Q U A R T E R L Y
T he U LTIMATE
N E W S L E T T E R
CLASSIC B M W
C L A S S I C
57
C A R
TH
C L U B
EDITION • WINTER 2018
I N S I D E
T H I S
o f
A M E R I C A
I S S U E
Lowcountry Discovery Tour Adrian Mitu’s Blue One Hilton Head Island Motoring Festival SoCal Vintage • Dirk’s MarketWatch • Randy ’s 850 CSi
Behind the Wheel P RE SI DEN T ’ S ME SSAG E
Dear Members, Now that the dust from 2018 has settled, we can look back on another
successful year for our club. Membership continues to grow and
participation continues to increase as we have seen in Pittsburgh and in the Lowcountry. This newsletter is almost entirely devoted to the latter
(thanks Jan!). Hopefully it will inspire our armchair members to get their
classic BMWs ready and join us on one or more of our social driving tours in 2019.
Frank Greppo has put a two-day drive together in the Adirondacks, NY
in conjunction with the Vintage at Saratoga in July.
Chris Macha will guide us in August on the scenic route from Southern
California to Monterey where we will meet for Car Week, after which we will continue to Napa Valley.
We will also be celebrating the 50th Oktoberfest with the CCA in
Greenville SC and spend a few days in the NC mountains. Check the
calendar for exact dates and watch your e-mails for event registration.
All board members have been voted in oďŹƒce for 2019/2020 and I look
forward to working with them in growing the club and bringing it closer to you.
See you down the road!
2
THE
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CLASSIC
T H E
F I N E
P R I N T
W I N T E R
The BMW Classic Car Club of America, Inc.
E D I T I O N
2 0 1 8
TABLE OF CONTENTS
(the Club) is a Florida not-for-profit corpora-
tion. The Club is officially recognized by BMW
Group Classic (Germany) and is a member of
the Classic and Type Section of the Interna-
tional Council of BMW Clubs. It is the only offi-
cial BMW club in America solely dedicated to classic BMWs.
BMW CL ASSIC C AR CLUB of AMERIC A
The Club’s mission is to promote the inter-
est in, the ownership of, and preservation and
restoration of classic BMWs, to encourage their use and visibility, to provide a forum for
the exchange of information related to classic
BMWs, and to foster social contacts among its
members. Membership is open to anyone
with an interest in classic BMW cars. The an-
nual membership for U.S. residents is $50 per
calendar year. Renewal membership fees are
due in January of each year. Membership applications can be downloaded from our web-
site www.bmwccca.com.
The Club issues a quarterly newsletter The
Ultimate Classic which will be provided in elec-
tronic and/or paper form to all members in
good standing. All content remains the prop-
erty of the Club. Clubs operating under the International Council of BMW Clubs’ umbrella
may quote or copy from The Ultimate Classic
in their newsletter, provided that the Club will
be advised in writing and that full credit is given to the Club and the authors, unless
otherwise noted or specifically prohibited.
The Ultimate Classic is a publication of the
Club. All ideas, opinions, and suggestions ex-
pressed in regards to technical or other matters are solely those of the authors, and no
authentication, endorsement, or guarantee is
expressed or implied. The Club assumes no li-
ability for any of the information contained
herein.
The BMW Classic Car Club of America, Inc.
is an independent organization and not
affiliated with BMW Group or BMW of North America.
The Ultimate Classic is produced by
Parabolica Publishing LLC, specialists in the
creation of automotive-themed publications. www.parabolicapub.com
We are now on social media
@bmwccca
57th EDITION • WINTER 2018
2 4 6 20 24 37 38 41 42
President’s Message Calendar of Events Lowcountry Discovery Tour Adrian Mitu’s Blue One Hilton Head Island Councours d’Elegance and Motoring Festival SoCal Vintage Dirk’s Marketwatch Welcome New Members Randy’s 850 CSI
ON THE COVER: Jim and Mary True in their 1934 BMW 309 purring along in Savannah on the Lowcountry Discovery tour
C L U C
C O N T A C T S
Dirk de Groen, President David Lowen, Treasurer Eric Zagrocki, Secretary Andrew Wilson, Regional Director East Chris Macha, Regional Director West Goetz Pfafflin, Past President
BMW Classic Car Club of America 1201 Manati Avenue • Coral Gables, FL 33146 • USA (305) 801-7010 • ddegroen@yahoo.com • www.bmwccca.com 3
Calendar of Events
WHAT ’ S HA P P E N I N G ?
4
Amelia Island Concours Amelia Island, FL March 8-10, 2019 ameliaconcours.org
Targa California June 5-9, 2019 targacalifornia@gmail.com
Lime Rock Historic Festival Lakeville, CT Aug 29-Sept 2, 2019 limerock.com/labor-day-historics
Mid-America '02Fest Eureka Springs, AR April 25-27, 2019 midamerica02fest.com
The Vintage Saratoga Springs, NY July 13, 2019 vintageatsaratoga.com July 10-12: Saratoga Vintage Tour
Bay Area '02 Swap & Show Brisbane Marina, CA May 4, 2019 bayarea02.com
Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix Pitt Race/Schenley Park, PA July 7-21, 2019 pvgp.org
The Vintage Asheville/Hot Springs, NC May 16-19, 2019 atthevintage.com
Monterey Car Week Aug 13-14: Drive from Socal to Monterey Aug 16: Legends of the Autobahn Aug 17: Motorsports Reunion / Festorics Drive from Monterey to Napa Valley (TBA)
Huntington Beach Concours Huntington Beach, CA June 2, 2019 hbconcours.org
BMW CCA Oktoberfest Greenville, SC October 15-19, 2019 bmwcca.org
THE
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57th EDITION • WINTER 2018
5
Savannah LOWCO UN T RY D I S CO V E RY
T
By Jan Abendroth
im and I had been looking forward to
The Low Country Discovery Tour for
many weeks. We had such a
wonderful time last year on the trip to
Maine, and we knew this trip would be no
different. Many friends we have made
through our BMW adventures were going on
this trip, and I also saw some names of folks
I’d not met before on the roster for this trip.
We left New Orleans on Saturday morning
in our road warrior, the 1974 2002tii, and
arrived in Savannah Sunday afternoon in
time for registration at the Kimpton Brice
Hotel, located in a historic site, originally
built in the 1860s, that once housed a livery
stable, a cotton warehouse, a wholesale
grocer, a tin shop, and a machine shop. Most
famously, it was home to the first Coca-Cola
bottling plant in Savannah before its
conversion to a hotel in 1982. You know you
are approaching the coast when you begin
seeing the majestic live oak trees dripping in
moss with limbs that arch above roads or
sweep down to the ground. These old trees
seem to whisper of our nation’s history
because they have lived through wars,
hurricanes, epidemics and much more. They
have witnessed much. In the shade of these
Jan and Tim Abendroth in their 1975 2002tii
massive trees, children may have played, a
boy may have stolen his first kiss, or a soldier
may have drawn his last breath while leaning
Friends catching up. 6
One of the many squares in Savannah THE
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CLASSIC
GRAND PRIZE
OF
AMERICA
Autos were the newest rage in 1908
when the city of Savannah, Georgia decided to conduct the first Grand Prize of
America race sanctioned by the new Auto-
mobile Club of America. International competition took place in 1908, 1910 and
1911. The race was held on both country
roads and roads newly built for the race
around the outskirts of Savannah. Inmates
were used to build new roads with crushed
stone covered with small gravel and
sprayed with oil. This mix made for a dusty
affair that was a killer on slick natural rubber tires. The event drew over 200,000 (!)
spectators annually to a city of 15,000. The railroads ran special trains from New York
and other major cities. Thousands of Georgia Militia troops were used for
crowd control.
