2014 Year in Review Newsletter

A Recap of SoCal Eight’s 2014 Events
Issue No. 14
2014 Year in Review
Editor Fern Mora
The Most Active BMW Eight Series Club In The Nation
Editor’s Message
By Fern Mora
Greeting Fellow Members,
This has been
and most active and most successive year. We attended nine events which
surpasses the seven events attended in 2013.
In 2014 SoCal Eights planned or attended these events.
February - Wrenchfest #1 - EF1 Motorsports Signal Hill, CA
April - Mullen Museum Tour - Oxnard, CA
May – Bimmerfest - Pasadena Rose Bowl, CA
June - Balboa Island Car Show and Scavenger Hunt - Newport Beach ,CA
July- Meet & Greet and drive through Ortega Hwy - Dana Point to Lake Elsinore, CA
August - Wrenchfest #2 – EF1 Motorsports - Signal Hill, CA
September - BMW 8 Series 25th Anniversary - Picnic Fountain Valley, CA
October - SoCal Vintage BMW Meet - Van Nuys, CA
December - Finally our Holiday Party - Monrovia, CA
The Board Members will be taking a breather from events in January and meeting to plan our activities
for the coming 2015 to 2016 year. Some of the events we will be attending in 2015 will be our
WrenchFest events, one in February and the other in August. As usual we will attend Bimmerfest in
May where we rolled in with 27 cars last year. Due to the overwhelming success of the Holiday Party we
plan to repeat it in December 2015.
In 2014 we became better organized with registrations processed through Eventbrite, opened PayPal
and Bank accounts, as well as held meetings on-line using Skype. All this benefits our members. We
will also be redesigning our web site to add a SoCal Eight’s Store where you can purchase our branded
items. Work on our website will also be addressed including a scrolling page featuring our member’s
cars.
2015 is going to be a very exciting year for SoCal Eights, and we hope to see many of you join us at our
upcoming events.
Best Regards, Fern
The Year of the Eight
By TOM JACOBSMEYER
SoCal Eights Event
Coordinator
This is the 25th Anniversary year for the 8 Series (E31) and
the lucky owners of this remarkable car partied all year
long, all around the world. Its been a great year for the
Anniversary and we've been pretty busy with events and
parties in celebration of the car's inception. One major
event, which actually occurred last year, was the approval
of the E31 Chapter of the BMWCCA. This is the only (so
far) n0n-geographic chapter in the BMWCCA and is a nod
to the unique qualities and owner participation of the E31.
Locally, SoCalEights held a BBQ birthday party with
about thirty E31 's and 65 attendees for an afternoon of
fun and camaraderie. There were also events over the last
few months, in Germany, Northern California and at the
Zentrum in South Carolina, where an E31 Chapter
member was invited to display his meticulously restored
Alpina B12 5.0 in the museum, the only example of the
series produced in Sterlingsilber. The car required a
concerted effort to get it approved for import and then
took three years to restore every nut and cadmium plated
bolt to better than new condition. The invitation from the
Zentrum Museum was a result of this inspired restoration.
The SoCaEights 25th Anniversary BBQ Celebration in
September was a wonderful event. There were prizes for
best car, raffles and t-shirts for sale. The 25th Anniversary
logo was a big hit and the T-shirts also sold well all over
the US and overseas to E31 owners. The camaraderie
among the participants made for a great day and may
result in the E31 birthday becoming another annual event
for the group. We started the year (as always) with a
Wrenchfest in February at EF1 Motorsports in Long
Beach. Fabrizo, the owner, graciously allows us use of his
shop for repairs, upgrades and general tinkering. One
owner pulled the entire rear end off to install new antisway bars.
With help of other E31 owners the job was finished
in one day. Others fixed sunroofs, tuned up using
computer diagnostics and got alignment checks
from Fab. Along with the coffee, donuts and pizza,
it was a great day of festing.
