Clublife - The BMW Car Club

Transcription

Straight Six
December 2014
£5
Stand and Deliver!
Club stand delivers a punch at the
NEC classic
Moving Pictures
How to capture the e-motion in
those BMW stills
Stop Press!
The story of BMW’s ABS revolution
Plus: Kleers cleaning goodies to give away!
Members
Edition
New Inside
Clublife
• Photo competition
2014 finalists
• Your letters
• Club news
• Regions and
Registers
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WELCOME
to this month’s Straight Six magazine
Formed in 1952 as The BMW Car Club of Great Britain, incorporated
in1982 as THE BMW Car Club (Great Britain) 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.
Founder
The Late R.J.T Hewitt
President
John Safe
Vice Presidents
Chris Wadsley
Jeff Heywood
Len Oakshett
NATIONAL COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Marketing & Development
Director
Jamal Blanc
Regions Director
George Champ
Scottish Development Director
Isabelle Phillips
Communications Director
Howard Walker
Technical Director
Tim Fathers
EDITOR
Acting Editor
Dan Norris
Editorial team
Bethan Jenkins
Laura Currie
Cover Photograph
Courtesy of Munich Legends
ADVERTISING
Display Advertising
Hine Marketing
Tel 01452 730 770
[email protected]
Classifieds
Club Office
01970 267 989
www.bmwcarclubgb.co.uk
Media Officer
Neil Robinson
[email protected]
CLUB OFFICE
Office Manager
Jenn Roberts
Membership Secretary
Nia Price
Office administrator
Alex Evans
Patron
Mike Wilds
BMW Car Club (GB) Ltd, Unit 5h, Glan Yr Afon,
Aberystwyth, SY23 3JQ
Tel: 01970 267989
Office Hours: 9am – 5pm
Website: www.bmwcarclubgb.uk
Email: offi[email protected]
W
elcome to the December issue of
Straight Six Magazine. As the year
draws to a close we feature the
last big gathering of 2014 – the
Classic Motor Show at the NEC Birmingham,
as well as a look back at the final outdoor show
of the summer – the Goodwood Revival, both
covered by our roving reporter, Richard Head, a
man who, as we saw from last month’s Monterey
feature, knows how to eat a bagel. Club stalwart
Dave Evans and his partner Jan did us all proud
with an excellent stand at the NEC, and all those
who attended agreed that the club ended the
year on a high. A big thank you goes out to Dave
and all those who helped organise the stand.
Taking a trip back to the 1980s, Andy Everett
gives an entertaining and personal account of the
launch of the now legendary E30, recalling the
glory days of barely controlled chaos, when BMW
sometimes still seemed like the niche player they’d
once been. This was a moment in time when
Munich were on the cusp of the global domination
that now defines their ambition.
Those regular readers will also spot a
significant change in our format. For the first time
we are introducing our Club Life section, dedicated
to features, news and updates direct from our
members, including the usual regional reports and
Register information. This section is dedicated
entirely to you, the members, and club life at
regional and local level. We hope to include more
personal accounts from the membership, as well as
a closer look at the cars and people that make our
great club what it is today.
We are very lucky to be able to feature in this
month’s magazine a great article from Jason Dodd,
snapper extraordinaire, taking us through the basics
of how to get the most from your car pics. Jason
has also generously offered a free place on one
of his exciting seminar days for the winner of this
year’s photo competition, awarded to the ‘best of the
best’ of each month of the year. We need your help,
please, to judge the winner, so do email us with
your top three favourites (see email address on the
photos page) and look out for the final positions in
next month’s issue.
We hope you’ll enjoy this month’s read,
and that all our members will continue to
enjoy the evolution of Straight Six throughout
2015. All that remains is to thank you all for
your support throughout this year, and to wish
all our readers a very merry Christmas and a
brilliant New Year 2015.
Dan Norris
Acting Editor
BMW Car Club Magazine December 2014
3
CONTENTS
FEATURES
14
Barn Stormin’
23
Straight Six Shooter
33
Quiet Revolution
37
Golden Goodwood
43
Braking the mould
Dave Evans and crew take a stand at
the NEC
Jason Dodd points us in the right
direction... and shoots!