The wealthy and famous came from all
Convicted labor working on the race track in 1908.
over the U.S. in their private rail cars which
the Tiedeman Trophy small car support
the main grandstand. As late comers, Har-
who championed the entire event.
Edison were forced to rent the local jail
nault, Ford, Mercer, EMF, Itala, Simplex,
were lined up on a railroad siding behind vey Firestone, Henry Ford and Thomas (without convicts) for their stay in town.
William K Vanderbilt Jr. brought his namesake cup races from New York in 1911 and
race was named for the Savannah Mayor Competitors from Mercedes, Fiat, Re-
Lozier, Marmon and Buick among others
brought their best drivers. The event
marked the first time production car chassis were used in auto racing and cham-
1911 EMF team at Savannah.
winners. Firestone non-skid treaded tires
roads of the original track including driving
them win the Tiedeman Trophy race.
now lined with houses. Two and half mile
pagne was sprayed on the podium by the
were introduced on the EMF cars helping
The Grand Prize of America cup was won
in 1911 by a Fiat that traveled 289 miles over
the 17 mile course averaging a new world
record 74.6 miles per hour. Eventually, the
lefords in the banking of where the
race track used to be
57th EDITION • WINTER 2018
long Ferguson Avenue, built for the races
by convict labor is now covered with Spanish moss hanging from 110 year old live oak
trees planted when the track was built. The
Grand Prize of America Cup became the
tour also passed stately homes overlooking
Most of the track roads exist today, how-
did not go the beach at Tybee Island, this
United States Formula 1 race of today. The Vallettas on the heels of the Shack-
over small banked curves and side streets
ever, suburban sprawl has taken over. On
the first Monday of the Lowcountry Dis-
covery tour, participants retraced the
the Intercostal Water Way. While the track
year’s tour participants did, before return-
ing to Savannah to Critz BMW for lunch. — Larry Koch
7
LOWCO UN T RY D I S CO V E RY T O U R
against the trunk. If only they could talk! Our
Tybee Island. We followed the road were the
Rotterdam in 2016 to participate in three
stopped several times to take short breaks,
imagined what it looked like. It was quite
first group dinner was that evening at Vic’s
old race track used to be in 1908-1911 and
an old cotton warehouse overlooking the
take pictures and admire a few ‘new’ old cars
on the River, an iconic restaurant located in
Savannah River serving traditional Southern
dishes, the first ones of many more to follow. We began our day Monday with a driving
tour organized by Larry and Pat Koch and
which took us through Savannah and out to 8
that some had acquired since we last saw
club events, and I had never seen the ship or impressive.
We were received for lunch by Dale Critz,
them. The Tybee Island lighthouse stands at
owner of Critz BMW, and his longtime friend
arrived, a large container ship was passing.
There were several classic cars there for us
the mouth of the Savannah River. When we Our 2002tii was shipped from Houston to
Richard Pappy, both members of our club.
to admire; an EMF which participated in the THE
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CLASSIC
EMF number 33 in action in Savannah in 1911.
EMF
IN
SAVANNAH
In 1911, the EMF factory out of Detroit
2005 it was restored to the original livery
Trophy race against other cars from Ford
Pebble Beach being the first. Dale Critz
sent three cars to compete in Tiedeman
and Abbott Detroit.
The EMFs came
through with a clean sweep of the top
three spots. The number 33 car came in 3rd averaging around 58 mph over the
170 mile race. This car had no other doc-
and put on the Concours circuit with
bought the car at Bonhams Auction at Amelia Island in 2015 and brought it back
to Savannah.
— Richard Papy
umented race history and was found in a
barn in upstate New York in 1983 in
pieces by Gordon Matson. He researched
the serial number and realized what he had. It was subsequently restored and
raced in vintage races and hill climbs. In
Lowcountry Discovery participants with the Willis Special.
races in Savannah in 1911 and the 1934
Club members Dale Critz and Richard Papy in the EMF.
Later in the afternoon, we took a trolley
four districts, or wards, each in the shape of
BMW Frazer Nash Willis Special which they
tour of Savannah. When I first toured
a square. In the center of each ward there
Walker. But my favorite car was inside, the
impressive to me that it was truly a planned
contained four residential areas and four
The town was founded by James Oglethorpe
wards were created until in 1851 when there
recently bought from club member Steve
Isetta. I just love these little cars. It is hard to
image that families used these little vehicles
as daily transportation in 1950s Germany
and even went on vacation in them, sometimes pulling tiny trailers.
57th EDITION • WINTER 2018
Savannah many years ago, it was so
city. And, visiting again, it is still impressive. in 1733. Savannah was laid out on a grid
system, and the first city known to have been planned in this way. The original plan had
was a green area, or park. Each ward
commercial areas. As Savannah grew, more
were twenty-four wards, twenty-two of them
still exist today. Having a park in the center of each ward allows for people to take a
9
LOWCO UN T RY D I S CO V E RY T O U R stroll and enjoy some time at a more
leisurely pace. There are many notable parks
in Savannah, but most tourists are drawn to
Chippewa Square. A statue of James
Oglethorpe, the British soldier who founded
the colony of Georgia, stands in the center;
but this park is known for something else,
too. The scene in Forrest Gump when he is
seated on a bench in the park waiting for the
bus. Another area in Savannah that
especially attracts attention is Monterey
Square where the Mercer-Williams house
located. This house was written about in the
novel, “Midnight in the Garden of Good and
Evil”.
Our day in Savannah ended with dinner
on our own. Many had made reservations at
Olde Pink House, as it was suggested in our
road book. Well, we didn’t, but nevertheless,
had a lovely dinner with some fellow
procrastinators and topped it with some
gelato at Leopold’s.
The following morning, we were off to
Charleston.
10
Isetta in Critz BMW showroom
THE
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Old Sheldon Church Ruins
LOWCO UN T RY D I S CO V E RY
By Jan Abendroth
When I saw in the tour program that we
were to visit Old Sheldon Church Ruins, I
thought: Why are we going to see some ruins
of an old church? The evening before at
dinner, Dirk, knowing that I am a retired
school teacher, “asked” me to be the tour
guide for our group. I’m really glad he did
because it forced me to learn a little about
the history of Old Sheldon, which made the
stop more meaningful.
We parked across the road and walked to
the fenced plot of land. The setting was
absolutely ethereal. The plot of land was
sprinkled with ancient oaks draped in
Spanish moss. Sun rays passing through the
oak branches dappled the grounds and
church walls with shadowy motions as a
breeze gently blew. A number of graves were
scattered about the grounds, giving the area
a ghostly feel. The site probably should have
a mysterious presence about it since the
Tim Abendroth and Andrew Wilson
ruins of Sheldon Church had witnessed a lot
Prevost as rumors went that political
generations who had passed through her
stored in Prince William Church. The church
of living and a lot of dying among the
doors.
The land for Sheldon Church, formerly
known as Prince William Parish Church, was
donated by Colonel William Bull in the
1740’s. William Bull, who owned the adjacent
Newberry Plantation, was a very prominent
man in South Carolina and a friend of James Oglethorpe, who along with 120 other
colonists established the state of Georgia
and the city of Savannah.
