Straight Six January 2021

Straight Six MEMBER’S EDITION

JANUARY 2021 £5

M unich Missile!

We test the E63 M6 over some of the UK’s most challenging roads…

PLUS: MEGUIAR’S CLEANING GOODIES TO GIVE AWAY!

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BMW CAR CLUB

INSURANCE DEVELOPED BY EXPERTS FOR BMW CAR CLUB MEMBERS

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

Bespoke arrangements for your Motor, Home and Commercial insurance needs.

COVER AVAILABLE CAN INCLUDE: Ÿ Classic and Modern Car Policies

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www.BMWCARCLUBINSURANCE.co.uk Call the dedicated members line on 0330 123 0197 and speak to one of the team for all your Motor, Home, and Commercial Insurance needs.

This agreement has been designed specifically for BMW Car Club GB, who have become an Introducer Appointed Representative (IAR) of A-Plan Holdings. A-Plan Holdings is Authorised and Regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

Registered office: 2 Des Roches Square, Witney, OX28 4LE. Registration number: 750484. To confirm our registration on the FCA website, go to www.fca.org.uk/firms/systems-reporting/register/ or by contacting the FCA on 0800 111 6768.

Formed in 1952 as The BMW Car Club of Great Britain, incorporated in 1982 as BMW Car Club (GB) Ltd. A non-profit making club owned and run by and for its members. Combined One-Make Car Club Assoociated Club of RAC Motor Sports Association Ltd. The views and statements made in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of the BMW Car Club GB Founder The Late R.J.T Hewitt President John Safe Vice Presidents Chris Wadsley, Jeff Heywood, Len Oakshett Chairman Jamal Blanc Board of Directors Dave Evans Martyn Goodwin Nick Thomas Richard Stern Club Office Michelle Evans Lisa Davies Anya Edwardes

inside this issue

BMW Car Club Insurance Henry Francis Patron Colin Turkington, Mike Wilds, The late Barrie Williams Editing Team Jeff Heywood Lisa Davies Andrew Coles

30

23 – MLife: Analogue to Digital

Hot on the heels of the E60 M5, came the E63 M6. BMW were riding high on the favourable reviews of the new M5, so just how good was the E63 M6 to compare?

Cover image: BMW Classic & Jeff Heywood 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

30 – Success in Surrey Take a tour around West Surrey Racing, the official BMW team in the British Touring Car Championship.

38

BMW Car Club (GB) Ltd, Unit 5h, Glan Yr Afon, Aberystwyth, SY23 3JQ Website: www.bmwcarclubgb.uk Email: office@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Tel: 01970 267989 Office Hours: 9:00am-5:00pm - Mon-Fri Published on behalf of BMW Car Club by 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

The M550i xDrive isn’t a full-fat M car, but with 530bhp it’s hugely fast and capable, but is it a viable alternative to the M5 Competition?

44 – An Emotional New Home

Online classifieds - £4.95 bmwcarclubgb.uk Classifieds - £9.95 per issue Club Office 01970 267 989 office@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

38 – The Perfect Balance?

John Denny purchased the E46 M3 of his late close friend, and gave it much needed care and attention.

49

46 – BMW B58 Oil Filter Issue

Club member Ian Bryant discovered a simple solution to the dreaded B58 oil filter issue.

49 – “The Empress” – Help!

M Power Captain, Richard Baxter, would like your help to source an E39 M5 donor car.

Contents

from the editor Welcome to the January issue of Straight Six! Happy New Year to all of our readers!

In this month’s issue of Straight Six, Jeff Heywood reviews the E63 M6, which was released hot off the heels of the E60 M5. BMW were riding high on the favourable reviews of the new M5, so just how good was the E63 M6 to compare? Read the feature on page 23.

On page 30, take a tour around the factory of West Surrey Racing, the official BMW team in the British Touring Car Championship, who recently scooped up the Manufacturers’ title in 2021.

Bob Harper reviews the new M550i xDrive, although it isn’t a full-fat M car, but with 530hp it’s still a hugely fast and capable machine, and undercuts the M5 Competition by a not insignificant £30,000. But is it a viable alternative?

John Denny takes care of his late friend’s E46 M3, and restores it back to its former glory on page 44.

The B58 oil filter is a notorious issue in some BMW’s, but rather than paying hundreds to solve it, Club member Ian Bryant discovered a seemingly simple solution. Read how on page 46.

23 regulars 6

Chairman’s Chat

8

Thoughts from the Boardroom

10 Club News 13 BMW News 14 Motorsport News 20 Products 52 Pirelli 54 Crossword/Social Media 55 Classifieds 59 Regions 69 Registers 81 Your Photos 82 Club Pub Meets

On page 49, M Power Captain Richard Baxter asks for your help, to source an E39 M5 donor car to complete “The Empress” with the fitment of the glorious S62 engine.

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, Harrison Loader.

Happy reading!

Jeff, Lisa & Andrew Straight Six editorial team.

chairman’schat BMW Car Club Chairman - Jamal Blanc An interesting year to look back on, 2020 has gone both slowly and fast in equal measures. Whilst there is no doubt we had our challenges, there is also much to celebrate, recognising how far we’ve come and what we’ve been able to achieve during such a challenging period.

Membership Management System launch December saw the launch of the Club’s new Membership Management System.

Developed consultation with our solution provider Next Step Heritage, a feasibility study of all member requirements was done and used as the basis for the technical design, framework and website functionality.

During testing, no major problems were detected and a key milestone, migrating the legacy databases, website and shop, was completed successfully.

As we move into 2021, there are plans to expand the website with additional capabilities: • Integrate partnership agreements • Car sales and Classified ads • A Valuation submission tool • Design the framework for a technical database • A new simplified forum solution Our new platform pulls together all the Club elements into one integrated system, with automation capability to simplify a number of operational tasks. Members will also see a much-improved website interface, with lots of new features and much more targeted content.

Publishing update Thanks to the collaborative efforts of Cedar Group, NSH and the Club, the Board of Directors were encouraged to see everyone work together in delivering the new solution at very short notice, with minimal disruption. The scope of the project included building a new advertising database to facilitate new business relationships, secure the introduction and changeover of our core market of advertisers, increase ad market share for BMW retailers and independents - a key market for future growth, and increase advertising revenue.

Instrumental in meeting this new demand is Madeleine Lillywhite, Advertising Manager at NSH and responsible for all print and digital media advertising, newsletters and the Club website. We will benefit from Maddie’s vast publishing experience as Digital Advertising

6 BMW Car Club Magazine January 2021

Manager at Kelsey Media, and Advertising Research Executive at EMAP (Bauer) covering publications across youth, sport, lifestyle, motorbikes and classic cars, and she was one of the original launch team behind Octane magazine.

Since joining, Maddie has secured the core Club advertisers and attracted new business, such as the ALPINA retailer, Sytner, which we hope will lead to further commercial opportunities and added member benefits in 2021. We were pleased to feature an ALPINA on the front cover of the December issue, not only in support of this iconic brand and long-time sponsor, Sytner Group, but also a proud nod to our very own ALPINA members.

Straight Six saw a 25% growth in Q4, which under the circumstances was quite an achievement, digital advertising revenue has grown from zero to triple figures, a promising start and a good indicator of where the BMW Car Club will see a growth in their revenue stream for the future.

Maddie is now developing the BMW Car Club digital ‘High Street’ on the new website, offering advertisers the opportunity to reach new customers via the BMW Car Club website. If you manage a business and want to target this market sector, please contact Maddie at advertising@ bmwcarclubgb.co.uk or call on 01485 779454.

Warren Skelton – Cedar Group Sales Director Cedar Group has worked with the BMW Car Club since 2017, with an initial brief to create an engaging and visually inspiring membership pack that members would be excited to receive. During this project we also undertook the card printing and fulfilment to help streamline and deliver the end-to-end process.

As our relationship has developed, we have now embarked on the design, production and delivery of this fantastic Straight Six magazine. This has been a pleasure to work on and our designer, Jamie Curtis, has thoroughly enjoyed working with Lisa Davies, Madeleine Lillywhite and Andrew Coles to bring the magazine to life. We were able to demonstrate once again, our ability to undertake all the disciplines involved under the Cedar Group umbrella to simplify the production process and make managing it easier for the BMW Car Club, so you’re only dealing with one company.

Moving forward we are looking at promotional ideas for a new presentation pack and range of merchandise for the BMW Car Club members to enjoy.

Pirelli virtual evening As we explore new ways of collaborating digitally, James Tomlinson of Pirelli demonstrated how it’s done with our first virtual zoom event which took place on December 2nd. With a team of Pirelli professionals involved in the presentation and 50 Club members in attendance, an engaging evening with topics ranging from tyre fitting to the science behind development of specific tyres for new cars.

There may be another session covering winter tyres, which will be published via all Club channels. Thank you to James from Pirelli for hosting the event, and the members who participated.

Conclusion It has been a difficult journey, with a tremendous amount of hard work to get us to this point and I would like to extend a big thank you to everyone for delivering when it matters - The Office team, Directors, Neil Robinson, Editorial, Next Step Heritage, Cedar Group. It’s not done yet, but we are confident in having agreed the right strategy with the right partners to put the tech in place, to provide a greater and more valuable, member experience.

www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

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thoughts from the boardroom I

Graeme Grieve, CEO BMW (UK) Ltd.

t’s been quite a year and it almost seems like yesterday that I was wishing you all the best for 2020 in these pages. Safe to say 2020 didn’t turn out quite how any of us expected, instead we were treated to the most topsy-turvy year in living memory and we’ve all had to face many difficult challenges. The natural rhythm of the year was interrupted and there were times when the days seemed to drag, yet at other moments whole months would fly by seemingly in the space of a week.

While it’s been a very difficult year for the automotive sector there have still been some high points and as a keen motorsport fan I have to start by congratulating Team BMW for its efforts in this year’s BTCC. BMW took the manufacturers’ title while Team BMW bagged the teams’ trophy with Colin Turkington just being pipped at the post to finish in second place in the drivers’ standings. With 27 rounds squeezed into a 16-week period starting at the beginning of August and ending in midNovember it was a hugely challenging season. Sadly for the fans all races were held behind closed doors but let’s hope we can see some live action in 2021.

I’d like to thank everyone at West Surrey Racing (WSR) for all their hard work and perseverance throughout the season, our results over the past few years have been extraordinary and it wouldn’t have been possible without WSR’s boundless enthusiasm and energy. I’m extremely proud of our BTCC record – BMW has won the manufacturers’ crown for five years

8 BMW Car Club Magazine January 2021

running and the teams’ title three times in the last four years. I mustn’t forget our drivers though with Colin coming so close to retaining his drivers’ title while teammate Tom Oliphant put in some sterling drives to finish sixth in the championship standings.

This remarkable run of form reminds me of the European Touring Car Championship during the 1970s when BMW was so dominant, winning six titles in seven years with the glorious 3.0 CSL. If you know your BMW history you’ll be aware that this iconic model celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2021 and even with half a century of progress since its debut, the CSL is still a glorious car to drive today. The first batch of cars used a carbureted 3.0-litre engine but over the ensuing couple of years fuel injection was fitted while the last batch of cars featured a larger, 3.2-litre straight-six and the fabled Batmobile aerodynamic kit.

I’m sure there will be many events this year to celebrate the CSL but it’s also going to be a very busy year for new models, too. Perhaps the most eagerly awaited debuts among performance car fans are the new M3 Competition Saloon and the M4 Competition Coupe which will take to the road in March, 35

years after the original E30 M3 went on sale. For the first time ever we’ll also be offering the M3 as a Touring, although you’ll have to wait until later in the year for the first production five-door M3.

However, while I’m excited to see our new M cars on the road I’m also looking forward to the arrival of the iX this year, a car that is the first of a trailblazing generation of electric models that will redefine the way we drive and use our cars. Of course, the iX won’t be the only all-electric Sports Activity Vehicle making waves in 2021 as the first customer deliveries of the iX3 will take place in the summer.

Indeed, by the end of 2023 we will have 25 electrified vehicles on sale with more than half of them having full battery electric drivetrains. The pace of change is quite phenomenal but it will leave me with a tricky conundrum – do I put an iX or iX3 or an M3 or M4 at the top of 2021’s fantasy Christmas list?

In the meantime I hope you’ve managed to have an enjoyable festive period, and while I’m now a little wary of saying I’m looking forward to seeing what the New Year will bring I wish you all the best for 2021 and beyond.

www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

+44 (0)1242 384092 : GLOUCESTERSHIRE, GL7 5NX : INFO@CLASSICMOTORHUB.COM : WWW.CLASSICMOTORHUB.COM

SALES : STORAGE : TRANSPORT : EVENTS : COFFEE SHOP

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clubnews The new BMW Car Club GB website is now live In December we launched our long awaited new website which included a fresh new design and a faster, smoother way to join and renew memberships.

The launch was a great success, with over 2,800 viewings in one day!

If you haven’t already taken a test drive of our new website yet, please visit www.bmwcarclubgb.uk and click the ‘Reset password’ button at the top of the page. Once your password has been reset, you’ll be free to test all of the member’s only pages!

Be event ready for 2021!

We are all eager to get out and attend all the shows we can in 2021, so what better than to attend in Club branded merchandise, which is available to purchase on our new shop!

See the full range on www.bmwcarclubgb.uk/shop.

Remember to log in to see the member’s prices.

Use Club code BMWCLUB to book your tickets at www.theclassiccarshowuk.com

Classic Silverstone 2021 Tickets for Classic Silverstone 2021 are on sale now!

Join us between the 30 July – 1 August* to celebrate the Classic’s 30th anniversary.

Please use discount code 2021CCD057 at checkout *Provisional dates. on www.silverstoneclassic.com.

10 BMW Car Club Magazine January 2021

www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

New Members

National Events Calendar 2021

CENTRAL

EASTERN

SCOTLAND

Scott Carter Manuel JR Credo Tim Barber Kevin Brook

Luke Oldfield Artur Zielinski Craig Farrell Jason Groves

Paul Jamieson Scott Mcleod Keith Davison

CHESHIRE & STAFFS

IRELAND

Kevin Pierce

COTSWOLD John Mitchell Alex Simpson Solomon Poole

CUMBRIA Ken Sumner Lee Akister

EAST ANGLIA Jugjeet Haire Mark Westacott David White Andrew Freestone Pavandeep Haer Ian Webster

Martin Smethers

LONDON Nick Povey Piotr Rubanski Jeffrey Townsend Nero Taylor Tate Mayoh Ian Bozic Jack Brierley Michael Menczykowski

NORTH EAST John Pickersgill Jeff Driffield

NORTH WEST Tim Jackson Michal Michalski Chris Birks Jason Hill Simon Qureshi

SOUTH EAST Ian Dann Paul Dampier Antonius Saad

WALES - NORTH Graeme Watson Gary Ashworth George Owen

April 16-18:

London Classic Car Show

May 1-2:

Donington Historic Festival

June 11-13: Practical Classics Classic Car & Restoration Show 18-20: Retro CarFest

WALES - SOUTH

July

Christopher Thomas

23-25: Camp CarFest North 30-1 Aug Classic Silverstone

WESSEX Christopher Lyddall Mike Stephen Martin Smith Jo Deal Maximilian Lloyd Dominic Rees Tim Nicholson

August 27-29:

Camp CarFest South

We truly hope that 2021 will provide a return to normality, but if we’ve learned one thing this year, it’s that anything can happen. Keep an eye on the event calendar on the Club’s new website and our social media channels for the latest information.

Trackday Calendar 2021 *Provisional dates

May 28:

Cadwell Park

September 12:

Anglesey

November 12:

Oulton Park

www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

BMW Car Club Magazine January 2021

11

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s To ne at NHS Charitie On behalf of everyo lunteers, of £3,852.50. t the NHS staff, vo are able to suppor . Your UK e ide th ov ss pr ro ily ac ar s ing can ordin s, NHS charitie nd ur fu yo S as NH ch r at su t wh or n nd ere staff ca go fo e and beyo Thanks to supp itals in ways abov eas of hospitals wh sp ar ho ed h at eir alt th dic he l in de ta s e nt en ar nts in m and patie Rooms, which pport young patie to kit out Wobble and activities to su es loved ones. m ga eir donation will help th nd ll fu ca s, eo ift during busy sh r patients to vid fo ion ts at ble lax ta re ic d an on st ctr re ide ele mmunity and prov r Covid-19 Appeal. wards and in the co nerosity towards ou ge d an t or pp su k you for your to say a huge than Once again, I’d like ur official receipt.

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12 BMW Car Club Magazine January 2021

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bmwnews BMW’s M2 CS wins Auto Bild award Forming the basis of a racing car and produced as a limited edition, the M2 CS has now reached the finish line as class winner in the reader’s choice of ‘Auto Bild Sportscars’, by Auto Bild magazine. The 450hp M2 CS took first place in the category ‘Small and Compact Car Series’, convincing the voting participants with its unique combination of performance, suitability for everyday use and exclusivity.

The M2 CS can sprint to 60mph in 3.8 seconds and has an electronically controlled top speed of 175mph when equipped with the M Driver’s Package.

BMW’s diminutive M super-coupe, the M2 CS, picks up yet another accolade, this time awarded by top German motoring mag Auto Bild magazine.

Industrial-scale 3D printing at BMW Group Hot on the heels of Andrew Coles’ 3D printing article in December’s Straight Six comes news of BMW upscaling ‘additive manufacturing’ to industrial levels, firmly establishing it in various areas – primarily vehicle development and production – which offers fast availability of components, flexible component design, and the ability to manufacture parts without elaborate tools.

Components are selected for 3D printing based on a series of criteria and requirements, which are defined and translated into machine language with the help of data scientists. This enabled the BMW Group to identify faster and earlier which components could potentially be produced by 3D printing. Daniel Schäfer, Senior Vice President for Production Integration said “Processes such as 3D printing help us to speed up development cycles. 3D printing also shortens the production times of components while meeting rigorous quality requirements.”

Since the middle of 2020, the BMW Group has been 3D

Manufacturing a Rolls-Royce Ghost body shell using 3D printed components.

printing metal and polymer parts for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, and is expanding this service to BMW and MINI in the coming months.

BMW Motorsport expands its involvement in sim racing BMW Motorsport is expanding its sim racing activities in 2021. As well as various different BMW SIM Cup formats, it will focus on new partnerships with four top teams and has set-up the BMW Motorsport SIM Academy. Even more virtual BMW race cars will be available on the most popular sim racing platforms, supporting the boom that virtual motor racing in Esports has enjoyed in 2020.

www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

BMW Car Club Magazine January 2021

13

motorsportnews

Roving reporters Jeff Heywood & Neil McDonald

Double BTCC title success for Team BMW at Brands Hatch Team BMW and West Surrey Racing had cause to celebrate at the end of a wet race day at Brands Hatch by claiming the British Touring Car Championship’s Manufacturers’ and Teams’ titles.

To cap off a sensational season of racing, Colin Turkington finished a fine second in the Drivers’ rankings with team-mate Tom Oliphant a career-best sixth.

Colin went into the day leading the standings by just nine points, but with torrential rain overnight, and continuing to fall during the morning’s first race, the cards were stacked against the Northern Irishman, with the conditions not favouring the WSR-run BMW 330i M Sport.

Colin would finish Race One in ninth, with Tom climbing to 10th, but it was Race Two where the two drivers would show their best as the rain relented and the sun broke through at the Kent circuit.

The circuit was damp to start with, but the right call was made to run on slick tyres, and both Colin and Tom launched up the order in a dramatic race.

The two drivers ran into trouble on lap 12, with Josh Cook first hitting Colin’s car at Druids, and then knocking Tom out wide at Graham Hill Bend. Tom fell down the order while Colin was able to continue on, despite bodywork rubbing on his right-front tyre causing concern.

Colin then avoided a spinning car on the penultimate lap at Paddock Hill Bend, finishing an impressive fourth amid the drama, while Tom recovered to 15th.

Unfortunately, the rain returned with a vengeance for the final race, with Colin and Tom battling through the tough conditions to finish ninth and 13th.

The results still meant that two of the BTCC’s three main titles were won, with BMW equalling the all-time record of five consecutive Manufacturers’ crowns and WSR claiming a 14th championship title.

