Issuu

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

C A R

C L U B

EDItION • sUMMER 2017

I N S I D E

T H I S

o f

A M E R I C A

I S S U E

1000 MIGLIA • A BAUR FOR THE BOWERS THE VINTAGE • NANCY CHAYNE MARTIN’S 328 MIDAMERICA 02 • BAY AREA 02 • TECHNO CLASSICA MEMBER IN FOCUS: DAVID PERCIVAL

Behind the Wheel P RE SI DEN T ’ S ME SSAG E

It has been a very busy spring; Andrew Wilson travelled

across the country chasing classic BMWs and recruiting new

members, European correspondent Jeroen de Laat visited the Techno Classica, and while some 25 members made the trek

to the Vintage in North Carolina, Alexandra and I drove from

Brescia to Rome and back.

As a prelude to the upcoming Pine Tree State Rally in

September, Eric Zagrocki is re-introducing BMW motorcycle

collector David Percival, whom rally participants will visit.

Sandy Leith dug into his archives for material about the ﬁrst

BMW to race up Mount Washington; we will follow suit in

September. Chris Langsten is showing us a restoration done

by VSR, the logistical and technical supporter of our rally. Elections for treasurer of the Club took place in the

beginning of June. You voted David Lowen unanimously

into oﬃce.

Please mark your calendars for next year’s events, the

Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix in July with BMW as the featured marque, and our Club’s annual meet and driving tour in the

South Carolina Lowcountry in October. Details of these events will be communicated in the next newsletter.

Have a great summer, and see you down the road!

T H E

F I N E

P R I N T

S U M M E R

The BMW Classic Car Club of America, Inc.

E D I T I O N

2 0 1 7

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

BMW CL ASSIC C AR CLUB of AMERIC A

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.

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 ap-

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

Techno Classica (De Laat Foto)

plications can be downloaded from our web-

site www.bmwccca.com.

President’s Message

18 1000 Miglia

the Vintage

26 Letters to the Editor

Calendar of Events

24 Member in Focus: David Percival

A Baur for the Bowers

10 Nancy Martin’s 1937 BMW 328 12 Bay Area ’02 show/swap Meet 12 MidAmerica ’02 Fest

13 Brian Redman Book signing

14 Vintage sports & Restoration 16 techno Classica 2017

28 Z First 1

30 Prof. Dr. Knöchlein Award 30 John surtees

31 Herb tobin

31 Welcome New Members

32 Dirk’s Marketwatch

34 Classiﬁed Advertising

ON tHE COVER: Dirk and Alexandra de Groen crossing the 1000 Miglia ﬁnish line in their 1937 BMW 328.

C L U C

C O N T A C T S

Dirk de Groen, President David Lowen, Treasurer Goetz E. Pfafflin, Past President Donald Dethlefsen, Technical Advisor

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 ?

July 7-9, 2017 Vintage at saratoga www.vintageatsaratoga.com

september 17, 2017 Bavarian Autosport show & shine www.bavauto.com/show-and-shine

July 14-16, 2017 Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix www.pvgp.org/bmw

November 3-5, 2017 Hilton Head Island Motoring Festival www.hhiconcours.com/

August 12, 2017 tedFest in Canada www.tedfest.ca

October 31 – November 4, 2017 BMW CCA O’Fest in New Orleans, LA ofest.bmwcca.org/register

August 18-20, 2017 Legends of the Autobahn and Festorics www.bmwcca.org/monterey

2018

August 31 - september 4, 2017 Lime Rock Historic Festival www.limerockhistorics.com september 8-16, 2017

l BMW Classic CCA Pine tree state Rally

July 9-15, 2018 l BMW Classic CCA Gathering and Driving tour Pittsburgh Vintage GP featuring BMW October 27 – November 4, 2018

l BMW Classic CCA Lowcountry Discovery Hilton Head Island Motoring Festival

EV EN T RE PO RT cott Sturdy started his original

Vintage event 14 years ago. At the time, about 50 cars

showed up. Now it has grown to one of the largest BMW events in the

country. The venue has changed several times; it started at the Shelton

The Vintage A Gathering of Classic BMWs Photos by Jon van Woerden and Pall Kornmayer

Vineyards about an hour northwest of Winston-Salem, NC where it

remained for many years before

moving to the historic village of Old Salem. When Scott moved to

Asheville, the event followed him.

The nearest venue capable of handling the event, which had now

grown into a gathering of 650 classic BMWs, was found in Hot Springs, up in the North Carolina mountains,

close to the border with Tennessee.

Some 25 of our club members registered this year. Reason enough to

ask our own Jon van Woerden to pick up his camera and travel from hot

South Florida to the cool mountains in North Carolina to see what the

event is all about. It turned out to be a very hot day in Hot Springs. Pall

shawn & Chris Macha with their 3.0Cs which they shipped from Huntington Beach, CA.

Kornmayer was around as well. Let

their pictures speak for themselves.

scott sturdy, Festmeister Extraordinaire.

Patty schwarze in her 700 Cabriolet. 5

EV EN T RE PO RT

Newly elected treasurer, David Lowen and his 600.

Doug McKenzie drove his 3.0Csi from Key Biscayne, FL.

The Vintage HERe’s what some of our members had to say

David Lowen (VA): We had a great

1976 2002. Scott Sturdy did a great

lots of new friends.

relaxing and also provided some great

time at The Vintage and and made

Andrew Wilson (ME): This was my

6th year attending. It has become an

job. The Hot Springs resort was fun,

parts shopping opportunities. I definitely plan on attending in 2018.

annual event on my BMW calendar

Scott Dishman (SC): This was my

future. The BMW CCA Foundation

was surprised at just how low-key the

and will attend for the foreseeable

exhibit of BMW Motorsports History

was a highlight of the trip.

Don Bower (GA): This was our 6th

first Vintage event, must say that I

event was. The venue was beautiful

and the passion and excitement of the Vintage attendees is at a high level.

Vintage. We liked the previous setting

Chris Macha (CA): I’ve always wanted

the move. We appreciate its laid-back,

made it happen. I shipped my 3.0CS

in Old Salem the best but understand

welcoming, non-competitive vibe and

plan to continue attending.

Berry Loar (PA): This was my first

trip to The Vintage and drove the

9 ½ hours from Pennsylvania to

Asheville with my recently purchased 6

Chris Macha in Rey Rivera's Alpina B10.

to attend The Vintage and this year I to Greenville, SC and stayed in Asheville with five other coupe

friends. An amazing event that

should be on every classic BMW enthusiast’s calendar!

Jennifer and Philip Morris with their BMW 2002 which they purchased new in 1976

A Baur for the Bowers

By Don Bower (dbower@uga.edu) In 1832, Johan Baur of Wuerttemberg,

Germany had enough of the war, ﬁghting

with Napoleon. He packed up his wife and three children and moved to Ohio, where

he resumed a life of farming, and anglicized the spelling of his last name to Bower.

Johan was my father’s great-great-great

changed email messages, talked by phone, I

checked his references and we negotiated a

four hours home, under heavy rain.

cars worldwide on a regular basis. He rec-

smoothly. I had the seller include ﬁve extra

a small town in northern Germany, he ships

ommended a few shippers that he used in

the past, and that could truck the car to Am-

sterdam and ship it from there.

relatives may have played a role in the Baur

was cautioned to check references, guaran-

Karosserie in Stuttgart. While that part of

my genealogy remains to be determined, I

recently decided that it would be fun to

combine some top-down motoring with my

namesake BMW variant. I soon whittled

There are many shippers out there and I

tees, etc. Goetz Pfaﬄin’s article in the Dec

2016 edition of this newsletter was very

helpful. Factors such as delivery timetables,

ports of call, roll-on/roll-oﬀ or shipping in a

closed container, and inland trucking, all

down the options to a 2002 Targa Cabriolet.

make a diﬀerence in cost.

that any of you would undertake – I read

dealer to the port in Amsterdam, and used

I did the usual research on Baur Targas

BMW reference books, scoured the web,

talked to current owners (in this case, our own Dirk de Groen and Elliott Schnacken-

berg, among others), checked business references, and put out the word that I was in the

market. As most of us know, the cars we

like, tend to change hands privately and in-

frequently so working the networks is useful. It soon became clear that, of the very few

Targas available in the US, none met my cri-

I opted for open truck transport from the

a shipper recommended by a friend here in

ice records (hidden under the carpet) inside

the vehicle and they arrived intact. There

was no damage or missing parts – which I

was warned is not uncommon. US Customs

held the car for two weeks for unexplained

reasons.