Having a church close by made it possible
for the Bull family to worship without
meetings were held and gunpowder was
number of graves surrounding the Old
Sheldon Church. William Bull’s grave is inside the church. It was worth taking the time to
was rebuilt in 1826, using the foundation,
stroll among the headstones stopping to
renamed Sheldon Church for William Bull’s
there and how old each had been at death.
columns, and walls that still remained. It was ancestral estate in England of the same
name. It was then used by circuit preachers
as a ‘chapel-of-ease,’ which is what a church built near a manor house in England was
called. On January 14, 1865, the church was
think about the lives of the people buried
One grave was of a young girl. It is said that the ghost of a young woman can be seen
wearing a brown dress weeping over a child’s grave in the cemetery. I wonder if the girl’s
grave I stood by is the one where the young
said to have been burned by General
woman cries. Old Sheldon Church is located
however, a letter dated 1866 revealed that
County. After spending some time on the
Sherman on his infamous ‘march to the sea’;
in Yemassee, South Carolina, in Beaufort
the Sheldon Church was not burned. It is
church’s grounds and studying about its
Parish Church, which resembled an ancient
of building materials resorted to dismantling
drive. I’ve probably told you more than you
during the Revolutionary War, the church
structure met its demise, it was only in use
travelling a long distance. Prince William
temple, had its first service in 1757. In 1779, was burned by British General Augustine
57th EDITION • WINTER 2018
thought that local people in desperate need the church. Regardless of how this beautiful for 40 years after it was rebuilt. There are a
history, I am glad Dirk put this visit on our ever wanted to know about Old Sheldon
Church; but since Dirk made me study, I just had to share it.
11
Magnolia Plantation & Gardens
LOWCO UN T RY D I S CO V E RY T O U R
By Jan Abendroth
Our second stop on our drive from
Savannah to Charleston, after the Old Sheldon Church Ruins, was Magnolia
Jeffrey and Jackie
BMWs to be parked on the front lawn of the
3.0 CSi.
Haught’s 1972 BMW
Plantation. Dirk had arranged for our classic
main plantation house. It was quite an
impressive sight and drew lots of attention from the people visiting the house. After
parking the cars, we enjoyed a picnic style
lunch on the benches next to our cars. I really enjoyed eating in such a pastoral setting.
But, Magnolia Plantation is more than just
a ‘cool’ place to display our cars and enjoy
lunch. It is an amazing place to visit and
during the guided tours we learned a lot about the history of the plantation.
Thomas and Ann Drayton acquired the
land in 1676, built a home and began
grandsons Thomas and John, on the
clerical studies in New York, where he met
wealth. They also designed the gardens.
surname to their mother’s maiden name
to Charleston and John became rector at
cultivating rice, which gave them great
During the Revolutionary War, the house
and the gardens were greatly damaged by both the British and American forces who
used the property. In 1825, the estate was inherited by the Drayton’s great-great-
condition that they legally change their
Drayton, which they did. John became the sole owner of Magnolia Plantation when
Thomas was accidentally killed while hunting. John had been studying theology in England at the time of his brother’s death. He
returned to South Carolina to manage the
estate while at the same time continuing his
12
and married Julia Ewing. The couple returned nearby Saint Andrews Church. The Reverend Drayton was a passionate gardener; he
wanted to create a romantic garden for his
wife to make her feel more at home in South
Carolina and to make her forget Philadelphia and her desire to return there.
During the Civil War, the home was
THE
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CLASSIC
destroyed for a second time, this time by
fire. The Draytons decided to dismantle their
pre-Revolutionary War house in
Summerville, have it floated down the Ashley
River and reassembled on the site of the
previous houses. Over the years, the
Summerville house was remodeled several times.
The slave cabins near the main house
were built in 1850. After the Emancipation,
SLAVERY TO FREEDOM TOUR The Magnolia Plantation is beautiful
slaves. Afterwards, we were given the
ing about plantation life from more
the slaves and later the freedmen lived.
the slave cabins were used by freedmen.
esting. But if you’re interested in learn-
Plantation is unlike any other plantation
than one perspective, you must take
The deep, expansive porch of Magnolia
house I have visited. The house seems to be
the Slavery to Freedom tour, which we
traditional square plantation house
where we were told about the harsh
a blend of styles differing from the
surrounded by majestic columns that
working and living conditions of the
and a tour of the house was very inter-
did. A shuttle took us to the cabins
opportunity to explore the cabins were
A visit to the plantation wouldn’t be
complete without the Slavery to Free-
dom tour.
— Dirk de Groen
support the second story with porches both
the years. Taylor Drayton Nelson is the 11th
the Navy, attended nuclear power school in
house. The original Magnolia Plantation land
these lands. I would think that Thomas and
him in April, so we were able to see Magnolia
on the first and second floors encircling the
encompassed 1,172 acres of which 390 acres are left.
The plantation is on the National Register
of Historic Places. The home, which is among the top 25 most visited historic homes in the
United States, still has many pieces of
furniture and art collected by the family over
57th EDITION • WINTER 2018
generation of Drayton’s who have walked Ann Drayton would be very proud of the
legacy they left. They instilled such a sense of family and a love of flowers that both
loves still exist today on the same land they settled nearly 350 years ago.
I visited Magnolia Plantation about 20
years ago when my oldest son, who was in
Charleston. I had the good fortune to visit Plantation when the azaleas were in full
bloom. It was magnificent! On our Low
Country Tour, we were between blooming
seasons; too late for azaleas and too early
for camellias. I would love to go back to see the camellias in bloom. I’ll add that to my bucket list.
13
14
THE
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CLASSIC
Elliott Schnackenberg
LOWCO UN T RY D I S CO V E RY T O U R
Walking The Streets Of Charleston
C
By Jan Abendroth
harleston, South Carolina is a
quaint and little gem. The city has
been voted many times as “Amer-
ica’s Friendliest City”, and our visit did not
got its nickname the ‘Holy City’ due the ac-
ceptance of all religions and faiths by the
local population. St. Michael’s Church has
survived raiding pirates, the Revolutionary
disappoint. Even though I had been to
War, the Civil War, the massive earthquake
city and every time there are new things to
still has evidence of scarring from a shell
Charleston before, it is still a very interesting
be discovered. The best way to discover
Charleston is by walking the streets and the
alleys and I was happy that a walking tour had been organized.
Charleston is known as the ‘Holy City,’ so it
in 1886, and many hurricanes. The pulpit
The Governor’s Pew, President George
Washington worshipped. Some 70 years
that was shipped from England it still intact.
Members of the congregation may sit wher-
being used today. The original pipe organ
I only wish I could have been present when
it was being played. The pews, which have
which was built in 1752, making it the oldest
The boxes had to be purchased and an an-
57th EDITION • WINTER 2018
pew boxes indicated wealth and allowed
snobbery. In pew box number 43, known as
later, Robert E. Lee occupied this pew. The
not changed since the church was built and
remaining church in Charleston. Charleston
reason for the boxes, but my theory is the
that exploded near its base, but it’s still
seemed appropriate that the first stop on
our walking tour was St. Michael’s Church
closer the box to the aisle and pulpit, the
more expensive. No one is certain about the
pew boxes no longer have to be purchased.
ever they choose.
A style of house prominent in Charleston
is a long narrow house, whereby the front is
are still in use today, are placed in ‘boxes’.
the narrow side touching the edge of the
nual maintenance fee had to be paid. The
porch on the long side where the owners
sidewalk. These magnificent houses have a 15
LOWCO UN T RY D I S CO V E RY T O U R
St Michael's Church.
Rainbow Row.
The Trues driving the cobblestone streets of Charleston.
