MLife: The King of Concours

LIFE The King of Concours

Words Jeff Heywood Photos Darren Teagles/Jeff Heywood/Dave Brindle

As the Club celebrates its 70th birthday in 2022, we jump back ten years to its 60th anniversary to when an E36 M3, owned by Dave Brindle, dominated the Club’s concours competitions. Dave and his M3 took a clean sweep at the Club’s National Festival in 2012. Here’s the story of YDB 320.

Preston born and bred, Dave Brindle has been behind the wheel of a motor vehicle for most of his life, having driven for a brewery and major haulage company for over 30 years. He is also a true petrolhead, having owned a long list of vehicles, many of them quite desirable, like a 1972 Mk1 Escort Mexico, 1973 3.0GT Capri and a 1975 Dolomite Sprint. He also had a penchant for German cars, and owned an Audi 100 for a while, although we won’t hold that against him. He also admired the cars built in Munich and, when it was time for a change, he deliberated between a Brooklands 280 Capri or a BMW. Of course, BMW came out on top. Although Dave does admit that he nearly went with the Capri and went to view a 280 that was advertised as a stunner, only to find that it had been involved in a serious shunt and wasn’t quite as straight as when it left Ford’s Halewood factory. Dave soon realised the error of his ways and finally decided on a mint E30 320i two-door that was up for auction at BCA Preston. The car was an ex-management car from Tetley Brewery at Warrington. The black paintwork was dull, as though it had never been polished, but the anthracite cloth interior was in mint condition and Dave could see the potential in the car. It was a real diamond in the rough. He bid and secured the car for a good price. He was soon hooked on his Bavarian bomber, loving the build quality and silky smooth M20 engine. A couple of weekends of graft later and he also had the 320’s

Dave pictured with his Triumph Dolomite Sprint. Although they may look a bit long in the tooth now, the Michelotti-designed Sprint was powered by a 2-litre 16-valve engine pumping out 129hp and was quicker than a Mk2 Escort RS2000

black paintwork gleaming. Dave admits to cleaning the car every single weekend of it being in his possesion.

As E30 ownership started to bite hard, Dave fancied moving into an M3. Those bulging arches and its racing history really got under his skin. Then his partner kyboshed the idea, she was nervous about driving a left-hand drive car. He continued to enjoy his 320i, but his thoughts then turned to the latest E36 M3. The European specification right-hand drive 3-litre E36 M3s were produced from March 1993 through to July 1995, with a total production run of 3,152, which actually makes this car rarer than an E30 M3. Dave was convinced the E36 M3 was for him.

As 1997 arrived, Dave scoured through page after page of Auto Trader, week after week, month after month, until he finally spotted an M3 for sale that ticked all the boxes. A February 1994-registered M3 with only 13,500 on the clock and one owner from new. Finished in Avus Blue with a silver leather interior, the car was described as being in immaculate condition, so he made an appointment to view the car at Williams BMW Liverpool. On viewing the car it was everything the dealer had advertised, being in truly stunning condition. Owned by one mature lady owner, it had obviously been meticulously looked after. So after a good haggle, Dave agreed on a price and a date was set when he would take delivery. The salesman had made him an offer for his 320i, but he turned it down thinking he could achieve more privately. As luck would have it, just a day later, a neighbour, who had admired the car from afar, asked Dave if his 320i was for sale. He explained that he’d seen Dave cleaning it every weekend and said he wanted to buy the car as a Christmas present for his 17-year-old son. Dave quickly agreed a price with his neighbour, we won’t go into exact figures here but suffice to say that Dave received £1k more than Williams had offered for the car.

Dave took delivery of his E36 M3 the following weekend and was absolutely delighted. His private plate had been fitted, YDB 320, a registration number that this M3 would quickly be associated with. It was far more than he had ever spent on a car before and he was obviously very proud. It wasn’t long before he spotted an advert for the BMW Car Club in BMW Car magazine and quickly joined the club.