Colin Turkington said: “It’s been a positive weekend. We’ve raced well, and fought hard, but we just didn’t have the speed in the wet conditions. We had a quick car in the dry, but I really

14 BMW Car Club Magazine January 2021

Credit: Jakob Ebrey/BMW

needed Race Three to be dry to have a proper shot at it. I’m still proud of what we’ve achieved. We’re Teams’ and Manufacturers’ champions, and second in the Drivers’. Of course it would have been nice to have won, but it wasn’t to be this year.”

Tom Oliphant said: “The weather just wasn’t in our favour this weekend.

In Race One we did a good job, but we just didn’t have the luck when the safety car came out and it got really, really wet.

In Race Two, I was driving really well and had a great car, but just got taken out, and in Race Three I couldn’t’ see a thing from where we started. I think if I’d started nearer the front, I’d have had the pace to race up there. I’m really

pleased to have finished sixth in the championship. We’ve definitely achieved a lot this year, and now we can move on to next year in a positive way.”

Dick Bennetts, Team Principal, said: “Our Manufacturers’ and Teams’ titles today are all down to the hard work of the team at WSR. It’s a proud moment to equal a record like this, and we couldn’t have done it without BMW. We’ve got a fantastic car; we’ve just got to work a bit harder on our wet set-up.

In the dry, we’ve no issues, but in the wet - on occasions - we can’t quite get the balance right. Reliability has also been fantastic; we’ve only had one hiccup with Colin’s car, and one with Tom’s all year.” www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

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BMW Car Club Magazine January 2021

15

motorsportnews Inconsistency haunts the M8 GTE yet again at Laguna Seca…

The penultimate round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season took place Laguna Seca in early November, with the race held over 2hrs and 40mins.

Qualifying – After some promising performances recently in both qualifying and races, the inconsistencies that have plagued the BMW Team RLL M8 GTEs all season struck again in qualifying, with both cars lacking pace and ultimately qualifying behind the Corvettes and Porsches in the final two places in class.

Race – It was obvious that the lack of pace displayed in qualifying had carried over into the race, with both cars lacking the speed to challenge the frontrunning Porsche 911 RSRs and the pair of Chevrolet Corvette C8.Rs. Both cars struggled all afternoon, whatever strategies the team tried. At the chequered flag, the #24 M8 GTE piloted by Krohn/Edwards finished 5th in class while the #26 De Phillippi/Spengler M8 GTE came home 6th and final place. The squabble at the front of the GTLM

A lack of consistency yet again haunted the M8 GTE at Laguna Seca, with both cars totally off the pace both in qualifying and the race itself.

Class between the 911 RSR and the Corvette C8.R finally ended up with the Bamber/Vanthoor 911 RSR crossing the line first to secure the win for Porsche.

BMW so unlucky at Sebring...

The #25 M8 GTE driven by De Phillippi/Herta/Spengler showed great form and pace all weekend at Sebring, and with just minutes to go was leading and looking odds on to secure the win until it was rear-ended by a Ferrari 488 racing in the GTD Class, forcing it to pit for repairs.

#24 M8 GTE drivers Jesse Krohn, Augusto Farfus and John Edwards celebrate their 3rd place finish in the 12H of Sebring.

The pace that was so obviously lacking at Laguna Seca a fortnight earlier magically returned at Sebring for the final race of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season, as both M8 GTEs put on a fine show in the 12H of Sebring.

Qualifying – Both cars had been quick in practise and as the qualifying session finished the #25 M8 GTE of De Phillippi/ Herta/Spengler was just pipped for pole position by the Corvette C8.R. The #24 car of Krohn/Edwards/Farfus qualified just behind their teammates, securing 3rd spot on the grid. The much fancied Porsches were nowhere to be seen in qualifying.

Race – Both BMWs started quickly, and within a few laps the #25 M8 GTE managed to pass the Corvette C8.R and take the lead. The #24 car was also running well in 3rd place, before passing the Corvette and running 1-2 for a good few hours. The Corvette then ran into reliability issues as the Porsches began to make their move, but they couldn’t match the pace of the #25 M8 GTE as the hours passed by.

Disaster then struck. With just 10 minutes of the race remaining the #25 M8 GTE had built up an 18 second lead and was looking odds on for a famous victory; then a skirmish

between two cars in the GTD Class resulted in an off, with bits of carbon bodywork scattered over the track. This called for a safety car period while the marshals cleared the track.

As the safety car peeled off into the pits the race resumed with 6 minutes remaining on the clock. As the #25 BMW M8 GTE braked to enter a bend, it was rear-ended by a Ferrari 488 GT3 running in the GTD Class. This resulted in an unscheduled pit stop for repairs which ruined their chances of taking the GTLM Class victory.

This let the pair of Porsche 911RSRs into the lead, which they held to the chequered flag, but the winning drivers admitted it was a fortuitous victory. The #24 M8 GTE followed home in 3rd place with the hastily patched up #25 M8 GTE managing to hold off the Corvette to finish 4th.

There was some cheer at race end, as BMW picked up the 2020 GTLM Driver’s title in the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup - the four-race Michelin Endurance Cup represents the car’s standing during four endurance races covering 52 hours of competition. Edwards and Krohn also finished the season second overall in the GTLM Class driver’s championship.

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Roving reporters Jeff Heywood & Neil McDonald

BMW splits from Schnitzer and RBM

Andy Priaulx at the helm of the RBM prepared E46 320i closely followed by the Schnitzer prepared car for Jörg Müller in the 2005 WTCC.

BMW Motorsport shocked the motor racing world by announcing in December that it was parting ways with the Schnitzer and Racing Bart Mampaey teams. The rapid demise of the current DTM series has caused some serious ripples in the racing world, and it has been replaced by a series for GT3 cars but still racing under the DTM banner.

This news will be particularly disturbing to longtime BMW Motorsport fans who remember the exploits of the Schnitzer family and team fondly, winning many important races and championships for BMW over the past 50 years, including the first Touring Car World Championship in 1987, countless ETC and DTM titles, the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1999 with the V12 LMR, the ALMS GT title with the M3 GTR and countless 24 hour victories at both Spa and the Nurburgring. The RBM Team brought BMW an ETC title in 2004 and followed that feat by winning three Touring Car World titles in ’05, ’06 and ’07 with Guernsey’s Andy Priaulx behind the wheel of the RBM prepared E46 320i.

M4 GT4 scores double title After winning the final round of the Italian GT Sprint Championship in Vallelunga, the Italian pairing of Francesco Guerra and Simone Riccitelli were crowned champions in the GT4 Pro-Am Class, driving an M4 GT4.

Starting the race second in the overall standings, the duo did what they had to and were able to turn the tables in the final race and celebrate the title win.

After an exciting season in the ADAC GT4 Germany Championship, the pairing of Gabriele Piana (ITA) and Michael Schrey (GER) secured the title in the Hofor Racing

by Bonk Motorsport M4 GT4 after winning the final round at Oschersleben.

The BMW Team Italia M4 GT4 driven by Guerra and Riccitelli on its way to victory at Vallelunga, securing the GT4 Pro-Am category in the Italian GT Sprint Championship.

BMW’s synergy with sim racing BMW’s M4 GT4 played a leading role in the technology transfer between real-world motorsport and sim racing in the 2020 season. The introduction of the car on the simulation platforms iRacing and Assetto Corsa Competizione created synergies between real-world and virtual racing as a livery contest and virtual track day with BMW M customer racing. BMW Motorsport SIM Racing followed all these projects with intense media coverage.

The digital version of the M4 GT4 made its debut on the simulation platform iRacing at the start of June. Over the course of the year, the platform Assetto Corsa Competizione also introduced the car. Building bridges between real-world and digital racing makes a great deal of sense in the case of a BMW M Customer Racing car such as the M4 GT4. To give potential customers the opportunity to experience the M4 GT4 in the race simulator, the first BMW Motorsport SIM Racing Track Day was held at the end of June 2020. A selection of BMW M Customer Racing drivers took to the track at the virtual Nürburgring and received tuition from well-known instructors www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

Virtual BMW M4 GT4s proved popular in the digital world as sim racing has become big business, partly fuelled by the global pandemic.

including BMW works driver Philipp Eng. The track day resulted in a number of real world M4 GT4 packages agreed for 2021, proving the worth of sim racing to BMW. BMW Car Club Magazine January 2021

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xxxxxt.

16-18 APR 2021 SYON PARK

SYON

The CAPITAL’S PREMIER CLASSIC CAR EVENT CELEBRATING THE EVOLUTION OF DESIGN: 135 YEARS OF THE MOTOR CAR Redesigned as a fully Covid-compliant, socially distanced outdoor-covered event, The London Classic Car Show is the must-attend event for any discerning classic car owner, collector or enthusiast.

With over 500 cars, top classic car dealers, hundreds of exhibitors and a selection of the UK’s leading Car Clubs, The London Classic Car Show offers you the opportunity to view and purchase from what promises to be one of the widest collections in the UK.

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OUR SPECIAL CAR CLUB MEMBER DISCOUNT USE THE CODE ‘BMWCLUB’ TO SAVE £6.50 OFF STANDARD ADULT ADVANCE TICKET PRICE

theclassiccarshowuk.com Stay up to date with the latest news

products M-Style Side Skirts for BMW E82/88 Models BMW no longer offers genuine BMW side skirts for the E82/E88 1 Series models; however, M-Style is pleased to announce that it now has its own version available.

The PU-RIM mouldings come complete with air scoops and grille mesh and are available at £195 per pair including VAT. The side skirts will fit 2013 model-year convertible and coupe models (except 1M coupe) with Mtech / M sport rear bumper.

M-Style can also offer a fitting and painting service at extra cost.

Prep and painting only: £160 extra (buyer will need to collect finished sills) Painting and fitting: £200 For further details e-mail info@mstyle.co.uk or call 0208 598 9115

M-Style Ghost Immobiliser The long winter nights are ideal for car thieves. Whilst there are lots of antitheft devices on the market today, M-Style recommends and fits the Ghost Immobiliser for several very good reasons: •T he Ghost immobiliser has no key-fobs or LED indications to give away its location.

• T he Ghost uses the buttons that are already in your vehicle (such as those on the steering wheel, door panels or centre console) to allow you to make a unique, changeable PIN code sequence that must be entered before the car can be driven.

•T here are no physical locks for a thief to pick.

• There is no remote control for a thief to scan.

• I f a thief takes your car while the engine is running, as soon as it is stopped it won’t restart.

M-Style can supply and fit a Ghost Immobiliser system for just £449.00 including VAT.

M-Style can also supply and fit Thatcham Cat. 5/6 tracking systems.

For further details e-mail info@mstyle.co.uk or call 0208 598 9115

Atspeed now provide remapping for standard cars Essex based Atspeed Racing have been one of the leading tuners of performance ECUs for quite a time. Now the company has turned its attention to remapping standard production cars including many BMW and Mini models.

Visit http://www.atspeedracing.co.uk/remapping-essex and use the calculator to see what is available for your car.

As an example an Atspeed remap would take an E90 320d from 163bhp to 215bhp and the increase the torque from 350Nm to 420Nm. In addition to a basic remap for improved power, torque and economy Atspeed can provide various additional tuning for certain models to fine-tune the ECU operation of other functions such as the anti-lag, Adblue, Vmax and the start/stop systems.

Use the online appointment form or call 01268 773377 to arrange a Covid compliant drop off.

For more details contact Atspeed Racing on 01268 773377 or visit their website: www.atspeedracing.co.uk

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Cobra Sport’s BMW M4 (F82) Coupé 3” Primary De-Cat Downpipe Performance Exhaust Cobra Sport catless turbo downpipes produce a deeper exhaust note and allow the turbos to spool quicker for sharper throttle response and power delivery. Matched with a remap, this part allows for significant power improvements.

This BMW M4 performance exhaust is made in 3”/76.2mm bore pipework and replaces the primary catalysts (Cat Bypass).

NB: This de-cat sports exhaust is sold for motorsport and off road use only and will NOT be able to pass a UK MOT emissions test or police roadside checks.

EML lights may activate after removing the standard primary O/E catalyst. An ECU remap is recommended to correct this problem and stabilise all power increases.

Requires 2 x BMW gasket - part number 18307851168 all other relevant gaskets and fittings are supplied • Cobra Sport exhausts systems come with a lifetime warranty for the original purchaser, giving you ultimate peace of mind.

• All Cobra Sport exhausts are manufactured in the UK from certified grade 304 stainless steel and TIG welded for a superior quality finish.

Fits to standard M4 exhaust (Pre-PPF models only) and the Cobra Sport primary cat back exhaust (BM104TP84). Does not fit M4 Competition model. £600.00 Incl. VAT Visit: https://cobrasport.com for further details.

www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

BMW Car Club Magazine January 2021

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Life Feature – BMW E63 M6

LIFE

Analogue to Digital…

Words - Jeff Heywood Photography– BMW Classic & Jeff Heywood

Hot on the heels of the E60 M5’s release in the spring of 2005 came the E63 M6, launched exactly six months later. BMW were riding high on the favourable reviews of the new M5 and its barnstorming S85B50 V10 engine, but just how good is the E63 M6, the first 6 Series M car for sixteen years?

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Life Feature – BMW E63 M6

T

he E63 6 Series was introduced in 2003, but it would take a further two years before the M Powered version finally appeared.

Its 500bhp motorsport-inspired V10 was a true innovation for BMW at the time, even if it shared very little in common with their Formula One engine, apart from its configuration and being cast in the same foundry. Gas-guzzling, naturally aspirated and thoroughly intoxicating, it’s an old-school brute and a rarity in today’s modern world of downsizing and turbocharging. When fitted to the 6 Series it created a monster – the BMW M6. But first, the M5.

In 2004 the E60 generation M5 was ahead of its time, and was the first saloon car to come equipped with a V10 engine.

Boasting a launch control system that helped propel the 1,755kg limousine from 0-60mph in a then staggering 4.5 seconds, it ran onto a top speed of 205mph – once the electronic limiter was removed. The M5 was a hit, even if the reviews of Bangle’s design were mixed, with quotes of ‘Dame Edna Everage’ glasses commonplace when describing the M5’s headlights and front end styling.

Less than a year later the E63 M6 went on sale, quickly followed by the E64 M6 Convertible. This newest generation saw the M6 utilise the M5’s world-class drivetrain and SMG paddleshift transmission. BMW then fitted this package into the E63’s coupe body shell, which was now lower and lighter than the M5 and also visually far sleeker. This reduced the 0-60 time to 4.2 seconds, meaningfully 0.3 seconds quicker than the M5 could manage, and although the top speed remained the same at a limited 155mph, with the limiter removed the more slippery M6 could hit 210mph flat out. Back in 2005, it was BMW’s fastest production car to date.

If you were lucky enough to be in a position to purchase an M6, you would have been pleasantly treated to a long list of standard equipment, meaning there was no need for thousands to be spent on extra options, although BMW naturally provided them anyway. A seven-speed sequential gearbox, M-differential, plus three-mode damping and adjustable stability and traction control systems were all standard fitment. It didn’t stop there, as a state-of-the-art head-up display featured in the car along with some tasteful 19-inch deep-dish alloy wheels encasing the vast ventilated discs. All of this brought the new M6 to a £79,760

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The E63 M6 has matured well, and still looks fresh and modern today, and certainly turned a few heads on my run.

list price, and as the final cars began to depart showrooms in early 2011 the price had risen to £87,335. Today, you can pick up a leggy, uncared for example for under £15,000…if you’re brave.

Despite the enticing second-hand list price, these cars are not cheap to run. Rear tyres and brakes need to be replaced frequently, and those can turn out to be rather expensive, coupled with fuel consumption in the mid-teens at best. In addition to the usual costs, if anything goes pear shaped the repair costs can be sky high so a trusted warranty scheme is advised. Buying a low mileage, mint example is the safest way to enjoy M6 motoring.

We could dedicate two whole issues of Straight Six to the S85B50 engine’s spec alone, but these are the highlights: Bi-Vanos variable valve timing (which allows both exhaust and inlet valves to vary their opening times), an ECU, the most powerful automotive computer at the time, managing 10 individual computer-controlled throttle bodies, and a full stainless steel exhaust system. It’s a powertrain engineer’s dream and one of the finest road car engines ever built.

The V10 is linked to an SMG gearbox, as no manual was available in the UK and

Europe. It has seven gears and more functions than you’d believe possible, but the basic options are an auto without the benefit of a torque converter, or a manual with paddles behind the steering wheel and a rather grabbable lever in the usual position, which allows you to play touring car driver.

Before we get any further, let’s take a look at the maladies that can afflict the M6 and that glorious motor. The iconic V10 is a bittersweet product that offers outstanding performance and harmonises a sound of pure aural beauty, but in its later years it has developed some major problems. Even cars with just 70,000 or 80,000 miles on the clock (remember the earliest versions are now 15-years old, so that’s only around 5,000 miles per year) will most likely end up with dropped valves or a valve spring failure which results in the need for a rebuilt cylinder bank, which is going to cost a minimum of £2,000, if you are lucky and know a friendly BMW technician. Another known issue is with the spark plugs. If they haven’t been changed for a few years (yes, it does happen) then some of the coils can break and destroy themselves when you start to dismantle them, and they can be a pain to replace on this www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

The E63 M6 may first and foremost be a grand tourer, but it will also tackle this twisty ribbon of tarmac with aplomb

engine. Throttle bodies are also delicate, so be warned.

In addition to the above, the V10 engine infamously suffers from bottomend failures, and not just on higher mileage examples - some have been known to fail at under 40,000 miles, although to be fair it is the higher mileage and poorly serviced vehicles that suffer the most. The failure of the connecting rod bearings can cause serious damage, which will result in a full engine rebuild ouch.

Connecting rod bearings wear, mainly because clearances are too tight between the bearings and crank journals, which results in reduced oil flow. This causes excessive bearing surface heat, which leads to metal shavings forming, causing damage throughout the engine (such as the high pressure oil pump and the VANOS actuators). For peace of mind, OEM rod bearings should be replaced every 60,000 miles at a minimum.

The cure for most of the S85B50 engine’s maladies is in regular oil changes using the finest oil available. Most current S85 owners replace the oil in their cars every 5,000 miles or less, and with plenty of these cars having now passed into the hands of enthusiasts who only use them on weekends, it helps to keep the mileage low meaning the oil change regime isn’t as onerous as it sounds. It is also worth using an engine flushing agent when first purchasing an M5/M6 running the S85 to rid the engine of any sludge or deposits that may have built up. Another recommendation is to have a sample of the old oil analysed after every oil change. This isn’t as expensive as it sounds, costing £40-60 per test and is worth building into the car’s maintenance www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

budget. It is a failsafe, picking up microscopic trace elements of metals in the oil sample (like copper), which are ‘shed’ if the bearings are starting to wear prematurely. Having your oil analysed is the best early warning system you can employ when running an S85, allowing you time to organise the replacement of the shells.

With the E63 M6 being the first 6 Series M car in sixteen years, the M division in Garching tried hard. Their biggest challenge was to reduce the new car’s weight without compromising on safety or equipment, while crucially improving on every aspect of the driving dynamics and making it feel like a sports coupé should. It becomes clear that they quickly ran out of the obvious weightsaving options. The usual method of

binning sound-deadening materials, the odd airbag, rear seats, centre consoles and every electric seat motor in sight was not acceptable – the M6 was to be a grand tourer, not a stripped out track beast. They went to extraordinary lengths to gain what is officially only a 50kg advantage over the M5.

There are two ways to go about making a car handle. The purest is to strip away the kilos to improve your power to weight ratio and make your chassis more responsive. The second is rarely mentioned outside of motorsport, but was fundamental to the M6’s design brief. If BMW’s M engineers were unable to drastically reduce the mass, then they needed to redistribute some of what remained. Centre of gravity is the Holy Grail of chassis engineering, and the M6’s

The head-up display is a brilliant introduction of aerospace technology into the automotive world, giving you important information like sat-nav instructions and speed limit warnings. You receive the information you need without taking your eyes off the road and is totally unobtrusive when not required.

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Life Feature – BMW E63 M6

The M6’s controls all fall ergonomically to hand and instrumentation is clear and legible.

is 60mm lower than an M5’s – quite a lot in a road car. Most obvious of these alterations is the fitment of a carbon fibre roof. First seen on the limited-run M3 CSL, this was the first time a carbon roof was used on a full production car, and would go on to be a tell-tale M feature, just like a set of quad tailpipes. The net saving of 4.5kg over a steel roof panel may not seem that special, but the fact that the weight was shaved from the very top of the car is more significant than the overall saving. The roof is bonded in place, and all the work was carried out on the main production line.