Typical Charleston single house.
could relax and enjoy the breeze coming
from the sea. An entry door was placed on the narrow wall facing the sidewalk and
opened to the porch. If the door was open,
visitors were welcome to come in. If the
door was closed, the owner usually wasn’t
home or had retired for the evening. The
porch ceiling was often painted a light blue,
which is said to trick birds and insects into
thinking the ceiling was the sky preventing
them from building nests in the corners.
Some of these houses have cozy courtyards
surrounded by brick walls or wrought iron
with a fountain in the center and are similar to houses in New Orleans. To compensate
for the lack of space for owers, many
homeowners have very elaborate and metic16
Skeletons greet passersby.
Getting into the Halloween spirit.
THE
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CLASSIC
ulously maintained plant boxes hanging
An advertisement for Plenge Haberdash-
from the window sills and the porch railings.
ery still remains painted on the wall of Hat-
we saw the mansions on Battery Row, the
Church Street. The building was originally
As we strolled around Charleston Harbor,
thirteen Caribbean colored houses on “Rain-
bow Row”, Waterfront Park with its enor-
mous fountain, and far away, we could see
historic Fort Sumter. The Battery has a rich history; it was once blockaded by pirates,
who were captured and hung there. The battery also played an important role in the de-
fense of Charleston during the
Revolutionary War and the Civil War.
The historic society of Charleston has en-
acted a number of regulations to ensure
that Charleston maintains its antiquity and
charm. While these restrictions may at times
to keep the ships steady in the water. Upon
built in 1855 by a saddle and harness maker.
to use. They were used to cover the roads
The new owner, Charles Plenge, purchased it in 1870 changing it to a ‘hat shop.’ The painting is composed of 16 hats of 12 different
styles. I had to study it awhile before I saw all the individual hats. The whimsical painting
on the wall of this building was fascinating,
first because of the ingenuity it took to cre-
old trees are being protected.
57th EDITION • WINTER 2018
quent rains common to most coastal areas. As it was Halloween when we walked the
streets of Charleston, we noticed some very
interesting and scary decorations, mostly in the form of skeletons hanging from the houses.
This was an outstanding walking tour and
one who saw no value in it. At any rate, I
than you ever wanted to know on the topic.
been painted over at some point by somethought it was particularly noteworthy.
Many original cobblestone roads are still
roads, I have to wonder after walking or rid-
being harmed, as can be seen on one of the
that were often very muddy due to the fre-
our guide was a wealth of information.
maintains its historic character. There is a
photographs. I’m glad that these majestic
arrival in the colonies, these stones were put
ate the ‘hat man,’ and second that it had not
in use in Charleston. Other than the preser-
regulation that prevents live oak trees from
ried over from England as ballast in the ships
man Building at the corner of Broad and
be a burden to homeowners; but as a
tourist, they sure make sure that the city
the roads of Charleston. These were all car-
vation of the antiquity of the cobblestone
ing in a car over one or two of these roads
why anyone would want to keep them; however, they are historically significant. The
Lowcountry has no stones like the ones on
When you asked questions, he told you more
Oftentimes, one teacher recognizes another,
and when I asked him what he did before be-
come a tour guide, he told me that he was a retired history teacher. I just knew it!
That evening we had our Halloween-
themed dinner, but not before visiting the
rooftop bar to enjoy the sunset views of
America’s Friendliest City, and a few adult
beverages.
17
Auldbrass Plantation LOWCO UN T RY D I S CO V E RY
By Jan Abendroth
When we were in Pittsburgh for the
Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix and CCA’s Oktoberfest in July, we visited the Frank
Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater. This time we got
visit another Frank Lloyd Wright designed home, the Auldbrass Plantation,
commissioned by lumber producer C. Leigh
Stevens in 1939.
When Frank Lloyd Wright visited the four-
Frank Lloyd Wright worked on the
thousand acres property near the town of
plantation until his death in 1959, although
by the lean of the live oaks and the Spanish
half of the buildings planned were
Yemassee in South Carolina, he was inspired moss on the limbs. Plans for the plantation
home included a main house, guest house
and cabins, caretaker’s residence, barns and
stables, dog kennels, and a large dining
barge where guests could stroll from the
main house to float down the nearby
Combahee River. Since live oaks don’t come
straight out of the ground, there were not to be any right angles. Everything on the
property is slanted nine degrees. The height
of the buildings is kept low as to not interfere with the low limbs of the living oaks. The
he never visited while it was being built. Only
the property. His daughter bought out her
Joel Silver has produced several hit movies,
later. Stevens’ son and daughter inherited
brother, and she and her husband tried to
live in the buildings and restore them; but it became too expensive for them. She was
able to get the house placed on the National Register of Historic of Places so it would be protected. The land was then sold to a
timber company. The company preserved
such as “Die Hard,” “Lethal Weapon,” and
“The Matrix.” He is an admirer of Frank Lloyd Wright’s work, and restored his Frank Lloyd Wright designed home “Storer” in
Hollywood. Stevens is currently working with the architect grandson, Eric Lloyd Wright, to
for their own use, but eventually the tract of
buildings too difficult to maintain and later
18
occasionally open the house to the public.
the house and some of the surrounding land
oriental to me, but they are designed to trees.
Hollywood movie producer Joel Silver who
purchased the plantation in 1987 for
$148,000 with the stipulation that he would
land containing Auldbrass was sold to a
resemble the Spanish moss hanging in the
buildings and found that person in
completed when Stevens died three years
house is built of polished cypress, native to the area. The rainspouts look somewhat
someone who wanted to restore the
group of hunters. The hunters found the
donated the land to the Beaufort County
Land Trust. The land trust tried to find
THE
U LT I M AT E
CLASSIC
restore the existing structures and to build
the remaining buildings as per original plans. We didn’t get to visit inside the residence,
but the abundance of windows enabled us to see most of the interior. We were served
lunch on the grounds in front of the main
house. The house doesn’t look like Margaret Mitchell’s Tara from “Gone With the Wind,” but the abundance of century old moss
covered oak trees definitely give the feel of what I imagine the grounds of Ashley
Wilkes’s Twelve Oaks would have been like. So, this is what it may have felt like to eat
M1S
ON
TOUR
On Friday morning, we gathered at
the University of South Carolina Beaufort campus for breakfast and a driver’s
meeting. The caravan of some sixty cars
followed the lead car on the 40 miles
drive to Auldbrass Plantation. We drove
the blue M1. After about half an hour, I
decided to open up the throttles a bit. As
soon as I pulled out the line, I saw Bobby Tim Abendroth, Steve Schackleford and John Valletta.
Rahal in the white M1 following me. We
had a blast on the South Carolina back-
roads. It reminded me of my first ride in
a blue M1 some forty years ago. — Dirk de Groen
barbeque at the famous picnic Scarlett
attended at Twelve Oaks!
While Fallingwater has been open to the
public since 1964 and received more than
five million visitors, the Auldbrass Plantation has been closed to the public. Starting in
2018, tours of the grounds are given on an
annual basis. Our visit was very special and exclusive indeed.
Frank Lloyd Wright was an automobile
aficionado and two of his cars are at the
Auldbrass Plantation, a 1940 Lincoln Continental which he re-designed after it
was damaged in a road accident, and a 1941 Lincoln Continantal Coupe, both painted in Cherokee Red, his favorite
color which called “the color of creation”.
57th EDITION • WINTER 2018
19
Blue One ARTI ST I C EN DE AV O R
By Adrian Mitu
My name is Adrian Mitu, I am 33 years
old, born and raised in Bucharest, Romania,
where I still live with my wife Monica. I stud-
ied architecture and have a great passion for cars. I always dreamed about being a
car designer, and while I did not have the
egance which were then given as prizes to
the participants.