All things considered, I would have pre-

ferred to ﬁnd a car here in the US and in-

spect it personally, but the search and

shipping process for a Euro car was inter-

esting and mostly uneventful. The car was

not exactly as described by the dealer so

that was somewhat disappointing. I know

self are only part of the overall costs, so

ﬁrst for me. I am now more adept at con-

Amsterdam (GTA). The fees for shipping it-

make sure you compare apples to apples.

Include the cost of export documents, in-

surance, import handling, and US Customs.

It all adds up quickly. I got three bids that

ranged from $3,800 to $5,700 all-in, deliv-

gregator websites specialize in identifying

vintage and collector vehicles from dealers

and private owners there. I entered my relevant search terms and Targas began pop-

ping up in my email regularly.

Before long, a tasty black 1972 2002

roundie showed up, described by the dealer

as a rust-free survivor. (BMW Targas are

notorious for rust but this car had spent its

alloy wheels, new front seat belts, and serv-

we have members here who ship vehicles

Here the Internet is your friend. Several ag-

been undercoated when new.) We ex-

The shipping process went pretty

the US – Roger Bart with Global Transport

teria. I broadened the search to Europe.

life in comparatively dry Milan and had

picked up the car there and drove it the

sales price. Although this dealer is based in

grandfather. With a shared surname, I have

occasionally wondered if any of my distant

ered to Savannah in a closed container. I

Don and Julie Bower in their Baur.

across the pond regularly but this was a

verting currencies, wiring funds, and trans-

lating German, so the next time should be a

breeze. Now if I can learn just enough Ital-

ian to understand all the paperwork that

came with the car!

A V IN TAG E GE M

NANCY CHAYNE MARTIN’S

1937 BMW 328 CHASSIS 85117

85117 at the summit of Mt. Washington after

by sandy Leith Eleven years ago, David Lightfoot wrote a

brief piece for the Club newsletter on the

mystery surrounding the origins of Nancy

Martin’s 328. He wrote that it had been deliv-

ered on August 17, 1937 to A.F.N. Ltd. in the

winning the 1939 “Climb to the Clouds”.

the late 1950’s to early 1960’s. In this listing,

Alexandria Bay “Round the Houses Race”

was listed as the owner of the ex-John Ewell

was known) had grown up in Worcester, but

Nancy Martin’s father (Charles A. Chayne)

328. Ewell, of Rowley, Massachusetts, was a

member of the prewar ARCA, a prewar ama-

U.K., but it was not listed as a “Frazer-Nash-

teur racing club that was active between the

color of the car was black and that the name

east.

BMW”. He further noted that the original

of the ﬁrst owner was unknown.

I had recently joined the ranks of 328 own-

ership and inherited a short hand-written

database compiled by the late Ted Robert-

son of all the 328’s he knew of in the U.S.in

years 1934 to 1940, primarily in the North-

While we do not know how 85117 came to

the U.S., it is known that the ﬁrst recorded

owner was Captain Charles Huntington, the oﬃcial starter of the racing club from 1937 to 1940. He drove it to the August 12, 1939

where it was ﬁrst seen by Ewell. Jack (as he

his family was obviously of some means as he had attended St. Paul’s School in Concord, N.H. and Harvard College, Class of 1938. He had driven a right-hand drive

Frazer-Nash-BMW 328 in London a year ear-

lier and vowed to buy one as soon as he was able. True to his word, he bought Huntington’s car (which was now silver) three days after the Alexandria Bay race.

85117 had reputedly been upgraded with

Nancy Chayne Matin and John Martin Jr with 85117 at the LeMay America's Car Museum in tacoma, WA. 10

acquired 85117 for competitive analysis. He had started collecting cars in 1924 while an

instructor of Mechanical Engineering at MIT.

Mr. Chayne, later Vice President of Engineering at General Motors until 1963, became involved with restoring the Bugatti Royale

Cabriolet Weinberger and also two Hispano-

Suizas. This 328 passed from Charles Chayne to his daughter Nancy and her husband, the

late John Martin Sr., meaning the car has en-

joyed same-family stewardship for almost 70 years.

By 1988, the Martins had the car com-

85117 at the bottom of Mt. Washington before the race in 1939. special pistons and a higher compression

reported to be painted black. 85117 next ap-

Ewell promptly entered the Mt. Washington

25th where he ﬁnished 2nd in 13:03.3 min-

ratio than standard. Wasting no time, Jack

“Climb to the Clouds” on August 27th. De-

peared back at Mt. Washington on August

Ewell appeared at the ﬁrst event of the

New York where it ﬁnished a ﬁne 4th overall,

1940 ARCA World’s Fair Race in Flushing, second in class.

The car is known (from the Robertson

LeClair, who had recently imported 85188.

database) to have gone through the hands

diced happily over the 22 lap (2.85 miles per

“MacLeod” before Nancy’s father bought the

The race date was July 6, 1940 and the two

lap) in just over an hour, ﬁnishing 4th

(LeClair) and 5th (Ewell.) Both cars were now

In 1994, the car received its CCA 100-point

badge. After Mr. Martin’s death in 1994,

car at the Monterey Historics at Laguna Seca

also the last ever ARCA event, the October 6,

1940 ARCA season, the ARCA Montauk

the car that won Best of Show.

Its ﬁnal prewar racing appearance was

12:53.1 time was good enough for fastest

Grand Prix with a fellow 328 owner, Don

class at Pebble Beach that year, 2nd only to

Nancy and John Jr. have kept the car running

(which I sold in 2007 to buy my 328!)

time on that day.

in the Seattle area. It placed second in its

utes to Lem Ladd’s famous “Old Gray Mare”

spite his New England heritage, he had never

driven up the mountain before; still his

pletely restored as original by top craftsmen

of two further owners, “Newbold” and car in 1949.

Charles Chayne, Chief Engineer at Buick,

and busy; BMW North America displayed the in 1996, at the Los Angeles Auto Show in

1997, 2007 and 2008 and at the PGA BMW

Championship in St. Louis in 2008. The car was exhibited at the 1st Annual Kirkland

Concours in 2003 and at the Kirkland Concours in Tacoma in 2012 where it won the Curator’s Choice Award. More recently,

85117 was on display at the LeMay America’s Car Museum in Tacoma, WA as part of the

100 Years BMW exhibit.

Competitors in the Pine Tree State

Rally which takes place in Septem-

ber 2017, will be able to experience their own “Climb to the Clouds” on Mt. Washington, albeit at a lower

speed than Jack Ewell raced his 328 up the mountain.

John Martin, Nancy Chayne Martin & John Jr. in 85117 in Dayton, OH, september 1961.