Our next adventure was in support of one of our
members who owns a Swedish Pizza shop (yup,
Swedish pizza), at Cutter's Pizza in Tarzana. I have
to say it was really beyond good and we plan to
make a return trip next year. The Mullin Automotive
Museum in Oxnard combined a caravan road trip
and museum tour for our April event. The Mullin
featured an outstanding Bugatti show and included
the Veyron and other very rare Bugatti’s. We
learned a lot about the marquee and saw a 1925
Bugatti that had been retrieved from the bottom of
a lake where it had resided since 1937...and it looked
like it. Bugatti was an innovative company that
worked an many different engineering designs
including an airplane that could have flown at
500mph if it had been built. There was a replica of
this airplane in the museum and it looked as though
it had been designed yesterday. The Museum was
tremendous and we had an excellent turnout with
seventeen E31 's for the caravan and lunch.
Bimmerfest 2014 was the next stop with 27 cars
participating. It was a busy day and, as usual,
resulted in Bimmer overload. It’s almost impossible
to see all of the many examples of BMW's at the
show but it was well worth the trip. Next, we went
Over-the-Ortega-Hwy in a July caravan. We tried to
make the trip last year but were stopped halfway up
by the CHP due to a motorcycle crash at the
summit. The CHP turned us around that day but we
made it over in this year's run. We gathered in Dana
Paint for coffee and chat before heading up to the
Highway. It was a nice 34 mile winding run up and
over the mountains and ended at Longboard's
Island Grill in Lake Elsinore for lunch.
Tom’s Story
Continues
The owner is a car guy and appreciated the
support from the sixteen 8-Series cars that
graced his parking lot. We were a bit later than
the lunch crowd so our cars were pretty much
the only ones in the lot, which developed into an
impromptu car show for the locals.
Another Wrenchfest in August (we always have
two per year) was more of the same, only more
cars this time. The SoCal Vintage BMW Car Show
in October was the first time the 8-Series has
been invited to join the crowd. The E31 made its
debut 25 years ago and thus qualified for the
Vintage event. Two in our group won top prizes,
as voted by the attendees, which surprised us
and the car owners. For a first time in attendance
it was a treat to have these two cars voted 'Best
in Show and 'Best Modified' . Lunch for the E31
group was brought in by Alec Cartio of Cutter's
Pizza and capped off a great afternoon. We
added five new members to SoCalEights for a
total of 90 on our email list . Of course, we
welcome anyone with an interest in the E31 to
join us. We've already planned a Holiday Party in
early December and have about five events
calendared for next year.. .along with two
Wrenchfests. We're looking forward to it.
Ortega Hwy Drive
Longboards for Lunch
Fab of EF1 Motorsports again opened his
shop for our 1st Wrenchfest of the year.
Fab is a big supporter of our group and
always is there to lend a helping hand.
There were 22 in attendance. Many
performed work on their Eight as others
assisted or looked on. Wrenchfest for
many is always a great learning
experience. There us never a lack of things
to wrench. After a morning of wrenching
we enjoyed a good lunch.
Bruce Papp from Adams Polishes normally attends our Wrenchfest and hold s a detail clinic
featuring the Adams Polishes products that many of our members use.
Gator from Long Beach BMW
brought by two new models of the
M6 and 4 Series for us to look at
and test drive. The parking lot was
jammed with members working on
their 8’s.
Ron Powell and Roy Almon are hard
at work changing brake rotors.
Great day at the Mullin Museum
viewing the Bugatti s lifetime exhibit.
Dauer Bugatti EB 110 Super Sport
Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Car
We ended our afternoon with a special
lunch in the Oxnard Marina overlooking
the boats at the Moqueca Brazilian
Cuisine restaurant. Great location, great
food, and great friends.
Following the luncheon, we departed and
some of us took the drive south on Pacific
Coast Highway 1 again. We just can't get
enough of the twists and turns when
driving our Eights.
SoCal Eights rolled into Bimmerfest with 27 Eights and were given VIP parking in the factory
BMW Corral viewing area. The organizers were overtaken by the amount of Eights brought to
the event. Many of the attendees voiced to our members that they had never seen so many in
one place before. The viewing area remained crowded throughout the day.