To commemorate the 100th anniversary
of BMW in 2016, I produced 100 paintings
of the history of BMW. These were painted
over the period of one month at the BMW
Adrian and Monica Mitu
opportunity to become one, I did take many
stand in a shopping mall and became
at the university where I studied. This in-
did one extra painting, making it 101.
on a frame which replicates the tubular
ries about his hero Jochen Neerpasch, the
scale. The structure, conceived and built by
tional moment when the paintings were
is an integral part of the display. The art-
workshops offered by Renault of Romania
spired me to sketch classic cars, one every morning before going to work as an archi-
known as the Blue Coffee project. Actually, I Alex Seremet then asked me to do a se-
tectural model builder. I did this at a local
Blue Hero project. It was quite an emo-
water color and posted photographs on so-
presented to Jochen Neerpasch in
coffee shop and used espresso coffee as
cial media. It was quite a hit and caught the attention of Alex Seremet of BMW Romania
Bucharest. He talked about his life, his career in motorsports and of course about
and Stefan Behr from the BMW Museum in
the M1. This immediately inspired me to do
ages of the cars at the Sinaia Concours d’El-
the M1, BMW’s only supercar.
Munich. I was commissioned to paint im-
20
a project around the 40th anniversary of
Blue One is a series of twenty-five large
water color paintings which are mounted
frame structure of the M1 Procar on a 1:1
Adrian Enache, is a work in art by itself and work has a back panel and a front panel.
On the back panel you can observe the con-
tour lines of the M1 viewed from the top,
while the front panel shows the contour of
the M1 from the side.
The front panel contains popular images
from the entire history of the M1, starting with the Paul Bracq designed BMW Turbo
concept for the 1972 Olympic games in Munich to the M1 Homage car unveiled at Ville
d’Este in 2008 to mark the 30th anniversary of the M1.
The back panel has images of the people
behind the M1, starting from the left with
DRAWN
TO THE
Here is a funny story. All the artworks
are painted in my “studio”, which is a
beautiful coffee shop in the shopping
mall where I did the 101 paintings project.
PAINTING
a few crayons, and started to work. From time to time the father gave the kid
a thumbs up. When the parents were
ready to leave, the kid returned the
One day I returned to the coffee shop
crayons to the bar, and the family left.
few coloring crayons and that someone
be impossible and so would be covering
brain), Jochen Neerpasch (the visionary),
ous who had done this, I asked the coffee
would be impossible. I decided to let the
well as Alex von Falkenhausen who in ear-
video. We saw a kid with his parents
Rosche. It continues with images of the rac-
thought that it was for the kids to color
designers Paul Bracq and Giorgetto Giu-
giaro, and the ones who realized the proj-
ect such as Martin Baumgart (the technical
and Paul Rosche (the engine master) as
lier years, passed on his know-how to Paul
ing scene, the actors in the extremely pop-
ular Procar seasons in 1979 and 1980 (one
after my lunch break and noticed that a
had colored the outlines of sketch. Curishop if I could review the surveillance
walking to my easel. They must have in. The kid walked up to bar, asked for
What to do? Erasing the coloring would
the crayon coloring with water colors
kid join my project, and I left it the way
he colored it. Turns out that the kid used
the same colors as Frank Stella used on
his M1 art car which was dedicated to
Ronnie Peterson.
painting for each year). Then there are the
“business men behind the Procar races,
Bernie Ecclestone and Max Mosley, who
bribed the Formula 1 drivers with hard
cash (hence the green background) to com-
pete against the privateers and the BMW
country teams. After the racing period, it
continues to show what a special car the
M1 is. It is a car which is still enjoyed by a
small and fortunate group of enthusiast all
over the world, with Paul Rosche and
Jochen Neerpasch overlooking the club
meeting of M1s.
The front panel hides the lower portion
of the back panel. When leaning over the
front panel, you discover a different set of paintings. The base is the top view of the Andy Warhol M1 Art Car, overlaid with a
and I needed a lot of information. As a
to express the art of technology and then
until I arrived in Hilton Head. During the
rendering of an M1 in triangulated surface overlaid with three movie scenes from the
matter of fact, I had never seen an M1 car entire project, I worked very closely with
period; The Deer Hunter (1979), Apocalypse
Mike Ura who has a wealth of knowledge
Warhol was obsessed with cinema.
everything he knows. Presenting Blue One
Now (1980) and Raging bull (1981). Andy
Blue One would not have been possible
without the support and encouragement of Mike Ura. He had already purchased Blue
Coffee and Blue Hero, before he commissioned Blue One. You must understand
that I knew almost nothing about this car
57th EDITION • WINTER 2018
about the M1 and who was happy to share in person at the Hilton Head Island Con-
cours d’Elegance was an extra ordinary
honor and opportunity for me. One of the
this summer for another
one of my projects
“Porsche Winners at
Le Mans”. Thank you Mike Ura; Blue One is
dedicated to you.
While the original Blue One artwork has
been shipped back to Europe to be exhibited
over there, posters of the artwork are on dis-
play at the BMW CCA Foundation museum in
pleasant surprises during my visit was
Greer, SC. I certainly encourage you to go see
ner Hurley Haywood whom I’ve painted
the Foundation at 864 329-1919 for hours.
meeting five-time 24 Hours of Dayton win-
it as well as Blue Coffee and Blue Hero. Call
21
BLUE O N E
22
THE
U LT I M AT E
CLASSIC
57th EDITION • WINTER 2018
23
HILTO N HE AD I S LA ND the nation’s top automotive events, a notch
lower than Pebble Beach and Amelia Island
concours, but with its own special blend of
prestige and accessibility.
“I think a lot of what we have done is de-
velop our own Hilton Head model,” Vanagel
said in an interview with the
ClassicCars.com Journal during the recent
concours. “Last year, we had 12 different
concours (organizers) attending our event
to see what was so special about Hilton
Head.”
Vanagel explained how all the pieces
come together for this far-flung event,
which has risen so far as the final major
U.S. concours of the calendar year.
The festivities began a weekend earlier
with the Savannah Speed Classic, vintage
sports car races held just across the state Concours president Carolyn Vanagel
The Making Of A Concours: How Hilton Head Island Puts It Together
T
The president of the By Bob Golfen, South Carolina event (JournalClassicCars.com) explains how it went he long-forecast rain finally arrived from a local car-show Sunday afternoon, shortening the awards ceremonies at the Hilton fund-raiser to a national collector car gathering Head Island Concours d’Elegance in coastal South Carolina, yet having little to no effect on the upbeat conclusion of this special collector car event.
Concours president Carolyn Vanagel’s
perennially cheerful grin was undiminished by the cloudburst as she celebrated an-
other well-attended weekend of splendid classic automobiles, along with vintage
boats and aircraft, held in a relaxed atmosphere of Southern hospitality.
In its 17th year, the Hilton Head con-
24
cours has taken its place among some of
line in Georgia. This year, the Speed Clas-
sic was dedicated to early race cars as
the event celebrated the 110th anniversary of Savannah hosting the first grand prix
race in the U.S.
The concours weekend is also a full slate
of events, which along with the Savannah
racing is organized under the Motoring Fes-
tival banner. It starts Friday with the Aero
Expo Exhibit, a wings and wheels affair with
vintage aircraft joining the classic cars at
the Hilton Head airport. Seven BMW M1s and ten BMW 2002s were on display.