Next on the weightwatcher’s list are the (rather nice) OEM alloy wheels, the spokes of which barely look strong enough to prop up a supermini, let alone a 1710kg M car! Made of forged aluminium, they shave a full 1.8kg of unsprung mass from another critical area.

After this, the attention to weight-carving detail is reduced to infinitesimal levels.

The front and rear bumper supports are made of carbon fibre, saving 20 and 40 per cent respectively over conventional aluminium items and the rear windscreen is thinner than that of a standard E63.

But however much BMW M wanted us to think that its dietary plan had played the biggest role in shaping the M6, it was actually the tyres (admittedly working in conjunction with the reduced mass and lower centre of gravity) that were the strongest indication of how serious a performance tool the M6 could be.

The Pirelli P-Zero Corsa had only been used on two production cars before this: the Ferrari 360 Challenge Stradale and the Porsche 996 GT3 RS. It is a soft compound ‘Cup’ tyre offering much more performance than a regular road tyre, and the results are staggering. If I was asked to define the main difference between the M5 and M6 in one word, it would be

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sharpness. Everything the M5 does, the M6 executes a touch quicker, with more agility and with the benefit of reduced inertia and heightened responses. When compared on paper, the differences aren’t that marked. I can’t, for example, tell you that the steering of the M6 feels any different to that of the M5 - they’re both excellent for accuracy with (unfortunately) not a huge amount of feel. Nor would it be correct to say the M6 rolls less than the M5, but I can tell you that it does scoot through curves quicker and feels more planted. It’s that seat of the pants feeling, and this is where the M6 feels more alive and driveable than the M5, and that’s no slight on the M5.

Driving Impressions So what is the M6 like to drive? Fun with a capital F! My route would be a real test; starting in my home area of Saddleworth, heading out of Greenfield village and onto Holmfirth, Stocksbridge, Buxton,

Macclesfield and then back to Stockport, returning on the M60. A route of some 90 miles should be plenty...

As I approach the car its Indianapolis Red metallic paintwork is glistening in the weak rays of autumnal sunlight. It’s a good colour for the M6, perfectly suiting the car’s sporty profile. I settle into the M6’s comfortable M sports seats in the leather-lined cabin, after being handed the keys by a good friend who let me borrow this low mileage beauty for this test. The BMW Individual Platinum Merino leather contrasts nicely with the Indianapolis Red exterior paint, providing wonderful and luxurious surroundings in which to drive.

The instruments are fully legible and the ergonomics sound. This car might be pushing 15-years now but the interior still feels fresh and modern, partly testament to the low 20,000 miles showing. The head-up display is a welcome addition to the M6 and is something I’m accustomed to after driving BMWs with this feature for over years now, as is the iDrive, which everyone moaned about at the time but actually works just fine, even if it is a touch clunky when compared to the latest systems.

I set the M seat (with memory function) to a position that I find comfortable, buckle up, press the start button and set off in P400 mode. 400 horses is more than enough for my short motorway journey, P500 Sport comes later…

Having experienced the E60 M5 on a couple of occasions, the M6 is a similar straight-line weapon like little else. Shorn of a few kilos and with an identical 500bhp at 7750rpm and 384lb ft of torque, it’s a car that feels immensely fast, and as I accelerate down the slip road onto the M60 the car feels sublimely effortless, easing onto the motorway, and with the revs barely touching 3000rpm in fourth gear I’m quickly cruising at

The M6 is a joy to drive at speed, and has true supercar performance, with a 200+mph top speed.

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The heart of the beast! BMW’s S85B50 V10 engine is an amazing piece of engineering, producing 500bhp, enough to propel the M6 to 210mph!

90mph in hushed silence. The M6’s interior is a wonderfully cosseted place to be, and sitting on a motorway one can immediately gauge what a fine grand tourer this car is. Thankfully the weather is dry when I set out, with the sun trying to break through the clouds in places.

I leave the M60 at Ashton-Under-Lyne, keeping the power button in P400 mode as I make my way through the urban crawl, heading for the Saddleworth hills.

Thankfully we soon clear urbansville and reach Greenfield village. As I leave the village via the A635 Isle of Skye road I quickly select P500 Sport as we ascend what seems like the never ending climb onto the top of Saddleworth Moor. The road finally flattens out to some degree, undulating and snaking across the moor, a sinuous piece of tarmac designed to keep you out of the putrid peatbog and perfect for cars like the M6. I mash my foot on the throttle and the M6 shoots forward like an Exocet missile, the V10 engine finally comes alive as it’s wail starts at 5000rpm and grows into a banshee like howl as we head closer to the red line in each gear. Boy, does the M6 still feel quick! The undulating, heavily cambered A635 will test any car, and the M6 is given a thorough workout on the dips, crests and undulations, that manic V10 howling away as this wicked stretch of road tries it’s best to throw you off into the boggy moorland.

The fun comes to a temporary halt as we head down off the moor and into Holmfirth, home of Nora Batty and Last of the Summer Wine; it is a nice little village and worth a morning or afternoon visit.

I follow the B6106 as I depart, happy to be back in P400 mode as this B-road is narrow at times with plenty of parked cars and blind bends as it winds its way uphill.

We join the A616 for about a mile before www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

it reaches a roundabout where it meets the A628 Woodhead Pass road – another challenging route but not today as we drive straight across the roundabout and continue on the A616 in the direction of Stocksbridge. This section of the A616 is a really fast open trunk road where the M6, now back in P500 Sport mode, eats up the highway as I gun the V10 through the gears via the steering wheel mounted paddles. One has to be careful though, as just as you get nearly half way, there is a speed camera mounted to catch the unwary. It’s here after a number of high

speed braking runs when I notice the brakes becoming a tad mushy.

M cars of this era struggle with brakes if you are repeatedly braking from high speed; a set of Brembo’s finest wouldn’t go amiss.

We skirt through the outer suburbs of Sheffield and head to Lidgate, finally escaping the drudgery of suburban stop start driving and a proliferation of mini roundabouts. I must also give the head-up display a mention for providing me with all the info I need – directions from the sat-nav and speed limits, all reproduced on the windscreen in my line of sight yet totally unobtrusive. A wonderful safety item.

We pass by Lidgate village and hit wonderful Peak District scenery again as we head south for a short blast on the A621 Baslow Road. Once you escape the last of the Sheffield suburbs the roads in the Peak District are sublime for stretching the legs of any car, and this short run on the A621 to Baslow is no exception, the V10 is given its head in the lower gears as it punches its way rather violently down the A621 before we reach a roundabout at Baslow. We then head to the village of Pilsley and take a right onto the A6020 for a short run before we reach the A6, where we take another right in the direction of Buxton.

Buxton, as many of you will know, is a beautiful Spa town with the highest elevation – about 1,000ft above sea level – of any market town in England,

The infamous A635 Isle of Skye road is hugely challenging.

The E63’s ‘Bangle bustle’ boot was criticised when new but now hardly gets a mention.

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Life Feature – BMW E63 M6

The BMW Individual Platinum leather-clad interior is a classy, welcoming and comfortable place to spend a good few hours behind the wheel.

and is often referred to as the gateway to the Peak District National Park. It is also usually very busy, and today is no exception as we tackle mini-roundabout after mini-roundabout! Thankfully we reach the western edge of the town, passing Poole’s Cavern before we flick right onto the A537, which is one of, if not the finest, driving roads in England, and otherwise known as the Cat and Fiddle Road. A biker’s haven, one only has to look on a map to appreciate this road, with lots of bends and hairpins connected by some amazing straights where you can really stretch the legs of the most potent of machines. Seen in person, taking in its rises, crests and dips as it sinews across some amazing moorland scenery, it resembles in places sections of the Nurburgring – high praise indeed.

The M6 may be a big car, but on roads like this it shrinks around you. Yes, I know that is an overused expression, but it is perfectly applicable in this case. All of the car’s buttons are set to maximum including the P500 Sport setting as we head onto the first section, which is made up of a number of straights linked together by mostly slight to medium bends. When traffic flow allows, I can use all of the road when cornering, straightening out bend after bend as the car sears from gears three to four, with the odd snatch of fifth on the rare occasion. The S85 V10 is intoxicating as it changes its tone from an everincreasing wail as we hit 6000rpm, to a

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banshee-like scream as the rev counter nudges 8000rpm in each gear, the viciousness of the acceleration pinning me back in my seat as the car quickly hits some seemingly high (alleged) velocities.

What is impressive is how the M6 sticks like a limpet in the semi-straightened bends, the sticky Pirelli P-Zero Corsas providing oodles of grip and impressive feedback.

What I am impressed with is the feedback felt through both the steering wheel and the seat of the pants. Obviously it’s no M3 CSL, but the combination of the Pirellis and the M suspension produces (surprisingly) oodles of front end grip and feel, which isn’t completely numbed by the power steering, and the rear suspension really lets you feel what the big E63’s rearend is doing in the twisty stuff. Body roll is present but not alarmingly so and the mass is kept well under control when pressing on.

I’m really taking a shine to this car…

The Cat and Fiddle Road has sadly become infamous due to the high number of deaths, with over 70 per cent of those fatalities being bikers. The road is a challenging ‘nirvana’ to motorcyclists; unfortunately due to the fatalities, we find the road patrolled by unmarked police cars and motorcycles, so be warned.

There is also a section controlled by average speed cameras which the bikers bypass by heading down Ankers Lane, rejoining the road further along – you couldn’t make it up!

I couldn’t be bothered bypassing the

cameras, so I continued along the A537, passing the famous Cat and Fiddle Inn, now a whisky distillery. Just over a mile down the road and we’ve cleared the average speed section - I must admit the 50mph controlled section does remove some of the finest sections of the road from play, which is a great shame.

All too quickly the first signs of housing and the suburbs of Macclesfield appear, and my road trip is nearly complete. I still have about 15 miles to go until I reach the M60 at Stockport, which is conducted on the kinds of wide, sweeping A-roads that the M6 excels on. I work my way through Macclesfield and head out on the A523 in the direction of Poynton and Hazel Grove.

A couple of points worth mentioning as I navigated my way through Macclesfield – I still can’t get on with the SMG’s paddles, and I much prefer to use the gear lever like a racing sequential when gunning the car. Secondly, the M6, resplendent in its Indianapolis Red warpaint, elicits a few second looks as we head through town. I also noticed the same looks as I wound my way through a couple of Saddleworth villages at the start of my trip. It’s nice to know that even after 15 years the M6 is still a bit of a head turner – and all you doubters said Bangle got it wrong!

On major A-roads the M6 wafts along and cocoons its passengers, the leatherlined and air conditioned cabin cosseting as it slips into the roll of consummate grand tourer. As we reach Stockport I www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

hit the start of the rush hour traffic and it does give me time to contemplate the M6 as I crawl towards the motorway junction.

I condense my thoughts, thinking about what I’m going to write; the consumption of Shell’s finest at 14mpg for my test run is quite sobering, although the car is excused because I was either peddling the M6 along at a fair old lick or sat in the suburban crawl, neither of which is ideal for a large, heavy V10 coupe, so I’ll forgive the car it’s prodigious thirst on this occasion.

Conclusion As I joined the M60 at Stockport, it crosses my mind that being the past owner of three F13s plus my latest M850i, I think I’m well qualified to judge the big E63 M6. I also drove one or two E63 and E64 M6s when new, and I think that although they are dubbed an M car, you shouldn’t judge the M6 as a sports car.

It is a fabulous touring GT, but it isn’t a sports car, it is too big and heavy for that, although it does have sports carlike performance. Back in the day many commercial publications pitted the E63 M6 against the Porsche 911, and they continue to make the same mistake to this day, which is unfair, because BMW’s 6 Series models (and the new 8 Series) are true grand tourers and not out and out sports cars. In the GT category and at the price point they are pitched at, they have few competitors. They are comfortable, very well equipped, www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

The A537 Cat and Fiddle road is as challenging a section of road as you’ll find anywhere in the British Isles.

luxurious, quick and handle rather well.

As a GT car they blow the socks off a 911 – where do you put your luggage in a 911, for instance? That one point immediately rules out a 911 as a true GT – are you listening, journos?

The M6’s real competitors exist much higher up in the automotive food chain. The E63’s true competitors were the Aston Martin DB9 and Bentley Continental GT, while the F13 & G15’s competition is the DB11 and again, Bentley’s new Conti GT. So yes, the 6 and 8 Series models punch far higher in the automotive pecking order than their price point suggests, and while they may not have the cachet of an Aston or a Bentley, they perform the job admirably of transferring two or four occupants and their luggage effortlessly at speed, whilst covering hundreds of miles across country and continent, cocooned in a luxurious, climate controlled, leather clad cabin, allowing you to arrive fresh and unstressed at your destination. That is the

true test of a first class grand tourer.

As the sun starts to set and my journey’s end beckons, on one quiet section of the M60 I give the M6 one last squirt of its throttle, just to hear that V10 wail again; hurtling forward, the M6 gathers speed at a blistering rate.

210mph? I can well believe it.

The finest accolade I can give the car is, as an overall package, it feels just as fresh and modern today (one or two items notwithstanding like iDrive and the brakes) as it did when it left the showroom fifteen years ago, with that special V10 engine giving it prodigious performance and masses of character. The M6 still feels old school in some aspects, yet was packed with what was new technology at the time, hence my opening title. Find a good, low mileage example that has been mothered, enjoy it and cherish it.

Thank you to Mike Williams for providing his delightful E63 M6 to Straight Six.

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Feature

30 BMW Car Club Magazine January 2021

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Feature

Success in Surrey West Surrey Racing, the official BMW team in the British Touring Car Championship, are enjoying quite a winning streak. Having just claimed the 2020 Teams’ and Manufacturers’ BTCC crowns in a manic three-month season, Straight Six’s Andrew Coles stopped by for a rare tour.

I

wonder how many delivery drivers have left parcels at West Surrey Racing while completely oblivious to the sheer magnitude of legendary fingerprints to have pressed that doorbell before them.

After all, you could be forgiven for missing it entirely. A grey-coloured warehouse in Surrey with a few BMWs parked out the front and ‘WSR’ above the door. It could be anything – a logistics company? A medical supplies business?

But as a fan of motorsport, the thought of who else had rung this doorbell echoed in my mind as I gingerly extended a hand.

Ayrton Senna, Mika Hakkinen, Rubens Barrichello, Mauricio Gugelmin, Jonathan Palmer, Nigel Mansell and Tom Kristensen have all driven for the team and surely visited regularly.

The door is answered by Team Manager Carl Mitchell, who welcomes me into an impressive waiting room showcasing the team’s considerable success since its establishment as a Formula 3 team in 1981 by New Zealander Dick Bennetts. Clearly, this is no logistics company.

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In its F3 days the team won five British championships, including its debut race and season, and the prestigious Macau Grand Prix twice. It switched to touring cars in 1996, running Ford’s works Mondeos in the heady Super Touring days of the late 1990s and early 2000s.

As a kid in Australia I was addicted to TOCA Touring Cars on Playstation 1, and there was a twinge of nostalgia in seeing the actual trophies from the real races on WSR’s shelf. I, too, won the Silverstone round in the year 2000!

Over the years WSR have run manufacturer-backed BTCC campaigns for Honda and MG/Rover before a switch to BMW in 2007. The team secured official Manufacturer support in 2017, the brand’s first official presence in the BTCC for over two decades, a just reward for a remarkable run of success that has so far netted four outright Drivers’ championships, five Manufacturers’, four Teams’ and two Independents’’ with BMW in the BTCC. My visit is timed well – less than a month earlier WSR claimed both the 2020 BMW Car Club Magazine January 2021

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Manufacturers’ and Teams’ titles with the G20 330i M Sport. 2019 champion and BMW Car Club patron Colin Turkington narrowly missed out on a clean sweep of the championship, going into the Drivers’ title decider with a nine-point lead but narrowly finishing second to Ashley Sutton.

After gawking at the impressive collection of trophies spanning the past four decades and Jonathan Palmer’s early Ralt Formula 3 car sitting on display in the entrance hall, we step through a nondescript door and into the subassembly room. It is clinically clean, like a scientific laboratory, and a faint scent of gear oil permeates the air. There are fixed gearbox stands in the middle of the room, with benches running around the perimeter, all under bright LED lighting.

The cars are stripped to almost a bare shell in between each race weekend, and the various subassemblies are brought into this clean environment for rebuild and inspection by the mechanics, under the supervision of chief mechanic Steve Buckell.

The gearbox is disassembled for inspection and then rebuilt with the ratios required for the next circuit, the clutch is inspected and re-shimmed, and the differential is rebuilt after every second weekend. The hubs are stripped down and careful attention is paid to bearings

32 BMW Car Club Magazine January 2021

and seals, especially if they have been run in the wet. The dampers are tested on a SPA shock dynamometer to check that they have not lost fluid or pressure and are behaving as expected, and the entire front and rear subframes are stripped, cleaned, inspected and rebuilt.

The BMW B48 engine itself is sealed, but it undergoes a thorough visual inspection on the bench after each weekend.

This is preventative maintenance taken to the extreme, but Carl says it has many

other benefits aside from avoiding failure.

“There’s a bit of a limit where you don’t want to introduce issues by constantly changing things, so we try and stick to what we know. If we’re aware of a certain component only lasting three-quarters of a season we’ll change it, but we don’t do everything as a matter of course. But the benefit is that because the mechanics are so well drilled in taking the car apart, they can do it really quickly if they need to.

“The BMW and RML (manufacturer of www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

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series control components) parts don’t usually give us any issues. Everything on the car is lifed, so as long as we’re within that life we know how far we can go. As long as the cars are regularly stripped for inspection and looked after we know they can keep going, they’re built to last.

“The B48 itself is actually a very well designed and built engine. Neil Brown Engineering, who look after the engines, do a great job of rebuilding them at the end of the season. We service them intensively, obviously we’re fairly limited by what TOCA has sealed and what isn’t possible from a legality point of view but the mechanics are very meticulous in checking everything they can – engine out and on the bench is normal between events”.

We continue on, and move into the main race shop. It’s an expansive open space with pristine floors and bright www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

LED lighting. There are six bays, two of which house the famous 330i M Sport’s of Turkington and Oliphant, which are up on stands, partially disassembled with subframes off and engines on the bench.

The final race of the season may have taken place, but the team are already preparing the cars for testing ahead of next year’s season. It’s a cycle that never ends.

The BMW branding on the cars and team uniforms is prominent and almost every car in the carpark (including an M8 Competition at the door) is a ’20 plated BMW, and Carl explains what it means to be an officially supported team.

“We’re not a full factory team, they don’t exist anymore, in the sense that nobody is entirely funded by a manufacturer these days. We still need to go out and find sponsors, and the drivers bring their budgets, funded by their own

individual sponsors.

“However, we are certainly considered a manufacturer team for a reason – we do get plenty of support from BMW. We get parts and direct technical support, and BMW do us some favours too, things like keeping a full G20 3 Series bodyshell in their local parts stock. I think we’d be the only people in the UK to ever order a whole bodyshell…”

WSR are a manufacturer/constructor in that they design and build BTCC cars as well as run them. In 2021 WSR will supply two further G20s as customer cars, and during my visit these cars were under construction. The fourth workshop bay was full of an entire car’s worth of spare parts, delivered directly from BMW’s UK parts warehouse. There’s everything from headlight assemblies to bonnets and complex plastic brackets, but Carl says that almost every production part is modified by the team in some way, usually to either lighten or strengthen it. A new body shell sat in the fabrication shop, a few days away from paint.

A BTCC 330i M Sport starts life as a regular G20 shell, picked off the production line and shipped to the team.

The front end is cut off at the a-pillar and discarded, and the shell is then sent to chassis fabrication specialist Willie Poole Motorsport in Warwickshire, who installs the WSR designed, FIA BMW Car Club Magazine January 2021

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controlled roll cage and new front end according to WSR’s design in a process that takes about a month of full-time work per chassis. It is returned to WSR’s fabrication shop where a further week is spent on finishing and prep, and any unnecessary fixings and brackets are removed. It is then sent away for painting internally and externally.

