MotorCityCourier - MotorCity BMW CCA

The Official Publication of the MotorCity Chapter of the BMW Car Club of America
December 2013
MotorCityCourier
Photo Courtesy BMW of NA
Tentative 2013 Schedule
Check online at www.motorcitybmwcca.org for the most up-to-date schedule
Also like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
January
February
March
20—kickoff dinner at Logan’s Steakhouse on the
grounds of Oakland Mall
April
27—spring thumb drive
May
05— car control clinic/ autocross
June
01— Detroit grand prix BMW car corral
21—one day high performance drivers school at
Waterford Hills
16— EyesOn Design gathering
July
Summer tour—13
concours d’elegance rumble-seat picnic— 28
August
street survival school— 24
September
“Rush” premier party— 20
two day high performance drivers school at Grattan
Raceway— 27– 29
October
November
beer social at the Griffin Claw— 13
December
holiday party and annual members meeting— 11

Note: italicized events are not affiliated with the MotorCity Chapter BMW CCA and are for information only

For more information about upcoming events please contact us
MotorCity Chapter of the BMW CCA
Board of Directors
President
David Wong
248.245.7621
[email protected]
Vice President
Dan Cleary
586.665.1488 [email protected]
Vice President
Horst Reinhardt, Jr.
586.991.2455 [email protected]
Treasurer
Randy Perry
734.786.0232
[email protected]
Secretary
Kyle Albert
248.739.2116
[email protected]
Horst Reinhardt, Jr.
586.991.2455
[email protected]
Newsletter Editor
Driving Events Chair
Gary Davis
734.308.7299 [email protected]
Membership Chair
Paula Albert
248.739.2116 [email protected]
At-Large Director
Ross Hotz
248.423.5573
[email protected]
Dealer Liaison
Rob Roy
248.770.8351
[email protected]
Activity Director
Open
Volunteers
Web Master
Events Registrar
Volunteer-at-Large
xxx
Phil Taylor
586 484 8600
Open
Bob LaMontagne
[email protected]
[email protected]
xxx
[email protected]
231.534.4585
[email protected]
MotorCity BMW CCA P.O. Box 2174 Farmington Hills, Michigan 48333-2174
MotorCityCourier Pit Crew
Editor-in-Chief
Horst Reinhardt, Jr.
586.991.2455
H Media
586.991.2455
Contributing Writers
Any Member
328.760.2002
Photography
Any Member
540.318.1600
Copyrite Printing
586.774.0006
Publisher
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Change of Address? Contact National HQ at www.bmwcca.org and
click on the member services area or call 1.800.878.9292 or write
to BMW CCA, 640 South Main St, suite 201, Greenville, SC, 29601
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Chapter
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Reinhardt Jr
rants & ramblings
holiday thanks
I
t’s the time of year for fa la la’ing and
company Christmas parties and awkward days after and gift shopping and
family and looking back at the year
that was.
2013 was a year of transition for
your favorite car club. We re-arranged the
board and installed a new president (the mysterious Mr. Wong), said good bye to our
favorite back-of-the-book-columnist and
hello to a couple new voices .
[email protected]
But to get back to Randy, I believe
I speak for everyone when I say that we
could not have had a better leader at a better
time. His tireless efforts on behalf of the
board and every member of our chapter deserve to be recognized. The fact that he is a
NASCAR fanboy, enjoys dive-bombing unsuspecting non-BMW drivers at the track
while wearing pajama bottoms… well, I’ll
just leave it at that. Randy continues to serve
We jettisoned events that began to
falter over the last few years and replaced
them with new adventures. This move had
the benefit of persuading long time members
from the “Roundel readers” club to “I’m
willing to put down the magazine and go out
and have some fun with fellow enthusiasts”
club. Welcome friends!
Many of the new events we
tried out this year will be
back and better than ever
in 2014
Before I go too much further let me
take the time and space to thank Randy Perry
for his presidential service over the past several years. One of the events we dropped just
in time to ignore the many contributions of
the esteemed counselor was the President’s
dinner.
on the board as our treasurer, by the way— a
title he had before ascending to the lofty
position of president (for life).
Tradition was that we roast the
outgoing president and welcome the new one
at the annual springtime affair. Unfortunately attendance had waned over the years and
the cost to the club became prohibitive. We
have found that events, with the possible
exception of the holiday dinner, tend to lose
their draw when repeated too often. And
thus the President’s dinner is out for the time
being, replaced by a spring drive (which was
quite successful this year).