On Saturday, the concours fairways are
filled with the Car Club Showcase, which is
an impressive show where national and
local car clubs gather some of their best of-
ferings, with more than 10,000 spectators
attending. Among those clubs taking part
was the BMW Classic Car Club of America,
which this year had the largest turnout.
Vanagel said it takes a small army of ded-
icated staff and volunteers to pull off the
mashup of events. She emphasized that
the Car Club Showcase is nothing like a ca-
sual cruise-in but is a highly organized
show with various clubs competing for
space, and with a rolling annual schedule of
ever-changing automotive entries. THE
U LT I M AT E
CLASSIC
The distinction is crucial in maintaining
Hilton Head’s status as a high-caliber auto-
motive weekend, she said.
“When we created this event, we did it
BMW CLASSIC RACE CARS BMW North America brought two
very thoughtfully that this had to be a des-
iconic race cars to the HHI Motoring Fes-
Head is not sitting in a major metropolitan
at the Savannah Speed Classic and a week
tination event,” Vanagel explained. “Hilton
market. In order to make it a destination
event, you had to make it a multi-day event
from the very beginning.
“So, we starting out with our Saturday
Car Club Showcase as a paid event that em-
tival this year. Both cars were on display
later, at the Hilton Head Island Concours d’Elegance.
The 1970 2002ti Alpina race car helped
celebrate 50 years of the 2002. This car
NA’s ownership, the car has been restored
twice and runs in many vintage races in-
cluding the Monterey Historics and the
Lime Rock Vintage Festival. Drivers in vin-
tage competition included Hans-Joachim
Stuck, Boris Said, Danica Patrick, Bill
Auberlen, among others.
BMW North America purchased the M1
started life in Munich and was shipped to
ProCar for 1981 IMSA Series and was en-
the very beginning, it was not a cars and
short ratio 5 speed transmission and up-
race finishing 16th with David Hobbs,
that is on the show field is the best of the
flared fenders and the orange and black
“The car clubs are vying to be invited
production to Vasek Polak racing in Cali-
phasized the quality of the car clubs. From
coffee, ever. It was always that every car
best.
now. They are allowed to select their top
10. The cars have to change out, so you’re
never seeing the same things over a three-
year period.”
Alpina where the engine was modified, a
graded suspension parts added along with
paint scheme. Alpina sold this car after
fornia where the team manager personally raced it in SCCA events on the west coast in the early 1970s.
tered in the January 1981 Daytona 24 Hour
Marc Surer and Dieter Quester at the
helm. Owning this car since new, BMW
NA has restored it twice with several en-
gine and transmission rebuilds. It has
been seen at vintage races driven by Bill Auberlen, Bobby Rahal, Tommy Milner
and a host of well qualified media drivers.
After two decades in storage, Polak
Many have taken hot lap rides on track
the back-to-back shows, she added.
Historics where John Morton drove the
play at all the events of the Motoring Fes-
two-day tickets (for both the car club show
Vasek Polak estate in 1998. During BMW
The public has been very responsive to
“What’s interesting is that we sell more
and the concours) than anything else.”
brought the car to the 1996 Monterey
car. BMW purchased the car from the
from the right seat. The car was on distival for the celebration of the 40th
anniversary of the M1. — Larry Koch
Partnering with the racing organization
that conducts the Savannah Speed Classic,
the Motor Festival brings everything under
one roof for organization, promotion and
hospitality, Vanagel added.
“It’s under the Motoring Festival umbrella
with the concours being the signature
event,” she said. “It’s pretty complex what we’re dealing with.
“Rather than having separate organiza-
tions holding their events around our
events, we made it all part of our event.” Vanagel started with the concours 15
years ago, working part-time as an advertising manager after leaving her former
corporate career and moving with her fam-
ily to South Carolina. Gregarious and ener-
raiser for the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra.
In doing so, she was able to draw on past
getic, she soon found herself in a
experience with a different sort of horse-
ture of the concours, which was started by
rider specializing in hunter-jumper and
leadership position, helping to mold the fua group of local car enthusiasts as a fund-
57th EDITION • WINTER 2018
power – she was a competitive horseback other equestrian events – and was able to
apply her experiences with those high-level
events to what was needed to advance the
concours.
“I saw the opportunity with this event 15
years ago,” Vanagel said. “I like cars aes-
thetically, but I’m more of an event person
than a car person.
25
HILTO N HE AD I S LA ND “When I first came, it was just a car dis-
play, so we added in all these different ele-
ments of art, of shopping. A lot of it related
to cars, but people would come in and have
CELEBRATIONS AT HILTON HEAD ISLAND 2018 marked the 50th anniversary of
Another Icon was celebrated in 2018;
something else to do. It’s part of creating a
the 2002, the little car that put BMW on
BMW’s only supercar, the M1 turned 40.
The tagline for the Hilton Head concours
and Hot Springs at the Vintage, in Pitts-
color they were produced; white, red, or-
destination. That really works.”
is Art Moves, which speaks to the focus on
the map. It was celebrated in Asheville
burgh at the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand
car design and beauty rather than pure
Prix and Oktoberfest, in Monterey at the
artwork has broad appeal that attracts peo-
tage and almost the entire year in Greer
performance. The classic automobile as
ple who otherwise might not be interested in a car show.
“I come from a family that had interesting
cars,” Vanagel said. “My mother was an
artist and she was fascinated by the art of
the car. Thereby, when I was looking at cars,
I was looking at the aesthetics of the car.
“So that is a motivator for me, which is
creating and looking at pieces of art, and a lot of our marketing campaign is around
that. People are getting it, and it resonates
with them. They are coming even though
they, in some cases, have
Legends, in Los Angeles at the SoCal Vinat the museum of the BMW CCA Founda-
tion. To top it all off, many members took
We managed to get one in almost every
ange, blue, and polaris, as well as two race
cars.
Thank you to everyone for coming,
whether you came in your 2002, your M1
or in another classic BMW. It was great
having you, and for those who couldn’t
their beloved 2002s to Hilton Head Island,
make, I hope you enjoy the report and
what a final it was! We had members who
event. – Dirk de Groen
the last major car show of the year. And took their 2002s the long road on the
look forward seeing you on a next club
Lowcountry Discovery tour, members
who took their 2002s out of the ICON
exhibition for the occasion, and mem-
bers who drove their 2002s to the Island
just for the weekend. All configuration
and all model years were at the party.
never been to an event like
this.
“It’s interesting how
many people are coming
for the aesthetics of cars,
the lifestyle traveler. The
whole Art Moves concept
resonates not only with
gearheads but with the
broader audience. That’s
something we’ve really worked at.”
Another piece of the
puzzle was attracting car collectors from
the highest echelon with fantastic vehicles
that would be acceptable at such concours as Pebble Beach and Amelia Island, she said, and the most recent selection of
Hilton Head cars shows the success of that
outreach. Part of that was to create the an-
nual Pinnacle Collectors award for the highest-level of classic car enthusiasts.
“We created that Pinnacle award in
order to attract collectors who would never
26
THE
U LT I M AT E
CLASSIC
consider or who have never been to Hilton
Head,” Vanagel said, rolling off the names
of renowned collectors who have taken
part in the Hilton Head concours, such as
noted Los Angeles collectors Peter and
Merle Mullin, Joseph Cassini (whose spec-
tacular 1931 Stutz LeBaron convertible won
to maintain its diversity and accessibility,
with a broad range of vehicle types and val-
ues designed to appeal to all comers. The
pride and joy at a prestigious concours d’el-
awards to kids for their automotive designs.
is offered an opportunity to show his or her
egance along with the big guns of the col-
to the aesthetic side of collector cars, such
the future. Called Driving Young America,
as the three stunning pre-war French-
who were honored this year as 2018 Pinna-
cle Collectors.