14
December2014
COVER
STORY
Andy Everett takes us through the launch
of the car that truly put BMW on the world
map
Roving reporter Richard Head basks in the
Goodwood Glow
The Fortieth Anniversary of BMW’s
revolutionary anti lock braking system
REGULARS
6
BMW News
9
Mini News
12
Thoughts from the Boardroom
20
Dan Norris
29
Product Line
30
Autosport
23
CONTRIBUTORS:
John Castle, Jason Dodd, Andy Everett, Tim Fathers, Richard Head,
Dan Norris, Ian Paulding, Stuart Roberts, Peter Sherratt, James Sohl,
Chris Willows.
CONTENT SUBMISSIONS
Please send all magazine content by email to
[email protected]
PUBLISHED ON BEHALF OF BMW CAR CLUB BY
Hine Marketing, Hill Farm Studios, Wainlodes Lane, Bishops Norton Glos,
GL2 9LN. Tel: 01452 730770 [email protected]
PARTS ENQUIRIES
This is a service strictly for Club members only – for parts enquiries please
ask to speak to Keith Bridge on 01204 900909. Please have your chassis
number available with your enquiry and please call during office hours only
33
COMMENTS
Any comments you may have about the magazine or the Club should be sent to the Club
Office The BMW Car Club (GB) Limited does not necessarily agree with the opinions,
suggestions and recommendations, including advertisements by traders. They are entirely
the view of the authors and neither the publication of them, nor the references to products
or services supplied, implies the endorsement of the BMW Car Club (GB) Limited. Whilst the
BMW Car Club endeavours to reproduce articles with the minimum of change to the text
provided it does reserve the right to edit any copy submitted without reference to the person
who submitted the article
© 2014 BMW Car Club (Great Britain) Limited
4
Clublife
FEATURES
50
Deutschland
Dragon Run
Bavarian beauties tour
wonderful Wales
53
Invasion of the
Lakes Tour
Scenery, socialising and
...swimming, in Cumbria
81
Your Photos
Competition:
Our snappy finalists line up for
your vote
REGULARS
46 Club News
37
47 Board Torque
48 Letters
54 Running Report
56 Regions,
all the news from your area
43
67 Registers
75 Classifieds
76 E & F Chassis Code
77 Events
http://on.fb.me/bmwccgb
5
BMWNEWS
FIM Superbike World
Championship
With a spectacular final race weekend in Doha,
Qatar, the FIM Superbike World Championship
(WSBK) concluded its 2014 season. For the first
time ever, the series held a round under floodlights.
The experts from BMW Motorrad Motorsport were
on site at the Losail Circuit and supported the BMW
Motorrad Italia SBK Team and BMW Team Toth in
preparing for the last two races of the year.
Sylvain Barrier (FR) of the BMW Motorrad Italia
SBK Team had a season finale with highs and lows.
The first sessions went well for the Frenchman,
and the performance of his BMW S 1000 RR made
him confident for the Superpole qualifying and the
races. But at the end of Superpole 1 on Saturday,
Barrier unfortunately had a heavy highside and
suffered a lot of bruises to his foot, back and ribs.
These affected him on Sunday, but Barrier tried
to overcome the pain in the races. In race one, he
finished third in the EVO class (14th overall). In race
two he soon took the lead of the EVO field, and was
lying in a strong tenth overall, but after five laps he
had to retire due to a technical problem. October sales
achieve new high
Global sales increase 11.1% with 184,297
deliveries worldwide. Year-to-date deliveries up
7.0% to 1,714,197 vehicles. Almost 13,000 BMW i
vehicles sold in the first ten months
Sales of BMW i vehicles continued to grow in
October. The month saw 1,985 BMW i3s delivered
worldwide, taking the year-to-date total to 12,184.
A total of 419 BMW i8s were handed over to
customers in October (year-to-date: 760). That
brings the total of BMW i vehicles sold this year to
just under 13,000.
Sales of BMW brand vehicles climbed 10.8%
to total 155,120 vehicles in October, a new high
for the month (previous year 140,060). The brand
also achieved a new record for the first ten months
of the year with 1,474,632 vehicles delivered to
customers, an increase of 9.3% on the same period
last year (1,349,644).