And while Randy may be a singular character, he is not alone when it comes to
sacrificing time for the club. Most of the
current members of the board have been with
us for several terms and have stepped up on
many occasions to make an event happen,
keep our finances in check, deal with the
national board, or help out a member. Anybody that has ever been involved with a volunteer organization knows how much time
behind the scenes it really takes to keep
things organized and, most importantly,
enjoyable for all.
Thank you Randy, David, Dan,
Kyle, Paula, Phil, Ross, Gary, Rob and Bob
and every volunteer that stepped up again
this year to help make things happen. Bravo.
Speaking of events, I am rerunning some of the highlights from this year
on the following pages. This is not only to
remind everyone of the great year we had,
but to hopefully get you excited for the year
to come. Many of the new events we tried
out this year will be back and better than ever
in 2014— including some more drives to
scenic places, low key get-togethers at local
pubs, and, of course, track days.
Gary Davis, our track master has
already confirmed we’ll be at Waterford
Hills Road Course June 20th and at Grattan
Raceway September 19th through the 21st.
And Street Survival returns August 23rd (we
switched to a later date this year and found
that it was much more convenient for students and parents alike— so we’re sticking
with the date).
It is our sincere hope that you take
advantage of all that the BMW club, and the
MotorCity chapter in particular, has to offer.
At our event at the Griffin Claw
last month I had the pleasure of speaking
with a long time member who came out for
the first time. His enthusiasm for the latest
and greatest BMWs was great to see and
from what I could tell, he loved meeting his
fellow members that came out to participate.
We like to say this is a BMW enthusiast club, not a owners club. But really, I
think our chapter is broader than that— its
simply an enthusiastic club. People who love
life and enjoy sharing their experiences with
others. Hope to see you in 2014.
www.motorcitybmwcca.org //
December 2013 //
5
Photo// BMW NA
Merry Christmas from BMW Motorsport
BMW NA— BMW Motorsport is expanding
its range of cars within the BMW Sports
Trophy Customer Racing program: from
2014, privateer BMW teams and drivers
will have the opportunity to line up at
events with the new BMW M235i Racing.
With a price of 59,500.00 Euros (excl.
VAT) and impressive performance figures,
the production-based coupé meets all the
basic requirements of a successful entrylevel racing car.
The plan is initially for the car to be used
in series and events such as the VLN Endurance Championship and the Nürburgring 24 Hours on the NürburgringNordschleife (DE). Looking ahead, the
BMW M235i Racing should also be successful on international stages for BMW
Sports Trophy drivers.
"The basis our engineers had to start with
when developing the racing version of the
BMW M235i Racing was exceptionally
good," said BMW Motorsport Director Jens
Marquardt. "The production models from
the BMW M Performance Automobiles
range are already incredibly sporty. Because of this, we did not have to make
many modifications in order to get the
BMW M235i Coupé up and running as a
racing car. BMW Motorsport can look back
on a long tradition of allowing ambitious
teams and drivers an affordable way into
motor racing – and of offering them an
absolutely competitive car. That was the
case recently with the BMW M3 GT4, and
that is now being superseded with the
BMW M235i Racing. While the BMW Z4
GT3 spearheads our range, the new car
means we are now also excellently positioned for the coming years in the field of
production-based racing cars."
The motorsport genes are also easily recognisable in the production version of the
BMW M235i Coupé, courtesy of the aerodynamically optimised body design. It is
propelled by the most powerful petrol
engine developed so far for a BMW M
Performance Automobile: a six-cylinder inline engine with M Performance TwinPower Turbo technology. With a capacity of
2,979ccm, the racing version is capable
of generating 333hp (245kW).
Motorsport-specific driving aids such as
ABS, DSC and traction control ensure that
the motorsport newcomers can also handle the BMW M235i Racing surely and
safely. The car also comes with mechanical limited-slip differential, which is also
available for the BMW M235i Coupé in the
original BMW Parts range. The racing car
is also fitted with features such as the FIAcertified safety cell and the modern safety
tank. On top of this come components
from the BMW M Performance Parts
range, such as the rear and front spoilers,
diffusor and carbon wing mirrors.
www.motorcitybmwcca.org //
December 2013 //
7
MotorCity Thumb Drive
Words// Joe Chagnon
Photos// Richard Browder
Start your engines. Spring has
sprung. Early spring in Michigan is a season that brings renewed enthusiasm and
energy. The cold winter is behind us. Heavy
outerwear is now stored in the closet. Wind
breakers, short sleeves and baseball caps
are the garb. Couple that with a beautiful
sunny 70 degree late April day and you
can’t ask for anything more for a spring
ride and drive. 25 vehicles, one motorcycle
and 45 strong gathered at VRPerformance
in Sterling Heights to begin their journey
north along M-53 to Port Austin at the tip
on the thumb and return south on US-25
along scenic Lake Huron; culminating in
Port Huron.