In terms of panels, the original BMW aluminium bonnet and doors are retained, along with the plastic rear bumper cover, but parts of their structure are removed to reduce weight. The BTCC body kit itself is produced by Goodwood Composites from a special type of fibreglass (carbon is outlawed in the BTCC for all non-safety critical components) which is surprisingly easy and viable to repair. A damaged front bumper, for example, can be put back into its original mould with any missing bits simply layered up again.

34 BMW Car Club Magazine January 2021

From the point that the team gets the painted shell back to the workshop, it takes a further two months of fulltime Monday to Friday work (and some weekends, Carl quips), to build into a finished car ready for shakedown. A rolling chassis costs in the hundreds of thousands to build, not counting any labour, which is accounted for as a fixed overhead. As for the final value of the car, Carl says that it fluctuates according to

the various global regulations at the time, and where else the car can race other than in the BTCC. WSR then facilitates a customer team to run the car themselves by providing support, technical advice and a supply of spare parts.

Parked in a spare space is Turkington’s 2018 championship winning 1 Series, in the exact condition it finished its last race (tape and all) and is destined for a private collection. Alongside it is a brand new 1 www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

THE ALL NEW BMW ALPINA B3 TOURING. YOUNGER. GREATER. STRONGER

“The B3 Touring earns five stars because there is arguably no other car on sale that so successfully slathers its appeal across the realms of comfort, performance, practicality and engagement and –relative to other cars against which it competes – value for money. It is one sensationally rounded product.”

– Autocar 04/11/20 For further information contact Gary Lott, ALPINA GB Brand Manager, garylott@sytner.co.uk.

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36 BMW Car Club Magazine January 2021

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Feature

Series chassis, the fifth built by the team it was kept as a spare when the team ran the 1 Series but was never needed.

One of the team’s two large articulated transporters dominates the race shop, and these are the team’s central nervous system come race weekend. Each transporter has an office at the front of the trailer and it is here that Carl lives onevent, alongside chief mechanic Steve.

As Team Manager Carl’s focus at the track is primarily on compliance with the sporting regulations, and making sure that all rules are being observed.

“When we have to go and see the Clerk of Course it’s me that usually goes with one of the drivers and I’m flicking through the regulations to see if there’s a loophole or anything, but normally we just have to say sorry and accept that we shouldn’t have tapped someone!”

Behind the offices, work benches run the length of the trailer and the drawers www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

contain every spare part imaginable. The cars are parked on top of the benches for transit, and flight cases containing major components like spare engines and gearboxes slide in between. The team takes these two articulated transporters and an 18-tonne rigid to each event.

“We take everything to a race weekend. Spares, even our damper dynamometer. We have the same equipment on site that we have in the workshop. If we have to, except for the shell itself, we can fully rebuild an entire car from what’s in these drawers and trust me, it wouldn’t be the first time we’ve had to do that!

“Even saying that, we’ve repaired shells at the track. Once at Croft there was a big qualifying accident and we could pretty much stand in the rear end of the 1 Series. One of our sponsors actually came to the workshop and picked up some bodyshell parts, and then Willie

Poole met us at the track and welded them in, and we made the race.”

This anecdote from Carl is indicative of the most important part of the team – its people. As good as the facilities may be, as good as the car is and as highprofile as having manufacturer support may be, at the end of the day it comes down to individual effort. The entire operation relies on highly skilled people who are fully dedicated to the job.

“I wouldn’t say it takes over your life but it is a big commitment, it’s 10 weekends away per year plus testing.

You have to really want to be there.

Sometimes it’s late nights, long hours, you are away from home quite a bit but it’s what we all like to do. It’s not just a job for the sake of doing a job.”

After a bizarre 2020 season that saw a staggering nine race weekends condensed into a manic three and a half months, Carl and the WSR team are looking forward to consolidating their success with the 330i M Sport in what will hopefully be a more normal 2021 season.

And as for me, I step back out and into a cold, rainy Surrey day. I turn around and look at the nondescript building, grinning with the knowledge of what’s going on inside. I bet Senna did that, too.

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BMW M550i xDrive & 4 Series first drives

The Perfect Balance?

Words: Bob Harper Photography: BMW UK

38 BMW Car Club Magazine January 2021

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Feature

The M550i xDrive isn’t a full-fat M car but with 530hp it’s still a hugely fast and capable machine, and undercuts the M5 Competition by a not insignificant £30,000. But is it a viable alternative?

A

mid the controversy surrounding the debut of the new 4 Series, with its new rather ungainly visage, and the even more divisive iX all-electric SUV, BMW’s 5 Series has gone through its mid-life refresh without too many changes to its appearance. It still looks svelte and stylish, no mean feat for a car that’s as big as a 7 Series used to be just a couple of generations back.

There’s been some fiddling with the model range too, with a new six-cylinder hybrid (the 545e) joining the fray while another six-pot, the 540i in saloon guise, has been quietly dropped from the line-up. Another casualty is the 530i, presumably as most 5 Series purchases are company cars and the hybrid 530e’s

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10 per cent Benefit in Kind tax bracket makes it a no brainer on the financial side of the equation. This left what you could call a gaping hole in the petrol-engined saloon offerings, with nothing in between the 184hp 2.0-litre 520i and the 625hp M5 Competition.

That gap is obviously partially plugged by the 530e and 545e but if you don’t have access to home charging then BMW has thoughtfully come up with another option, the M550i xDrive. It’s unlikely to be a big seller but does offer an intriguing alternative to the ultimate supersaloon,

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BMW M550i xDrive & 4 Series first drives

the M5 Competition.

On paper the M550i has a huge amount going for it. At £71,365 OTR it undercuts the £102,325 M5 Competition by a cool £30k and when you consider they both make use of a 4.4-litre twinturbo V8, both have all-wheel drive, both have sub-four second 0-62mph times and both are pretty loaded with all the kit you could ever want in your executive express; the M550i xDrive looks like a bit of a bargain.

Yes, the M5 Comp makes more power (625hp versus the M550i’s paltry 530hp) and yes, the M5 is quicker to 62mph recording a time of 3.3 seconds to the M550i’s 3.8 seconds. But let’s face

it - you’re never actually going to need to travel faster than you can in an M550i.

The cheaper car doesn’t really lose out when it comes to equipment either – it’s more or less on a par with the M5 – and the M550i does have an LSD, adaptive M suspension and big brakes so it should be able to cope with putting the power to the road and hauling it down from speed when required.

Obviously the M5 Competition does get the finely-honed M underpinnings but the M550i xDrive is an M Performance machine so it’s not just a bog-basic 5 Series with a huge engine. The cheaper car does lose out on a couple of pieces of standard kit that you get in the M5 – most

M550i xDrive Engine: N63, turbocharged V8 Capacity: 4395cc Max power: 530hp @ 5500-6000rpm Max torque: 553lb ft (750Nm) @ 1800-4600rpm 0-62mph: 3.8 seconds Top speed: 155mph (limited) Economy: 25.4-25.9mpg Emissions: 247-252g/km Price (OTR): £71,365

40 BMW Car Club Magazine January 2021

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notably Merino leather and a head-up display – but both can be added should you so desire.

On paper it would seem like there’s very little to choose between the two cars but are the differences on the road more marked? Having driven both cars back-to-back it’s fair to say that for the vast majority of the time the M550i xDrive makes a far better case for itself than the M5 Competition. In terms of raw speed the M5 does ultimately feel a smidgen quicker, but given you can only keep the throttle pinned for around three or four seconds before you’re heading into licence losing territory it’s a bit of a moot point unless you have a section of derestricted autobahn to hand. Suffice to say the M550i is plenty fast enough, piling on speed with the merest flex of the ankle. It sounds good, too, with a bassy V8 soundtrack that stacks up just fine in comparison to the M5, especially in Sport mode where it does add a rather decent snarl to its repertoire.

Where the M550i really scores over its full-fat M counterpart is with its slightly softer nature, especially in regard to its suspension settings. In every mode the M550i is more compliant and soaks up the worst our rutted highways can throw at it, giving passengers a far more cossetted experience than the M5 which can feel a little too hardcore at times,

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especially in its Sport mode. The flipside is that the M550i isn’t perhaps quite as keen to turn-in to corners, but at the same time it doesn’t feel riddled with understeer either. And there’s very little to choose between the two cars in terms of grip – both offer four-wheel drive with a rear-biased feel, although it’s only the M5 that can be turned into a rear-wheel drive loon at the press of a button.

As an all-rounder it’s safe to say the M550i xDrive is a better prospect than

the M5. On the odd occasion when you can actually make use of the M5’s performance and poise it is a more enticing steer, but I wouldn’t be surprised if plenty of customers decide to buy the cheaper car and save £30,000 in the process. It’s as fast as you could possibly need, is well equipped and shouts a little less about its performance. In short, the M550i xDrive is the consummate all-rounder and a very worthy M5 rival.

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Straight Six M550i xDrive & 4 Series first drives

4 Series round up If the prospect of spending £70,000 on a large saloon seems a little too much or if you simply don’t need the space and fancy a more rakish package, then the new 4 Series Coupe would definitely be worth a look. Yes, the front-end styling is divisive and rather colour and spec sensitive but in the flesh it’s better than expected.

At the media event where we drove the M550i and the M5 there was also a chance to sample the 4 Series in 420i, 420d and M440i xDrive guises. As well as the new styling there are some changes to the 4 Series range for this generation – the only trim level is M Sport and the only transmission option is the eight-speed ZF auto. If you’re after comfy SE spec suspension and the ability to change gears yourself you’re going to be disappointed.

First up on our driving list was the M440i complete with 374hp, a 4.5-second 0-62mph time and a hefty £53,875 price tag. In short it’s a great piece of kit – very rapid, comfortable and with a very grippy chassis thanks to its four-wheel drive. The steering is a let-down being pretty lacking in feel until the front wheels are really loaded up and it doesn’t feel very exciting to drive fast as it’s so incredibly planted.

No doubt the 420d will be a big seller – especially with company car drivers – and in the rear-wheel drive

42 BMW Car Club Magazine January 2021

version it feels like a very well balanced machine. Quick enough – 0-62mph takes 7.1 seconds – yet also pretty economical with official figures suggesting up to 72mpg is possible.

However, it was the entry-level 420i that grabbed our attention and at £39,870 it’s the only 4 Series that can be had for less than £40,000. With only 184hp it isn’t hugely quick (especially when compared to the M440i) but it will rock along plenty fast enough and you feel like you have to work with the car to extract the best from it. Its handling is very tidy too, with great turn-in and taut body control and a chassis bias that feels more akin to what a proper rear-wheel drive BMW should feel like.

The spring of 2021 will see the 430d and M440d make their debuts (both with xDrive) and if a quick spin in the M340d Touring is anything to go by the M440d could well be the pick of the range. But for the time being the 420i represents the sweet spot of the 4 Series line up.

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An emotional new home…

In 2012 my best friend finally opened his chequebook and spent the most he had ever spent on a car - and other than his house, the most he had ever spent on a single item.

Words & photographs: John Denny

H

e purchased a 2001 BMW E46 M3 in Carbon Black with 76,000 miles on the clock and a good service history. Whilst I spent most of my time buying, selling and polishing my cars, Phil, my best friend, used to drive and enjoy maintaining his M3, and spent the time he had with the car performing all the servicing and maintenance himself using all the correct parts, tools and procedures.

Sadly in 2018, we lost Phil, and his car passed to his lovely wife Emma, another of my great friends. She was the proud custodian until the cost of running a 15-year-old M car was no longer practical, and she was going to move the car on to make way for a more reliable and cheaper to run solution. I stepped in to help her, and she now has a stunning 218i M Sport, and eight years after first seeing Phil’s M3, it now sits on my drive as my next project.

I bought the M3 without even looking at the car. I knew roughly what it was like, as it had been outside my house on and off most weeks for the last eight years

44 BMW Car Club Magazine January 2021

whenever Phil visited, and of course I had been out in it as a passenger. It did occur to me, as Emma handed me the keys after I paid her for the car, that I had not sat in the old girl in over two years, and had not driven her since I first test drove the car for Phil when we inspected it back in 2012. It didn’t matter though, I was buying Phil’s M3, not just any M3.

So I slipped into the driver’s seat, fired her up, and drove her the hour back to my house.

As I sit at home typing this tome, I consider that this must now be my twentieth M3, and I think I’m right in saying it’s my sixth E46 M3, and though I have had more E36s over my life, I’m fast realising that the E46 is my favourite model.

Even though she’s a manual the gearbox is still positive, owing to Phil replacing the selector bushes, and the exhaust note of the E46 M3 is just music to a petrolhead’s ear. I know some people are not a fan, but for me it’s the car’s signature, only improved when you add a CSL’s induction roar. The chassis is nice

and tight, and although the car has now done close to 100,000 miles, most of the suspension bushes and ball joints have been replaced over the whole car as part of Phil’s servicing.

Back in 2012 when we first viewed the car Phil brought his ramps with him, and we actually gave the old girl a thorough inspection, as that’s how Phil was, very precise.

After doing all his homework on the E46 M3, as well as having seen all the issues I had encountered with the three I had owned by this time, he was as prepared for an inspection as anyone.

What he was able to find evidence of were subframe cracks; this was quite embarrassing for me, as he pointed out the cracks to the seller. It was a little cringeworthy but after the shock had settled we were able to strike a deal for the car, knowing that Phil, being a cracking welder, would be able to sort it out in the future.

My first E46 had no issues with the floor that I was aware of, but it was a new thing back when I first had an E46 www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

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4) The Redish Motorsport plates were then welded up the same.

Phil on day of collection

M3, and after I sold it the new owner wrote it off, so it wasn’t on the road for long. My second E46 was sold into the dealer network and it transpired that it had started to have issues, then the last three E46s prior this current car had all had complete floors fitted under warranty

by BMW. So never has a “known” issue been so true with the E46, I guess it’s always a case of when not if.

Fast forward to 2020, and I have started to give the new car some love, consisting of 2 days of washing, hoovering, cleaning, claying, polishing, waxing and a ceramic top coat, as well as replacing some odds and sods of missing trim clips and screws, as well as returning the interior trim to a light silver, as opposed to the black someone had added to the car earlier in its life prior to 2012. Though classy, I think the black trim pieces with the black interior on a black car is just a bit too much.

I also spent a few hours organising all the receipts and history for the car; it was like going back in time as I recalled all the work that Phil had done on the car, and of course there were his hand written notes on the invoices, which seeing again was very emotional for me, but there was something comforting about it all too.

Subframe fix The biggest job that Phil undertook on the car was to fix the cracked subframe, and not only did he fix the cracks, he also fitted the Redish Motorsport reinforcing plates. He did all the work himself, on his own, lying on his back with the car on axle stands, on his drive in Bolton!

Whilst the diff and rear suspension was out he changed the diff oil seals and all the bushes with uprated Powerflex parts.

He was my hero, there was nothing he couldn’t fix on a car, there was no problem he couldn’t overcome. What’s even better, he would help anyone with their car, wherever or whenever they needed help, and did it all for free! He was such a generous man. www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

Phil detailed most of the work he’d done on the car, and I came across some of the pictures he took over the years of the jobs he’d completed; the subframe fix made up a good chunk of the images I thought I’d share with everyone, broken down in the steps Phil carried out the work.

1) The first step was to clean up the area to see the extent of the damage.

5) The freshly welded plates were then seam-sealed and painted before refitting the axle.

2) The damage was accessed and holes were drilled to relieve the stress of the cracks.

3) The cracks were then welded, before offering up the reinforcing plates.

At the time the car had done less than 80,000 miles, was 11-years-old and had full service history and no one had picked up on the cracks; fortunately Phil found them, otherwise he would have been out of pocket.

So in summary, I am back in an E46 M3 and loving it, and it’s special for an obvious reason. It’s not a special colour or a low numbers edition car, but it’s special to me because it belonged to my best mate, I just hope I can love it as much as I know he did for the time it was in his possession.

BMW Car Club Magazine January 2021

45

BMW B58 Oil Filter Issue

BMW B58 Oil Filter Issue

After a harrowing experience of an oil filter shearing inside a hard to reach housing, Club member Ian Bryant discovered a seemingly simple solution - an updated part number.

B

MW’s B58 is a turbocharged 3.0-litre straight six engine that began production in 2015 and is part of BMW’s new modular engine family using 500cc per cylinder, following the B38 and B48 design. It replaces the N55 and is used in a wide range of current BMW models and the new Toyota Supra. It featured in the

46 BMW Car Club Magazine January 2021

Wards Auto Top 10 best engines in 2016, 2017 and 2019.

I recently had the opportunity to change the oil on my son Sam’s M240i and having done routine maintenance on a wide range of BMW straight six engines, I was interested to see what’s different.

A quick look under the bonnet

revealed that BMW have moved the oil filter from its usual friendly location at the top front of the engine to behind the engine, set half way down and at an angle. The design of the oil filter housing and cap is now plastic, with the filter itself being long and thin in shape. Initial impressions were not great, but it still looked simple enough with the right tools. www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

Feature

Old and new filter (Base has snapped off

I ordered oil and a Mahle filter from Opie Oils with the BMW Club discount; they arrived promptly and I commenced the oil change. Following a short drive to warm the oil, I put the car on ramps, drained the oil, replaced the sump plug washer and torqued to 25nm.

The first issue comes with the car elevated at the front on ramps, to drain the oil it is really difficult to reach the oil filter housing to remove the filter. Once you get to the oil filter cap the removal was straightforward with a socket wrench, 6-inch extension and universal joint with 32mm socket.

The second issue with the oil filter removed, was that on closer inspection the base of the filter had sheared off inside the housing, which is really, really bad news. I cleaned the inside of the oil filter housing and could see the plastic base of the oil filter stuck in the housing, and being long and thin it’s really difficult to access and there is little room to pry this off.

I did what I always do when in a tight spot, ask Google, and to my surprise this is quite a common issue on the B58 engine. BMW Dealers have been replacing the housing on cars with this issue under warranty, and this is a labour intensive job due to the location of the oil filter. This issue is flagged as a Technical note on the BMW system, but there has been no recall. Some of the articles on the web are rather worrying in referencing dealers avoiding changing the filter. If you have concerns you can check the oil filter date, it is stamped on the top of the oil filter.

After further research it looked like www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

the oil filter housing is not the issue, the removal is required purely to gain access to recover the oil filter base. The actual fix for the issue appears to be a revised design of the oil filter to strengthen the base, which makes sense.

With the cheapest quote coming in at £650 to replace the housing from a trusted BMW independent, I decided to follow an approach from an independent garage that seemed viable.

The solution involves melting a small pilot hold in the oil filter base; I used a fine tip soldering iron for this.

The purpose of the hole is to allow a long screw to be driven into the base.

There is reasonable clearance to get a couple turns on the screw and it went in really firmly. Then with trusty mole grips on the top of the screw, I could pull the offending item out and it worked well.

I then decided to purchase a new genuine BMW filter to compare with the old and the Mahle (which incidentally I have used for years with no issues in other models).

The part number -8584473-(01) - has not changed, but the revision has, to 8584473-(03). On closer inspection on the latest version (03) you can see the base is a stronger design, and the Mahle filter appeared a better design than BMW (01) but not as good as BMW version (03).

I fitted the new BMW filter, torqued to 25nm, filled with oil and the M240i is running nicely. The date on Sam’s oil filter was a couple of months before the last service in 2018, so we were happy it had

The oil filter base removed

been changed previously. Fortunately the oil pan I used was spotless and we decided to strain the oil very carefully through some fine metal mesh to check for any foreign objects and nothing was found.

So hopefully this is the end of this particular saga, we will follow the advice of others who encountered this issue and change oil and filter annually, plus we will be using genuine BMW filter revision 03 from now.

I really hope you don’t encounter this issue, but if you do, this should help.

BMW Car Club Magazine January 2021

47

BMW M3 Saloon DCT

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BMW Z4 23i M Sport Highline

■ 2011 ■ 43k miles ■ Alpine White ■ Coral Red Kansas Upholstery ■ Heated Seats ■ Full Service History ■ Manual ■ £12000

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Feature

How about a transformation from The Empress….

“The Empress” – Help!