Classic Race car
collected
6
The BMW Bavaria World
BMW Welt
With around 2.9 million visitors in 2013, BMW Welt in Munich is Bavaria’s most popular
attraction and has become a real magnet for visitors since its opening in 2007. With its pioneering
architecture, BMW Welt is the heart of all the brands in the BMW Group – BMW, the sub-brands
BMW M and BMW i, MINI, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars and BMW Motorrad, which are impressively
presented in their own worlds of experience. But it is not only the exhibitions and the collection
of new vehicles that are highlights for car lovers from all over the world. Visitors can enjoy a yearround programme of varied events covering culture, art and entertainment along with culinary
delights in several restaurants. Whether it’s a jazz concert, clubbing event, a film première, gala
event or panel discussion – BMW Welt is the perfect platform for innovative events. In the BMW
Welt Junior Campus, children and youngsters can enjoy exciting guided tours and workshops on
the themes of mobility and sustainability.
BMW Museum
Visitors of all ages can explore the past, present and future of the BMW brand at BMW Welt, the
BMW Museum and the BMW plant. The BMW Museum plays an important role in this. Since reopening in 2008, it has been successfully presenting the history of BMW and offering a glimpse of
the future. The museum also explores the theme of mobility for the benefit of younger visitors. The
Junior Museum organises a special programme for children and young people, basing its educational
concept on learning through play. The museum also has a history of its own: it is one of the oldest
automobile museums in Germany, was built in 1973 and declared a historic monument in 1999.
A 1979 BMW M1 Procar was presented to its
owner on Thursday. The unique car had been
restored over the years by the BMW Group
Classic customer shop and BMW M GmbH,
and is now virtually as good as new.
Proud owner of the historic race car
is Masakuni Hosobuchi of Japan. The
entrepreneur is President of the BMW Club
Japan and an avid collector of BMW M
vehicles. He had an opportunity to test the
working condition of the car on site. With an
inimitable sound, he started the sports car’s
mid-engine and then drove several victory laps
on the ‘Premiere’ platform to the applause of
numerous visitors.
In 1979 and 1980, a racing series
preceding the Formula One events was held
specifically for the BMW M1. The fastest
Formula One pilots of the day, such as Niki
Lauda and Nelson Piquet, appeared here in a
thrilling duel against private drivers. A total
of only 54 Procars were built, each with its
own, individual style. The BMW M1 Procar
belonging to Masakuni Hosobuchi, entitled
‘Yes to the Nürburgring’, is painted with images
of the famous race track, symbolising BMW’s
strong connection to the old Nürburgring.
Nelson Piquet and Hans-Joachim Stuck drove
this car to the class win and third overall in the
1,000-km race at the Nordschleife in 1980.
C A R • H O U S E H O L D • B I K E • VA N
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The BMW Car Club warranty scheme could save you
hundreds of pounds when compared with other warranty
schemes AND you will also get a 5% discount.
HAPPY CUSTOMERS:
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I made my claim with some reluctance as the warranty had only been in force for a few
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and courteous – a credit to the company." - Mr. Smirles, Birmingham
We keep our policies simple to understand.
Take out our cover and you can be absolutely certain that we will be doing everything in our power to deliver
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MININEWS
EIGHT MINI ALL4 RACING
TO COMPETE IN THE 2015
DAKAR RALLY!
Joan “Nani” Roma aiming to defend his Dakar title.
Less than two months ahead of the start of the
2015 Dakar Rally (3-17 January) X-raid, supported
by MINI, has revealed its line-up for the 37th edition of the world’s most famous long-distance rally.
A total of eight MINI ALL4 Racing with driver crews
from ten countries will take on the ultimate motorsport adventure of the Dakar Rally. Defending Dakar
champions Joan “Nani” Roma (ES) and co-driver
Michel Périn (FR) will lead the Monster Energy Rally
Raid Team while the experienced driver pairings
Orlando Terranova (AR)/Bernardo “Ronnie” Graue
(AR) and Krzysztof Holowczyc/Xavier Panseri (PL/
FR) complete the line-up. There will also be five
customer driver pairings in MINI ALL4 Racing cars
built by the German-based X-raid GmbH.