VRPerformance provided the
launching point for our early morning tour.
VRPerformance is a company that specializes in BMW, Porsche, Audi, Subaru and
Mitsubishi performance modifications.
Following a tour of the facility and work
shop information from managing partners
Eric Volz and Horst Reinhardt the group
anxiously assembled for our day long
spring drive.
VRPerformance built a vehicle
and was a participant in the Targa Newfoundland 2012 race and are the proud
holder of 1st, 2sd, and 3rd place trophies.
A diverse assortment of vehicles
was expected and that’s just what we had.
Represented was the classic E24 M6 and
its modern counterpart, a fresh off the line
Grand Coupe, X1 and HP4 motorcycle and
a lot in between. There were Z4 converti-
8 // www.motorcitybmwcca.org // December 2013
bles, M3s, an M5, Mini Coopers, and an
assortment of 3 series. There was even a
Lotus Elise.
With goody bags in hand provided
by Bavarian BMW and VRPerformance we
were ready to role. With convertible tops
down, sunroofs fully open and roar of the
engines our leisure fun ride commenced.
Once out of Metropolitan Detroit
on north bound M-53 large and small
farms dotted the country side. Soil was
being tilled for crop planting and winter
wheat already has sprouted greening the
landscape. Cows, sheep and horses grazed
in the pastures. Fresh smells of spring
filled the air. Hawks soared over head, wild
turkeys ducked into the forest along the
highway and an occasional herd of white
tail deer were spied feeding in a distant
fields.
After one and a half hours of driving pleasure we diverted off M-53 to
Elkton. While there we stopped to observe
and photograph wind turbines at the Harvest Wind Farm. When approaching the
area the 328 foot high structures could be
seen far off in the distance and posed an
intimidating feeling when viewed up close.
Brion Dickens, with Renewable
Energy Education Consultation, Woodland
Wind LLC, stated there are nine wind farms
dispersed throughout the Thumb. Most are
owned and operated by Detroit Edison. The
Elkton area wind farm currently consists of
140 turbines with an additional 200 scheduled for construction and installation in the
future. Each turbine provides enough elec-
tricity to power 350 homes annually. Average cost per wind turbine is two million
dollars. 60% of the profits are returned to
the community. The Thumb project employs mostly local residents for construction and maintenance. Wind power generates 7% to 8% of Michigan’s electricity.
Moving on we passed through
cross road villages of Gotts Corner, Pinnebog and Oak Beach before arriving at Port
Austin.
In Port Austin we were warmly
greeted by Maria and Sal Cucchiara proprietors of Joe’s Pizzeria. A photo of an M3 on
the front door made everyone feel welcomed. The pizza and lasagna are made
from scratch and were delicious.
Following lunch we caravanned
along US-25 south to the first of two county
roadside parks. A plaque at White Rock
Park profiled an interesting local Indian
history. The second was a Santilac County
turnout. Both parks set high on bluffs affording beautiful panoramic views of Lake
Huron. Off in the distance an iron ore cargo
freighter was spotted cruising along to its
Great Lakes port. A scenic lakeside drive to
Port Huron was the final leg on our journey.
Surprisingly many in the group
have never been to the tip of the Thumb
leaving many sights unexplored and room
for a return visit.
www.motorcitybmwcca.org //
December 2013 //
9
High Performance Driver’s
School at Waterford Hills
Photos// Phil Taylor
10 // www.motorcitybmwcca.org // December 2013
Thanks to Gary Davis, Pete Susi and a
small army of volunteers, the 2013 edition
of our annual high performance driving
school at Waterford Hills went off without a
hitch.
We also want to thank Erhard BMW for
sponsoring the event. Without their support all these years this event could not be
brought to our members so inexpensively.
For the cost of 18 holes at a country club,
this year’s participants were able to whip
there cars around a challenging track
whilst learning car control techniques that
could save their life one day. And not to be
outdone by the rational, participants had
some real fun.
If you’ve never had the chance to participate in one of our driving schools, make
every effort to change that, and soon.
The day of the event starts off with registration in the morning. A quick check of the
paperwork , your helmet (you can bring
your own or rent one of ours), and your car.
At this point you get to meet some of the
volunteers that will be helping you throughout the day. You’ll also be assigned an in
car instructor.
Soon after registration, or more appropriately check in, there’s a short driver’s
meeting. Here you’ll learn the simple rules
of the track, what all the flags mean, how
to pass (or be passed), safety and so on.