I’ll never forget meeting Dave at his first North West club meet. An effervescent, friendly and genuine person, he was as keen as mustard and insisted we all view his M3. Everyone acknowledged that he’d bought a beauty that was in perfect condition. He was asking about the events the region organised and was particularly interested in the classic shows we attended and the concours events, just viewing his M3 you could tell he liked cleaning cars. As an aside, it upset Dave to hear from the chap who had purchased Dave’s 320i that his son had written it off on a wet roundabout just a month or so after acquiring the car. The inexperienced driver couldn’t handle oversteer in the wet. Thankfully the young lad was okay, only his pride and the car were dented.

Getting into Concours

Dave quickly settled into club life and a year later, in 1998, he travelled over the Pennines to win class 4B for E36s at the North East Region’s Concours at Harewood House. In August of the same

A proud Dave with his first BMW, a two-door E30 320i

YDB 320 at an early North West concours at Tatton Park

year we all attended the Club’s National Festival at Donington Park, where a good weekend was had by all. Well what I can remember about it, and Dave picked up the Best E36 trophy in the National Concours. In 1999 he again won at the North East Concours, but this time he scooped the Masterclass 10B prize. In September of 1999, he scooped first in class at the North West Concours at Tatton Park. YDB 320 was on a roll.

Dave wasn’t all about concours though. I remember on a dealer visit we organised to Prestons BMW, as it was then, at Colne. The management had done us proud, with plenty of things to do, including a tour around the workshop and the parts dept, various prize puzzles to solve and a decent list of cars to take out on test. Plus non-stop refreshments on tap. Leaving Prestons we were all in good spirits and I remember having a spirited blast when we entered the M65 on our journey home, me in the Z3M Coupé and Dave and Sue in their M3. I won’t incriminate myself here, but the speeds we reached wouldn’t have pleased the Old Bill, that’s for sure. Yes, Dave drove his M3 as well as being a concours fan. Indeed, it was his daily driver for a good number

13th June 2010 at the Bentley Wildfowl & Motor museum for the South East Region Concours where Dave picked up awards for first in class and the furthest travelled, 270 miles

of years.

In 2000 he scooped the Masterclass 10B trophy at Harewood again, but he also took home the Best Car in Show prize as well. Later in September he secured the Master Class trophy at the North West Region’s event at Tatton Park, beating some top class concours entrants in the bargain. Dave had obviously upped his game. Unfortunately, due to personal issues, we wouldn’t see Dave or his M3 for another eight years. Many of us wondered if we’d ever see him or the car again.

Concours prep, the Dave Brindle way!

Dave will tell you that he doesn’t do anything out of the ordinary when prepping his car for concours, and he’s partly correct. He’s quite old school. Back then, you would find him still using a chamois when everyone else had moved over to drying towels. There were no fancy polishing machines, snow foam or other products in Dave’s arsenal, just shampoo and wax from the likes of Autoglym. But what he did possess in bucket-loads was sheer determination, patience, perseverance and a doggedness to get the job done. Plus lots and lots of elbow grease.

He would start on the underside. Well it was pointless washing the exterior of the car to then start on the underside, splashing grime about from underneath. First he took off the wheels to clean the arches thoroughly. Dave had a spare set of pristine wheels for concours plus an everyday set. Then onto the brakes and suspension to bring everything up to an as-new condition. Or as close as possible. He then moved onto the back axle, diff and other suspension parts, paying particular attention to the exhaust back box. See the accompanying photos. The wheels were then cleaned until they shone like new. Every nook and cranny around the bolt holes, every tight angle where brake dust might build up was paid special attention. The inside of the wheels had to be as clean as the fronts.

Once the underside was up to his exacting standards he’d move onto the interior. Anything that isn’t bolted down (including floor mats, of course) is removed before Dave would then give the car a good vacuum, and if needed, using a wet and dry machine. He would then remove any signs of dust in all the awkward bits around the dashboard and vents using fine detailing brushes. The floor mats would then be either vacuumed or wet and dry cleaned depending on their condition. The leather would then be cleansed and fed and all vinyl and plastic trim were cleaned and treated with an interior cleaning product that didn’t leave an unattractive shiny finish.

