Event date: 17 April 2021

The Mates With 8s group organised another run on Saturday 17^th April.

We met at the RMIT Bundoora campus carpark at 9am, leaving at 9.45am (we had to have time for a chat about cars) via HEAPS of road works on Plenty Rd and some pretty country, stopping for coffee at the Tallarook Nth Roadhouse.

Just 3km up the Hume is the Seymour exit but branching off to the left lead us through some amazing country to the west of Pyalong.

It just looks like God had had a hissy fit with millions of huge rocks left over from his construction work and he just threw them about willy(and nilly as well) all over the hills.

At lunch Theo remarked that he thought he’d seen all there was to see in Victoria but that he’d never seen country like that. It made for some interesting roads as well.

Lunch for 18 of us was at the Lancefield Hotel with very generous servings of great food. 16 of us left Bundoora but 18 arrived at Lancefield. Apparently there was a Farmers’ Market at Riddell’s Creek not far away.

After lunch some had to head back to the city and some decided that being near wineries was a better offer. I can’t really blame them as I’m partial to a drop of Red myself.

Those in the 4 cars which continued on found themselves on some really interesting roads with a short, sharp hillclimb out of the bottom of the Colliban Reservoir (no, we weren’t actually IN the reservoir) followed by a great section of good condition, windy and hilly country roads on the edge of the Wombat Forest. I need to point out that at no time did we exceed 100kph but at that speed it was interesting.

The final gathering place was Lake Daylesford where we just had to have another coffee stop to solve the problems of the world.

'till next time,

Trevor Ryan | Member #595
BMW Drivers Club Melbourne

P.S. Eagle eyes might have spotted in the photos that there was an Aston Martin in the group. We were reluctant to have him join us but we relented after he said that he did own a BMW jacket.

Event date: 02 April 2021

The BMW Drivers Club Melbourne recently arranged a gathering at the Sandown race track to collect and raise money for The Royal Children's Good Friday Appeal.  The weather was wonderful and Sandown is an excellent facility to host an event of this nature.   It is so well located and offers endless acres of lawned parking. A special thank you to Sandown for offering this facility as their donation to the cause.

The BMWDCM invited other clubs to participate including the Mercedes Car Club and Saab Club, this event also attracted members of the public who just wanted to show off their cars and enjoy the day.

A total of over 80 cars were on display. The final dollar amount raised will come in a few weeks once the tins have been collected and counted. 

Participating in this event, alerted me to the selfless effort our club executive put in to make these events happen.  They work tirelessly and endlessly to allow  the members to participate in a wide choice of events catering for many tastes and needs. 

Well done to the organisers and on behalf of all the members of BMW Drivers Club Melbourne, please accept our heartfelt thanks for all you do.  I am proud to be part of this wonderful organisation.

Clive Massel | Member #15
BMW Drivers Club Melbourne

The weather certainly smiled on us on Good Friday when we gathered on Red Hill at the Sandown race course. It was a beautiful warm autumn day, no clouds, just a light breeze, green grass to park upon and no dust; a perfect day to peruse the examples of our favourite marque presented by members and their guests. It was also great weather for top-down motoring and so cabrios were present in profusion, with their lids off.

The ambience was very relaxed. Members chatted to other owners about their cars and their restoration experiences. Some folk picnicked on the lush grass that had been well-watered from the recent rains.

We were joined by friends from the Mercedes Benz club. They also mounted a fine display of interesting machines. And we were pleased to welcome a few other classy examples of the car makers' art; among them a 'Lambo', a Corvette Stingray and a couple of Swedish prestige models. The only unfortunate absence was the lack of any BMW bikes on display. Perhaps next time?

A fair number of the cars were on club plates but quite a few were still too young to qualify. That doesn't mean they are not interesting. Auto-engineering development and progress is always inspiring to those who love automobiles.

And just when I think I know a modicum about the history of BMW models, a lineup like this brings me back to reality. Apart from the major model changes, upgrades and introductions there have been so many tweaks, facelifts, engine options and special offerings that it seems unlikely even the most ardent enthusiast would be able to identify all of those that have been produced by the company. Learning about these variations and seeing the actual cars is one of the pleasures of being a member of an owner-drivers club.