After the morning’s formalities, and depending on your schedule for the day, you’ll
either have some classroom time or seat
time. Typically if this is your first time on
the track with us, classroom is the first
stop. That’s where you’ll be introduced to
the driving techniques you and your in car
instructor will be honing throughout the
day.
At this point it’s important to note that
you’ll never be forced out of your safety
zone when you’re on the track— especially
if you’re new to the experience. You and
your instructor decide the speed of progress.
www.motorcitybmwcca.org //
(Continued on page 12)
December 2013 //
11
really need to do anything to your car
to make it track worthy. Along with the
registration packet is a technical inspection form for your car. Inspections are done for free at dealerships
like Erhard. They’ll check out your
tires and brakes and suspension to
make sure nothing is loose or degraded in anyway. Most of the time nothing will need to be done other than
some new fluid in the brake reservoir
and new pads if they’re worn. Other
than that you’re good to go.
If you missed the Waterford event,
you’re not out of luck this year. We
have another driving event scheduled
later this summer at Grattan Raceway
out near Grand Rapids.
If your lucky, the weather will cooperate
like it did at Waterford this year— crisp
morning and clear skies all day.
As you can see from the accompanying
photos all makes and types of car come
out to these events. (And yes, that’s an X3
in the above photo). It’s truly amazing
what a modern car can do, especially if it
has a Roundel on its hood.
Which brings up a good point, you don’t
12 // www.motorcitybmwcca.org // December 2013
Talk to anyone who was at Waterford
this year— it’s well worth the effort!
Come on out and have some fun with
your ultimate driving machine.
www.motorcitybmwcca.org //
December 2013 //
13
The MotorCity summer tour
Photos and words// Horst Reinhardt Jr
The first annual “MotorCity Summer Tour”
is in the books and judging by the amazing
turnout and many smiling faces, it was a
great success. I counted a good forty cars
and double as many participants.
The weather certainly helped thanks to a
beautiful Michigan blue sky above and
moderate temperatures closer to earth.
And the venues, well they weren't half bad
either.
With many thanks to Lane McEnaney and
the crew at BMW of Ann Arbor we started
the adventure off right. Along with coffee
and donuts, BMW of Ann Arbor offered all
participants a great discount on parts and
BMW lifestyle products. The hospitality
was much appreciated, but our stay was
short because we had some miles to cover.
We took the back roads to our first, western most stop, Lorenzo Lizarralde’s Chateau Aeronautique Winery in Jackson.
Part of the Pioneer Wine Trail which in-
cludes nine incredible Southeastern Michigan wineries, Chateau Aeronautique gets its
name from its beautiful airpark setting (what I thought at first were very large attached garages were actually airplane hangers). The vintner also happens to pilot Boeing 747s for
Delta in his spare time.
(Continued on page 17)
www.motorcitybmwcca.org //
December 2013 //
15
We sampled some great wines made for
locally sourced grapes, took a tour through
the wine making process and left with not
only with good memories but also free
stemware. And more than a few club
members purchased some bottles for later
consumption.
We headed back east, over some challenging roads, for a drink a little stiffer and of
the distilled variety.
Ugly Dog Distillery has been in business
since 2009 and has in that short time become one of Michigan’s premier distilleries.
As we pulled into the parking lot, the distillery’s namesake barked an enthusiastic
greeting. With forty some cars in tow we
quickly filled up the small lot and almost
overwhelmed the friendly proprietor. He
filled our orders for his premium vodka as
quickly as he could while the rest of us got
a chance to check out each other cars
some more.
We had everything from classic ‘02s to
Z8s, M cars and all the latest offerings
from BMW. I noticed that many new members joined in on the drive which was exactly one of our goals— always great to see
new faces.
From Ugly Dog it was a short drive to the
Chelsea Alehouse and Brewery, rounding
out the tour’s triumvirate of spirits.
The Chelsea brewery is also relatively new
to the scene but judging by the taste of the
many beers we “tested” they know their
brewing. A large and modern facility, they
offer a dozen or so ales, lagers, stouts,
pilsners and on and on.
The final stop was a short walk through
Chelsea to the Common Grill.
We pretty much filled up the private rooms
and spilled out into the main restaurant.
This was my first chance walk around and
talk to many of the club members who
joined us and the feedback was nothing
but positive. As a matter of fact, I met a
couple who were invited guests of one of
our members. They vowed to sign up and
become members of the MotorCity Chapter. “We don’t have this much fun in the
Mercedes– Benz club!” they said. And I
smiled.
Have an interesting story; like to share? This column is your chance. Send us your words: [email protected]
Bob
your turn
the police cars of johnstown
B
ill Brown, of Brown Ford, finally
unloaded the last 59 Edsel to the
city for a police car in 1961. I’m
sure he breathed a sigh of relief.