Paintwork. The car was first washed by hand using nothing more than a bucket, washing mitt and a hose pipe. Every nook and cranny around the front grill, door shuts, door handle were all given particular attention. The car would then be dried off with a chamois. The paintwork wouldn’t require any treatment as it would already be waxed, although he might give it a once over with a quick glaze to give it that show shine. He would wax the car no more than four times a year. Once in early spring, again in early summer just before the show season starts. Once again in late summer and then a final coat towards the end of the year to protect the paintwork over the winter months. You can over-wax a car, which leads to a streaky, greasy-looking finish.

The above is only the prep for each concours. In-between shows he washed and cleaned his M3 every single weekend, both outside, inside and in the engine bay, keeping on top of everything, as well as any remedial work that might be needed, like fitting the odd window rubber here and maybe a bracket or hose in the engine bay so that it looked like new. No stone was left unturned in search of perfection, and yes, it was an obsession.

A tip from Dave. Don’t use these spray type window cleaners, as they can smear. Use Autoglym’s cream window cleaner. Only put a small amount on a polishing cloth and apply. It dries in a hazy powder finish and when dry is easy to buff off and never, ever, leaves streaks or smears.

Back in Competition

For eight long years Dave’s beloved M3 was laid up at his home. Then, in late 2008, he decided to start commissioning work on the M3, bringing it back up to competition standard with a view to competing in concours again in 2009. He was still definitely old school, but he did make one concession to modern detailing. He purchased a Meguiar’s dual action polishing machine after a quick how-to at my place using a similar DA on the bootlid of his M3. Now that’s trust for you.

As the concours season commenced in 2009 Dave returned to competition with his M3. Dave had now retired so he had more time to prep his car. A frightening prospect for his competitors.

His first event was with the North East Region at Harewood House, where he cleaned up, taking first in class. The Brindleator was back. He also competed in his own regional event at Tatton Park in September and won the first in class and Best Car in Show trophies and some nice goodies kindly donated by Meguiar’s. Although Dave was still an Autoglym man in his prep and approach to concoursing, he’d noticed that the game had moved on. New products and techniques meant that competitors’ vehicles were much closer to his when comparing scoring sheets.

Back to Tatton Park again as Dave’s M3 picks up the Best German Sports Car award at the 25th Classic & Sports Car Show at Tatton Park in 2011

2010 saw him sweep up in concours, as he took first in class awards at the South East Region show at Bentley Wildlife Museum, as well as picking up the furthest travelled trophy. He also took first in class at the North East event at Harewood, the same at Athelhampton House at the Wessex concours, first in class and Best Car in Show at Tatton Park, again winning lots of Meguiar’s products. But his M3 missed out at the Nationals at Ragley Hall, after being awarded the runners up prize in the Elite Class after being pipped by an E30 M3. Using his M3 to travel around the country competing in concours shows, plus using it for other club events took the mileage over 50,000 in 2010. His M3 was no show queen. 2011 started off in much the same

Happy as Larry. Dave preps his M3 at the North West Region Concours at Tatton Park in 2011. Note he’s now using a drying towel, the chamois was finally consigned to the bin

vein as last year, this time sweeping up the Masterclass award at the Central Region Concours at Duxford, before winning the same Masterclass awards at both the North East and North West Concourses at Harewood House and Tatton Park respectively. He also picked up the Best German Sports Car award at the 25th Classic & Sports Car Show at Tatton Park. Dave entered his car in the Nationals at Gaydon and was again pipped in the Elite Class category, finishing runner up. Dave swore that he wouldn’t be runner up again in 2012.

As the 2012 concours season got underway, Dave decided to cut down on the mileage that year, concentrating instead on getting his car as near to perfect as is possible, seeing as this was the Club’s 60th anniversary. Any screw, nut, bolt or clip that didn’t look like new was replaced, both in the engine bay and underneath. He replaced the rear window seal that had dropped him a point at the Nationals the year previous. He warmed up for the Nationals by taking first in class at the North East Concours at Harewood, and then it was back to Gaydon for the Club’s National Festival and 60th birthday celebrations, including the National Concours Competition. There would be no repeat of previous years as he presented a car to be judged that was as close to perfect a 52k mile E36 M3 could be. In some places it was better than the car when it left the showroom. Dave’s M3 won the Elite Class trophy, and he was over the moon. All those years of hard, knuckle scraping graft had finally paid off, and if his win wasn’t justification enough that his car was in near perfect condition, Meguiar’s also awarded him the Car of the Show at Gaydon. He was also asked by Meguiar’s if he would bring his M3 and display it on their stand at the Classic Motor Show at the NEC in November. His car went on display for thousands of people to witness just what an amazing car Dave had, well, almost created.