Bay Area ’02 Show & Swap Meet

ON THE ROAD WITH ANDREW

In the beginning of May, I ﬂew from Maine

Area '02 Group's Brisbane Show & Swap. I had been there in 2015 when I drove my 1973 2002Tii, Vern out there. Our good friend Lisa better known as "Lisa, the

02princess”, oﬀered me to drive one of her

'02s to the show. Lisa owns a Schwarz 1973

2002 named Tesoro and a recently acquired

a Derby 1967 1600 which she imported from

Arnold's shop where we met 12 other

show we we went to an after party at Steve

South San Francisco and the Brisbane Ma-

2002 FAQ, a forum dedicated to the '02 cars

BMWs, mostly 2002s to caravan the hour to

from 1966-1976.

member Neil McMillan, to a ratty Ceylon

& Coﬀee with close to 800 cars, before driv-

While I wandered around the show ﬁeld,

side Sausalito which oﬀers wonderful view

talking to friends, taking pictures of the

Pall Kornmayer

Coupes, the NKs, and the 2002s, Lisa held

court with Derby and Tesoro, ﬁelding ques-

MIDAMERICA ’02 FEST

Küpper's, who is brains behind the BMW

rina. There were 150 cars on the lawn from

a pristine 700 Cabriolet, owned by club

2002 found in a ﬁeld a few weeks before.

tions all day long about her cars. After the

The 17th BMW 2002-only Mid-

America ’02 Fest in took place during

the last weekend of April in Eureka

Springs, Arkansas. Dozens of 2002s

The following morning, we went to a Cars

ing Derby and Tesoro to Cavallo Point out-

of the top of the Golden Gate Bridge. It was

perfect end to a perfect weekend with perfect weather.

ing. The 1,800 miles drive from Maine

around flooded bridges and closed

first drive of the year, I have to make

surely earned the Iron Butt award

takes three days. As this is usually the sure that Vern is up to the task. This

from the central USA and beyond

year we experienced torrential rains

celebrate all things ’02. The event was

home, we had to navigate our way

gathered for this three day festival to

started in 2000 by Steve Good in Her-

throughout the weekend. On the way

roads, making the trip even longer. I presented to me for the second con-

secutive year.

— Andrew Wilson

man Missouri. At that time there were

12 2002s. This year, there were over 60 2002s from 17 states. The event

was moved to Eureka Springs in 2003

and is now organized by Bo and Barb

Black of nearby Rogers Arkansas.

The MidAmerica ’02 Fest is much

more than a car show; there are

workshops and presentations, a spir-

ited driving tour on the twisty Arkansas back roads, and of course the traditional barbeque dinner.

For Vern, my 1973 2002 tii, and my-

self, it was out third year participat-

©MidAmerica '02 Fest • Photo by Brenda Brints

Germany.

The day of the show we drove over to Bill

©Petrolicious

to San Francisco to attend the annual Bay

Brian Redman Event

BM W CCA B OS T O N C H A P T E R

On April 23 a friend and I drove to Wal-

pole MA to see racing champion Brian Red-

Redman was there to promote and sign

the book about his racing career, “Daring

man who along with Peter Gregg won the 12

Drivers and Deadly Tracks: A racer's memoir

show featuring the cars Redman drove,

book is available on Amazon.

GT40 and featuring the race winning #59

ful and at times harrowing talk about the

Hours of Sebring twice. There was also a car BMWs, Jaguars, Porsches, a replica Ford BMW CSL.

of a dangerous decade 1965-1975”. The

He gave a wonderfully entertaining, color-

start of his career, racing his stripped and

modiﬁed Mini, to becoming a professional

and a champion. It is a miracle that he is still

alive after hearing about his terrible crashes

over the years. He spoke for over an hour,

then ﬁnished with a questions from the

dream of mine to actually have a hot lap in

CSL racing legend Jack Deren and ex-BMW

wheel. I missed my opportunity at the BMW

100+ in attendance, amongst which BMW

Motorsports Manager Erik Wensberg.

I'll admit I'm not a huge race fan yet. I am

a fan of anyone who raced a BMW Group 5

CSL and really enjoy vintage racing. It's a

either #25 or #59 with Redman at the

CCA O'Fest in New Jersey in 2015. Hoping to have the chance in July 2018 in Pittsburgh. — Andrew Wilson

Vintage Sports & Restoration FR OM TH E S HO P OF V S R

Restoration of a 3.0 CSL

By Christopher Langsten

Chances are if you’re reading this article, or

a copy of this magazine, you either own or

have owned a classic BMW. It’s even more

likely, that you’ve been witness to the resurrection of either your own car, or been re-

galed with tales of a resurrection, excuse us,

restoration, of a friend’s classic BMW. This is

such a story, and it surrounds a 3.0CSL, VIN

2275370 to be exact.

It was late in 2006 when the phone rang at

VSR. The voice on the other end of the phone wanted to discuss restorations on his CSL’s.

2275370 arrived at the VSR facility in Janu-

ary of 2007, rolling out of the trailer as a non-

running chassis with parts & panels piled

inside like an automotive version of Tetris.

The owner had acquired the car from a seller

in the Midwest, who had claimed that the car

included all the CSL speciﬁc original parts

with the exception of a pair of performance

springs, Bilstein shocks, and the addition of

an original CSL airdam for aesthetic pur-

poses. Disassembly of the chassis com-

we conﬁrmed the matching engine and drive-

hiding rust and corrosion in the most secre-

driveline. As we inventoried what was present line. However, more importantly, we identi-

ﬁed what was missing when the car arrived.

We discovered that there was some “advertis-

been road worthy in the recent past, but had

the term “complete” – with obvious deviations

been parked after a seized rear brake caliper,

mined previously that the goal of this

restoration was to return the car to original,

along with the matching number engine and

There were 2, nearly twins, as both were Fjord

blue, city pack, injected models. One had

tion pieces began, with the restoration com-

mencing later in the year. It had been deter-

ing liberty” taken on the part of the seller in

from the original sale photos and what was

menced, as the E9 chassis is capable of

tive of places. Once it’s visible on the exterior

of the car, it’s far advanced and requiring se-

rious remediation. The car was sent to a

local media stripper to be completely

stripped prior to the start of metal work and

repair. It was at this time that the chassis

while the other, had languished for years

now present and accounted for with the car.

barely resembled a car, and more a mere

been undertaken by a previous owner. It was

climate controlled storage while the owner

in advance prior to removal of major exterior

after a failed attempt at a restoration had

After taking inventory, the car was moved into

this car that we were summoned to see, as of

contemplated whether he wished to under-

was the ﬁrst candidate of the two for restora-

would stay for the next 5.5 years.

the pair, it was a matching numbers car and

tive services.

take the restoration. It is here that 2275370

In mid 2012 the task of acquiring restora-

skeleton of a chassis. We braced the chassis

structural panels to ensure it did not twist or

distort during its time in a deconstructed

state.

Upon returning from media stripping, the

chassis was coated in a protective epoxy

sealer to protect the bare metal during metal

work. E9’s are blessed with a triple layer

rocker assembly structure, which is the ten-

ant of the structural integrity of the chassis.

Replacing these panels with new OEM parts was the ﬁrst step, working outwards from

there, any corroded panel or structurally

questionable panel was replaced with new.

This process continued for the better part of

9 months. During this time, we removed the

ﬂoor pans to inspect the inside of the front

frame rails, sandblast, epoxy prime, and seal

them to prevent rust from appearing from

the inside in the future.

During the metal work process, care was

taken to ensure any welding of panels was

performed along factory seams or in a man-

ner to recreate original spot-welds to maintain originality. Perhaps the most tenuous

part of the restoration was the repair of the

aluminum trunk lid and hood panels. Previ-

ous repairs had left less than acceptable

dent repairs ﬁlled with bondo and other outdated materials. The panels were massaged by hand to ensure they did not require ex-

cessive ﬁller to achieve a smooth, wave free, ﬁnish once painted.

Meanwhile the original Scheel seats were

re-padded and recovered with original

Scheel cloth, and CSL speciﬁc carpeting was

hand crafted using an original carpet set for

templates. OE headliner material was sourced to create a new headliner.