Words by Richard Baxter Photographs by Richard Baxter & BMWBlog

B

ack in 2001, while on the Club’s factory tour to Munich, I witnessed the E39 being built in the state-of-the-art factory at Dingolfing. To see the metal blanks enter the heavy presses, move on to the mesmerizing balletic welding robots – placed so close to each other, that should the program fail they would literally smash into each other. Stage by stage these cars came together in the factory process, each step a fascination into the modern art of car production.

The cars were elegant in their design and a clever development up from the preceding E34, (itself a fine and underrated model) but with 40% greater rigidity, improved crash protection and intuitive controls (compare if you will to the following E60 with the ‘Mouse’ in the center console! And lest we forget the first of the Bangle design of flame surface texturing), to produce what is largely considered the best 5 Series ever

www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

made, the last of the ‘mechanical feeling’ 5 Series’. In general, it was seen as the pinnacle of the model and the Daily Telegraph even went onto proclaim it the best car ever made!

Even towards the end of its life in 2004 the E39 5 Series came out on top of all group tests, more comfortable than the Audi A6, better built than the Mercedes E Class and more fun to drive than either of them.

A humble E39 523i hire car provided my first driving experience of the fabled Nordschleiffe during the era of Sabine driving the E39 M5 ‘Ring Taxi’. It was an experience never to be forgotten for those fortunate enough to be rewarded with awe and fear in equal measure, by this ever-smiling, ever-delightful woman who would thread the thrilling M5 through gaggles of motorcyclists, tourist coaches and every gung ho would-be ring jock, flicking out the rear at will to straighten the curve with four up…

Possibly, it was these long-shelved experiences that climbed out of the box upon sighting “The Empress” earlier this year, parked up forlornly in the corner of the MoT station that caused me to wander over and take in her condition: Straight panels, original paint, as standard as she had left the factory in 1999, one previous owner, clean throughout, new tyres, fresh MoT and 97k miles on the clock. What’s more, she ran quiet, BMW main dealer stamps in the book and all the switches worked. Even the air con was cold!

For no particular reason she was added to the fleet and in a few short months has become an almost indispensable addition, having since delivered an engine to Herefordshire, countless trips to the waste disposal sites and will consume bags and luggage at an alarming rate. As a people carrier passengers marvel at her comfort, civility and elegance and she will pull a car and BMW Car Club Magazine January 2021

49

Feature

……to load bearing hot rod trailer with stability and impunity that you question how could you ever live without this competent old lady, especially for the miserly £650.00 she cost!

Within days of her arrival I had received three offers to sell, (such is the general respect) but why would one, she has to be the best value car I have ever owned and the sweet six cylinder 2.5L engine with 170bhp is a peach and uses no oil.

Help!

But here is the rub; when does enough become never enough? Well, it is now!

Because the reoccurring thought is to find a crashed, rusted out E39 M5 that can be the donor vehicle to give the empress the ability to pick up her skirt and fly with the fitment of the glorious S62 engine and a set of Xenon lamps to see in the dark.

Such a one-off car was carefully devised in the USA and to give the empress more than double the power would make this quite an exceptional and very practical car indeed, so the quest is on to find a donor and so far, this has proven to be difficult. The condition of the mechanicals is of no consequence because they would be totally refurbished.

Please, if anyone should know of such an available donor car this would make for a great project to transform the old girl into something more than the sum of her parts….

50 BMW Car Club Magazine January 2021

From one pipe……

...to M Power four

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Feel the P Zero Experience A

fter the 2020 we have all had, we can now begin to look towards 2021 with some more hope about the exciting things on the horizon, including the UK’s first P Zero Experience.

Set to be hosted at the world-famous Silverstone circuit on 11th and 12th May 2021, you could have the opportunity to experience the 3.66 mile circuit, famously home of the Formula 1 British Grand Prix.

It’s the perfect stage on which to drive your supercar, enjoy five-star hospitality and experience Track Adrenaline™, the exciting new tyre control and telemetry system from Pirelli.

In addition to driving your own supercar on the track, all participants have the chance to test drive the highperforming models from the best car manufacturers for whom Pirelli designs and develops custom-made tyres.

Initially launched in France ten years ago, the events have now taken place all around the world, including at Italy’s famous Mugello circuit, the Yas Marina track in Abu Dhabi and the renowned Hockenheimring in Germany, with

52 BMW Car Club Magazine January 2021

Silverstone soon to be added to the series.

This promises to be a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in the exclusive world of Pirelli, one not to be missed. Our exclusive one-day VIP

passes are £795pp, with companion passes also available for £150.

To register your interest, you can email pzeuk@pirelli.com and stay tuned for more information coming soon at pzeroexperience.pirelli.com

Pirelli fuel gift card offer BMW Car Club members can benefit from an exclusive offer of a Pirelli fuel gift card. Available only when purchasing Pirelli tyres from a Pirelli Performance Centre 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.

www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

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crossword Across 1.

8.

BMW Car Club (UK) Crossword 1

2

3

4

5

8

9

12

6

10

7

11

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

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21

9.

12.

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22.

Exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity and reflectivity of any metal. See also 34. Across, 1. and 3. Down (5) "Need for Speed…": 2019 version of the racing video game, includes 13 BMW models on its car list (4) The third planet from the Sun (5) Rolls-Royce 2-door luxury saloon 1975-86, at launch the most expensive production car in the world (8) Vauxhall designation for sports models, with "i" suffix for fuel injection (1,1) Notice or perceive something and register it as significant (7) Approximately 1.34 horsepower (1,1) …Gore & Associates: Initials of the founder whose son, Robert, the inventor of the Gore-Tex fabric sadly died in September 2020 (1,1) David…: Pink Floyd singer and guitarist, once owner of an E34 BMW M5 (7) Not out (2) Rolls-Royce powered WWII fighter with a distinctive elliptical wing (8) John…: American tennis player (2018 Wimbledon semi-finalist) who has regularly promoted his local dealer of Crown BMW Greensboro, NC (5) Could be short-form for a BMW 'full on' touring motorcycle in America (1,1,1,1) Preceded by 1. Across, the name of Rolls-Royce luxury saloon 1998-2002 and one of the last Crewe-manufactured models (6)

Sponsored by

Across 5. Chris…: Middlesborough-born rock and blues 1.

Exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, singer and guitarist. Like 23. Across probably more 23.

25. thermal conductivity and reflectivity of any metal. into Ferraris, but did race a BMW E36 in 1993 (3) 27.

31.

See also 34. Across, 1. and 3. Down (5) 6. Plural of the unit of energy, equivalent to 10-7 32.

8. “Need for Speed…”: 2019 version of the joules (4) 34. racing video game, includes 13 BMW models on its 7. Definite article in English (3) car list (4) Down 10. Could be Austin Rover or Alfa Romeo (1,1) 1. by 1. Across, the name of Rolls-Royce luxury saloon 1965-80 (6) 9. ThePreceded third planet from the Sun"that (5)is" or "in other words" (1,1)11. City on Southwest coast of Finland and its former 2.

Shortened Latin expression meaning 3.

German for "salmon", BMW metallic paint [code 203] and the colour of 1.

12. Rolls-Royce 2-door luxury saloon 1975-86, at capital. Your local BMW dealer is Autokeskus (5) Across (5) 4.

Could be Ventexpensive to Atmosphereproduction e.g. turbo blow-off (1,1,1) launch the most carvalve in the 13. Ipsos…: Global market research company.

5.

Chris…: Middlesborough-born rock and blues singer and guitarist. Like 23.

Across probably more into Ferraris, but did race a BMW E36 in 1993 (3) world (8)Plural Unfortunately means “They die” in Latin! (4) 6. of the unit of energy, equivalent to 10 joules (4) 7.

Definite article in English (3) 14. Vauxhall designation for sports models, with “i” 16. Repeated dabs of the throttle, perhaps to 10.

Could be Austin Rover or Alfa Romeo (1,1) suffix forCityfuel injection (1,1) 11. on Southwest coast of Finland and its former capital. Your local BMW synchronise revs for downshifts (5) dealer is Autokeskus (5) 15. Notice orGlobal perceive andUnfortunately register itmeans as "They die" in 13.

Ipsos…: marketsomething research company.

17. Shortened Latin expression meaning “for Latin! (4) significant (7) 16.

Repeated dabs of the throttle, perhaps to synchronise revs for downshifts (5) example” (1,1) 17.

Shortened Latin expression meaning "for example" (1,1) 20.

Approximately 1.34 horsepower (1,1) 18.

Initials used from the 1970's to describe larger integrated circuits with millions 18. Initials used from the 1970’s to describe larger of transistors on a single chip (1,1,1,1) 22. …Gore & Associates: Initials of the founder 19.

"Bee-…": slang term for our favourite vehicle manufacturer! (2) integrated circuits with millions of transistors on a 21.

CurrentRobert, Rolls-Royce coupé that its name with 1938 Derbywhose son, theluxury inventor ofshares the Gore-Tex produced model (6) single chip (1,1,1,1) fabric sadly died in September 2020 (1,1) 24.

Ukrainian city and Black Sea port (Anglicised spelling has second 's'). The local BMW dealer is Emerald Motors (5) 19. “Bee-…”: slang term for our favourite vehicle 23. David…: Pink Floydmotorcycle singerfirst andlaunched guitarist, 26.

R …T: BMW 'roadster' in 2014once and available in several versions (4) manufacturer! (2) owner of an E34 BMW M5 (7) 27.

To take a resting position, e.g. in your BMW with the backrest upright (3) 28.

Initials used to designate the full suspension and electronics package21. Current on the Rolls-Royce luxury coupé that shares its 25. Notlatest outBMW (2) R1250GS motorcycle models (1,1) 29.

Initials for a prestigious award, a fellowship granted toathose judged to have with 1938 Derby-produced model (6) name 27. Rolls-Royce powered WWII fighter with made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural knowledge" (1,1,1) 24. Ukrainian city and Black Sea port (Anglicised distinctive elliptical wing (8) 30.

River that runs through Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands, flowing through picturesque birthplace of former BMW Motorsport spelling has second ‘s’). The local BMW dealer is 31. John…: AmericanMonschau, tennistheplayer (2018 Director Mario Theissen (3) Wimbledon semi-finalist) who Emerald Motors (5) 33.

Could be Rapid Prototyping (1,1) has regularly promoted his local dealer of Crown BMW 26. R …T: BMW ‘roadster’ motorcycle first launched Greensboro, NC (5) in 2014 and available in several versions (4) 32. Could be short-form for a BMW ‘full on’ touring 27. To take a resting position, e.g. in your BMW with motorcycle in America (1,1,1,1) the backrest upright (3) 34. Preceded by 1. Across, the name of Rolls28. Initials used to designate the full suspension and Royce luxury saloon 1998-2002 and one of the last electronics package on the latest BMW R1250GS Crewe-manufactured models (6) motorcycle models (1,1) 29. Initials for a prestigious award, a fellowship Down granted to those judged to have made a “substantial 1. Preceded by 1. Across, the name of Rollscontribution to the improvement of natural Royce luxury saloon 1965-80 (6) 2. Shortened Latin expression meaning “that is” knowledge” (1,1,1) 30. River that runs through Belgium, Germany or “in other words” (1,1) and the Netherlands, flowing through picturesque 3. German for “salmon”, BMW metallic paint Monschau, the birthplace of former BMW Motorsport [code 203] and the colour of 1. Across (5) 4. Could be Vent to Atmosphere e.g. turbo blow- Director Mario Theissen (3) 33. Could be Rapid Prototyping (1,1) off valve (1,1,1) -7

22

25

27

24

23

26

28

29

31

30

32

33

34

Winner of last month’s crossword Chris Williams January 2021for Crossword All entrants January’s issue crossword must be

received into the office by 11th January. 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 December 2020 Crossword Across: 1. Yuletide, 7. Ice, 8. IX, 10. Simon, 12. Star, 14. Moon, 15. Scram, 16. Coats, 17. Roams, 21. Ineye, 22. Near, 25. NEGC, 26. Beano, 27. AA (Automobile Association), 28. ECS, 29. Greeting Down: 1. Yas Marina, 2. Limo (Limousine), 3. Economy Car, 4.

Ten, 5. Disconnect, 6. Extra, 9. Armstrong, 11. IO, 13. AAT, 15.

SC, 18. One, 19. AEG AG, 20. SE (Special Equipment), 23. EASI, 24. AN (Asil Nadir), 26. Bee

socialmedia The launch of our new BMW Car Club GB website Our new website launched on Tuesday 8th December with positive reviews from all of our members.

The use of Social Media showed its importance in making the website a successful launch, with over 70 referrers coming from Facebook and Instagram.

In total, the website saw over 2,800 views on Tuesday alone, and another reminder posted on Facebook a few days later saw views going over 1,000 on the following weekend.

If you’d like to take the new website on a test drive, visit www.bmwcarclubgb.uk.

54 BMW Car Club Magazine January 2021

www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

CLASSIFIEDS BMW CHERISHED NUMBER PLATE FOR SALE – MO70RBM only £2,250!

Held on certificate and ready to go on any vehicle registered after 1 September 2020 – this unique BMW petrolhead lettering is the only way to make your flash new 70-plate even better!

Transfer fees included in the price, will consider offers.

Please get in touch: George Bharat georgesb1993@outlook.com / 07856015494

in association with AnyM.co.uk

Two sets of genuine BMW wheels in very good clean condition overall with only slight minor scuffs offered for sale.

BMW GENUINE 15” X 7J STYLE 27 ALLOY WHEELS + CENTRE BADGES + TYRES - 5 OFF Set of 5 wheels off a BMW E36 but compatible with Z3 & Z4 cars (please check). 205/60R15 91V tubeless tyres with lots of tread left – One is an odd identical sized tyre. £300 or VNO BMW GENUINE 16”x 7J STYLE 30 ALLOY WHEELS + CENTRE BADGES + TYRES - 4 OFF Set of 4 wheels off a BMW E36 but compatible with Z3 & Z4 cars (please check). 225/50R16 92V tyres with lots of tread left – One is an odd identical sized tyre. £240.00 or VNO Collection ideally nr High Wycombe. Insured postage at your cost. Jeff Leeks – email@jeffleeks.com or 01494 563188 for more info and photos.

BMW GENUINE 16” X 7J STYLE 48 LIGHT ALLOY SPOKED RADIAL WHEEL + TYRE-1 OFF This wheel and tyre are both new/unused/un-marked, stored continuously in the dark so no degradation.

Suitable only for E39 5 Series cars.

The tyre is a Continental Contieco Contact 225/55R16 95W. £225 or VNO.

BMW E36 N/S TWIN HEADLIGHTS + INDICATOR This integral E36 N/S unit of twin headlights + indicator complete with bulbs is in great condition, costs new today £525 from a BMW Dealer, so make me an offer I can’t refuse. If you’d like to view before you buy then I am near High Wycombe and I’d prefer you to collect with cash.

Alternatively make me a genuine offer over £200 with you accepting insured postage costs.

Jeff Leeks – email@jeffleeks.com or 01494 563188 for more info and photos.

SYON 16-18 APR 2021 SYON PARK

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With over 500 cars, top classic car dealers, hundreds of exhibitors and a selection of the UK’s leading Car Clubs, The London Classic Car Show offers you the opportunity to view and purchase from what promises to be one of the widest collections in the UK.

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OUR SPECIAL CAR CLUB MEMBER DISCOUNT USE THE CODE ‘BMWCLUB’ TO SAVE £6.50 OFF STANDARD ADULT ADVANCE TICKET PRICE

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BMW Car Club Magazine January 2021

55

ROYTHORNE THE BMW SPECIALISTS

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19/11/2020 09:40

SALES SERVICING RESTORATION

Engineering excellence has always been our priority at Classic Heroes. Whether it is a routine annual service or a full scale restoration project we give every car the same level of love and attention as if it was our own.

We also provide day to day practical advice on how to keep your BMW in turnkey working order.

Whether you need a full scale written report or just some help preparing a budget to cope with the demands of the next few years motoring. We are delighted to offer BMW car club members 40 plus years of experience dealing with every modern classic BMW from E9 CSLĘźs to E46 CSLĘźs and everything in between.

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www.classicheroes.co.uk - 01825 732817 info@classicheroes.co.uk 58 BMW Car Club Magazine January 2021

www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

regionalnews Central Tony Skerrett central Region sponsored by

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Barons Bedford

Past Events – Nothing of note to report but I did enjoy the AGM Zoom meeting last month and I’m now a Zoom meeting enthusiast.

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In addition to my cherished E28 M535i.

Future Events There is no point in submitting a 2021 programme of Events until the Pandemic situation becomes clearer to only revise and cancel as we did in 2020. However going back to Zoom Meetings we plan to hold a series of meetings in December and onwards: • January 11th • February 8th I have a ‘soot chucker’ as my daily driver. I’ve owned my E90 Alpina D3 Biturbo for three years and racked up over 50k miles of commuting, several European road trips and everything in between. I bought it Approved Used, maintaining it through the dealer network until the extended warranty expired, then switching to BMW specialists. The clutch and flywheel were replaced under warranty due to the not uncommon E90 clutch judder, although mine was a bit early at 46k miles. A recent full suspension refresh at 85k miles and a new battery have kept it in great fettle.

Meticulously maintained, any issue is dealt with promptly. It also gets interim oil and filter changes to split the rather lengthy 17k mile intervals suggested by the condition based service indicator.

This will hopefully keep the dreaded N47 engine timing chain issues at bay.

It’s a supremely capable car and I have no plans to replace it.

Possessing a balance of reasonable running costs with superb handling and sharp steering, it certainly has enough grunt to make some very serious progress when it’s safe to do so!

My Car by Chris Saunders E90 Alpina D3 Biturbo

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

Cheshire & Staffs Steve Cooper Cheshire & Staffs Region sponsored by

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rybrookwolverhamptonbmw.co.uk

cheshireandstaffs@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

Knights

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

Cornwall Jim Husband Hello to all members of the Cornwall Region. I hope this newsletter finds you and your families all safe and well.

Christmas is a little over four weeks away as I write but it will be the New Year when you read this. Let’s hope the New Year brings successful vaccines and a return to a new normality where we can all meet up again for our monthly meets and attend events and drive outs with our cars. Hopefully by the time www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

Rybrook Wolverhampton 01902 457000

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

cornwall@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

the weather starts to improve we can look to arrange a drive out to kick off the season.

The pub and coffee meets will be restarted just as soon as we possibly can and I will let everyone know via email, and the Club magazine and website.

If you are a Facebook user please check out the BMW Car Club GB – Cornwall page. Details of meets and events are BMW Car Club Magazine January 2021

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regionalnews posted on this page along with any last minute changes and updates.

Please also check the Cornwall page of the Club website for details of events, I will update this as events are confirmed, and everything will be printed in Straight Six as deadlines allow.

Events / Monthly Pub Meets Provisional dates for diaries: Sunday 20th June – RSOC 40th Anniversary event at Little Bodieve Sunday 18th July – Wadebridge Wheels Sunday 1st August – Mt Edgcumbe car show.

Car of the month If you would like to have your car featured please send me details with a maximum of 100 words and a good quality photo.

Even if you have had your car featured previously but have since modified it, an updated report would be good.

Cotswold Martyn Goodwin Cotswold Region sponsored by

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

Cheltenham BMW Cheltenham MINI Cheltenham Motorrad Cheltenham Parts Cheltenham Service Hereford

cotswold@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk 01242 335 335 01242 335 345 01242 335 355 01242 335 365 01242 335 375 01432 375 555

Cumbria James France Hello to all Cumbria Region members old and new and a Happy New Year to you all.

I do hope that everyone had a happy Christmas, hands up if you got something car related in your prezzies!

I know that I will not be alone in wishing for a better 2021, not only car related but for those who have been affected by C19 for their incomes, businesses etc. A few friends of mine in the motor trade have suffered but scraped by.

If any vehicle events are going to go ahead I am sure they will be very well attended as people have been starved of their fix. One of my other fixes is live football from the terraces, again I cannot wait to get back watching, my supported club are allowed 2000 to watch, with the first game starting on December 3rd, but with 1700 season tickets that has left only 300 available gearbox oil in my hair along with a full swear box, too. for general sale, all gone! So I am back to listening to them play Hope to catch up with you, if you are a new member please on the radio for now. feel free to come along to our meets and events.