Now he could get down to bidding for cop
cars that might finally make him some
money.
Then the 1962 Dodges hit town.
Dodge styling had gone off the
rails a few years before. Some Dodges had
the tail fins on backwards. Others had a grill
that looked like it belonged on an electric
shaver. Square steering wheel, dashboards
from the Starship Enterprise, these were all
part of the Dodge package. But somehow
Dodge dealers managed to flog these cars.
They were comparable in size, power, and
features to other medium priced cars.
But something happened in 1962.
Dodges shrank drastically. They were now 2
feet shorter than a Pontiac. And something
really strange happened to the styling.
The 1962 Dodge looked like a
Valiant on steroids. Styling was, at best,
haphazard. The cars had 4 headlights, like
every medium price car, but Dodge put 2 of
them in the fenders, and 2 more in the grill.
The instrument cluster had 4 round dials, all
of different diameters, and arranged to form
an exaggerated perspective. Of course the
usual Chrysler idiosyncrasies were carried
over, like the pushbutton transmission controls.
1962 was going to be a comeback
year for Chrysler, so the factory really
ramped up production. In no time at all,
truckloads of new Dodges were pulling up at
Johnstown Dodge. Mr. Smith, the owner of
Johnstown Dodge, was politically connected,
and he had done a steady business selling
Dodges to city councilmen, mayors, and even
the judge of the municipal court. That was
actually a lot more profitable business than
selling a few cop cars. The ChryslerPlymouth dealer, I. Heiman, in Gloversville,
could offer Plymouths for less anyhow.
As the 62 Dodges started clogging
up the lot at Johnstown Dodge, a strange
thing happened across the street at the Pontiac dealer. Those 62 Pontiacs, Catalinas,
Bonnevilles, and the beautiful bubble topped
Venturas, just melted away. A truck would
deliver 5 new Pontiacs in the morning, and
they’d be gone by nightfall. Take a look at a
62 Pontiac and it’s easy to see why: those
cars were, and are, downright gorgeous. For
the price of a 62 Dodge 440, you could have
a Catalina hardtop. I’m sure Mr. Smith became more than a little depressed looking out
the showroom windows.
Worse, even the usual clientele
started deserting him. The mayor bought a 62
Buick Wildcat from Rose Buick, and the
judge bought a 62 Bonneville convertible.
It didn’t take long for Mr. Smith to
realize that he faced the same kind of problem Bill Brown had faced with his 59 Edsels.
So, he resorted to the same tactic: he started
to give the cars away.
The next time Johnstown put out a
bid for cop cars, Mr. Smith figured out the
wholesale cost of a Ford or Chevrolet, and
bid $500 under it. Needless to say, he started
selling police cars.
Eventually it was 1963, and Dodge
started sending saleable cars again. But Mr.
Smith still had scores of 62 Dodges to get rid
of. He underbid the Ford and Chevrolet deal-
18 // www.motorcitybmwcca.org // December 2013
Elton
[email protected]
ers again, selling “new” 62 Dodges for far
less than other dealers could sell 63 model
cars.
He managed to literally give away
a few more of these cars. When the football
coach, Mr. Seidlecki, had a winning season,
Mr. Smith donated a “new” 62 Dodge to the
booster club. When various charities needed
a raffle prize, Mr. Smith could be persuaded
to let loose of yet another “new” 62 Dodge.
That still wasn’t enough to clear
the lot of 62 Dodges before the 64s started
arriving. So, he offered even better deals to
all the surrounding cities for cop cars. Eventually the streets and highways of Fulton
County were patrolled with 62 Dodges. I
think every perp in jail had a ride in the
backseat of a 62 Dodge at one point in their
criminal career.
Trees don’t grow to the sky,
though, and eventually Johnstown Dodge ran
out of 62 Dodges. Despite the odd looks, and
the shrunken size, these were very durable
cars. As a result, sales of new police cars fell
off as the 62 Dodges soldiered on. As late as
1968, there were still 62 Dodge police cars in
service.
In 1965, the Chrysler-Plymouth
franchise passed to Kingsboro Motors.
Kingsboro had finally given up on Studebaker, and all the foreign car franchises,
like SAAB, Citroen, Borgward, Lloyd,
Goggomobile (I’ not making that one up –
check it out!), Peugeot, Renault, DKW, and a
few others so obscure I’ve forgotten them.
Kingsboro thought it was time for Plymouth
to crack the local cop car market.
But that’s another story.
MotorCityCourier
Motor City Chapter BMW CCA
P.O. Box 2174
Farmington Hills, Michigan 48333-2174
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Wishes you a very Merry Christmas