For the MINI brand the 2015 Dakar Rally is
the next chapter of a unique success story which
culminated in three consecutive Dakar victories
as well as three titles in a row in the FIA World
Cup for Cross-Country Rallies, both from 2012
to 2014. The 2015 Dakar promises to be the
most demanding edition since the Dakar moved
from Africa to South America in 2009. “With its
extremely demanding route and highly challenging racing conditions the Dakar Rally is not only a
thrilling off-road event to millions of motorsport
BMW
BMW
CarCar
Club
Club
Magazine
Magazine
December
December
2014
201499
fans. It is also the ultimate test for drivers, teams
and cars alike,” says Jochen Goller, Senior Vice
President MINI. “Even with the most outstanding
preparation, the Dakar remains a tremendous
adventure with unforeseeable challenges and
highly demanding tasks that all participants will
have to master in order to succeed. With this
in mind, we are more than pleased to enter the
2015 Dakar Rally with a professional, experienced team in our strategic partners of the X-raid
Team, a highly competitive driver line-up and a
proven winner in the MINI ALL4 Racing. For the
past three Dakar Rallies the MINI ALL4 Racing
has been the epitome of endurance, performance, reliability, agility and – last but not least
– success. Further to this, with millions of fans
around the globe watching the 2015 Dakar Rally,
the immense international awareness provides the
perfect stage to extend the MINI brand’s global
reach.” With several new and reinstated competitive stages the Dakar will be another adventurous
trip for both drivers and teams. From merciless
gravel sections to the breath-taking heights of the
Andes, from the sweltering heat of the Atacama
desert to the tricky soft dunes the competitors are
often making their way into the unknown, facing
unforeseeable obstacles. This is what makes the
Dakar Rally the ultimate motorsport challenge.
Starting out in Buenos Aires (AR) and traveling in
a great loop across the South American continent
through Chile and Bolivia back to Argentina, more
than 9,000 challenging kilometres is the task at
hand for all competitors.
In 2015, Nani Roma and his experienced codriver Michel Périn (FR), a four-time Dakar winner
himself, are aiming to defend their title in their
black and green MINI ALL4 Racing. “Winning
the 2014 Dakar Rally in the MINI ALL4 Racing
was very special to me because it came exactly
ten years after my first Dakar victory,” says
Roma who also won the 2004 Dakar Rally on a
motorcycle. “The MINI ALL4 Racing has been
strong from start to finish. It is the way we know
the MINI to be: powerful, reliable and fast. It
has been a key factor in making my most recent
Dakar victory possible. It will be a pleasure to be
back in the MINI as I am looking forward to the
2015 Dakar Rally ready to defend my title.” Ter-
ranova who finished the 2014 Dakar fifth overall
will be in the red and black MINI ALL4 Racing.
“My goal, of course, is to win the Dakar but also
to be the first competitor under the age of 40 to
win it. It is a big challenge but the MINI ALL4
Racing is very strong. So I am confident that I can
successfully reach my goals.” Holowczyc, winner
of the 2013 FIA World Cup for Cross-Country
Rallies in the MINI ALL4 Racing will be driving
the blue and black MINI ALL4 Racing. Says Holowczyc: “I will do everything to be on the podium
when the Dakar ends. The route will be much
harder than in 2014, so the upcoming Dakar will
be a new challenge which I am looking forward
to accept.”
No less than five additional X-raid-built MINI
ALL4 Racing driven by customer crews round off
the MINI line-up at the 2015 Dakar Rally.
MINI ALL4 Racing 2015 Dakar
Rally Line-up:
Monster Energy Rally Raid Team.
#300 Nani Roma/Michel Périn (ES/FR)
#305 Orlando Terranova/Bernardo “Ronnie“
Graue (AR/AR)
#306 Krzysztof Holowczyc/Xavier Panseri (PL/FR)
X-raid MINI ALL4 Racing Crews.
#310 Vladimir Vasilyev/Konstantin Zhiltsov
(RU/RU)
#314 Erik van Loon/Wouter Rosegaar (NL/NL)
#319 Boris Garafulic/Filipe Palmeiro (CL/PT)
#329 Aidyn Rakhimbayev/Anton Nikolaev (KZ/RU)
#334 Stephan Schott/Holm Schmidt (DE/DE)
10
All Marques catered for
including BMW, Aston Martin,
Mercedes-Benz and Porsche
From minor repairs to complete restoration
We are a small team of enthusiasts with over 70 years restoration experience, having restored Alvis,
Aston Martin and Jaguars we now specialise in BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche. We offer the
complete service from collection and delivery to detailed breakdown of all work carried out.