Cotswold Motor Group offer members: Generous discounts off the new BMW and MINI range Discounts on approved used vehicles in stock 15% plus discount on parts and accessories, 10% discount on all service work and labour (15% on vehicles 4 years old plus) Available to members presenting current valid membership card

cumbria@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

We shall see where we stand with gatherings and as soon as the government allows, I will be arranging something for a Sunday morning, probably at the Cocklakes again as it is as central for everyone in our large county.

Not much happening with me on the car front, my Mini R53 needs some attention to a brake calliper, my 944 is getting some nice braided fuel lines delivered from the USA this week, the original ones are 32 years old now and handily pass over the exhaust manifold, one or two cars have been barbecued!

Time to change them along with the cam and balance belt which is due. The Alfa 159 has had some paint to get rid of a few marks and scuffs and is looking great, the colour was a right pain to match even though it was original, and it actually sports a KIA red shade to match due to ultraviolet affecting the original.

Be careful, stay safe and be kind. (It’s free!)

Once I have finished my shower room and a few other house Phone 07799 620 381 or email jimfrance1@hotmail.co.uk jobs I will be back in my natural habitat… the garage!

Regards Jim.

regionalnews

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 the Crash Box End of George Champ Season Car Show it is at Lady’s Mile Holiday Park, Dawlish, on

East Anglia www.barronsbmw.co.uk East Anglia Region Champ East Anglia GeorgeCambridge: Barons Cambridge 01954 784 500

Sunday 27th September 10am until 4.00pm. Come and go as 07514 216660 you please. eastanglia@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Take care and see you all soon.

07514 216660 Barons offers members • Generous discounts off the new BMW and MINI range eastanglia@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

sponsored by

www.barronsbmw.co.uk East Anglia Region sponsored Stansted: 01279 755 906 & Stansted Cambridge : 01954 784 500

by Barons Cambridge

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

• A minimum discount of £500 on approved used cars in stock

15% discount on parts and accessories 10% off servicing, excludes Value Line Servicing which Stansted : 01279 755 906 Many thanks to Andrew Perry who has heeded my request “My first•applies BMW, 316, was given to me way back in to carsan overE21 4 yrs old. & Stansted for a story about your cars. His is about his M5 BMW. As it is 1983 as a company car. Having previously owned and driven somewhat lengthy and there is nothing else to report I thought it Minis and Metros, immediately hooked by the car but I always feltI was the BMW was a bit ‘sportier’ andbuild lessquality Hi everyone, would be rather nice to serialise it so here goes with Part 1, more of the car and over the last 37 years I’ve owned a series of ‘company car’.

To say 2020 has been a strange and difficult year would be an to follow next month.

BMWs spanning every evolution of the 5 Series, starting with Scouring the local magazines and papers I found an interesting understatement, but nonetheless I am delighted to say we still

have new members joining the Club, so welcome to you all, the good times the meantime as I remind you all every 60 BMW Car will Clubreturn.

MagazineInJanuary 2021 month, keep up to date with your respective Facebook pages

looking E34 540i for sale near Watford. The advert mentioned an interesting previous owner but did not give any more details. A www.bmwcarclubgb.uk phone call was made and a trip to Watford arranged.

regionalnews

an E12 M535i, an E28 M5, an E34 535 Sport, an E34 525d Touring, an E39 530d, E61 530d Touring, up to my current F11 520d Touring. In addition to these daily drives, I’m lucky enough to own a couple of classic BMWs, a 1992 850Ci and my latest acquisition, an E34 M5 3.6 from 1990. So as you’ll gather, I’m something of a fan of 5 Series cars!

I found the M5 in March 2019 on a well-known internet auction site; low mileage at 110,000 but according to the MoT history, little used in the last 20 years, during which it had covered less than 20,000. It was in a remote part of west Wales, and by sheer coincidence I was due to make a business trip to a location about 30 miles away that very weekend, so I contacted the owner for a viewing. It was the classic barn find, literally, on a sheep farm miles from anywhere. Even the postcode, he warned me, didn’t take you to within a mile. The farmer was a former Rolls Royce mechanic who had maintained the car himself, so minimal service history and no trace (apart from one recall visit) of it within the BMW dealer network for the whole of the car’s life.

Visually the car looked not too bad, but with the usual rust in the sills at the front jacking points and wing bottoms. She came with a new MoT from a local garage, who had covered themselves for what I later found, by saying they were unable to inspect sills due to the plastic covers. My golden rule with classics, after a painful experience many years ago with a Lamborghini Espada, is always to buy the best example you can afford and avoid rusty cars, barn finds and cars with no history. For reasons I still cannot really explain, something about this car led me to break all those rules. I made a very low offer, having been told no-one else had even come to see it once they

Eastern Paul Rice

discovered the location, and the deal was done. My wife drove the F11 home, following the M5 as I drove it the 250 miles back to our home in Suffolk without incident. Looking back, with what I have since found, that was very lucky indeed.

A brief test drive along private lanes on the farm had not revealed quite how low on power the engine was, but the limitations soon became apparent on the M4 / M25. More of that later. The first priority though, once home, was to remove the sill covers and see just how bad the rust in front of the sills, which I had felt with my hand at the farm, actually was. As I removed them, the bottoms of both front wings crumbled to nothing and detached themselves. The outer sills also disintegrated and the rust was into the floor pan on both sides.”

eastern@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

Region Club Award As mentioned in the December issue we took the Club Stand Award at the Castle Howard Classic Motor Show, back in October.

Unavailable on the day, this rather splendid glass trophy arrived in the post. Just goes to show what can be achieved with a little bit of effort at the start of an event, from the Region’s flag to the actual line up, it gives a club the air of professionalism and thought. So, I apologise to all those who just want to park up when I ask them to present their car in a specific way, it really does make a difference. Although we have seen very little in the way of shows in 2020, when possible we have shown our cars and our Region to be a winner. Here’s looking with hope we carry that forward into 2021 and beyond.

www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

BMW Car Club Magazine January 2021

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regionalnews Car of the Month – Ian Wenham E46 320Ci Ian purchased his car from new in 2005 and has owned it now for 15 years, although it has been SORN for the past two and a half years during which time Ian has been doing some updating. After retiring in 2019 he thought it was time to get the car back on the road, and since then Ian has totally revamped and refreshed the car inside and out.

Ian has done 80% of the work himself in his garage at home, spending a lot of time but there is still work to do. Ian has fitted a complete new suspension, with uprated sway bar kit, front and rear strut braces and finishing off with a complete set of original BBS LMs, which along with the colour change really sets the car off. Ian’s car has also had an ECU remap upgrade and a sprint booster fitted by M Style in Rotherham, also adding an uprated clutch and flywheel in conjunction with a short shift kit.

The brakes and discs have also had attention with parts supplied by Turner Motorsport in the USA, a good source for many of the additional parts fitted. The cooling system has also been upgraded with a Stewart water pump and a switch to Evans waterless coolant.

On the interior front the audio has come in for some upgrading, that was left in the hands of Studio Incar.

Ian intended on showing his car at the Silverstone Classic in 2020 and wanted to display his car on the Club stand, but as with many plans the dreaded C... affected all that, with tickets being carried over to this year’s event, fingers, toes and

everything else crossed Ian will be joining us there.

Ian purchased his E46 as his forever car and after 15 years it certainly seems to be fitting the bill. Looks like this 320Ci will last him well into the future, “Long live the internal combustion engine”.

Thanks, Ian, for the words, information and pictures.

If you would like to have your vehicle included as a Car of the Month, please send me a good quality picture, and its details and history in 300 words.

London Anthony Mason London Region sponsored by

BMW PARK LANE

london@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

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

Barons Watford 01923 700 217 and Borehamwood 02089 512 600 www.baronsgroup.co.uk/bmw Sorry I missed out on December’s magazine, the last two months have been quiet for the Region, still no actual meets.

I did however get to the Ace cafe for a COVID friendly burger and chat with some of the guys. The rest of my month has been quite lazy, I’m only working 20-30 hours a week which I quite like to be honest, you would think with the minimum hours my flat would be clutter free and immaculately tidy... it’s not.

I complained to the council, who I rent my garage from, about it leaking in November and was issued a new one, which I thought was really close to my flat but turned out to be close to my other garage. That one was really rough so I

62 BMW Car Club Magazine January 2021

www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

regionalnews said I wasn’t happy and after some driving around, got another new one. Though it’s built of brick construction it’s super narrow, making it hard to squeeze the 1M in but with a lot of forward and back it goes in. I’m hoping that later in the month we can get our meets back on. Keep an eye out on the Facebook page, as soon as we are allowed to meet I’ll put the invite out.

End of November brought the Christmas tree on the roof of

the car photos. If you see an interesting car or unusual BMW send it to london@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk and I’ll pop it on the Facebook page.

Thank you to those of you that contacted me about my wheel refurb. Hopefully by the time this is in print I will have round wheels again ready for show season.

North East Nick Thomas Welcome to 2021! I hope you all had a peaceful Christmas and are now looking forward to what will hopefully be a busy year for the Region and the Club.

The North East Region is now on Instagram, in addition to YouTube and Facebook: @bmwccgb_north_east_region Recent Events November saw ten of us meet up for the monthly meet via Zoom. Congratulations to Richard Parkinson for winning Car of the Month, and Greg Frost for winning the quiz! Pete Cossavello deserves a special mention for getting minus five points in the quiz and making off with the wooden spoon!

On November 18th we held our annual AGM. Based on our experiences of using Zoom for monthly meets, we choose to run the AGM virtually regardless of Covid restrictions. This meant we could attend the AGM without any need for travel to and from the location, and it could also easily fit into a weekday evening. We reviewed the highlights of 2020 (and a few lowlights as the year did not really run the way we planned, but was still a success for the Region). At the AGM we also elect the next year’s Regional committee. The 2020 committee of Nick Thomas, Keith Bates, Mike Milbourne, Mike Dickinson, Simon Maskell were re-elected for 2021, along with the welcome addition of Greg Lyons.

Forthcoming events At the AGM we planned our 2021 calendar. It is looking to be a good year that is likely to get even better as more events recover from Covid and publish 2021 dates. Some events are tentative so keep an eye on the NE Region Facebook group for the latest information.

• Sunday 10 January – Monthly Meet • TBD – Brancepeth Castle ‘Meet The Region’ • Sunday 14 February – Monthly Meet • 28 February – ‘East Coast 50’ Treasure Hunt • Sunday 14 March – Monthly Meet • 21 March – ‘Holy Picnic Batman’ • Sunday 11 April – Monthly Meet • 25 April – Cumbria Run • Sunday 02 May – Monthly Meet (NB first weekend of the month, not the second) • 08 May – Pre-SCITP run and overnighter • 09 May – Sports Cars In The Park

North Wales David Allen Well here we are in 2021. Happy New Year to all our members, I hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas with or without restrictions.

We will certainly look back on 2020 with strange memories.

Forthcoming events The Anglesey Trackday has in previous years been held in February. This year it is scheduled for September so hold fire and put your feet up for a few extra months.

Details of the shows will be passed on as and when we are informed of dates.

www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

northeast@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

• 23 May – Kielder Picnic • Sunday 13 June – Monthly Meet • 13-21 June – Autofahrt Munich • 27 June – Bedale Run • TBD – BMW SommerFest • 03 July - Great North Classic Car Show • Sunday 11 July – Monthly Meet • 30 July – 01 August – Classic Silverstone • Sunday 08 August – Monthly Meet • 30 August – Durham City Classic Car Gala • Sunday 12 September – Monthly Meet • 26 September – NECPWA/Beamish • Sunday 10 October – Monthly Meet • 24 October – ‘Route 66 Run’ • Sunday 14 November – Monthly Meet • 24 November – NE Region AGM • 28 November – Hartside Café • Sunday 12 December – Monthly Meet • December – Christmas lunch/dinner

Car of the Month December Car of the Month was awarded by Mike Milbourne to Richard Parkinson. The COTM was loosely based around sheds, and Richard won with his photo of a cowshed that just happened to have a few BMWs parked outside. All BMWs are eligible to win COTM (and a goodie bag supplied by The Polishing Company at real life meetings). Join us at our next monthly meet to be in with a chance of winning.

northwales@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

I’ll try and arrange a few meets once we know what’s happening with social distancing. I’m hoping we will be able to meet up possibly from April onwards but we will have to see how things go with this virus.

Please remember we have a WhatsApp group and if you want to join in please let me know your number and I’ll add you to the group. It means we can communicate with meets at short notice rather than wait for the Straight Six update.

BMW Car Club Magazine January 2021

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BMWCC BRANDED JACKETS & COATS. shop.bmwcarclubgb.uk

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North West Jeff Heywood News Welcome to January’s North West news, and a happy New Year to everyone. As I write this we’re still in lockdown and on the verge of moving into Tier 3, so at this stage it is impossible to organise any indoor gatherings, but with a vaccine on the near horizon it does look like (fingers crossed) that 2021 will be a better year for the petrolheads than the one we have just endured. Enjoy the New Year, health and happiness to you all, and hopefully we’ll be seeing everyone soon…

Trade Recommendations Darren Wood BMW Specialist (0161 425 7403) Bredbury, Stockport SK6 2QB. Offering BMW repair, servicing and engine tuning etc. Facebook – Darren Wood Ltd – Independent BMW Specialists www.darren-wood.com.

Class Alloys offer a mobile visiting service, repairs and refurbs of alloy wheels. All finishes, including chrome shadowline, are perfectly matched. Covers most of NW. Discount given to club members – contact Steve on 07594 018525 – Facebook - Class Alloys David Tully Bodyshop, Rochdale, for all body/paint requirements, comes highly recommended – 01706 643866 www.davidtullyltd.co.uk Facebook – David Tully Ltd. Express Dent Removal for those niggling dent/dings to your BMWs bodywork. Speak to Simon Robinson on 0800 998 9828 or 07767 832255 – or visit www.express-dent-removal.co.uk.

The Car Detailing Centre for car detailing/valeting - highly recommended - give Darryl at the Car Detailing Centre a call on 07415 945979 – Facebook – The Car Detailing Centre.

Lockdown Car of the Month – 1997 E31 840Ci Sport This month’s Lockdown CotM is Norman Bull’s immaculate E31 840Ci Sport. Finished in BMW Individual Estoril Blue metallic with a silver grey Nappa leather interior piped in Santorini Blue, which is also a BMW Individual extra. The car is also equipped with 17inch Style 21 staggered ‘throwing star’ wheels, a sliding electric sunroof and electrically adjustable sports seats with memory. The

South East Ian Bryant South East Region sponsored by

Chandlers Brighton 01273 423 312

Happy New Year, let’s hope 2021 provides more opportunities to meet and attend events.

With that in mind I would be interested to hear from anyone with ideas for events, of course we will have to follow the Covid guidelines and determine how best we take opportunities forward as the year progresses.

I am particularly keen to get the micro meetings going when we can, we had a number of well-attended meets amongst the limited opportunities we could host in 2020. Larry has even had the entrance to the distillery resurfaced for the Kent Micro

66 BMW Car Club Magazine January 2021

07801 506632 Search for: BMW Car Club GB North West Twitter: @BMWNW northwest@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

Sport package brings M Sport suspension, anthracite headlining, an M Aerodynamic package and an M leather steering wheel.

The 840 was first registered on 20/5/97 and sold via BMW dealer Reg Vardy of Bromley, Kent. The car spent the majority of its life in Sussex and has a full service history. The car was then sold to a chap in Cheshire and then in 2016 Norman purchased the car when it had just 44,000 miles on the clock.

The 840 is powered by the M62B44 4398cc V8, producing 286bhp and 420Nm of torque, mated to a five-speed automatic, giving lots of torquey pulling power for this sporty grand tourer.

Top speed is limited to 155mph while the 840Ci can sprint to 60mph from rest in a sprightly 6.8 seconds.

The car’s low mileage shows in the lack of work that’s been needed; since Norman purchased the car in 2016 the only thing he has had to replace are the batteries - there are two in the boot. Norman has the 840 cared for at Hillside, Heywood, who are BMW specialists. They have been in the BMW business for 30 years and Norman highly recommends them.

Norman has access to other vehicles, so the 840 has only covered a further 3,000 miles over the near four years he has owned the car. He does enjoy driving it though, and says “I love how turbine smooth the big V8 is, providing plenty of shove when needed. The car might not be a sports car, but it is a sporty grand tourer, and can be hustled along at a fair lick if required. Compared to my E60 535d every day driver, the 840 is a far smoother, more comfortable car, and on a decent run it just gobbles up the miles. It is a fabulously smooth cruiser on the motorway”.

Norman clearly loves his 840Ci, and although he hasn’t covered huge miles in it, he has enjoyed some memorable runs out to the North Yorkshire Dales. He says it’s a keeper for now, although he is keeping his eye open for an E24 M635CSi, so never say never.

Norman Bull’s gorgeous 840Ci Sport is January’s NW Lockdown Car of the Month

southeast@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

Hailsham 01323 844 032 Worthing 01903 784 147 www.baronsgroup.co.uk/bmw

BARONS CC20133 =

15% discount code

Meeting. Nigel set up Billy on the Road, which seems to have gone down well so keen to get these restarted when we can.

I plan to revisit some of the events for 2020, BTCC at Brands Hatch, combined Merc/Porsche/BMW events with Chandlers BMW our sponsors, visits to specialists and a look at car shows.

It will all depend on how this year unfolds, but it will be great to start getting some events in the diary and having something to look forward to.

Stay safe and keep an eye on the South East Region web page. www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

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South Wales Jonathan Bamford Welcome to our South Wales Region January news. I hope everyone enjoyed Christmas and New Year? Let’s hope that 2021 turns out to be a better one. Although, it wouldn’t be difficult from a car show point of view. If you are new to the club and this is your first issue then welcome. Our monthly meetings are held at the Twelve Knights Pub in Margam, SA13 2DB. They are held on the 3rd Wednesday of every month. If you haven’t been to one of our meetings before then please come along. It is a great opportunity to meet new people and share your passion for cars. They start between 6:30pm and 7:00pm, with some arriving slightly earlier for food. Please ensure the club have your correct email address so that you don’t miss out on any updates and future events.

December wasn’t very busy, as is the time of year for shows and events. We did take a trip up to the Baffle Haus near Momnouth. It is a great venue focused on car and bike enthusiasts with plenty of project work going on in the workshop

Thames Tony Skerrett

southwales@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

to look at. Also a great place to call in for a coffee and at chat. Take a look at some of the photo’s from the day. Once we left there, we followed on to Brecon for a run out and captured some fantastic views way above the fog that lay in the valley. The burger van was a great choice too, with most of us at least having a coffee to warm up.

There is not much to report on this month other than what’s already been said. Although there are no plans set in stone for the coming year, I have plenty of ideas for trips and days out, so I will continue to keep you all updated via the club email system. Please let me know if you have any ideas or thoughts on future events. If there is a place of interest you wish to visit or roads you would like to explore, then message me and we can look at organising something.

thames@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

Happy New Year to you all for 2021 and we all hope to have a better 2021 than the pandemic year which has so disrupted member’s lives. Although we have had no Regional meetings since September, at least we can now look forward to Zoom meetings commencing in January and February. Some members have got themselves new cars, notably Roy Pugh with a really nice looking M6; looking forward to a My Car Report from Roy! Future Events via Zoom • January 28th from 7.30pm • February 25th from 7.30pm My Car Restoration by Niek Nijsen Hello All Members, Welcome to the latest newsletter, a month in which I’ve experienced some great ups and downs. Project C.A.R. has seen some good progress and preparation work so we can finally begin the restoration and modification of the bodyshell, yet I’ve fallen behind with the regular episodes (missed the deadline midmonth). With regards to my scale modelling, I’ve (temporarily) lost the love, which I’ll explain in a bit. Let’s take a look.

BRÜNHILDA & PROJECT C.A.R.™ Only earlier this week did I realise I’ve been providing you with monthly updates on the progress, but never converted this into a blog entry on the website. I’ve finally corrected this slight administrative error with a huge update, worth reading if you have the time. Let’s continue where we left off in November. www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

In November I mentioned that the car had come back from the chemical dipping and looked rather ‘naked’. Since then, I’ve given her a good inspection and realised there’s a lot of work to be done, especially when it comes to welding and repairing metal work.

Whomever did the previous work either didn’t have the skill or the dedication to do a quality job. Guess I’ll have to rectify that issue over the next few months. Let’s just say there’s plenty of hours’ worth of welding to be done. I’ll do my best to upload a few detail shots next week onto Instagram to give you better idea.