The engine underwent a complete over-

haul, with all critical components replaced

application of the undercoating. Once the undercoating was applied, the car was

masked to allow the painting of interior body

areas in Glasurit Fjord Blue, before the entire

exterior of the chassis was painted. At this

point, once the paintwork was completed, we allowed the chassis to rest while the

complete chassis and the metal work was and priming commenced. We call this the

perpetually grey period. When owners are

following along in their private photo page, it

can appear that the car is stuck in time as

polishing occurs.

Reassembly commenced once we deemed

the chassis and paint had suﬃcient time to

rest. We could ﬁll the next 3 pages with dis-

cussions of diﬃculties with some of BMW’s

new “reproduction parts,” however we will

just say that there was extensive work done

to source NOS parts to ensure the car was

assembled with the best quality parts avail-

able. After mating the engine and chassis to-

gether, ﬁnal assembly of trim and

thing left. The ﬁrst post-restoration test

It’s at this time, no matter how long the

process has taken, or how soon the delivery

VSR – Vintage & Sports Restora-

tion is a sponsor of the upcoming

Pine Tree State Rally. They will pro-

vide logistical and technical support

to the participants. Those who have

their cars shipped to and from New

Hampshire will have the opportunity

to visit the VSR shop. Mario and

Christopher Langsten will also be our

special guests at the opening dinner

of the rally in North Conway, NH. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Chris Langsten grew up with a

Everything around you goes silent, when in

inception. When not chasing NOS

the ﬁrst time, you experience tunnel vision.

has been involved with VSR since its

reality it could be taking place during New

parts for classic BMW’s, Chris

lant to any noise, any vibration, any smell

month old daughter, learning to

Years Eve in Times Square. You’re hyper vigi-

that seems out of place. Slowly, we drive

After seam sealing and corrosion protec-

decade. We drive a few laps around the facil-

chassis was moved into the paint booth for

for the next “ﬁrst drive.”

passion for all things BMW. Chris

2275370 out of the shop, into the sun for the

tion was applied to the entire chassis, the

time to turn around, and go back to the

date is, that when you go to turn the key for

the blocking/priming and re-priming appears

to never change.

nothing else matters. It’s a moment that

happens with every restoration, yet each

shop, and you realize you’re already longing

drive.

complete, the bodywork, blocking, sanding

guably one of BMW’s best touring cars, and

ﬁnish of the panels before color sanding &

and returned to original appearance and

Once the body had been returned to a

road, increasing speed, driving what is ar-

time it’s special and diﬀerent. Eventually it’s

accessories was completed, leaving only one

sealed for long term preservation.

inline 6 cylinder. Then we’re on an empty

paint cured. This allows the paint to outgas

its volatiles, and ensure a more consistent

with either new or NOS parts. The aluminum components on the engine were cleaned,

necessitate a return to the lift. However, all

we hear is the silky sound of BMW’s famed

ﬁrst time under its own power in over a

ity, listening for bangs, clunks, whines, rattles, or some other noise that could

spends his time with his wife and 4

surf, or driving his E30 M3.

For more photographs of the

restoration of this 3.0 CSL, visit

VSR’s website at www.VSR1.com. 15

story by Jeroen de Laat • Photos by De Laat Foto

Techno Classica 2017

EV EN T RE PO RT

n early April, we travelled to the German city

of Essen to attend one of the largest classic

car fair in the world, the Techno Classica. To-

gether with 185,000 others we saw 1,250 exhibitors, more than 200 classic car clubs and close to 3,000 automobiles. And exhibitors

and visitors came from all across the globe!

And it’s not just cars: model cars, automotive art, clothing, car literature, classic vehicle

services or spare parts: the entire spectrum is covered in Essen.

The event is said to have a high success

rate among sellers of classics and the bright red Alpina Z1 RLE proved this as it had al-

At the BMW stand, which by the way took up

an entire hall, there were several celebrations.

40 years of the BMW Junior Team, the racing

team that was founded to give upcoming talent

a platform to prove themselves. Talent named

Eddie Cheever, Marc Surer and Manfred

Winkelhock. And even though these untamed

youngsters had plenty of unthinking moments,

BMW Motorsport had a good sense of talent as

all ended up in Formula 1 just a few years later.

As a homage BMW put one of the wide body

E21 320i Group 5 machines on display.

2017 also marked 40 years of BMW’s 7 se-

ries, and all models from the ﬁrst E23 to the

ready been sold for a fabulous ﬁgure of Euro

very latest G11 were present, and a few very

the fair. And we saw more rare BMW and

750i where the real driver was hiding behind

165,000 in the ﬁrst hour after the opening of Alpina models, low mileage examples like a

convincing E30 Baur with just 16k kms, and

some less convincing examples as well of course; you always

have to remain criti-

cal even though that is hard in this over-

whelming classic car Valhalla.

special examples. Like the 1997 James Bond the driver’s seat with a setup that looks

more like a computer game. And the E32

Goldﬁsh, the prototype with a V16 (!!) engine. The success of the Mini goes even further

back; it is 50 years ago that Rauno Aaltonen won the 1967 Monte Carlo Rally.

Besides lots of room for clubs and club

cars, BMW also brought more eye candy. We know several of their specials and proto-

types, but the grey M1 prototype, parked

right next to a henna red production version, was a ﬁrst for us.

Having visited the Techno Classica several

times already we knew that the German

the Darmstadt-based coachbuilder Autenri-

eth, the V8 engined 3200 S is the only BMW

to this date carrying the “cabriolet sedan” badge name. We saw the car at Pebble

restoration business of Feierabend GmbH

Beach last year and it was great to see it

lived up to that expectation with a wonder-

special was the 1982 BMW M635CSi proto-

would have a wonderful stand, and they

ful collection of restorations: a 507, a mint 328, an EMW 327/2 convertible and a 503

shared with the world here again. Another

type. Even though we cannot believe testing was done on the 3-piece BBS alloys it was

convertible, and some contemporary en-

displayed with, it was nice to see.

is at these events you start to think that a

marathon to walk, especially if you try to

prices clearly prove otherwise. Still it is great

worth it.

gines and mid-restoration chassis as well. It 328, a 507 or an M1 isn’t all that rare; but to see all these models displayed here.

Other rare stuﬀ? What about the 1960

3200S Autenrieth sedan convertible? Yes,

based on the BMW 502 the chassis built by

This huge event always feels like a

cover all of it in one day, but it was well

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Jeroen de Laat, club member from the Netherlands, grew up as a BMW fan. When he is not enjoying his E21s and his E30s, he can be found focusing his camera on BMWs at European car shows and race tracks. 17

sports which is managed

story by Dirk de Groen â€˘ Photos by Dirk de Groen, OďŹƒcial Photographer, Roberto Cerruti, & BMW Group Classic

1000 miglia

Members of scuderia

by Club member

Mark Gessler.

he 1000 MIGLIA is the most

beautiful race in the world. It all starts during registration in the

Fiera di Brescia. Imagine literally

hundreds of cars parked in this huge con-

vention center. Not just cars, but cars that

had its equivalent model participate in the original 1000 MIGLIA road race which took place between 1927 and 1957. If your year

and model participated in one of those original races, you have a 1000 MIGLIA eligible

car. Having an eligible car, doesnâ€™t mean that your car will actually be accepted. This year, 460 cars of the 1,500 applications, got in. If

your car actually participated in the original race, it is (almost) certain to be accepted.

