March. Sussex Micro Meet – Billy on the Road, Billingshurst. Contact Nigel to register interest. 27th February. THAMES: Thames Regional Meet – Last Thursday of every month at Littlebury Hotel, Bicester, OX26 6DR. WALES - NORTH: For more information contact northwales@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk. WALES - MID & SHROPSHIRE: TBC at 12PM, Hanmer Arms, Hanmer Village SY13 3DE. WALES - SOUTH: 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 Pub Meet – First Wednesday of the month. 7.00pm onwards. Regular venue Tyrell’s Ford Country Inn, Avon, Christchurch but varying during summer months. See Wessex events on Club website for details. Contact Eric Thompson 07722 835930. 26th February (AGM) Basingstoke Pub Meet – Third Tuesday of the month. 7.00pm onwards. The Fox, North Waltham, Basingstoke RG25 2BE. Contact Tim Maltby 07885 252448. WESTERN: First Wednesday of the month: 7.15pm at The Woolpack, Weston-Super-Mare. 2nd February, 2nd March, 6th April, 4th May, 8th June, 6th July, 3rd August, 7th September, 5th October, 2nd November (AGM)
82 BMW Car Club Magazine February 2022
Your Region & Register officers Regional Officers BMW Car Club Central Central West Channel Islands Cheshire & Staffs Cornwall Cumbria Cotswold Devon East Anglia Eastern Ireland London North East North West Scottish South East Thames Wales - Mid & Shropshire Wales - North Wales - South Wessex Western
Tony Skerrett Dave Evans Jonathan Harris Steve Cooper Jim Husband James France Martyn Goodwin Kathy Jemfrey George Champ Paul Rice VACANT Anthony Mason Nick Thomas Jeff Heywood Paul Rice Ian Bryant Tony Skerrett Phil Pinnington
central@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk centralwest@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk channelislands@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk cheshireandstaffs@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk cornwall@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk cumbria@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk cotswold@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk devon@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk eastanglia@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk eastern@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk ireland@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk london@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk northeast@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk northwest@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk scotland@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk southeast@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk thames@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk midwales@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
David Allen northwales@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Jonathan Bamford southwales@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Julian Pickering wessex@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Nigel Smith western@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
Register Officers BMW Car Club Classic E3 E9 2002 Sharknose M Power
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 sharknose@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Richard Baxter, mpower@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk John Denny/ Tristan Glass ALPINA Simon Alcorn alpina@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk 1 Series Anthony Mason 1series@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk 2 Series Jagdeep Bhambra 2series@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk 3 Series Simon Maskell 3series@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk 3 Series - E21 Kyri Nicolaou e21register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk 3 Series - E30 Neil McDonald neil@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk 3 Series - E36 Michal Michalski e36register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk 3 Series - E46 Simon Maskell e46register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk 3 Series - E90/91/ VACANT e90register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk 92/93 3 Series - F30/31/34 Katie Littler f30register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk 4 Series Paul Roberts 4series@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk 5 Series Stephen Coulson 5series@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk 5 Series - E12 Pat Tremain e12register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk 5 Series - E28 Tim Maltby e28register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk 5 Series - E34 Manj Sandhu e34register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk 5 Series - E39 Dan Paskin e39register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk 5 Series - E60/61 Christina Kostova e60register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk 5 Series - F07 VACANT 5 Series - F10/11 Dave Routledge f10register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk 6 Series Mani Singh Hayer 6series@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk 6 Series - E24 Konstantinos Loizou e24register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk 6 Series - E63/64 Mani Singh Hayer e63register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk 6 Series - F06/12/13 VACANT 7 Series - E23, E32, Matthew 7series@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk E38, E65 Swanborough 7 Series - F01, F02, VACANT F03 onwards 8 Series Debbie Blythe 8series@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Z Series - Z1 Jamal Blanc z1register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Z Series - Z3 Alan Jones z3register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Z Series - Z4 Tom Singleton z4register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk X Series Greg Lyons & xseries@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk James Brigginshaw i. Series Julian Odulate iregister@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk i. Series - i3 Tom Singleton i3register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk i. Series - i8 Clive Neville i8register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk MINI David Young mini@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Concours Dan Wood concours@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Track Days Neil McDonald trackday@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Modified Bobby Pepelyashka modified@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
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