Just to prove that his 2012 win was no fluke, Dave returned to Gaydon for the Club’s National Festivals in 2013 and 2014, where he again secured the Elite Trophy both years The year was 2007, the place was Harewood House and the North East regional Concours was invaded from those across the Pennines. Yes, the audacity of those from North West to dare enter our concours and with such a strong contingent too. Well, this was our first introduction to Dave Brindle, one half of a duo with his good friend Gerald McWinnie. Both would become regular contenders at regional and national concours events for the next decade or so. And so it was that our North East judges met for the very first time an Avus Blue E36 M3 and, of course, its larger-than-life owner.

By this time Andrew McArthur and I were part of the National Concours committee between 2008 and 2018, during which time the rules and guidelines were established that still reign today. It was through these years Dave rose through the ranks. At the time, there was a rapid rise in the car detailing industry, with a plethora of cleaning products along with machine polishers and cloths for all surfaces to achieve that perfect finish.

Yet Dave was steadfast in his traditional do-it-by-hand mantra. ‘A Passion for Perfection,’ a quote used to describe a concours competitor. Simple words that sum up the dedication and determination required to succeed, and boy does Dave have these qualities in spades. That blue M3 and its bare chested owner would be first to arrive at many events up and down the country, always serious contenders as the list of their successes elsewhere testifies. The sheer dogged stamina and pure enthusiasm required to reach their aim, which they achieved, was National Concours Best in Show.

At that time there was considerable competition from the likes of Ian Manjani, Chris Turner, Gordon Hyam and Tony Whittam all who had been around for some time so an even greater accolade for Dave to have broken into the elite winner’s rostrum.

Dave was a true supporter of the Concours during those years and whilst he has sadly parted company with his beloved Avus M3, he can rest assured that wherever it is, it will always be remembered as the ‘Brindlator’.

YDB 320 prepped and ready for judging at the 2013 National Festival at Gaydon, where Dave’s M3 again won the Elite Class in the National Concours competition

Dave and YDB 320 cleared up at the National Festival at Gaydon in 2012 on the Club’s 60th birthday, winning the Elite Class trophy as well as being awarded the Best Car in Show prize by Meguiar’s

in the National Concours finals. He had reached a level with his M3 that made it nigh on unbeatable. And in a way, that kind of took the fun out of it for him. He also knew that when entering concours competitions with his M3 he was actually putting some members off from competing, which was the last thing he wanted, so a few months after securing the Elite Trophy in 2014 he decided to retire his E36 M3 from concours competitions. He had swept the board in concours within the BMW Car Club, and knew his M3 and name would go down in club concours history as probably the finest concours car ever, and that is some accolade, especially when one considers that his car was also his daily driver for many years, and had covered 57k miles when it was retired. Some people that he competed against had towed their cars to competitions and were true garage queens.

As 2017 arrived, he realised that it was 20-years since he purchased his Avus Blue E36 M3. As the milometer clicked on 60k miles, he reminisced about his time with the car, now sat in his garage. He had a daily E30 for the Asda run or the odd trip here and there. He realised it was time to move the old girl on. Time to let someone else enjoy the car. A few phone calls were made within the Club and in October of the same year, Dave handed the keys over to another Club stalwart. YDB 320 is in good hands and is well looked after, sitting in a Carcoon.

I discussed with Dave that it would be nice to put a write-up together, seeing as it was the Club’s 70th birthday in 2022 and that ten years earlier in 2012 his M3 had been so successful in the Club’s 60th birthday. I also asked him what were his best memories of the car and he said, ‘the best thing I remember about owning the car is just how rare good 3-litre M3s have become. And I enjoyed all the admiring looks it received when showing or driving it.’

Dave still drives a BMW, an E46 Coupe. ‘Just an everyday driver these days.’ Respect.