Imagine your car did not only participate in

the original 1000 MIGLIA, but it placed in the

top 3. Yes, you see quite few of those cars as

The Most Beautiful Race in the World

well in the Fiera di Brescia. How many museums around the world would you have to

visit so see such a display of sports cars? The

1000 MIGLIA is a rolling museum, and we are part of it in 2017.

MILLE M IG LI A

this BMW 328 Coupe entered by an Italian team is a regular participant in the 1000 Miglia This is an Italian event, organized by Ital-

ians on Italian soil, according to Italian rules. If you prefer a German-style organization

and don’t like the Italian seemingly disorganization of doing things, you are in the wrong

spot. If you don’t like standing in line at eight

TROUBLE... Saturday 4 PM: leaving the main check-

point at Montecatini Terme heading to

diﬀerent windows, you may consider not ap-

Parma. A big bang and the car no longer

Once you have those eight stamps on your

come along to provide logistical and tech-

plying for the 1000 Miglia. But guess what?

moves. Andreas Freudenberger, who had

checklist accrediti, and you are invited to

nical support, diagnoses the problem: a

line for veriﬁcation of the chassis number,

der, you drove like a maniac!”. Quick call to

push your car through the veriﬁchi techniche the functioning of your headlights and your

broken rear axle. Co-driver says: “No won-

Klaus Kutscher, the leader of the BMW

horn, you realize that the system does work,

Classic support team. He doesn’t carry the

long it took. The ﬁnal step in the registration

stronger axles. Andreas loads the 328 on

no matter how disorganized it looks or how procedure is the very typical Italian “sealing of the car” ceremony on a red carpet covered Piazza Della Vittoria in the center of

Brescia the day before the actual race. This is where you get the coveted round

green ‘veriﬁcado’ sticker on the windshield and the plumb seal around

the steering column. Things that you want to keep on the car for as long as you own it.

The start is on Thursday at 2:30

PM. Every minute, they let three cars

early, small axles, all their cars have the

ish, you better take it easy, very easy!" I did

and we made it to the finish and com-

pleted the 1000 Miglia. One mile after the finish line, the repaired axle gives in. Back

on the trailer, this time to Andreas’

his trailer and takes us to Parma where he

restoration shop in Eggenfelden, Germany

welded axle is back on the car. Andreas

other modifications, for the next 1000

sets up shop. Three hours later, the now-

cautions: "If you want to make it to the fin-

to have stronger axles installed and a few

Miglia.

BMW Group Classic entered a total of six BMW 328s in this years 1000 Miglia.

go. The oldest one goes ﬁrst, the youngest one goes last, two and a half hours later.

Such is the procedure at every section for the next four days. The minute you leave,

you get a taste of Italy. Literally hundreds of thousands of people line the route. People

faster and to be noisier. Who are we to re-

of regular traﬃc. The Italian population loves

like a world champion.

smile, they wave, and they take photographs.

fuse? Driving the 1000 MIGLIA makes us feel During the 1,000 mile trip from Brescia to

Rome and back to Brescia, we pass through

countless beautiful Italian towns with forti-

the old cars. Instead of complaining, they

Where in the world can you experience this? Only in Italy during the 1000 MIGLIA.

Between 1927 and 1957 the 1000 MIGLIA

standing, people sitting, people having pic-

ﬁed walls, arenas, castles and churches dat-

was a road race. It was simple, the ﬁrst one

dreds of cars roaring through their cities,

Ages. All of these towns are blocked oﬀ to

Today, the 1000 MIGLIA is a regularity event.

nic on the side of the road, only to see huntheir villages. Some of the spectators are so old, that one wonders if they weren’t there

sixty or seventy years ago. Everyone waves

their hands or the 1000 MIGLIA ﬂags which

must have been handed out by the millions before the race. In the bigger cities, where

there are time controls or special regularity

ing from the Roman times and the Middle other traﬃc, the signs are clear: ‘competitors only’. The route from town to town

The winner of the reenactment of the 1000

seeing trip.

in the 112 regularity tests, and the 7 average

oﬀer. The 1000 MIGLIA is a gigantic sightA dedicated team of ‘Polizia’ riding on

BMW motorcycles escorts the competitors

during the race. They stick out their legs and

‘thumbs-up’ as acknowledgment to the

side and to create a third lane on a two-lane

crowds, makes them cheer even more. The entire Italian population loves seeing and hearing the old cars. They beg you to go

The fastest one is no longer the winner,

even though the Italians still call it a race.

goes over the most scenic roads Italy has to

stages, huge crowds gather to cheer the

1000 MIGLIA participants on. Just a small

to arrive at the ﬁnish line was the winner.

their arms to push oncoming traﬃc to the

MIGLIA, is the one who collects most points speed sections. Time is measured in hun-

dreds of a second. Raw point are then multiplied by the coeﬃcient of the car. The older

and the more signiﬁcant the car, the higher

the coeﬃcient. Europeans, and in particular

highway. The Polizia stops traﬃc at traﬃc

Italians, take these regularities very serious

speed through red lights and to cut in front

This is not a race with only a Tripmaster and

lights and traﬃc circles to let us pass full

and they are extremely good at their game.

MILLE M IG LI A an analog stopwatch. Most of these old cars are equipped with very sophisticated elec-

tronic rally equipment. We are happy to do a regularity in 19.5 seconds if the goal is 20

seconds. Some of these guys are upset if

they clock in at 19.95 seconds. Besides the

challenges that earn you points, you get penalties for arriving early or late at the

main section checkpoints. This usually re-

sults in a chaos shortly before the checkpoint where cars that arrive late try to

squeeze through the bunched up cars that

arrived early. The 1000 MIGLIA is a serious competition.

This is an endurance race. You drive up to

15 hours per day, and there is no time to

rest. If you’re lucky, you get to sleep 4 hours

per night. It is spring time in Europe. It can

be warm, it can be cold. The sun can shine,

or it can rain. We had it all. It was an unfor-

gettable four days in Italy. The 1000 MIGLIA is the most beautiful race in the world, and we enjoyed every single ‘miglio’ of it.

flashback 1940 Mille Miglia, oﬃcially

called the Gran Premio di Brescia,

was held over a triangle road from

Brescia to Mantua to Cremona and back to Brescia. The race entailed

nine laps of the 104 mile circuit and was won by Huschke von Hanstein

(D) and Walter Baumer (D) in a BMW 328 Coupe by Touring with an average speed of 104.20 mph.

David Percival MEMB ER I N F O C US

A Collection Built by Friendship by Eric Zagrocki

As I prepared to talk to David Percival, I re-

gretted not having previously purchased

Mark Zimmerman’s BMW Motorcycle Buyer’s

Guide. I know little about motorcycles, his-

toric BMWs or otherwise, and was con-

cerned that I would not have much

understanding of David’s collection. I need

who were expecting their second child. The

power to fuel a city of 50,000 people! David

bike had to be replaced by a car. Now, al-

continued his career in other energy related

group are still friends.

engineer and forestry advisor for the town

most 60 years later, David, Walter and the David used the R51/3 in Europe and later

brought it back to the States where he con-

ﬁelds and later became a town alderman, of Andover, ME.

After selling his R51/3 in the early 1960’s,

tinued to use it for another 14-16 months.

David was not on a bike for over 10 years

joys teaching others about BMW’s motorrad

its way to various third parties. David knows

him of a 1936 BMW that had been locked

BMW’s motorcycle nomenclature, with all of

a lookout for it. It is hard to ﬁnd fault with

not have worried. David Percival greatly en-

history. As we talked, David established that the R’s, backslashes and inconsistent numbering codes, is confusing even to serious

collectors. It also quickly became clear that David has built one of the world’s greatest

motorcycle collections one friend at a time.

David’s BMW story begins in 1958. David

was in the US Army stationed in Bad Kreuz-

After selling it to his brother, the bike made

until one day a friend in Germany apprised

the serial number of the bike and still keeps

away in a garage. The two went to inspect

David’s replacement for the R51/3… a 1960

owner was a serviceman who did not return

Corvette.