Ralph Rodheim, the owner of Newport
Balboa Boat Rentals and a member of
SoCal Eights, invited our group to a
classic car show held weekly on Balboa
Island. Following the car show we
participating in a scavenger hunt in the
Balboa Marina. Ralph and his wife
Penny supplied us with three Duffy boats
and a great list of things to hunt for. It
was fun cruising around the marina
searching for the answers and
landmarks. I must say some used Google
Search to get their answers.
Newport Beach Peninsula
After the scavenger hunt we all
gathered at Rudy’s Diner at the end of
the pier for lunch overlooking the
ocean. Here you can see Ralph left,
Gary center, and Penny right, grading
the results of the scavenger hunt. The
weather was outstanding and
everyone had a great time.
Ralph & Penny Rodheim
Hal Compton
The
Ladies
Huddle
On July 27th our meet and greet was held at our
usual place in Dana Point. Some of us started
arriving around 9:00am. We tried making this road
trip last year, but were not successful due to a
serious motorcycle accident on Ortega Hwy which
closed the road. While we waited for everyone else
to join us, we did what many other car clubs do,
opened hoods and talked cars. The ladies however,
held their own conversations which may have been
more interesting. Once everyone arrived, we drove
off through the town of San Juan Capistrano before
tuning onto famous California Route 74, otherwise
known as Ortega Highway. The highway stretches
just over 21 miles from beautiful San Juan
Capistrano in the west, to the Lake Elsinore valley in
the east. The road has a lot of tight turns and
changes in elevation making it very popular amongst
sports bike and sports car enthusiasts. For those
that want to enjoy the scenery, there are numerous
turnouts that can be used for taking breaks and
snapping photos.
Gary Corcoran headed this event. He drove the
route one morning the previous month to do a dry
run. He stopped and had lunch at Longboard’s
Island Grill in Lake Elsinore upon the
recommendation of a local fireman. The food was
really good and the owner gladly agreed to set up
a special area for us.
It was hot outside like most July days, but they had
water misters turned on to keep us cool on the
patio. The owner is a car guy who owns a pristine
1964 Black Impala and was very familiar with the 8
Series. He said BMWs and Jaguars are his favorite
cars.
Left to Right: Hal Compton, Tom Jacobsmeyer, Ronn Harris &
his car, Gary Corcoran, Mark Ford, and Ron Powell
The gathering on the minds was held by Gary Corcoran. He explained the route we would be taking though
the city of San Juan Capistrano to the Ortega Highway including planned stops along the way and what we
could expect to see.
Getting through town is always a problem when you have a caravan, but once on Ortega Highway, we
regrouped for the scenic drive through the mountains. We stopped halfway at Hell’s Kitchen for
refreshments, and then continued to Longboard’s Island Grill in Lake Elsinore for lunch.
WrenchFest August 9, 2014
Fabrizio Aldrette, owner of EF1
Motorsports in Signal Hill, CA
continues to be a very supportive and
dedicated sponsor of our semi-annual
Wrenchfest events, now known as the
“Home of SoCal Eight’s Wrenchfest”.
Fab, as he likes to be known, also
supports our members with great
service at reasonable costs.
Fab is very knowledgeable with BMW, Mercedes, Ferrari, and Porches. These are some of the
reasons why we’ve held some past Wrenchfest there and will now hold all future Wrenchfests
at EF1 Motorsports. He allows us to use three lifts and one alignment lift giving us the
opportunity to perform as much maintenance, modifications and repairs as can be completed
in one day.
On September 28th, 60 SoCal Eight
members and 8 Series fans
gathered at the Mile Square Park to
celebrate the 25th Anniversary of
the 8 Series which was partially
sponsored by South Bay BMW. A
similar event was held in BMW's
Bavarian home to celebrate the 8Series' quarter-century, joining a
parade of as many as 120 cars.
