Dirty Zed

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Dirty Zed

Post by Guest »

Here's a picture of le Red Zed looking travel-stained, seen on the Furka Pass last year, with the Rhone glacier in the background, which constantly melts, producing the river Rhone, which flows from the glacier to the Mediterranean, via Lyons and Avignon etc.

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Here's one a little cleaner, outside the pits at the old French GP circuit, near Reims. Reims, like the GP circuit at Rouen, was composed of public roads, and was the fastest GP circuit in Europe. It was last used in 1966, the race being won by Jack Brabham, who set records for lap speed and race speed, and in doing so, became the first driver to win a GP in a car of his own construction - not bad, eh?

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The engine was interesting too - the Repco V8 was designed by Philip Irving ( a famous post-war motorcycle engineer) for the Aussie/NZ Tasman formula races, where economy and reliablity were very important. It was therefore based on the block of the General Motors (Oldsmobile) engine, which was also built in the UK as the Rover V8, a variation of which is still used in the Range Rover!
Last edited by Guest on Sun 14 Sep, 2008 11:16, edited 6 times in total.
///M_aniac
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  M roadster S50
Location: Belfast

Post by ///M_aniac »

Some shine in that second photo, Mike! :shock:

Looking good. :wink:
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Dav
Joined: Sun 08 Aug, 2004 13:53
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Re: Dirty Zed

Post by Dav »

Mike Fishwick wrote:Here's a picture of le Red Zed looking travel-stained, seen on the Furka Pass last year
Nice pics but I wouldn't let any Furka Pass my Zed!<a href="http://plugin.smileycentral.com/http%25 ... /page.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/4_1_6.gif" alt="SmileyCentral.com" border="0"><img border="0" src="http://plugin.smileycentral.com/http%25 ... e.gif"></a>

Dave L
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Dav the wheel nut
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Shine

Post by Guest »

The Reims picture was taken about 600 miles after cleaning for the BMWCC SW Concours d'elegance - but the weather had been dry! I use Meguiars NXT wax and from time to time top it up with Meguiars Speed Detailer, which is excellent.
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Gazza
Joined: Tue 04 Oct, 2005 20:58
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  M roadster S54
Location: Romford Essex

Post by Gazza »

Nice pics as always Mike

Gazza.
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icarus
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  Z3 roadster 1.9
Location: Ceredigion

Post by icarus »

Always informative and pleasure to read. Its great to see you enjoy every aspect of your motoring.
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QUIA CUSTODIET CUSTODES IPSOS?
estocks
Joined: Tue 04 Oct, 2005 23:36
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  Not specified

Post by estocks »

She sits well on the new shocks. And I like the first pic, what lens/settings?
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Use the Search button before posting newbie questions about hard tops and fitting kits, footwell speaker amps, water in the boot, hood maintainance and those horrific angel eyes. We get like 10 threads a week on the same subject, it's obvious that you haven't searched.
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First Pic

Post by Guest »

This was taken with an old digital - a Minolta Dimage 7i, using aperture priority and settings of (probably) f8 and a 250th of a second, the lens being a 28-200 (35 mm equiv) at 28 mm. It's a very good lens, spoilt by the camera's long 'wake up' time and insatiable appetite for batteries.

I use a Nikon D80 these days, which is a delight to use, but the lens is no better than the old Minolta. My old Nikon lenses are superb, but on a digital the 28 mm lens is about 40 mm. I can see lots of money being spent next year!
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jamila
Joined: Mon 28 May, 2007 22:28
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  Z3 roadster 1.9i

Post by jamila »

Fab pics, love the first one especially.
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muppet
Joined: Wed 08 Feb, 2006 17:16
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  Z4 sDrive20i M Sport
Location: Roof down getting a tan

Post by muppet »

Good stuff as usual Mike.. Le Red Zed looks very shiney in the second pic...... Muppet like shiney things
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I have been diagnosed with ADHOTS. Attention Deficit Hyperactive Ohh That's Shiney
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Concours

Post by Guest »

Here is a picture of le Red Zed after coming Second in Class (after a tie with the eventual winner had been resolved on grounds of Originality) at the 2006 BMW Car Club SW Region's Concours d'Elegance.

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To have tied with a little-used 840 was very pleasing, particularly after losing all 20 Originality points and driving 800 miles - half of it in rain - then only having a day in a campsite to clean up.

This is a picture at the Batterie Todt, a WW2 German coastal gun emplacement now used as a museum. It's a few miles W of Wissant, between Calais and Boulogne.

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There's no gun, unfortunately, as the post-war British government were a little sensitive to it pointing at them - pity it's not still there! The same fate befell the V3, the world's first supergun, which is quite close by.
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pingu
Joined: Fri 30 Apr, 2004 16:01
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  M roadster S50

Post by pingu »

What's so unoriginal about your car, Mike?

Or is the list too long.
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Mr Adds
Joined: Thu 12 Jul, 2007 12:34
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  Z3 roadster 2.2i
Location: Newcastle upon Tyne

Post by Mr Adds »

Thats a lovely Z, especially the photo at the Reims circuit, but can't figure out whats unoriginal apart from the colour coded grill?

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Ian_C
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Location: Lytham St Annes

Post by Ian_C »

pingu wrote:What's so unoriginal about your car, Mike?
...poly bushes all round probably. I've heard that the judging at BMWCC concourse events is particularly stringent! :lol:
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c_w
Joined: Thu 19 Aug, 2004 16:50
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Post by c_w »

pingu wrote:What's so unoriginal about your car, Mike?