“I am drawn to the Peter Mullin cars,”
Vanagel said. “I am drawn to the truly artistic cars. I do love the art form those cars
Hilton Head’s charity aspect is directed to
the cause is dedicated to young people.
“The charity is really catching on, which is
terrific,” Vanagel said. “It has a two-
pronged mission. First, to support the
youth organizations that provide volun-
teers for our event. One of the groups is
the Boys and Girls Club, and Special
represent.”
Olympics.
you see that Delahaye sitting out there,
kids who have an interest in the automobile
“How do you get that translated? When
anyone would say, it’s stunning, it’s a piece
of sculpture.”
But at the same time, the concours seeks
57th EDITION • WINTER 2018
For the second year, Michelin presented
its Junior Design Challenge Program, part of
lector car world.
coachbuilt beauties brought by the Mullins,
pect of Driving Young America.
committed hobbyist or enthusiast restorer
Best of Show) and Miles Collier.
Those top classic car entries also speak
corporations involved with the designer as-
“The other side is, we give scholarships to
industry. It goes all the way down to the
secondary education level,” she added, not-
ing that Volvo and Michelin are among those
its global Design Challenge, presenting
“This year’s theme was Concours 2040,
their vision of what car in the future will be
a collector car,” Vanagel said.
Although she admits that she’s not en-
tirely a car person, per se, Vanagel has
been struck by the enthusiasm that collec-
tor cars generate as she keeps an aesthetic
eye on her favorites. But more than any-
thing, her focus is on the quality of the
Hilton Head weekend, and how it affects
people.
“What motivates me is creating an event
in which people will walk away with a smile
on their faces,” she said. “I’m very much
strategically looking at how people come in
and one of the first things that they say is, ‘I
had no idea’.”
27
HILTO N HE AD I S LA ND
A DREAM COME TRUE
I purchased the little 1934 BMW 309 (4
cylinder / 22 hp) when I was 19 years old
for $100 at a wrecking yard in my home-
town of Sacramento, California. It had a rod
through the block but it came with the parts to repair it. That was in 1963. I stored
were instructed to drive to the presenta-
fornia Marathon. We finished the Marathon
tion field. As there were at least thirty or
newsletter, December 2008)
master Keith Martin had something to ask
without a hitch! — Jim True (BMW VCCCA … Fast forward 10 years …
We had a wonderful time on the Low
it in Grandma Lokke’s garage until she
Country Discovery Tour and at the Hilton
took the car home. In the seventies, I
purred along, never skipping a beat. The
passed away. By then I was married, and we
Head Island Concours.
forty other cars in line and the ceremony
and say to every award winner, the line moved very slow. Lots of other cars had to go in front of us and we were pretty much
The little 309
towards the end of the line. As we inched
bought a rebuilt short block in Switzerland.
drive culminated at the Hilton Head Car
not start! The engine had flooded. Jim
I heard from Goetz Pfafflin about the East
Car Club Showcase, joined the line of
Years passed, then decades. After I retired,
Club Showcase. We arrived early to the
Coast Marathon in 2004. I got busy and put
BMWs. We were checking out the cars on
towed the 309 cross country. It kept over-
needed to return to our car. It was getting
of the event. In 2008, I finished the
was presented a Special Award and we
the car together to make it drivable. We heating and stayed on the trailer for most
28
restoration of the 309 in time for the Cali-
exhibit when we got a message that we
an award! What a surprise. Our little 309
forward the little BMW stalled and would
checked out the carburetor and took the
wrench gently tapped the float bowl,
turned off the fuel valve and the motor
came back to life. The spectators cheered
and the little 309 moved up to receive the
award for Best European Car at the show!
- Mary True
THE
U LT I M AT E
CLASSIC
50 YE AR S BM W 2 0 0 2
ME MB ER ’ S CA RS AT T H E H H I C O NCO U R S D’ E LE GANC E
1972 BMW 2000 Touring tii - Bill & Ruth Williams (Palmetto Award)
1972 BMW 2002 Cabriolet - Don Bower
1972 BMW 2002 Cabriolet - Lothar Schuettler
1974 BMW 2002 Turbo - Scott & Fran Hughes (Best in Class)
1974 BMW 2002tii Lux - Mike Ura (Outstanding BMW)
Elliott Schnackenberg
1971 BMW 2002 Cabriolet - Dirk de Groen (Palmetto Award)
There are many variations of passages of Lorem Ipsum available, but the majority. 30
THE
U LT I M AT E
CLASSIC
40 YE A RS M 1
HI LT O N HE A D I S LA ND – ANN I VE R SARY C LASS
Best in Class: Nelson Calle
Bobby Rahal
Dirk de Groen
Lance White
Scott Hughes
57th EDITION • WINTER 2018
31
HILTO N HE AD I S LA ND
ME MB ER ’ S CA RS AT CAR C LU B S H O WCASE BEST EUROPEAN AWARD
1934 BMW 309 - Jim & Mary True, San Jose, CA
1967 BMW 2000 CS – Elliott Schnackenberg, Milwaukee, WI
1972 BMW 3.0 CSi – Doug Dolan, Chevy Chase, MD
Elliott Schnackenberg
PALMETTETTO AWARD
There are many variations of passages of Lorem Ipsum available, but the majority. 32
THE
U LT I M AT E
CLASSIC
1972 BMW 3.0 CSi – Jeffrey Haught, Conroe, TX
1973 BMW 2002tii - Andrew Wilson, Brunswick, ME
1973 BMW 2002tii – Cynthia Wing, Ashtabula, OH
57th EDITION • WINTER 2018
1973 BMW Bavaria – Jim van Orsdol, Whitefish Bay, WI
Elliott Schnackenberg
PALMETTETTO AWARD
33
HILTO N HE AD I S LA ND
ME MB ER ’ S CA RS AT CAR C LU B S H O WCASE
1974 BMW 2002 Turbo - Nelson Calle, Coral Gables, FL
1984 BMW M635 CSi – Mike Joyce, Hilton Head Island, SC
1974 BMW 2002tii - Tim Abendroth, Princeton, LA
1984 BMW M635 CSi - Steve Shackleford, Hartford, GA
1975 BMW 2002 - Frank Greppo, Glenville, NY
1985 BMW 635 CSi - John Valletta, Bradenton, FL
There are many variations of passages of Lorem Ipsum available, but the majority. 34
THE
U LT I M AT E
CLASSIC
1988 BMW M5 - Gary Beck, Duluth, GA
1993 BMW 850 CSi - Randy Muecke, Johns Creek, GA
1988 BMW M6 – James Erickson, Johns Creek, GA
2002 BMW Z3 3.0 Coupe – Larry Koch, Savannah, GA TOP BMW AWARD
1990 BMW E30 M3 Sport Evo 3 – Andres Martinez, Coral Gables, FL
57th EDITION • WINTER 2018
2003 BMW Z8 – Robert Johns, Alpharetta, GA
35
36
THE
U LT I M AT E
CLASSIC
SoCal Vintage – 2018
O
WOOD L EY PARK
ver the past eleven years, SoCal
Vintage BMW has evolved from a
dozen or so vintage BMW drivers
meeting informally for spirited drives
through the Southern California mountains and canyons, to monthly, organized drives
cles are treated on an equal basis with
Rey Rivera’s 1800 and 1600
driver quality - cars, which are happily
E31s and E34s were there in large numbers.
driver quality - and somewhat less than
parked alongside each other. It’s a very
egalitarian gathering, about sharing stories
and reconnecting with old friends and mak-
of up to 30 cars though some of the best
ing new ones at the same time.
on the first Saturday in November with the
pick up the event’s SWAG items, the field
landscapes in the West. All of it culminates SoCal Vintage BMW Meet, which from the
beginning has been held at lovely Woodley
Queuing up in the line to check in and
was amazingly full of vintage BMWs. This
year event organizers featured the 2002
And this year there was a head-count of over 400 BMWs that turned out for this
along with many more spectators.