The event was put together by the
BMW 8-Series clubs 8er.org and
ClubE31 Worldwide Owners Group,
with added support from the BMW
Club International Office. Owners
and fans got to enjoy a tour of the
Dingolfing plant, where the 8-Series
was produced throughout the
1990s.
The 8-Series was a clean-sheet design for BMW,
aiming to combine performance, luxury, innovation
and elegance. Like many BMWs, it's often known by
its model code - E31, and first debuted in 850i
format. Its V-12 engine was borrowed from the
similarly
badged
7-Series,
producing
300
horsepower and 332 lb-ft through either a six-speed
manual or four-speed automatic gearbox. At its
fastest, this helped the 850i reach 62 mph in 6.8
seconds, but a later 850 CSi cut that to less than six
seconds thanks to a 5.6-liter, 381 hp and 406 lb-ft
version of the engine. The regular V-12 was
renamed 850ci when the CSi made its debut.
David Richards
John & Bridget Burgan
Alan Ferguson New Zealand
Right: Taylor Paterson
Walter & CJ
Bagdasarian
Kasey Caldwell
Ronn Harris
Bill Washington
Karl & Judy Eppel
Roy & Wife Alamon
Bud Rasner
Tony Petukhov
Eli Ramirez
Kevin Corcoran
Left: Gary
Corcoran Vice
President,
Right: David
Richards
Raffle winner of the
$1,000 BMW Bicycle
Our Sponsors
Fab & Martha
of
EF1 Motorsports
Tom Jacobsmeyer
Event Coordinator
Therese & Webmaster Taylor
Patterson
The SoCal Eights Board Members wish to thank everyone who attended the
25th Anniversary celebration and BBQ on September 25th. It was very
successful with 66 in attendees and 25 eights all rolling in to the Fountain
Valley Mile Square Park. We raffled off many items and I am happy to report
that JOE NEGREY was the grand prize winner of the $1,000 BMW bike
donated by our sponsor South Bay BVMW.
Raffle winner of the BMW Bike was Presented to Joe Negrey by our
sponsor Esvin Hernandez Assistant Service Manager of
South Bay BMW
We also held a car contest where all the attendees had a chance to review all the cars in
attendance and cast their vote for “ Best Eight of the Event”
Congratulation go out to our Peoples Choice Car Contest Winners:
1st Place John Burgan 94’ 840Ci Avus
Blue Metallic 6 Speed Conversion
2nd Place David Richards 95’ 850CSi Daytona
3rd Place Taylor Patterson 95’ 850CSi #166 Black
Staging Area Before Rolling to
the Meet
The SoCal Vintage BMW Meet encompasses the
entire SoCal Vintage BMW community from the
Central Coast to San Diego. Many drivers caravan
down from the SF Bay Area, San Jose,
Sacramento, Nevada, Arizona, Washington, Utah
and even Florida as well!
Each year The SoCal Vintage BMW Meet has
a turnout of over 350 cars and drivers - this year
was no different - probably even more
Ronn Harris Noted:
The show was open to all Vintage BMWs from 1989
back, including all cars to the end of those model’s
production runs (E34,E32,E30, E28, E26, E24, E23,
E21, E20 E12, E9, E6, E93, 2002, Neu Klasse, 700,
Isetta and all going back) which makes the SoCal
Vintage BMW Meet the largest independent
Vintage BMW Meet in North America. Following
the 25th year rule they had a new chassis that
qualified for our meet - the E31 8 series. This was
the first time that the E31 was invited to this event.
We received a very warm welcome from the
attendees and also from the organizers who were
taken back by the number of Eights that attended.
It was a beautiful warm SoCal morning where
the 8's had a good spot (we somehow always
get one) where the sun didn't beat us up like it
did in May for Bimmerfest (although we had a
great spot there too!). I was very surprised and
honored to be selected for an award because
of all of the various types of very wellmaintained and original BMW's that were on
display. However, this shows that the 8's still
command attention wherever they go. It just
shows that we may be small in numbers (out of
a total of 1300+ cars), our group of 14 took
home two awards...not bad for the first time
attending this meet.