Or is the list too long.
Those awful red grills! :P :lol:
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Originality

Post by Guest »

I must confess - under threat of torture by the BMWCC Originality Police - to having ruined my car by the following modifications:

Strut Brace
BMW wheel centre cap over rusty shaft in centre of air con condenser fan
Body coloured grilles
Body coloured front number plate holder
Chrome (Z8) washer nozzles
Silver painted side gill meshes
Chrome door handle covers
shortened gear lever
RAID small airbag steering wheel
non-BMW radio/MD unit
High level rear view mirror
Eisenmann S/S silencer
BMW Club (ie motorcycles) screen sticker
IAM screen sticker
BMW Club screen sticker to fill redundant adhesive tax disc holder
BMW Club (old and new) cloth badges on mesh wind deflector

Each of these deviations lost me 2 Originality marks, up to the maximum of 20 - and I still tied with the Class Winner - pretty good, eh?

Not to mention the painted brake calipers, Butt Strut, Body Brace etc etc - but the brakes, suspension and underside were no longer judged by 2006.

Things have changed a lot since 2006, and it's good to see that the BMWCC has recently revised its Concours Judging System. Originality points are no longer awarded in the Open class, much to the chagrin of those who believe that an original car is inherantly better than a modified car. What this means is that we are all on a level playing field, where the car in the best - cleanest - condition, relative to age and mileage - wins.

So don't be put off joining the BMWCC, as it really is a modern and evolving organisation. The magazine has regular features of interest to Z3 owners, too. The members are OK too! All we need are a load more Zed owners, and then perhaps the Z Register will come to life.

With luck, I'll be at the 2009 concours.

I LIKE my body coloured grilles - they look far better than the original bare black plastic, and the rather garish chrome type, whether using slip-over strips or the BMW post-facelift version. they are also very easy to clean.
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TitanTim
Joined: Mon 23 Jun, 2008 18:56
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Post by TitanTim »

Your Zed looks great Mike :) I think looking at concours events and originality you would need 2 Zeds lol, one original and one as you like it, but to be honest I think its more important to have your motor as how you want it but still keeping to a good standard and so long as any mods are in keeping with the chraracter of the car then it should still do well at events.

Were all different, I actually love chrome especially on a silver car but not too OTT as to make it look too blingy.

The one thing I would like for my Zed are some small for a better word mudflaps or something to stop stones from flying up and peeling off the anti chip seal from under the sills :( Some mini ones in body colour would do the job effectively.

Only thing I would say is, how on earth do you manage to see with all those stickers!!! :wink:

Tim
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2001 Z3 1.9 Roadster Sport - 2012 Z4 sDrive 2.0 M Sport
ajones13
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Location: Belfast

Post by ajones13 »

Each to their own, but I'm really not convinced by the body coloured grilles.
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Seeing

Post by Guest »

After lots of impassioned debate the BMWCC no longer penalise any modification - even if it is thoroughly awful! The problem is that a judge's definition of 'Not in character' can vary so much, and can be a real source of argument, so I guess they took the safe way out, which is better for everyone.

Apart from the IAM one and the old tax disc holder, they are very small. I need a new screen soon, as it became so badly chipped in the UK (we lived near a vast china clay pit on the edge of Dartmoor) so I'll be able to dump the tax disc holder.

If you want to see some really big stickers, look no further than the usual BMW dealer-type of tax disc holder, and the Z Register sticker.
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Being Used

Post by Guest »

Here's a picture of le Red Zed being used a bit - in a driving test which was part of a rally with our local Old Car Club.
Attachments
Le Red Zed at work - we did well in the driving test, but not in the overall event - navigation rallies have never been my forte, particularly when the instructions are in French!
Le Red Zed at work - we did well in the driving test, but not in the overall event - navigation rallies have never been my forte, particularly when the instructions are in French!
Driving Test s.jpg (164.27 KiB) Viewed 1284 times
pangster
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Re: Being Used

Post by pangster »

Mike Fishwick wrote:Here's a picture of le Red Zed being used a bit - in a driving test which was part of a rally with our local Old Car Club.
you mean you don't know your gauche from your droite?? LOL!!! :D

car looks mint BTW! :)
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  Porsche
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Post by shantybeater »

I really like the front grill on this...if only my car was red :lol:
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T48 TRE
Joined: Mon 10 Nov, 2003 07:22
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Body coloured grill

Post by T48 TRE »

I noticed your coloured grill in that last picture you posted before I read the the first article, and I must say that that it set the car off. However I should think that it would not suit all the differnt colours of cars, having their grills colour coded. Yours is particularly fetching with it being in the red which I think BMW called Hellrot.
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Grille

Post by Guest »

When I had the grilles painted red, lots of people told me that I should have had slip-on 'chrome' bits instead, but I like it, and think that any Z3 would benefit from this treatment, regardless of the colour.

The BMWCC Originality Police may hate it, but I think it looks a lot better than bare black plastic!
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Grilles

Post by Guest »

Here's a better picture of the red grilles.

I know there are a lot of BMW owners with a strong puritanical streak, who think (but can't tell anyone why) that the original specification is the only option.

All they would have is a sterile field of identical cars, with bare black plastic grilles and front number plate surrounds, pimply black plastic washer nozzles and door handles, black gill meshes, grey primer on the inner halves of their wheels, and all the other rubbish which BMW foisted on the customer.
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Le Red Zed showing off his body-coloured grilles.
Le Red Zed showing off his body-coloured grilles.
DSC_0011 ss.jpg (180.46 KiB) Viewed 1171 times
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Titan
Joined: Fri 01 Apr, 2005 20:20
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Location: North Yorkshire

Re: Grille

Post by Titan »

Mike Fishwick wrote:I had the grilles painted red .......... and think that any Z3 would benefit from this treatment
I'm not sure that red gills would look too good on ours although it would match the seats.... :twisted:
Image :devil:
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