David grew up in upstate Maine as a life-

long gear head and counts a 1930’s hot rod

as one of his ﬁrst cars. After the Army, he

began a career in forestry. He was part of a

joint-venture that went on to build a 40

the carefully wrapped bike. Its original

from WWII. They asked the owner’s widow if

the bike was for sale. She told them to just

take it. They insisted that she take all of the

money they had in their pockets, the equivalent of $35, in exchange for the bike. Thus

started the hobby that David playfully says

nach, Germany. While there, he saw his ﬁrst

megawatt power facility which was the ﬁrst

“got a bit out of hand.”

ing up with V-twin Indians and Harleys. He

sawdust and wood chips. That’s enough

Friends soon referred David to other bikes.

BMW horizontally opposed twin after growand another serviceman were in the coun-

electrical power plant in the US fueled by

The pattern repeated itself over and over.

tryside performing their duties when they

noticed a young man watching them from the nearby road. The man, Walter Hanss, was riding a BMW motorcycle. David de-

cided to investigate. Even though they were hampered by a language barrier, the two

were able to communicate well enough that the moment planted a seed for David’s lifelong interest.

Walter introduced David to other motor-

cycle friends and soon helped David ﬁnd a

motorcycle of his own. At that time, motorcycles were primarily used for transportation. They were easy to ride, inexpensive

and good on gas. Nevertheless, there were probably only 10 motorcycles within the 50 mile area. The bike Walter found, a 1954

BMW R51/3, was used by a young couple

David Percival amidst some of his bikes and his Isetta

David, right at home in his workshop.

At ﬁrst, David shipped each bike back from

the RS54 being a favorite.

nized that it was more economical to send a

in Germany and later entered such races in

bikes until he could ship 7 or 8 in a full con-

time made foreign bikes uncompetitive. He

never driven a 2002 and thought it might be

visited with friends in dozens of foreign

which successfully raced many vintage mo-

the restoration of the ﬁrst 2002. Citing its

most every BMW motorcycle built from the

porated race team really helped in obtaining

are only a R37 and a R16, both from the

larly proud of the team’s success in the pre-

Europe independently but he soon recogbigger shipment. So, friends stored the

tainer. In pursuing the collection, David has countries. He now has an example of al-

start of production through 1976. Missing 1930’s.

David often works on his own bikes: “With

the old bikes, if it has fuel and spark, it will

run. After 1977, they started to have black boxes that tend to complicate things.” He

noted that one of the great things about vin-

David raced as a side-car passenger while

the US. Unfortunately, the AMA rules at the

and friends later formed DP Motorsports

torcycles; however, he says being an incor-

the rare restoration parts. David is particu-

1940 classes. The team’s pre-war bike could go 110 mph on the Daytona high banking.

In 2008, David became one of the found-

transmissions and other parts just drop into

R51/3, just like his ﬁrst bike. He collected

cle, without hesitation he describes his ﬁrst

RS54, a racing bike that BMW used to domi-

ter who both ride. In fact, his younger

Of course, if one owns over 100 vintage

racing history is interesting and the bike is

which is now restored as a rally car in Mar-

and the unspoken words at the funeral of a friend that David gives as reasons behind

very valuable collection indeed.

on it in the last year.

the garage. Again, friends were instrumen-

made during restoration, Christmas cards

David Percival’s motorcycle collection, it is a

particular bike and has put over 1,000 miles

BMW RS54 was used to win all but two

clearly a rarity, but it is the story of friends

ships are one of the best measures of his

parts for 20 years in order to restore this

BMW motorcycles, eventually a Roundel sit-

500cc Sidecar World Championships. The

With every car or bike we discussed, a life-

long friend was part of the story. Charles

cheerfully said that his daily driver is a 1954

nate the FIM Sidecar World Championship from 1954 to 1973. During these years, a

motorcycle, and the 2002ti on various BMW

CCCA tours.

worth.” If friends are used to measure

daughter holds a racing license. David

When asked about his favorite motorcy-

used a 1974 R90s, the world’s ﬁrst 120 mph

several years. He and wife Kathy are both

1930’s bike on the road because so much

place.”

200cc motorcycle engine as inspiration for

the purchase, he also has an Isetta. He has

Darwin is quoted as saying “A man’s friend-

into the hobby. David also has two daugh-

can be sourced from the 1950’s. Hubs,

a good idea to drive one before continuing

ing members of the BMW Vintage Motorcy-

cle Club of America. He sat on the board for

tage BMW motorcycles is that so many parts are interchangeable: “It is possible to keep a

process of restoring the 2002ti, he pur-

chased a 1973 2002 on eBay as he had

ting on four-wheels will make its way into tal in referring David to a 1958 BMW 700,

tini livery. He also has a second 1958 700.

When another friend suggested that he rescue a 1968 2002ti, it was clear that this also should be a rally tribute car. While in the

LE TT ER S T O T HE E D I T O R ■ Great start Dirk,

I just got the ﬁrst issue of your club maga-

zine, and I think it’s terriﬁc! You’re oﬀ to a

great start! I’m sure the members are delighted.

Jackie Jouret

Thanks Jackie. Coming from you, that means

a lot to all of us who contribute to making this

ﬁne volumes appear in 2016, so we better

enjoy them while we can. Here is one of them:

The BMW Century by Tony Lewin, pub-

lished by Motorbooks, an imprint of Quarto

Publishing Group USA, Inc., 2016, 240 pages,

hardbound in a large format. Available from Amazon for $50.

This is a big, spectacular coﬀee table

While a coﬀee table type of book with lots

of well-produced color photos, the text is also well written. There is a lot of ground

covered with 100 years of BMW products, including cars, motorcycles, and airplane engines. Plus, the corporate adventures and

misadventures of BMW’s history are told.

Only in the last couple of chapters does the

author mention the future for the company.

books that covers the 100 year history of

At $50, this book is a bargain.

am very pleased to see that you have become

“The Ultimate Performance Machines” and

rors but generally the book is quite accurate

extra material for which Satch doesn’t have

mer head of BMW NA.

an interesting publications for our members. I

a “regular” in the Roundel. Whenever you have space, you know where to send it. - DdG ■ Beautiful!

Dirk

Beautiful; I just ﬂipped through the 50th

edition of our newsletter from cover to

cover, - and I am very impressed. You came

up with many new ideas, and various neverbefore authors. I would say this is a bull's

eye. I feel enormously honored by the article attributed to Eric Zagrocki. There must have

our favorite car company. The subtitle is

the foreword is written by Tom Purves, for-

Port Perry, Ontario, received the following letter in the mail;

Dear Mrs. Wojcik,

My name is Jiri Vlach from the Czech

me or my history well enough to have pro-

bought in England in 2012. I found a piece

more involved with the Classic Club. He's a

your address written on it. If you have

good guy.

Well done, Dirk. I am sure that this maga-

zine is going to be well received. Goetz Pfaﬄin

On behalf of all contributors, Thank you

Goetz. You have set the bar. It is now that I can

truly appreciate the time and eﬀort you have put into the newsletter these past 13 years. - DdG ■ BMW Century Dirk,

It is sad to see that there aren’t many

books published any longer about BMW.

The trend for ink-on-paper remain grim but BMW’s centennial year gave us the gift of a number of books to celebrate 100 years of BMW. We were fortunate to see so many

David Lightfoot

In early April, Elizabeth Wojcik from

Republic, and I am the lucky owner of a

duced this story. But I am glad to see him

and a good resource.