Preferential
rates for
BMW Car Club
Members
The above E9 BMW 3.0 CSL is a current and ongoing full restoration to the most exacting standard. We use
O.E panels if available, but in many instances have to fabricate our own metalwork. We have all the facilities
including Body jig, Low bake oven, MIG/Tig and spot welding machine
To compliment our restoration service we also offer a comprehensive rust-proofing process suited to any classic
car using a range of Dinitrol waxes
We also offer a very competitive £45/hr labour rate
Unit 1, Sandpits Industrial Estate, Houndsfield Lane, Wythall, Worcestershire B47 5QR
Tel: 01564 826111 • Email: [email protected]
www.classicpreservation.co.uk
SPECIALISING IN BMW, MERCEDES-BENZ, ASTON MARTIN AND PORSCHE
THOUGHTS
FROM THE BOARDROOM
N
ext year will see the 40th anniversary
of the BMW 3 Series. The first E21
model came only as two door and solely
with four cylinder engines at the start.
From such humble origins has grown an icon of
the motoring world, a car that many have tried to
emulate. The 3 Series truly founded a category of
car that its designers could hardly have foreseen as
such a runaway success. It is the leader in its class.
It has also been a consistent leader on the world’s
race circuits.
Ever since BMW’s commercial resurgence in
the 1960s the company has devoted engineering
skill and resources to racing. In the early years it
was touring cars at the Nürburgring and Spa, then
Formula 2 single seaters. In the 1970s the 2002
gave way to the mighty 3.0 CSL which went on to
win six straight European titles. At the same time
the E21 first generation 320i echoed its Batmobile
big brother with a be-winged Group 5 car that won
many a sports and saloon car event. In the early
1980s the 528i and 635CSi both won the European
crown before the E30 M3 made its debut in 1987 to
resume the 3 Series story.
As is now motor sport folklore, that first M3
went on to become the most successful racing
car of all time with countless race wins and
championships all around the globe, including the
British Touring Car Championship. It was succeeded
by the E36 318i and 320i racers that also won
in Britain as well as Germany, Italy, France and
many other countries. The E46 model also raced at
national as well as international level, winning the
first revival of the WTCC with Andy Priaulx at the
wheel in 2005 and thus emulating the achievement
of Roberto Ravaglia who won the first WTCC
in 1987. Andy went on to seal two more WTCC
12
drivers’ crowns with the E90 fifth generation 320si.
The E46 also bred a full-blooded GTR racer
that won the Nürburgring and Spa 24 Hours and
also took a shot at Le Mans in 2010, as well as the
ALMS series in the USA.
The current 3 series range has not been
developed for customer racing, unlike the 1 Series
and Z4. However the 3 Series badge was on the
BMW that returned to DTM in 2012, the company’s
first season in DTM for 20 years. As is now history
the M3 DTM won at its first attempt with Bruno
Spengler taking the laurels.
In 2014 the newly-christened M4 DTM made
its debut and has enjoyed an astonishing run of
success with young Marco Wittmann winning an
unprecedented four races and scoring in all but
one round. He wrapped up the championship with
two races to go and finished with 156 points, a
full 50 ahead of his nearest challenger. Of the ten
races BMW won five (the only other was won by
rookie Maxime Martin), Mercedes three and Audi
two. Wittmann and Martin drove for Team RMG
who therefore dominated the teams’ championship
but BMW missed out on the manufacturer title
by a slim margin due to Audi’s consistency in the
minor places. Overall it was a remarkable victory
by a young man in probably the most competitive
championship at this elevated level.
Echoing the days when E30 M3s were issued
in Ravaglia and Cecotto celebration editions, BMW
Motorsport will produce an M4 DTM Champion
Edition. Only 23 will be made (23 was Wittmann’s
race number) and it is bound to become a sought
after collector’s item.