The first order of business before actual work on the car could begin was modifying the hoist system I made for the bonnet and boot lid, as it didn’t seem to be up for the task. It took an engineer’s mind (much obliged Vatti) to finally make it usable before we were able to lift both items above the door where they’re now stored while work on the car is done.

In an attempt of keeping the garage a bit cleaner (all of the cutting, grinding and welding work will generate a lot of dust) I’ve also installed large tarpaulin sheets along both sides, thereby covering all shelves and other items behind them. These can be BMW Car Club Magazine January 2021

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regionalnews rolled up in order to access the items behind it when required, although I can crawl under them if needed.

While both my parents were staying with us for the first two weeks of the month, Dad and I used the opportunity to start work on the car itself. The first task we decided to tackle was the new boot box, which will replace the old fuel tank and spare wheel section and will hold the new fuel tank once fitted. A template was made out of thick paper and used to trace into the car before the section was cut using an angle grinder. There’s still work to be done and a bit of sheet metal to be replaced before the box can go in, but at least there’s a big hole now where once there was a

boot. If anything, it’ll provide me with easy access to the shock absorber towers, which need some attention as well.

Next up was the new roll cage, which we test fitted before realising there was a slight difference in what we thought the design would be to the actual cage now in the car. As a result, I’ll have to make some adjustments to the rear part of the cage in order to suit my requirements. More on that in the future.

The front section fits perfectly and we’re currently preparing the mounts to be welded into the car which I hope to be able to start with early next month.

Wessex Tim Maltby

Snows BMW Snowsgroup.co.uk/bmw

07885 252448 wessex@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

Our parts department is open 7 days a week.

Posrtmouth: Eastern Road, Portsmouth, PO3 5FF 02392 657500 Isle if Weight: Forest Road, Newport, PO30 5QJ 01983 522555

Barons Farnborough 01252 883 565 “A new year and a new start”, “out with the old and in with new”, are a couple of common sayings and now very apt in my situation as the current Chair for our Region. After 10 years this old chap is now stepping down and ushering in some new blood to take up the mantle. Welcome Julian Pickering who has kindly stepped up to the plate to head up our Region and I know will help ensure that Wessex continues to thrive.

Julian will mastermind the Region with Eric Thompson continuing to coordinate the western side in and around the Bournemouth area. I will continue in a more modest role and help coordinate the eastern side.

Reflecting on the past years there have been many wonderful Club events but I would like to share with you three cracking occasions. Street Scene in 2013 on New Years Day at Phoenix Green, some classics at the Red Kite Kiosk on a Welsh Weekend, also in 2013, and the Haynes Motor Museum breakfast club in 2016.

Barons Hindhead 01428 853 357 It would be remiss of me not to mention a few names who over the years have helped to keep the ship afloat and organise events, so at the risk of offending and in no particular order…

Thank you Simon Alcorn, Tracey Boulter, Phil and Iris Stevens, Eric Thompson and all of you who have attended our events and become regulars at our pub meetings, and anyone else who knows me! The Club Office is a given, so thank you too!

Forthcoming events These are all suggestions and dates need to be confirmed, some of which were planned to take place in 2020 but have had to be rolled over to this year. Please have a look at these and if interested contact Eric Thompson (ericthompson429@gmail. com) to register your interest. Some venues may well be limited by numbers and catering facilities so we will have to operate on a first come first served basis with a reserve list.

March Thruxton Go Karting - This is on an outdoor track so could be entertaining if damp!

April Either a visit to watch or take part in a BMW Car Club trackday or attend one of the rounds of the BMWCCR as a spectator.

Contact Tim Maltby on timsharknose@outlook.com for this one.

May Solent Sky Museum, Southampton.

June Swanage Steam Train Trip. This was an idea raised by Ray Powell and initial planning ensued with the help of Martin Hockey but sadly didn’t take place due to Ray’s untimely death in July.

We plan to run this under the title of Ray’s Day. Mottisfont Abbey and Gardens, Romsey… stunning display of roses July/August Classic Silverstone August Sculptures by the Lake, Dorchester. Large park with sculptures

by Simon Gudgeon set in landscaped garden, art gallery and café, with an option to picnic September Gurston Down Hillclimb It goes without saying that I must thank Eric and his Bournemouth group for coming up with these ideas and organising said events. Cheers guys!

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registernews 02 Richard Stern

07770 443373 02register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

Happy New Year, hopefully we’ll get to more shows in 2021. I need to double up this year to make up for the lack of shows last year, also we are celebrating some major milestones for some 02 models, 50 Years of the: • Cabriolet (Baur) and now Touring versions available (LHD) • Tii Mechanical Fuel Injection versions, “Tii” arrived with 130 bhp • Automatic versions launched London Classic Car show is provisionally booked for 16th to 18th April, so watch out for that one, it will be at Syon Park (South London) and outside, as social distancing is observed it should take place. www.theclassiccarshowuk.com/events.

The very first 02 Register meeting in 1991 was actually held at Syon Park so great to be returning after 30 years and with the celebration of Tii and LHD Cabrio’s including our 02 friends from Europe, hope to see you there in 2021?

Replica door cards from Jaymic are now available at a very sensible price for a pair. I recently fitted some to my 02 and the only thing I noticed was at the top front they seem to sit a little higher than the originals, but smarten up the car. You need to mark and carefully cut all holes where handles go and move one of the top metal clips as it’s too near the rear button where the door skin is double thickness, just carefully move forward about 5cms, my only other advice is make sure you have plenty of plastic door clips (cheap) and take your time before cutting the holes and once done wipe down with some meth to remove the greasy finger marks.

Tail pipe: The ban on new fossil fuelled cars from 2030, here is the FBVHC’s latest news on them and historic and classic cars; https://tinyurl.com/y43qvks8

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3 Series Simon Maskell

3series@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

This month’s article is going to be a shameless plug to draw your attention to the upcoming trip the Register is organising. This event had to be postponed from 2020, due to obvious reasons and I am very keen to get back to travelling with my car. The trip is capped at 20 participants and Autofahrt Munich is due to take place in June 2021 as follows; Sunday 13 June 2021 (day 1) The tour starts from either Hull, Newcastle or Harwich, arriving in Rotterdam, Amsterdam or Hook of Holland respectively the following morning after taking an overnight ferry.

Monday 14 June (Day 2) Meet at E&R Classics by 12am (around 60-80 miles from all of the Dutch ports to here). Reserved BMW parking and a light lunch at the ER Classics showroom (a fantastic venue for any car enthusiast). The lunch will also serve as a ‘meet and greet’ and first briefing.

Drive to Rüdesheim via the Rhine Valley.

The hotel is right in town, with good parking. The hotel this evening is B&B only, everyone can go out and explore the town and riverfront.

Tuesday 15 June (Day 3) After breakfast, we will head straight onto the road, with a choice of scenic routes to the ‘Romantic Road’, before taking a very leisurely afternoon stopping in the towns along the ‘Romantic Road’. Dinner is included for everyone at the hotel in Ulm tonight, along with the second briefing (Regensburg, Munich & Sinsheim plans over the next three days).

Wednesday 16 June (Day 4) BMW Facilities to be toured and times to be confirmed three months prior to the tour. If total numbers on the tour are low, the price may need to increase to cover the cost of the BMW facilities.

Ulm to Regensburg, to start off with on the Autobahns and main roads, then onto more scenic routes as we get closer to Regensburg and BMW Plant Regensburg on the town outskirts.

The plant tour lasts for about three hours and leads through different production and outside areas. Plant Regensburg assembles the 1 Series, 2 Series Gran Tourer, 4 Series convertible, M4 convertible, X1 and X2. In the past it was the birthplace of most E30s, E36s and E46s.

After the tour we drive to Munich where we will be staying for two nights at the hotel on B&B basis only. In the evening either relax in the hotel beer garden or head into Munich City centre.

Thursday 17 June (day 5) Facilities to be toured and times to be confirmed three months

3 Series E36 Mischa Falkenau Happy New Year. I hope 2021 proves to be a more enjoyable year for fellow car enthusiasts than 2020 sadly proved to be. Here, we hear from E36 Register member Mischa Falkenau.

Hello, my name is Mischa Falkenau. Some of you may have met me at the occasional car show, BMW club breakfast or outings I manage to come along to. During this period of lock down with time in the house enforced, when not working my hobby of looking at available old / classic cars for sale and chatting about them with my car minded friends online has increased. It was during one of these conversations that my good friend Simon Maskell suggested that I might like to share my enthusiasm for owning and driving my two E36 BMWs with

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prior to the tour. If total numbers on the tour are low, the price may need to increase to cover the cost of the BMW facilities.

Guided Duo-Tour (BMW Museum/ Welt) – 90 min.

BMW Group Classic guided Tour – 60 min.

Return to the BMW Museum for more time looking around and/or visiting the Olympic grounds across the road and the Olympic Tower for views over Munich. Again in the evening either relax in the hotel beer garden or head into Munich City centre.

Friday 18 June (day 6) Blast along the Autobahns to Sinsheim for lunchtime. Afternoon in Sinsheim Technik Museum. Lunch at museum café (not included in tour cost).

Close by is our hotel for the night, set on a man-made lake, hopefully if the weather is nice we can arrange a meal on the hotel terrace, if not a meal in the hotel. Also the third briefing (Lueven and return to ferries).

Saturday 19 June (day 7) Drive north to the picture postcard town of Leuven in Belgium.

This is a bit of a hidden gem with lots of beer and chocolate shops. The hotel is within walking distance (so no need to worry about driving) of the home of Stella Artois where we will have a Stella brewery tour. Then we will head into the town for a restaurant meal.

Sunday 20 June (day 8) Drive to the French or Dutch ports and overnight ferries home.

Monday 21 June 2021 (day 9) Arrival home.

For further details and to reserve a place contact Simon at 3series@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

e36register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

readers of the Straight Six magazine.

I for one always enjoy any articles that come to print that involve E36s of any type as the owner clearly enjoys driving the car to have it in their ownership, has clearly sought to preserve the vehicle and more often than not the car has been an excellent means of transport.

The obvious thing that goes through one’s mind when asked this question is can one possibly find enough things to write about purely related to E36 BMW. I can see the BMW Car Club (GB) wishing to have some mention of the E36 in their monthly magazines as whilst it is hidden from view, the E36 in true Germanic style just blends into the background in www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

registernews an ocean of old cars. However, E36’s are gaining popularity, with a new generation of owners who hold the car in extremely high regard. Moreover for me my interest in the E36 BMW was sparked by reading an introductory article written in the BBC Top Gear magazine circa 1993. The sight of an Estoril Blue E36 M3 Coupe pictured on sweeping bends, along with some fairly positive feedback had me well and truly enthralled with this car.

Unfortunately the asking price was completely unreal at age sixteen about to take exams and I didn’t even have a driving license. My love of cars led me on a trail of what I now realise was a fun roller coaster of cheap transport to learn to drive in and mess about with. This consisted of a Mk2 Escort 2-door, a Mini 998cc, Mk1 Golf 2-door, Mk3 Capri Laser, VW Scirocco, Saab 900i, and a W123 Mercedes 280. Finally in 2004 I bought a 2-door E30 BMW which was found after having test driven and fallen in love with whilst out looking for an affordable BMW.

My love of the E36 BMW was undiminished but at this moment in time trying to find a good condition, low mileage,

3 Series E46 Simon Maskell

sensibly priced E36; preferably a coupe as I prefer two door cars was proving nigh on impossible.

People who know me well, know I have a passing interest in all makes and models of cars. They also know that in order for myself to drive and own the varied assortment of makes and models over the years that I like, I enjoy purchasing cars that to many people would be deemed as “old clunkers” or at best “bangers”. I don’t wish to offend anybody or alienate any E36 owners, many of whom will have invested much time, love and money on their preferred choice of vehicle. It is well known that the E36 has for many years gone through a period in which it was largely deemed as very good “Bangernomic” transport, a phrase that seems to have gained popularity via YouTube.

People familiar with Hoovies Garage, who buys the cheapest vehicle of its type, will be well aware of his exploits with such vehicles. In one such episode he bought his wife a US spec E36 M3 convertible. For many years the E36 models have been just another old car to be used as cheap transport until they break and are thrown away. Many are broken up to create spare parts for the remaining cars until they meet the same fate. The large dilemma that is so often the case with old cars such as the E36 - is it really worth fixing this old car, when the repair cost is more than the value of the car?

It seems that fortunately for E36 BMWs in general many people who have driven and owned them through the years have developed a true fondness for them and in many cases sought to keep them roadworthy for as long as possible. It seems there are members of the BMW Car Club GB that hold the E36 in esteem and may have a few in ownership as daily drivers, weekend drivers, show cars or track cars.

I will discuss my choice of vehicle in a future write up in the magazine. I am dearly hoping that some of you will send in articles about your E36 that you would like to have featured in the E36 register and photographs displayed. I know from personal experience it is a lovely feeling seeing one’s own car in print.

e46register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

Hello to you all and welcome to the first article of 2021. As some of the regulars may know, I share a 330Ci track car with Nick Thomas. The brakes of that car are used with some enthusiasm when on circuit. This article was kindly submitted by Greg Webster and it illustrates a problem we have had with our car.

But how did he fix it? I’ll let Greg take it from here.

Braking judders Following the last BMWCC Snetterton track day, a place with lots of fun braking opportunities, I was asked by the Register Captain to key a few words about the severe brake judder we managed to perfect on our car. After that track day I sought to research the whys, hows and ifs of brake judder. Our track car is running standard BMW discs and callipers, but is using race brake fluid and we have tried a variety of pads over time.

I guess there would not be many daily road drivers who have had their disc brakes send a judder through the steering, but there are some who drive harder who will have had that feeling.

Certainly any readers who do track days and put their cars through stresses they will never be able to replicate on road, these drivers will be familiar with judder. It’s not good. It can feel like the front of the car is shaking to bits when the brakes are applied. No, it’s nothing like the ABS occasionally activating.

“Oh, you have warped your discs” is what you will very likely be told. Let me say right here, right now, 99.999% of brake judder is NOT disc warp. Discs can crack, wear unevenly into a dome or a cup or grooves, they can glaze up or pit, but even www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

race and supercar disc brakes, which can glow white hot, they very, very rarely warp. Extreme, uneven, rapid cooling may warp a hot disc but you’d need to work really hard to achieve the conditions for that.

So, what causes brake judder?

What mostly happens is either the disc can build up an uneven residue from the pads, the disc alloy material may crystallise unequally due to overheating and continued heavy use, or the disc may fail at manufactured drilled or grooved points. Disc BMW Car Club Magazine January 2021

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registernews brakes that are rarely used can corrode unevenly when stood for periods, also causing an uneven braking surface and judder.

Judder can also be caused by poor calliper fitment or restricted calliper float.

How to resolve?

Callipers need their pistons, seats and posts clean and freely moving, this is usually a service done when changing pads.

Certainly a common cause of juddering is overworking the brakes and then not allowing gradual cool down. If minor pad deposits are the cause of the judder, you may be able to drive the deposits off by changing the braking effort over distance. If you have continued to drive at pace and overheated the discs to the point the disc structure has crystallised in places, then that’s a new pair of discs. If inspection shows grooves, if you have a slight dome or cupping of the disc face so the pads judder and fail to seat properly, you may choose to have the discs milled flat.

The technician will check if there is enough surface material to retain the minimum disc thickness. The cost of machining may be about the same as replacement discs so check before. As an example, a pair of standard front discs for our 2002 BMW E46 can cost from £50.

Thankfully, brake judder is not a critical failure and you will be able to get home. When the brakes cool down you may not even feel the judder. But then, it may well return when brakes get hot again.

I do hope this has put some perspective to the fun-destroying occurrence of brake judder and perhaps, now I am better informed, I will manage my time on track, my late braking and my cool-down laps more judicially. We will see if that reduces our juddering at the next BMWCC track days.

Thanks to Greg, as mentioned our track car had terrible judder under braking, the cure was to replace the EBC Yellowstuff pads with EBC Bluestuff pads. It absolutely cured the problem that had been ongoing for several trips out. You live and learn and all that. Hope you’ve found that useful and I will see you in the next one.

3 Series E9x Julian Pickering Happy New Year to you all and let’s hope this is a more engaging year for BMW Car Club events than 2020 was. It is the end of November as I write this report and so I am sitting here wondering what our Christmas and New Year celebrations will be like this year. By the time you read this, they will all be in the past – let’s hope that we really did get some quality time with our families and friends.

The struggle for what to write in these reports continues and will do so either until we start to hold events again or you E9x owners send me more details about your cars. How did you lavish your Christmas money on your BMW? Did Santa drop you off a pair of race-tuned shock absorbers? Come on folks, there must be something more interesting to discuss than digging up BMWCC material from several years ago!

This month I thought I would take a look at that great BMW curiosity, the Life Cycle Impulse (LCI) and what it means for the E9x models. In Bavaria I assume that they refer to it as Lebenszyklusimplus, which probably clarifies it for many of you, but just in case in doesn’t, what exactly is an LCI model? To quote from the United States “BMW Repair Guide” website, “A popular misconception among the BMW community is that an LCI is just a cosmetic ‘facelift’ to the vehicle – this is simply not true. An LCI may also include new power and drivetrains, as well as enhanced paint, wheels and interior color options. There is no common template that BMW uses for an LCI; they all differ from model to model. There is also no set time frame for BMW LCIs, although they seem to come around the three to four-year mark

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e90register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

during a model’s life cycle.” This led me to wonder whether any cars have been through more than one LCI, but from my research I have not been able to come up with any examples. My business is concerned with software development and I live in a world www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

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where Microsoft appears to have an LCI every week, so why do BMW make such an event of an LCI release rather than just implementing upgrades (presumably improvements) throughout the production run of a car? I don’t know the answer to this but I would be interested to hear from anyone who does.

Returning to the E9x models, I will focus on the E92 coupé as a case study. The main mechanical difference was in the 335i model, with the change from the N54 twin-turbocharged direct-injection straight-six petrol engine to the N55, with a single twin-scroll turbocharger. I have been very careful to use the word “change” rather than “upgrade” – I am not passing any opinions here but there are owners who are very passionate about the merits of the two engines. Just to clarify, the N54 was fitted with two separate turbochargers, each servicing 3 cylinders, whilst the twin-scroll turbocharger has a single compressor with an exhaust housing that is split into two “scrolls”, each servicing three

4 Series Paul Roberts Still living with this blasted pandemic which is affecting everyone and spoiling life particularly of the “motoring” variety.

I really don’t have much to say this time apart from continuously washing the car almost every second day! I have bought the Meguiar’s Ceramic coating DIY kit but haven’t decided to use it yet. If anyone out there has used it can you let me know how you got on please? Think I’ll wait until spring. Also bought their drying towel which is excellent and is now well used.

Car is booked in for the annual MoT just before Christmas so will report in the next issue hopefully that it passed! Also my warranty (and car tax), is due in January so an expensive month.

5 Series E12 Pat Tremain Some news for E12 5 Series Register, at the time of writing the latest lockdown comes to an end and we are all looking forward to Christmas.

It looks like a very rare South African 530 MLE may have found its way to the UK, I am awaiting full update and confirmation. It would be great to see it at one of our future events, that’s assuming of course that we have any this year. I hope to publish photos and a full update in future.

There has also been some news on the whereabouts of one of the very early press cars (E12 M535i). This car has been missing for about 30 years but it would appear that it has been locked up in a garage since

cylinders on the same firing cycle. The photographs show two E92 models: a space grey pre-LCI car and a vermilion red postLCI car. There appear to be very few bodywork changes, the main ones being the modification of the front air dams, the headlamp corona rings changed to bright LEDs and the rear light clusters changed from filament bulbs to LEDs. It is strange that the E9x cars did not have full LED lighting from the outset, as the later previous E46 models were fitted with LEDs. It would be interesting during 2021 to have a more detailed look at E9x engine variations and the actual reliability of the power plants from BMWCC members. There are a lot of issues reported in the motoring press but I wonder how widespread these problems actually are. Please send me your experiences of E9x reliability and cost of ownership and I will compile information for sharing with the Straight Six readership. See you later this year (hopefully!).

4series@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

The cost of the warranty is the same as the previous year so on the assumption I will keep the car it will be renewed. I must admit, we’re moving house soon (hopefully) which will release some capital, and I may be tempted to look at a 4 Series 435d Convertible. Again any comments from fellow owners would be welcomed.