A CLUB MEMBER’S 327 CABRIOLET REAPPEARS IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC

been several cooks in the kitchen where this article was cooked up! Eric does not know

There are a couple of minor historical er-

wonderful BMW 327 from 1938 which I

of paper in the car with your name and

some information about the history of the car, please send it to me. With best regards, Jiri Vlach

After receiving a copy of Jiri Vlach’s letter

Jiri Vlach enjoying his 1938 BMW 327 Cabriolet in southern Bohemia.

for their freedom by selling Frank’s beloved BMW 328. Ever since leaving Poland and

selling his 328, Frank had dreamt about

owning another vintage BMW. He realized

that dream in 2006, when Tom Graham told

to Elizabeth Wojcik, I dug up some old

him about the late John Slade’s car. John

member that Elizabeth Wojcik and her hus-

tage & Classic Car Club of America. After

California Marathon with their beautifully

Slade, Frank ﬁnished the restoration begun

newsletters. Some club members will reband Frank participated in the 2008

restored 327 Cabriolet. Shortly after returning home from California, Frank sadly died

in a terrible car accident. The 327 Cabriolet was Frank’s pride and joy. Frank and Eliza-

beth escaped from the communist regime in Poland in the late 1970s. They paid dearly

was a founding member of the BMW Vin-

purchasing the 327 from the estate of John

by John. A few years after Frank’s death, Elizabeth sold the 327 to a dealer in the UK,

who in turn sold it to Jiri Vlach. After communication all this information to Jiri and sending him copies of the old newsletters,

he send me this photo. - DdG

Z First 1 Z NE WS

by Mark Hall

When I purchased my black Z1 in 2008, it

was already ﬁtted with 17-inch wheels as

the beneﬁciary of a previous owner’s Racing Dynamics brake and wheel upgrade. I’ve always found that car’s correct tire diameter of 235/40R17 to be a perfect match to the

Z1’s sports car handling and give the car a

visually appealing contact patch just a little

bit wider than the stock 225/45R16 rubber.

Now that the suspension was sorted on the

red Z1, I was in search of (in need of?) a similar 17-inch wheel to match the sporting look provided by the new lower suspension.

The stock Z1 wheel is a 16x7.5-inch size

owners on the European forums. I found,

however, that it is no longer in production

and only available second hand through pri-

vate sales (if you can ﬁnd them). BBS

In order to use these wheels on the Z1, I

would have to apply spacers to make up for the diﬀerence in oﬀset. Adding a spacer

would also require longer wheel bolts to en-

with a 4-bolt pattern referred to as 4x100 (4-

makes the LM model, a nice “basketweave”

for the Z1 is unique amongst the era’s

quite in concert with the style of the late

easy to ﬁnd on eBay and similar outlets, but

The lowest price I could ﬁnd, however, on a

BMW OE-speciﬁcation. The result could be a

bolts on a 100mm circle pattern). The oﬀset

pattern which I’ve always liked and which is

BMW’s at 25mm (i.e. ET25). In order to

1980’s and early 1990’s period of the Z1.

pension components and match the align-

complete set of BBS LM’s would be several

wheels, I would need a 17x7.5-inch ET25

told myself I would live within. HRE will cus-

maintain the same inside clearance to susment with the outer fender lip as the stock wheel with a 4x100 bolt pattern. Oﬀ to the internet to begin what I was excited would be a simple search for something reasonably aﬀordable yet stylish...

Most European 17-inch 4x100 wheels are

8-inches wide (or more). While this could be made to work for the Z1, it would also re-

quire an adjustment to the oﬀset of about 5mm. So my search included both 17x7.5 ET25 and 17x8 ET30 wheels in 4x100 bolt

pattern. What I found, however, was that

very few wheel manufacturer’s make such a wheel (anymore, at least).

Some of the usual suspects for quality af-

termarket wheels for BMWs are BBS, OZ

Racing, Beyern and HRE. Amongst those

Beyern are usually the most aﬀordable but

they do not oﬀer a 17-inch 4x100 wheel with the needed oﬀset. OZ Racing made the

Monte Carlo pattern wheel for the Z1, a nice 2-piece 5-spoke pattern used by several Z1

thousand dollars…far above the budget I

tom design a 17-inch 4x100 wheel for the

Z1, but again price would be prohibitive.

I found 4x100 wheels from several manu-

facturers, the above usual suspects in-

cluded, but the oﬀset was more akin to a

front wheel drive Japanese or smaller Euro-

pean cars like the Mini (e.g. ET45 or higher).

sure the bolt is securely fastened to the

wheel hub, too. Longer bolts are relatively are generally of lesser quality steel than

dangerous shearing oﬀ of the longer bolt in

spirited driving with potentially catastrophic results, so spacers and longer bolts were

not an option for me.

When the black car was upgraded by Rac-

ing Dynamics, the package also included re-

placing the wheel hubs with a 5-bolt pattern from the E30 M3 or E28 5-series of the late 1980’s. The 5-bolt hubs with a 5x120 bolt

pattern has been used for just about every

BMW since the E30. This results in a

stronger bond of the wheel to the car than

from a local seller who has them installed

options for the Z1, many of which include

H&R brand name, too, a well-known and re-

the spot.

ing perfectly good hubs on the car, however,

pension components for BMWs.

sults! The H&R spacers were easy to install

just to upgrade the wheels.

a solution to the spacer problem, I renewed

than the stock 16-inch wheels. The modern

tion—someone, somewhere must oﬀer

ously discarded ET45 and above wheels.

plethora of aﬀordable aftermarket wheel

the correct oﬀset of ET25 or ET30. Replac-

seemed like a lot of extra work and expense I went back to researching the spacer op-

wheel bolts that are reinforced and strong

enough to handle the added force applied

to the extra length, right? I found that there

any other spacer. I was comforted by the

spected manufacturer of aftermarket sus-

Armed with a reinvigorated enthusiasm of

my wheel search to now include the previ-

Looking at several options for the Mini prod-

uct line, I found the BBS RV-F

which is, coincidentally, very

are indeed some racing applications that call

similar in style to the stock

correct size bolt head and thread pattern is

17x7.5 inch size. The RV-F

for longer wheel bolts. Finding them in the

Z1 16-inch wheels, but in a

possible. What I also found in this research,

is a 7-spoke forged alu-

for 4x100 bolt pattern wheels that bolts di-

both lighter and stronger

however, is that H&R also oﬀers a spacer kit rectly to the hub. Instead of needing longer

minum wheel making it

aftermarket cast alu-

re-use your stock wheel bolts to fasten the

thusiasts value them for their

wheels to the spacer, providing a much

I could not be more pleased with the re-

and the 17-inch RV-F are noticeably lighter

7-spoke pattern is eerily similar to the stock

Z1 style which was obviously well ahead of its time. I ﬁnished the car in time for last sum-

mer’s Roads to Monterey tour and 100year BMW Celebration. Aside from

the fact that the RV-F has exposed

lugs and the BBS wheel cap, I dare say that very few people noticed

that the little red Z1 had aftermar-

ket wheels at all!

than either the stock or

wheel bolts, the H&R spacer bolts to the hub with their custom-sized bolts and then you

on his JCW Mini and I purchased them on

minum wheels. Mini en-

performance beneﬁts. I found a set

by Goetz E. Pfaﬄin At a BMW CCCA Club gathering hosted by

Scott and Fran Hughes at their lovely Amelia Island home on March 11, 2017, Dirk was

presented the cherished Knöchlein prize in recognition of his demonstrated commit-

ment to the preservation and promotion of BMW’s automotive history and tradition.

The Amelia Island gathering, attended by

ﬁfty BMW enthusiasts, including past award

recipients Scott and Fran Hughes and Lothar Schüttler, speciﬁcally honored Dirk and his

Dirk De Groen (center) accepts the Prof. Dr. Gerhard Knöchlein BMW Classic Award. cars from their marvelous collection of classic

newsletter (now published as The Ultimate

sharing rides in their beautiful classics with

his automotive hobby, and his commitment

interested kids at public automotive events, and for having been the most frequent and

reliable contributor of interesting material to the Club newsletter.