Back here in the UK, Ulsterman Colin
Turkington won his second title in the West Surrey
Racing BMW 125i. Following a season of promise
with the 1 Series in 2013, Turkington took eight
victories from 30 races and won the series with
35 more points than his closest challenger, serial
winner Jason Plato. The eBay team also won
the Teams’ championship. As always in BTCC,
competition was very tight and for the first time
since the mid 1990s some front wheel drive teams
complained that rear wheel drive cars had an
advantage. Since there were no complaints last
year one must conclude that West Surrey Racing
did the best engineering job and that ‘Turks’ was
the consummate professional and brilliant class act
behind the wheel.
On the sports car front the Z4 GT3 has
also enjoyed success, notably in the British GT
series which was won overall by Marco Attard
in the Ecurie Ecosse example. In the Tudor
United Sports car series the Z4 GTE was in
contention for the GT LM class throughout the
year. The two Z4s run by RLL finished in joint
seventh (John Edwards and Dirk Müller) and
joint eighth (Andy Priaulx and Bill Auberlen),
separated by two points.
The Z4 has another season to run but BMW
Motorsport has already released a rendering of
its successor – the M6. It will retain the road
car’s 4.4 litre twin-turbo engine, giving it a power
advantage over the normally-aspirated V8 of
the Z4. Testing is scheduled to begin in the first
quarter of next year but it won’t compete until
2016. Watch this space.
So, BMW has wrapped up another good
year in the world of motor sport and once again
the metaphorical Munich trophy cabinet is fuller
than ever.
My best wishes to all Club members and
your families this Christmas.
ACCIDENTS HAPPEN.
(BUT IT APPEARS THIS ONE DIDN’T.)
YOU CAN DENY ALL KNOWLEDGE OF A SCUFF OR ANY OTHER DAMAGE
TO YOUR BMW, BY VISITING A BMW APPROVED BODYSHOP.
We’ve all had them: those heart-sinking moments when you misjudge the gap. Thankfully you can deny
all knowledge of any damage with a visit to your BMW Approved Bodyshop. Using innovative BMW repair
techniques, they will return your car to its original condition and your conscience will be clear again.
To find your local BMW Approved Bodyshop for a quote or more information,
visit www.bmw.co.uk/bodyshop or call 08000 834 395.
BMW Approved
Bodyshop
BARN
STORMIN’
Words by Richard,
Photographs by Darren Teagles
Now winter is closing in our events
move from fields into barns, and there’s
no bigger barn than the National
Exhibition Centre. The Classic Motor
Show has been running for 30 years, and
just as the classic car scene is booming
in popularity, it seems the UK’s largest
indoor show is going from strength to
strength. Around 65,000 visitors made
it to the NEC, and speaking to regular
show goers, the NEC was busier in 2014
than ever before.
14
A
nd so it should be – the classic car
industry is estimated to be worth £7
billion per year in the UK alone, a lot
of that attracted from abroad. It’s fair
to say the British and Britain are the epicentre
of the world’s classic car movement. The best of
the British classic car scene was on display in
11 halls with supercars, Youngtimers, classics
and vintage cars on show and dealers, vendors
and a massive auto jumble filling the space in
between.
I think of this show as having three distinct
ingredients: car clubs, cars for sale and the auto
jumble. I’m always in need of bits for my cars so I
like to start in the auto jumble working through my
shopping list and parking difficult buying decisions
until I leave via the stalls at the end of the day,
when I’ll have decided to buy or not to buy. Since
a friend following in another car told me the
lights in my classic were dim and the brake and
indicators were hard to see in bright sun (which
is when they come out most) I’ve been switching
over to the new LEDs bulbs that are increasingly
available. They’re expensive, but if it saves being
rear ended by a texting teenager I’ll pay the price.
As they also run a lot cooler and sap less power
I’m also swapping interior and dash lights to LEDs,
so at the NEC I was on the hunt for specific LED
bulbs to complete my set.
I’m keen on having the right period radio
in classic cars, modern ones just look wrong.
One of my classics (it’s not a BMW so I better
not mention it here) is from 1977 and has a
Blaupunkt Bamberg complete with mic for the
dictaphone. Mr 1977-Jet-Setter could dictate a
letter into the mic to be recorded on this tape
deck while bombing along the autobahn, how
cool would that have been? This was absolute
state of the art back then and while it looks
wonderful, it has to be said the sound quality
is pants. These old radios just don’t have the
wattage to fill the car with sound. The Bamberg
stays in for its period looks, but for modern
sounds I was after a small new radio I could hide
in the glove box. I found more than I expected at
the Autosound stall. They sell a tiny unit to hide
in the glove box and even have remote knobs
for volume and station switching I can hide
under the dash on the driver’s side. All available
with show discount at the NEC, check out the
Zuma unit at www.autosound.co.uk if you’re
interested.