Wandering amongst the cars, we bumped
into a few fellow Classic CCA members.
As always, the day’s activities included
food trucks and an internet-enabled Peo-
ple’s Choice set of awards. Being advanced
given it was the 50th anniversary of the intro
thinkers, John Barlow and Jeff d’Avanzo have
fore we made the change-over from Day-
50th anniversary of the E3 sedans and E9
smartphones to use in casting votes for
weather-gods smiled and provided us with a
these cars have left on enthusiasts world-
Park in Van Nuys.
This year the event took place the day be-
of the 2002 in the United States, but also the
utilized an App that can be downloaded to
coupes and the importance to the marque
your favorite cars. A truly unique and spe-
lovely California fall day and shorts and t-
wide.
your typical team of judges examining and
Meet itself consisted of the wide-range of
with over 150 attending. Now, SoCal Vintage
are made by those attending.
cars, and this year the turnout was even
is already scheduled for Saturday, Novem-
its various incarnations including Cabs,
it has been since its inception. We'll see you
light Savings Time. Even so, the
shirts were the day’s preferred attire. The vintage BMWs that make up the Southern
California scene. SoCal Vintage BMW has always been a driver-oriented organization,
focusing on supporting and enhancing the vintage BMW community. Concours vehi-
The selection of 2002’s was mind-boggling
usually has a pretty strong showing of early
more substantial. Not just of the 2002 and
Tourings, Baurs and Turbos, there was also a
truly strong showing of NKs, E3s and E9s to
help round-out the event. And it doesn’t
stop there: E12s, E24s, E23s, E28s, E30s,
57th EDITION • WINTER 2018
cial way to handle the awards as it is not
scoring the cars but rather the selections
The 12th Annual SoCal Vintage BMW Meet
ber 2, 2019, and it will be in Woodley Park as there!
By Chris Macha & Fred Larimer Photos by Kyle van Hoften
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EYE O N T H E M A RK E T
1937 328 VIN 85105. Sold Artcurial in france for
595k euros. Re-stamped frame and engine
numbers held price back
1957 503 Coupe - oldtimer Gallerie Troffen CH Estimate $192,000 - $222,000
1957 507 –Sold Bonhams London for $3 million.
owned by Albrecht Graf von Goertz from ’71 to
1938 328 VIN 85188 - Coys UK auction - not sold.
’85, hence he premium price.
Doubts about the VIN remain
1959 Isetta Sold Mecum Chicago $37,400 + pre1939 327 Cabriolet. Project car, needs every-
mium. Well sold
thing. Auction by Aaldering Brummen NL, High
1963 3200 CS - offered on Craigslist Las Vegas Unrealisticly priced at $35,000. A junker.
1967 1600 - Highly modified. Sold $19,800 + premium. Not everyone's taste. Seller must have
way more spent on the built which is half the fun.
1967 2000 CS BAT. Very solid California car. Sold on BAT for $36,000
bid 85k Euros. Take the money and run.
1961 700 Sport from Italy with racing history. 1940 327 Cabriolet. Nicely restored, with patina. oldtimer Gallerie Troffen Gstaad Estimate $187,000 - $197,000
Wrong engine. High Bid 17,500 Euros not sold.
Listed for 29,500 Euros. Aaldering Brummen NL.
1972 2002tii nicely refurbished. Sold on BAT $68,800
CO NTINU ED O N PAGE 40
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57th EDITION • WINTER 2018
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EYE O N T HE M A R K E T
1972 2002tii - A running car. Sold by Terry
Sayther on BAT for $17,750. Go kid, drive it!
1972 2002tii – Delia Wolfe’s incredibly nice car.
High bid $75,500 on Bring a Trailer. Did not sell.
Wrong venue.
1973 3.0 CS BAT - with patch work, unattractive
color - not sold $27,000 on BaT
1973 3.0 CSL Batmobile – Recommissioned in
the UK after 38 years in storage. Sold Bonhams
in Belgium for $204K.
1974 2002 Touring - Roadworthy and needs
restoration. Recent import from Europe - Sold
on BAT for $18,000.
1974 2002 Turbo BAT Reserve not met $87,800 -
not a nice car at all
1976 2002 Sold Mecum Chicago for $5,500 +
premium. Right on the money for this neglected 2002
1986 L7 - Sold Mecum Chicago $8,200. Lots of
car and luxury for little money. Market correct.
1987 M6 - Clean car, original paint. Mecum Dallas not sold. High Bid $40,000
1987 M635CSi with 51,000 kilometers. Sold Bonhams Knokke Belgium, sold 69,000 euros ($78,000)
1979 Alpina B6 2.8 Very nice car Sold $80,000
BAT
1989 E30M3 Johhny Cecotto sold NEC Silver-
stone auction 87,000 pound 1 of 505 215 hp 18k miles
1980 M1 barnfind. Stored for 34 yrs, 7,390 kms. 1973 3.0 CSL – Left hand drive. Restored in the UK. Sold Bonhams UK for $96,000
Restored by BMW Classic. Listed for $1 million. Sold to a club member in Europe
1992 BMW 325i Cabriolet 15k miles super clean
sold by club member on BAT $22,500. A bargain.
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Welcome New Members Jan Gullet Tiburon, CA
Gregory Johnson Willis, VA
Sam Moultrie Keller, TX
William Borst Huntington Beach, CA
Santiago Surillo San Diego, CA
Jose Pacheco Miami, fL
Robert Van Epps Sunrise, fL
Gilberto Pons Philadelphia, PA
Jeff Lane Nashville, TN
Sam Haidle Birmingham, MI
Ron Dempsey Victoria BC, Canada
Gary Collins Escondido, CA
Joshua Bewlay Tuxedo Park, NY
Chuck Deslauriers Charlotte, VT
Hamlet Aleksan Tujunga, CA Kevin Schell Sacramento, CA Bobby Rahal Chicago, IL Dorian Hicklin Tujunga, CA
John LaPorta Long Beach, CA
! s u n Joi
VISIT WWW.BMWCCCA.COM TO JOIN 57th EDITION • WINTER 2018
41
Randy’s 850CSi
I have always been interested in limited production
high performance cars. Especially if the engineering included firsts in design and function. The 850CSi, or
the unofficial M8, fitted right in. In 1997, I received a
call from BMW dealer Isringhausen in Chicago to let
me know that they had one coming in. The sales con-
sultant read out the particulars on the information
sheet he had; brilliant red, black interior, 16,000 miles,
and serial number CD00001, produced in June of 1993
and delivered to BMW NA in february 1994, used for display purposes and sold in November 1994. We
agreed on the price. Isringhausen certified the car and
shipped it to me in Atlanta. I have driven the car on
weekends and to some car shows. Earlier this year, it
was displayed at the BMW Classic stand at Amelia Is-
land, and more recently, I joined club members at the Car Club Showcase at Hilton Head Island. — Randy Muecke, Johns Creek, GA.
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