Well sadly that’s it for this issue. I do hope that everyone had a great Christmas, at least as far as possible and we move into 2021 on a more positive note.

Stay safe, Paul Roberts. e12register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

then, I am again waiting for more information.

There is also a brilliant family affair rebuilding an early 520, this has been ongoing for some time and I hope to bring details in the New Year.

I am getting a slow trickle of cars now reappearing so thanks for all those who have been in touch. It only remains for me to wish you all a safe and secure New Year.

Let’s hope that we are able to get out and about this year to some events, especially to the London Classic Car show which has now been relocated to Syon Park.

The Car Club and 02 Register in particular were last there in 1991, it will be an anniversary so watch this space.

5 Series E28 Firstly a happy New Year to all our fellow E28 owners, we hope you have had an enjoyable festive season. Here is a continuation of Tim’s work in his trusty 520i: E28 520i - October 2020 MOT continuation Did I mention in November’s article that I was actually looking forward to the MOT? Silly old me but thankfully the car was only pulled up on an advisory which was some slight discernible play

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on the nearside front lower suspension arm. With the car up in the air on the MOT ramps I had the opportunity to have a good poke around underneath, which was fortuitous as I noticed a small leak on a hydraulic hose. This leak was from the coolant pipe running from the top of the auto gearbox to the combined water / oil radiator at the front. The oil was coming from the gearbox end of the flexible hose where it is crimped to the steel coupling which in turn is bolted to the ‘box.

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registernews Of more concern was the giubo, which is the flexible coupling between the output shaft of the gearbox and the front flange of the propshaft. I had noticed more driveline shunt than normal so had my suspicions that there was something going on and was half expecting the problem to be the top carrier mount on the differential. This looked fine whereas the giubo had some small cracks around the bolt holes.

After another trip to the dealer, more grovelling underneath ensued. Both jobs were straightforward but the trusty angle grinder was needed to help drop the exhaust system to gain access to drop the propshaft. I marked up the position of the centre bearing carrier with the chassis to help set up the correct preload of the bearing upon reassembly. The giubo was definitely the culprit as seen by the tearing around the bolt holes in the image.

The coolant pipe and union nut at the gearbox end were properly seized together, and with limited space had to resort to old technology in the form of a hacksaw! Luckily there was enough room in the transmission tunnel to wind the threaded coupling out of the gearbox housing using a long 22mm spanner. A vice and blowtorch helped ensure the nut parted company with the threaded spigot!

I keep promising myself that I will go through my pile of invoices and add up my cost of ownership since 16th December 2017 and 15,000 miles. However, part of me feels that I would rather not know the true cost which I am sure some of you can empathise with!

I am now hoping many trouble free miles can be enjoyed with the 520i and that I can turn my attention to the M535i which has been SORNed for the last couple of years.

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7 Series Matthew Swanborough Hi all, I have heard from quite a few people this last month and it is really great to hear your stories and about your cars, and always happy to help find a buyer, or a part, or troubleshoot a problem! As you may have seen in the last issue, the 7 Series Register is now split into two - with E23, E32, E38 and E65 models being covered by myself and we are seeking someone to join to look after F01 cars and newer. Please do get in touch if this is of interest to you.

It was quite a major month for me in terms of my BMW cars, realising a childhood dream and buying my first 8 Series, an 840Ci Sport. I feel as if it has taken all these years of owning and driving older BMWs to gain the courage and experience to buy one, especially one needing a little bit of attention - but I am truly over the moon.

Thank you to Debbie Blythe in the 8 Series Register who gave me so much of her time with advice on what to look out for. My 7 Series isn’t going anywhere for those thinking I have defected, but this will be an interesting chapter in the car history and I am already getting stuck in.

7series@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

connectivity. I suppose being a wizard with such retrofits and modifications does help.

The result, a subtly modernised 90s cruiser bringing Julia Roberts’ smile crossed with a round-house kick from JeanClaude Van Damme. A car I truly hope to see in person in the New Year.

I am always eager to hear from fellow members with any E model 7 Series whether it is original, modified, sentimental, needing help or outright knackered. Please do get in touch! e7series@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

90s dream driveway!

Some of you may remember back in June 2020’s issue of Straight Six I shared with you the very ambitious and impressive build of an AC Schnitzer tribute car by Amjad Ali. Well, it seems the build continues and in my humble opinion he has created what is quite easily one of the most attractive modified E38s I have yet laid eyes on.

Amjad was fortunate enough to get his hands on a 1 of 2 735i with the much sought after tobacco brown interior, a colour that is notably much more popular now than it was 20 years ago. Tobacco brown happens to go incredibly well with green, particularly Vermont green. And so with a keen eye for the details that really make the interior pop, Amjad completely removed the original grey interior on the tribute car and installed some black carpets. He then painted the tobacco seat bases black and installed the donor car interior complete with headliner and lighting.

Really great extra touches like soft-glow orange LED lighting was added, in keeping with the moody yet functional lighting of the era. To keep the car really up to date and on par with any new car on the road today, a wireless charger was carefully built into the dash along with useful USB ports and even WiFi hotspot

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8 Series Debbie Blythe

8series@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

Hi everyone, at the moment with no events happening I am finding it difficult to fill this column on a monthly basis without help from you the E31 (Orca) 8 Series owners out there. So this is a big shout out to you all to say please send me any articles, news, technical information, details of your car and stories for ‘Car of the Month’, or indeed anything you feel might be interesting to our fellow owners.

2 weeks, 2 840s, 2 MOTs, 2 passes – no advisories!

Normally our two cars would have had their MOTs 6 months apart but due to the current pandemic mine got a 6 month extension. Great for me but now it was due at the same time as Paul’s and we are all aware of the fragilities of getting one 23 year old car through an MOT, let alone two, especially if they are not garaged. When we took my car for its last MOT the mechanic loved the condition of the car on top but was not very happy with the way it looked underneath. He mentioned quite a lot of rust starting to appear and some sections needing attention before the next MOT. Paul’s car was in much better condition underneath as when we got it he had everything dropped and got the subframes cleaned and powder coated, and changed every bush, wishbone and trailing arm he could, so his looked almost new. Mine on the other hand did not, so we decided to bite the bullet as they say and booked it in for a full underside treatment with Nigel at Trickett Welding Ltd, in Poole, Dorset. My car was going to have all the rust cut out, new panels welded in and then have a complete Waxoyl Rustproofing and Prevention treatment, not cheap but totally worth the cost if it is going to protect the car for many years to come. We had heard good reviews about Trickett’s and visited them in the summer to have a look around, see a previously treated car and also get mine up on the ramp to get an estimate. So in early November we took her down to the premises on a Saturday for the work to start on the following Monday. We were assured that the work would be complete by the following Saturday as the MOT was due two days later. Nigel kept in touch by phone and also sent emails at the end of each day with photos of the work that had been done. The main areas needing welding were the grommet holes used in the paint dipping process. They had rusted out further and needed covering, also the jacking points were completely gone so these had to be cut out and new pieces fabricated. The inside wheel arches also had rusted away and where the inner covers fitted had to be renewed. To do most of the underbody welding they had to take the seats and carpets out and they also masked and covered all the rest of the car in preparation of the Waxoyl treatment. We picked up my car the following Saturday and I must say a big thank

E9 Nick Hull A long absence since we last posted news for the E9 Register but hopefully we will rectify that over the next few issues of Straight Six. The normal events we would organise over the year have all fallen by the wayside in 2020 due to pandemic restrictions, thus a good proportion of E9s have barely turned a wheel this year – such a shame, as these cars certainly need a regular outing to keep not just brakes and clutches from seizing up but windows and fuel injection systems from malfunctioning too.

I recently hooked up with our long-time E9 friend John Castle and visited nearby E9 specialist Cotswold Garage, near Moreton in Marsh. One of the few benefits of this year is the observation that owners are using the opportunity of lockdown to put their E9s in for overdue maintenance work and proprietor Domenic Surdi has said that the workshops have rarely been busier.

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you to Nigel and his team as the car looked immaculate. They had taken their time to completely clean the outside and inside before handing it back and I could not have been happier with the professionalism.

My car then went for its MOT on the Monday and the mechanic made mention that it was now so clean and in such great condition that he was wary of touching it, needless to say it sailed through with no advisories. Paul’s car was next, he took it down the following week and again they were very impressed with the underside of the car. The only thing we were worried about with his car was the emissions. When they had it last year they really struggled to get it through as it has a fully customized stainless steel exhaust and it took some creative work to get it through. This year though it was much easier, earlier in the year our mechanic Kirk had found a sensor wire loose on the engine that controls the mixture and had reattached it, now the emissions were within the range and it also passed the MOT with no advisories.

Future Events?

All I can say here is yes we hope to be able to organise a few meetings and events but obviously do not know when or where.

But if you do know of anywhere you think might be suitable for a meet, then I will take them into account when we do get around to making plans in 2021. Stay safe everybody, Debbie.

e9register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

Early 2800CS dashboard. Note the lack of scooped fillets on the grab rail and no upstand wood fillets.

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registernews One example of a long-term restoration project brought in was a very early 2800CS in Tundra Green. It was a stark reminder of just how charming and different these early E9s were from later 3.0CSi and CSLs that form the majority of the surviving E9 fleet. These early imports were all converted to RHD

by BMW concessionaires in Brighton, with the dashboard being fabricated and trimmed locally in the UK. Detail differences on this example include a lack of wood strips and no scooped fillets on the passenger dash shelf, while the installation of the brake

X Series Greg Lyons & James Brigginshaw Welcome to the January edition of Straight Six - Happy New Year from James and myself! As I write this we are fast approaching a Christmas that will be different to normal, but hopefully we will get to spend it with the ones we love and there will be better things to come. I’m sure most of us will be pleased to see the back of 2020 for reasons we won’t get into, and here’s to what we hope will be a much better year in 2021.

In 2021 we are hoping to organise a couple of X related events and we welcome any suggestions from register members or Straight Six readers as a whole. An event that we would very much like to arrange as soon as possible will be a drive out/meet up somewhere as central as possible for X Series members. This will give us an opportunity to meet you guys and chat about the main reason for us being here; BMW X Series cars!

Z3 Register Alan Jones Welcome to the January edition of Straight Six. We’ve hopefully got a much better car season ahead of us than last year, although I don’t think that we are out of the woods just yet!

In the November issue of Straight Six I talked about changing the oil in my Z3. I was then contacted by Allan Groombridge, who had a few more helpful tips to assist the operation. First of all he mentioned that he removes the dipstick when emptying the old oil, and uses a lint free cloth to soak up any old oil remaining in the filter housing. Also, once he has removed the sump plug he replaces a new copper washer straight away, and puts them both on the top of the new container of oil. He does this so if he is called away for a phone call or similar, he can see

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servo is unique – the servo is mounted on the RHS inner wing, operated by a direct pushrod from the pedal box.

One of the lots in the recent Silverstone Auctions November sale was a heavily-modified 3.0CSL. This was a ‘Batmobile Homage’ project, allegedly based on a RHD 2285 CSL body, with a bored-out 3.5-litre engine, five-speed gearbox conversion and converted to left-hand drive. The sale price was just over the reserve at £105,000.

xseries@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

To give you a taster of the articles we have to come this year, I’ve included some photos and we are continually working behind the scenes to review other X Series models that may be of interest.

As soon as we possibly can we are hoping to get our hands on the iX3 for the day to give our take on the latest all-electric BMW and first in the SUV category. All-electric may be a corner of the market you’ve never considered previously, but we hope to give you a real world view on what it will be like to live with on a daily basis.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any suggestions, feedback, stories or general chit chat. It’s always good to hear from you all.

z3register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

that the sump bolt is there on his return on the top of the new oil container, and you shouldn’t forget to replace it before you refill the car with oil. He also suggests rubbing some oil on the sealing ‘O’ ring, and then soaking the new filter in the new oil before replacing it in the housing.

Once everything’s back together he removes the fuel pump fuses and spins the engine over to get the oil around the engine, then replaces the fuses and fires the car up. He also states that if you haven’t got any ramps, it is possible to gain access to the sump bolt by jacking the front offside up and removing the wheel, and then supporting the car using an axle stand. I’d like to thank Allan for his input and for supplying some good tips.

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registernews The Club office was also contacted by Niall Penny who was looking for a specialist recommendation. I have mentioned www. zroadster.org in the past as a good place to obtain information about the Z3, and several users have formed a group called the Zedshed HQ, and is headed by a young lad called Lee Joyce who seems to know more about Z3s than most BMW garages.

Niall was so happy as they had done a lot of work on his Z3M such as a full rear beam bush replacement (see the before and after photographs) along with a suspension and brake overhaul, a new clutch with shift pins in the gearbox, and a few other jobs thrown in as well. These jobs are all detailed on the forum for you to read at your leisure and to give you confidence to do the job yourself, or get the Zedshed guys to do it for you. At the time of writing they were advertising for anyone wanting work done to their car to contact them though the forum on zroadster, so if you want to know more please visit the forum and join, and I’m sure that you will find lots of information on Z3 servicing and repairs.

Lastly, I’d like to wish you all a very happy New Year!

Individual Experience Dhaval Bakhai Happy New Year! Here is hoping 2021 will be significantly better than 2020 for most.

Mora E46 M3 Individual Owner: Ajay Champaneri The E46 M3 range was produced from 2000 to 2006 with 85,766 M3s made, of which 29,633 were convertibles. This was the golden era for many BMW enthusiasts, with the likes of the E39, E38 and E46 dominating their respective classes and with the clean design cues having stood the test of time, two decades on. The E46 was much loved for its incredibly wellbalanced chassis, weighted steering, beautiful proportions and clean design. The M3 in the E46 range had very subtle design cues - the grilles in the front wing with the M3 logo, and the quad exhaust tips that made it really stand out compared to other 3 Series models. The straight six engine (S54) was an evolution of the S50 (E36 M3), upgraded to 343 BHP. In 2003 BMW decided to take the E46 M3 a step further and produced one of the most iconic cars of modern times, the E46 M3 CSL. The CSL shares its base with the E46 Coupe but it was 110 kilograms lighter, found by changing the roof to carbon fibre, removing sound insulation and electric seats, and other things like the boot floor cover being made of fibreboard.

This M3 was individually specced from the factory in Mora, a beautiful colour that suits the E46 incredibly well. However, it is the interior on this car that is even rarer, being finished in Arizona Sun. For Ajay, this was the car he must have; he had been wanting an Individual and searched up and down the country for one, only to find this one two miles from his home. The car was originally provisionally sold but Ajay managed to convince the seller to agree to a deal and after a few short days he was the proud owner of this high specification car. The great thing about this car is that even after 10 years of ownership; it still makes Ajay smile and despite life changing and becoming busier the car has remained a constant. The M3 has also turned into something of a practical car- Ajay is able to get two child seats in the back and enjoys the car with his boys, who adore the car too. This just highlights the usability of the M3 and why it has become a firm favourite for so many enthusiasts over the years. Ajay has no plans to change car anytime soon either, in fact the contrary is true, he is treating it to paint protection, and updating the wheels to ensure she is looking pristine ready for spring.

Whilst speaking with Ajay, it became clear he wasn’t just a BMW owner but had a deeper passion for cars, which was

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triggered by his Dad’s impressive achievements as part of the team that prepared race cars for ‘The Flying Sikh’ in East Africa, Sembi Motors. ‘The Flying Sikh’ won three rallies and had two podium finishes out of the eight starts, an impressive record. It is nice to know that the family is not just passionate about the cars but also how they need to be looked after and treated with respect, a testament to the condition of Ajay’s car. It is also a little ironic that despite being influenced by his Dad and having a keen interest in motorsport, he didn’t follow his Dad’s footsteps and develop a passion for Volvos, but in fact chose BMW, a decision he has never regretted. To be fair, if any of us had a beautiful looking Mora M3 like this one, I am sure we would all be smiling and enjoying the car to its fullest.

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80 BMW Car Club Magazine January 2021

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BMW Car Club Magazine January 2021

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clubpubmeets Please check with your Regional Chair 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: 6.30pm-8pm at Café Belge, Nash Road, Beachampton, Milton Keynes, MK19 6FW. CENTRAL WEST: Second Thursday of every month at 7.30pm The Three Horseshoes, Alveley, Bridgnorth, WV15 6NB. CORNWALL: Date, Time and venue to be confirmed once the pubs reopen for business.

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 Wednesday 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 – LOOKING FOR A NEW VENUE. Last Thursday of every month.

Contact Richard Howard on bmwccnorfolk@gmail.com.

Also follow us on Facebook: BMW Car Club GB Norfolk and Suffolk Branch.

Essex Pub Meet – 9am every second Sunday of the month at The Castle, Main Road, Great Leighs CM3 1NE, refer to Facebook BMW Car Club (GB) Essex Region.

Contact Anthony Shilson on 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: The Motorist Breakfast Meet – On the first Sunday of each month between 10am - 12noon.

The Motorist New Lennerton Lane Sherburn in Elmet LS25 6JE. Further details on the Motorist can be found at www.themotorist.com. Contact: 01977 681486.

Peak & South Yorkshire Pub Meet – Second Monday of the month from 8pm at The Elm Tree Inn, Mansfield Road, Heath, Chesterfield, Derbyshire, S44 5SE. Yorkshire & Humberside Pub Meet – Last Tuesday of the month at 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.

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 Swan, Bucklow Hill, Cheshire, WA16 6RD. Contact Jeff Heywood – 0161 678 2088.

Manchester/NW Local Branch Meeting SCOTLAND: See Scottish Region news and Club forum for more information or contact Issy on bmwccscottishregion@gmail.com.

SOUTH EAST: Kent Micro Meet – Chatham Dockyard first Sunday of month 10:00am - 12:00pm.

Sussex Micro Meet – Shoreham Airport fourth Sunday of month 8.30am.

THAMES: Last Thursday of the month at Littlebury Hotel, Kings End, Bicester at 7.30pm.

Contact thames@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk for more information.

NORTH WALES: For more information contact northwales@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk.

MID WALES & SHROPSHIRE: TBC at 12PM, Hanmer Arms, Hanmer Village SY13 3DE. SOUTH WALES: Third Wednesday evening of the month at 7.00pm (6.30pm for food) at The Twelve Knights Pub, Margam, Port Talbot, SA13 2BN. WESSEX: Bournemouth Pub Meet – Every first Wednesday of the month. 7.00pm onwards. Venue to be confirmed by email nearer the time. Contact John Munyard 07977 501128 or Eric Thompson 07722 835930 with any queries or confirmation of meeting venues.

Basingstoke Pub Meet – Third Tuesday of the month. 7.00pm onwards. The Fox, North Waltham, Basingstoke RG25 2BB. Contact Simon Alcorn 07973 299024.

Alton Pub Meet – Every last Tuesday of the month. 7.00pm. The Jolly Farmer, Blacknest, Binsted Road, GU34 4QD. Contact Bob Ward 07980 833321.

WESTERN: First Wednesday of the month: 7.30pm at The Woolpack, Weston-Super-Mare. 4th November.

82 BMW Car Club Magazine January 2021

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 central@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Dave Evans centralwest@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Jonathan Harris channelislands@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Steve Cooper cheshireandstaffs@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Jim Husband cornwall@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk James France cumbria@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Martyn Goodwin cotswold@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Kathy Jemfrey devon@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk George Champ eastanglia@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Paul Rice eastern@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk VACANT ireland@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Anthony Mason london@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Nick Thomas northeast@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Jeff Heywood northwest@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Issy Phillips bmwccscottishregion@gmail.com Ian Bryant southeast@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Tony Skerrett thames@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Phil Pinnington 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 Sam Lever classic@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk E3 Tony Wilkes e3register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk E9 Nick Hull e9register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk 2002 Richard Stern 02register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk Sharknose Richard Baxter sharknose@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk M Power 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 VACANT 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 Mischa Falkenau e36register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk 3 Series - E46 Simon Maskell e46register@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk 3 Series - E90/91/ Julian Pickering 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 VACANT 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 VACANT 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 VACANT X Series Greg Lyons & xseries@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk

James Brigginshaw i. Series Clive Neville iregister@bmwcarclubgb.co.uk i. Series - i3 VACANT 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 www.bmwcarclubgb.uk

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