After a wallet slimming few hours in the
auto jumble it’s time to move onto the meat of
the event and check out the car clubs. If the
NEC show were a magazine it would be more
If the NEC show
were a magazine
it would be more
Practical Classics
than Octane
Practical Classics than Octane. That’s not a bad
thing, it’s just, unlike Retromobile in Paris or
Techno Classica in Essen, it doesn’t attract the
high end cars. Except for a Daytona on the Ferrari
club stand, a Countach at Lamborghini and some
lovely Bugattis and Maseratis, the cars on show
were more wholesome.
The Morris Minor club wheeled out a
recently discovered barn find van carrying
chassis number 685. This is now officially the
oldest Moggie in Europe and the second eldest
survivor worldwide, there is only one older,
number 635 in Canada. Minor commercial
numbering started at 501, which brings home
how special this old vehicle is. WTW 620 was
assembled on 23rd June 1953 and sold soon
after. In 1967 it was taken off the road and
placed in a Suffolk barn along with six other
vans. Each was subsequently cut-up and scraped
through the 1990s but this van was stuck behind
a lathe, making it difficult to get at it. Such is
fate, this one survived and was a minor celebrity
at this year’s show.
Rather more exciting fare was found on the
TR Register stand where the team of three TR3s
entered in this year’s Classic Le Mans could be
found. These little heroes represented Standard
Triumph’s la Sarthe entries during the 1950s and
all three successfully completed this year’s Le
Mans Classic race. Alongside the three Le Mans
entrants, the Triumph TR7 took centre stage to
celebrate the 40th year since production of the
last of the line of TR sports cars began at the
Speke plant in Liverpool. Look out for more TR7
40th celebrations in 2015.
But what of BMW, what delights did we
offer the NEC punters? Nestled in our usual
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corner the BMW plot was in good company,
surrounded by Porsche, Lamborghini, Ferrari,
Mercedes and Maserati. First impression
count and first impressions were good. Our
presentation has improved in recent years; we
now have a trailer in appropriate red, purple
and blue diagonal stripes, seating, coffee and
biscuits for weary members, radio control cars
for the kids, a mechandise shop and seven cars
on display. This year we avoided the easy option
of using cars from the BMW stable (they were at
Goodwood a few weeks previously anyway) and
instead all (but one) were from within the club.
They may not have been the most exciting cars
BMW have produced, but each was excellently
turned out and a credit to its owner and our
club. Let’s remember that getting a car on the
club display involves time and expense for the
owners: they have to get the car to the NEC on
Thursday, make sure it’s spotless for first thing
Friday, keep it that way over the days of the
show, probably stay in a hotel over the weekend
and can’t remove their car until 7pm on Sunday.
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Many thanks to those who staffed our display
and the following for displaying their lovely cars,
you did us proud:
• 1971 - 2002 Bauer convertible belonging to
John Dalton
• 1985 - E30 325i Convertible belonging to
Janet Owen
• 1999 - E36 M Convertible belonging to
Dean Greenfield
• 1985 - E23 7?? belonging to Dave Evans
• 2002 - Z3 M Coupe belonging to Rob
Meredith
• 1985 - E28 525e belonging to Rob Meredith
It seems you can’t go to a car show now
without tripping over an i8 and the NEC was no
It seems you can’t go
to a car show now without
tripping over an i8
exception: the non-member car was an i8 loaned
by Rydale. It really is a startling car and I wish
it well but I expect a few classical types will
have moaned ‘it’s not a classic’. To mis-quote
Shakespeare ‘Some cars are born classics, some
achieve classic-ness, and some have classicness thrust upon them’. For the i8 the first is
very much true. Classic status isn’t just being
old and rare. The i8 is the spiritual successor to
the M1 and it’s the first real world super-hybrid
designed from the ground up. It may only be a
few months old but it’s already a classic and in
a show dominated by affordable classics it was
good to see our club offering up something new
and exotic.