Since the approval of this award to Dirk at

the September 12, 2016 board meeting of the

BMW Clubs International Council, Dirk has as-

wife Alexandra for their consistent participa-

sumed the helm of the former BMW Vintage

ica and in Europe, for having generously lent

the BMW Classic Car Club of America), includ-

tion in BMW V&CCCA events in North Amer-

ing the role of editor of the quarterly Club

BMWs to a number of Club-members, so they could participate in such events, for

Classic magazine). With Dirk’s enthusiasm for to the promotion of the BMW tradition, we, as

members of the BMW Classic Club of America, will all beneﬁt from Dirk’s leadership.

It has been a great pleasure for me to have

been associated with Dirk, and a great honor, to have been able to present the Prof. Dr. Gerhard Knöchlein Award to him.

& Classic Car Club of America (now renamed

John Surtees “Count Augusta said he would buy me a

car for winning the 1956 500 cc World

Championship. But when I choose a BMW 507, which cost about £3,400, he gulped,

so I agreed to go 50/50 with him. Initially,

though, I was very disappointed with the

BMW and after some discussion, BMW

performance of the 507. It just wasn’t the

agreed to increase the 3.2-litre V8 en-

hausen let me drive a few months earlier

and to install an undershield. The highest

same car as the one that Alex von Falken-

at Hockenheim. I got straight back on to

gine’s power output by 30bhp to 185bhp

speed I ever saw was 143mph on the

Milan autostrada. The disc-braked speciﬁcation arose from a development program I did with BMW and Dunlop.”

John Surtees sadly passed away aged

83 on March 10th 2017. He was the only

racer to win World Championships on

both two and four wheels. After almost 60

years, he still owned his BMW 507.

(Sources: Superstar Classics, Octane Magazine

and BMW Car Club UK Magazine)

Elliott Schnackenberg

Knöchlein Award

Herb Tobin IN M E MO RIA M

Herb Tobin of Walpole, Mass died April 21, 2017 at the age of 81.

Herb was a loyal and enthusiastic member of our club and its treas-

urer since the club’s incorporation in 2003 to 2016. He bought a

1935 BMW Type 315/1 in 1968 and participated in the ﬁrst and

most subsequent Vintage Car Club America’s Wellesley hill-climbs.

Desiring a more sophisticated car, he ﬁnally acquired a BMW 328 in 1973 after a long search. He also obtained a second 315/1 that he

aﬀectionately referred to as “the parts car,” and he took great pride

in owning approximately one percent of the entire BMW 315/1 pro-

duction. Featured in the inaugural issue of Hemmings Sports and

Exotic Cars, the 315/1 was Herb’s pride and joy.

While saddened by the passing of Herb, we are very pleased that

Welcome New Members

Herb’s son Dan Tobin has taken over the club membership of his fa-

Patrick Arnold Plano, TX

Eddie Henry Ashburn, VA

Philip Morris Yadkinville, NC

to keep the 315/1 and the

Harry Bonkosky Humacao, PR

Kent Kochheiser South Lebanon, oH

Patty Schwarze De Leon Springs, fL

meeting Dan on one of our

Philip Caposella Hilton Head Island, SC

George MacKinnon New Harbor, ME

Peter Starr St. Augustine, fL

future.

CJ Cullen Los Gatos, CA

Lisa Mahalak Novato, CA

John Swanton Westport Island, ME

Donald Derham Slidell, LA

frank Mann Belleair, fL

Daniel Tobin Dorchester, MA

John Hartge fairplay, MD

Humberto Marti Winston Salem, NC

Christina Vieira Williamsville, NY

ther and that he has decided 328. We look forward to

club driving tours in the near

Spa Classic!

Would You Like to Join? Visit our website www.bmwccca.com and download the registration form. Fill out the form and send it along with your payment to:

Fantastic racing images captured by photographer Jeroen de Laat at the spa Classic.

BMW Classic Car Club of America 1201 Manati Avenue Coral Gables, FL 33146

Dirk’s Marketwatch

EYE ON TH E MA RK E T

1938 BMW 328 (VIN 85187) with racing his-

tory. Never restored. Sold for €650,000 (ap-

prox. $728,000) at Coys Techno Classica

auction.

1957 BMW 507. Needs full restoration. Not

sold at RM Sothebys Villa d’Este auction.

High bid €1,350,000 (approx. $1,520,000).

Not sold. Didn’t sell in Monterey either.

1972 1972 BMW 2002 tii AC Schnitzer S14.

Built about 10 years ago by VSR. Very well

documented and frequently published.

Sold on Bring a Trailer for $125,000+5%.

Building one like this may cost twice that amount.

1939 BMW 327 (80PS) Cabriolet. Sold for

$220,000 at the Bonhams sale at the

Greenwich Concours sale (not sold a few

months ago in Scottsdale).

1941 BMW 327 Coupe. Restored. Estimate

€150-€170,000. Not sold at Coys Techno

1957 BMW Isetta 300. Sold at Bonhams Spa

Classic sale for $21,362. More reasonable

that what these eggs sell for in the US.

1967 BMW Glas 3000 V8 (‘Glaserati”). one

1974 BMW 2002 Turbo. Sold at Bonhams Amelia Island for $112,200.

1984 Sbarro 328 – BMW 328 replica with

Classica auction.

owner, restored. Sold at Coys Techno Clas-

sic auction for €68,000 (approx. $76,000)

2.8 liter engine from BMW 528i. Sold at

1954 Arnolt Bristol Roadster (BMW 328 de-

1972 BMW 3.0 CSi. Baikal blue over saddle,

1986 BMW E24 Alpina B10 3.5 with 34,000

land for $324,500.

for €40,000 at Coys Techno Classic auction.

rived engine). Sold at Bonhams Amelia Is-

restored in 2015/16. AC and sunroof. Sold Very well bought!

Bonhams Goodwood for $30,756.

miles. Sold on Bring a Trailer for $62,888.

1987 BMW M6 (red). Stunning car, only

25,000 miles. Sold at Bonhams Amelia Is-

land for $104,500. Same car sold last year

for $77,000.

1989 BMW Z1 (Alpina RLE replica). Very

2001 BMW Z8 (red). only 3,800 miles. Top

bered RLE. 23,000 km. Sold at Bonhams

Auctions Amelia Island.

well done, but It will never be a real num-

Spa Classic sale for $66,000.

Z8 selling for a top price of $231,000 at RM

2003 BMW Z8 Alpina. Black over black. Sold

1988 BMW M6 (black) with 75,000 miles, in

average condition. Sold for $55,000 at the

Bonhams Greenwich Concours auction.

1991 BMW E30 M3 Cabriolet. one of 476.

Very nice car. Well bought at $88,000 at

at Gooding Amelia Island auction for

$275,000.

Goodings Amelia Island. (Consigned by

club member)

Classified

CLASS IFIE D AD V E RTI S I N G

1994 BMW 840 CiA. Sterling silver over parchment. One owner car in excellent and original

condition with 157,000 mostly ‘cross-country’

miles. Car is in Colorado. Asking $15,000 or best oﬀer. Goetz Pfaﬄin: 303 300-9946 (h);

303 808-9135 (c); goetzpfaﬄin@msn.com

2002 Z3 M Coupe. White over Black, sunroof delete, one and only in this combination. 5-

speed. Second owner. Never driven in winter. Always garaged. Car is in Colorado. Asking

$64,990 + shipping. Goetz Pfaﬄin: 303 300-

9946 (h); 303 808-9135 (c);

goetzpfaﬄin@msn.com

1940 BMW 335 Four-door Cabriolet by Autenrieth. Pebble Beach award winning restora-

tion. For sale by club member, $575,000. Sale

being handled exclusively by Fantasy Junction. (www.fantasyjunction.com);

501 653-7555