Winner’s Circle
They also gave out Driver's Awards for favorite cars
voted on by the attendees, which is always fun for
the participants each year.
Our group took two of the
four awards at the meet.
Ronn Harris took “Best
Modified”
and
Taylor
Patterson took home the
“Best of Show” award. What
a great way to end the day!
Our E31’s received 50% of the
awards that were presented!
Not bad for our first time at
this event.
Ronn Harris 1995 840Ci
Awarded
“Best Modified BMW”
Congratulations to Our Winning Members!
Taylor Paterson 1995 850CSi
#166 Awarded
“Best of Show BMW”
The food was prepared by Ruben who is
Andrew’s Master Mechanic and loves to cook.
His selection of food was amazing including
six separate dishes and there was plenty of it.
No one at the party left hungry. There are
caterers at parties where you know exactly
what you'll be eating. We preferred to give
Ruben an idea of what we'd like, and then let
him get creative for the ultimate culinary
surprise.
Gary Corcoran, Ron Powell, Fern Mora, Ronn Harris
Missing Tom Jacobsmeyer
The Holiday Party, by Fern Mora
The Board Members collectively decided to bring
the end of 2014 by putting together a holiday
party for the members.
With the gracious
invitation to hold the party at Andrew Khan’s, of
Avus Autosport, man cave; our holiday party was
realized. I can truly say that it was the highlight
event of the year and will be hard to surpass.
We made arrangement at the Double Tree Hotel
to book rooms for those who did not want to drive
home after the party. Grace arranged with the
hotel to have 2 shuttle trips to and from the hotel
and the party. Many of our members took
advantage of the service.
As the guests arrived, they were treated to hors d’
oeuvres of select cheeses, crackers, meats,
olives, and fruits. Guest gathered at the open bar
as music played throughout the building. It was a
great time to meet and greet each other and tour
Andrew’s man cave. The facility was top notch
with a full bar, kitchen, lounging area, big screen
TV’s throughout the building, and a great
collection of automotive related signs.
We received many compliments of the type of
food and variety of food that Ruben prepared.
I have been to many weddings and holiday
parties at hotels and other venues where you
only have the standard chicken or beef
dishes...boring. This by far was over the top!
These are not things that you will find at your
every day catered cocktail party. One word
defines it -- “Fantastic”.
For those who still had a little room, there
were also several deserts to feast upon.
Everyone enjoyed the open bar and our
professional bartender made sure everyone’s
glass remained full.
We wish to thank Andrew, Ruben, and their
friends who did a fantastic job putting this
together for our group. There was very little
we had to do except eat, drink, and be merry.
We left with the memory that we had just
experienced one of, if not the most enjoyable
events of 2014.
Just a few of
the attendees
gathering
around the
bar and
lounge area
Testimonial
Of all of the events that I have been a part
of, THIS was the best one (and we have
had some VERY good events!). In
respecting our host wishes we did not
take many pictures so it will be hard to
see for those that couldn't make it why
this event was so fabulous! It was held in
the ultimate "man cave" where all of the
goodies and toys were on display. In
additional to this, his "chef" (his day job is
a mechanic) was absolutely wonderful!
There was plenty of food and drinks for
everyone and a good time was had by all
(including the ladies! ). If we do this again
next year, it will be hard to top this one!
FYI- We missed you Tom!
Back in Oct 2014 Roy Alamon our SoCal
member entered a picture of his 840Ci to
the Bavarian Auto Sports annual photo
contest. He received notification recently
that his submission won the 8 Series
Category
Great day! Taylor Patterson’s 850CSi #166 is
going in BIMMER Magazine soon. After a
couple hours stretching her legs on the twisties
of Ranch Santa Fe, photographer and writer
Helmut Werb captures her best sides at sunset
in Cardiff-by-the-Sea. Awesome!
Recently this picture of SoCal
Eights made the front page of the
on-line magazine for Pelican Parts.
Picture was taken at the Pasadena
Rose Bowl 2014 Bimmerfest meet
where SoCal Eights had 27 cars in
attendance.