I respect the i8 from afar, but for the moment
I prefer my locomotion served up by petrol and
there can be few more impressive examples of
this than the Porsche 917 over at the Classic
& Sports Car magazine show-stopping display,
probably the most valuable and significant
car ever to appear at the Classic Motor Show.
There was also a collection of TV cars including
Arfa Daley’s Daimler jam jar, a DeLorean and
KITT from Knight Rider.
Hang on though… before
we get carried away with
celebrities, the Imp Club
took home the show’s prize
for most interesting selection
of cars and a MK2 Cortina
won the Meguiar’s concours
competition. Bump: the sound
of me coming back down to
earth.
The burgeoning classic
car movement means many of
our classics have appreciated
in value, but the flip side is
those we lust after have also
increased in price. Wandering
round the cars for sale you
I have long ago
recalibrated my internal
price guide for the
E30 M3
constantly have to recalibrate your internal
classics valuation guide, ‘note to self: early
Porsche 911Ts are now going for £40,000, scrub
them off the wanted list’. As well as an i8, each
classic car event now has to have a classic car
auction. Silverstone Auctions have teamed up
with the NEC show and sold 81% of the cars
offered for a total of £4.5 million, up from £2.8
million last year and £1.3 million in the inaugural
sale of 2012. Roaring ahead to a world record
auction price was a 1994 Jaguar XJ220 that
was once owned by the Royal Family of Brunei.
With interest from around the globe the car
sold for £247,500 to a buyer in Singapore. More
astounding was the sale of the ‘brand new’
1980 Talbot Lotus Sunbeam which went for an
amazing £50,625.
Four BMWs were offered and
all sold for decent prices. A 1962
RHD Isetta 600 ‘bubble car’,
assembled in the Brighton
plant, sold for £15,750. I once
rode in a Messerschmitt
KR200 and two miles was
a nerve racking adventure,
so respect to the seven
Isettas that entered the
1954 Mille Miglia (1,000
mile) race, five finished
with the lead car averaging
45mph. A Diamond Black
E30 M3 made £25,188
which seemed about
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right in today’s market, but I bought one of these
five years ago for £10,000 and sold it two years
later for £15,000 (I have long ago recalibrated my
internal price guide for the E30 M3). Hey ho.
A smart but unexceptional 1986 M635CSi
in Zinnober Red with Anthracite buffalo hide,
number 174 of the 524 right hand drive models,
fetched £18,000. A non-highline making that
much at auction is surely confirmation the
original M6 is following in the footsteps of the
E30 M3. The BMW auction star was a 1974
I’m sure at least
65,000 people, including
me, will be back
next year
buying and selling cars. The increasing value
of our cars attracts increasingly innovative
criminals looking to rip us off. Quentin had a
number of tips to reduce the risk, but his top tip
was to get a photo of the vendor or purchaser
with the car, if they won’t agree to this then hoist
the red flags immediately.
As I made the last of my purchases in the
auto jumble and left I had mixed feelings about
the show. Yes, our club stand as was as good as
anyone’s (except the Imp Club!), I’d found some
gems in the auto jumble and enjoyed seeing
lovely cars. But really, as a show it’s just a bit too
static. Static in that it’s not evolved, I expect it’s
just a bigger version of the show in a barn that it
was 30 years ago, and static in that none of the
cars move (except the Sporting Bear rides). I’m
sure at least 65,000 people, including me, will
be back next year, but I’ll also be going to the
first London Classic Show in January too. They’re
starting with a blank sheet of paper and promise a
‘moving runway of classic cars’ and premium car
collections. Let’s see what they come up with…
2002 Turbo that presented well and appeared
very original and well cared for. This car was
sensational when new, BMW fastened a deadly
KKK turbocharger to its 2.0 litre M10 inline-4
giving a whopping 170bhp, a huge performance
gain over the non-turbocharged version. Turbo
lag may have been measured in tens of metres,
but when it arrived after 4,000rpm drivers
received whiplash inducing acceleration. This
was the first of the proper turbos and now turbos
are everywhere, so in a way it’s the sixties
equivalent of the i8. It went to its new custodian
for £58,000, double its low estimate and
deservedly so. I hope he’s a club member and we
get to see it at some events.
Away from the cars I sat in on a talk by
Quentin Willson on the security risks when
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