Some of the examples that caught my eye this time were these:

• A very tidy late 1980s E-30 325i cabriolet. This example is a 5 speed manual, but most of those delivered to Australian customers came with the smaller 2L mill and were automatics. In my none-too-humble opinion the E-30 model convertible is still the prettiest example BMW has ever offered. Perhaps I'm a tad biased as I also drive one.
• The early 1980s BMW 325e E-30 Baur convertible. The coachbuilder, Baur, has a long association with BMW. Their 'roll cage' design was originally a BMW approved aftermarket option. It was offered by Baur for the E-21 3 Series but was covered under the factory warranty. Later, BMW built the E-30 convertible design in-house. Baur had developed it for them.
• An elegant 1982 BMW 318i E-21 2-door coupe. The E-21 models were in production for 8 years until 1983 and were the first of the 3 Series. They began with carburetted motors but the later editions were equipped with fuel injection.
• A fine 1970s BMW 2000CS series 4-cylinder manual coupe. These Karmann designed cars were produced for 4 years in the late 1960s. BMW called them part of their “New Class” range. They were intended as a cost-effective replacement for the Bertone-designed 3200CS and they leaned heavily on that design. That may have been the goal but these cars were never inexpensive. You either loved or hated the front end. Most folk were less than enthusiastic about it. The model was superseded by the BMW E-9 range.
• The 1981 BMW 323 E-21 John Player Special. It's always great to see a well kept example from Australian Touring Car Championship history, and from a time when cigarette company sponsorship was not confined to history. The JPS team raced from 1981 to 1987.

Kent Fuller | Member #191
BMW Drivers Club Melbourne

Our Good Friday Appeal display was proudly supported by Sandown Raceway, Makulu Vehicle Storage and Shannons Insurance.

Event date: 28 March 2021

Early start Easter Sunday morning, joining up with friends driving a BMW M E36 and an Alfa Romeo Montreal we met in the Eagle Chair Lift car park at the top of Arthurs Seat in Dromana.

We headed South towards Flinders initially driving through filtered sunlight and then into heavy fog. The air was brisk and the cars sounded fantastic. Ten K’s from Flinders we came across a vintage car and respecting the car and driver we proceeded to follow him into Flinders.

Flinders was buzzing with participants and early spectators. The Flinders Lion Club had parking marshals on almost every corner. 

I headed into section B where the BMW Drivers Club Melbourne were setting up their display.  There were 12 BMW cars being displayed this year.

By 10am all 160 cars were in position scattered around the three parks in Cook Street and thousands of visitors milling around them.

With COVID, the 2020 Flinders car show was cancelled which resulted in this year being bigger and better than ever. There was an air of excitement in the township.

I was advised by the organisers the car exhibits were more unique and interesting than previous years.

For the second year running the BMW Drivers Club Melbourne won the best car club display. The committee and office holders need to be congratulated.

 To top off the day my friend in the Alfa Montreal won the car of the show prize.

Michael Northwood | Member #491
BMW Drivers Club Melbourne

What is it?

The latest 3 Series Hybrid, basically adding an 83 kW electric motor and a battery to the 135 kW 320i. It can be driven in pure electric mode, pure (?) petrol mode, or both together for 215 kW which exceeds the power of a 330i – hence the 330e rather than 320e model name (there is a 320e in some markets).

What is it for?

The claimed pure electric range of 57 kms would allow most people to complete their journeys on most days without using petrol. Electric cars’ range is usually better around town than on the highway but I achieved 56 kms on a charge on each of 3 predominantly highway trips. Electric running costs about half that of petrol power and, even with 100% brown coal electricity, less pollution. Yet the performance at the top end is that of the thirstier 330i with the “wall of torque” character at the lower, lazier end, of a 320d. Always impressively quiet. What’s not to like?

OK, what is not to like?

It’s 115 kg heavier, but as that is all low down (mostly under the rear seats and the bottom of the boot) I could not tell on the road. The boot is a mere 5 litres smaller. And the petrol tank is 40 litres not 59 litres, but still good for over 600 km, probably nearer 700 kms on the open road, both of which comfortably beat my 1981 E21 323i. It does cost about $15,000 more than a 320i (but has more equipment as standard) and about $7,000 more than a 330i (before taxes and on roads).

Does it work?

Yes, very well indeed. Unlike many electric cars it does not take off like a scalded cat when you as much as look at the accelerator. The drive away (or “tip in from stationary”) is smooth and torque-convertor-auto like. It will even creep like an auto. Except silent, which is always a bit odd the first time. Stop-Start is not a thing here. In electric mode it just stops moving and starts moving, silently and without delay. If the battery is “flat” there is enough kept in reserve to move off under electric power whilst the petrol engine gets going. It will recharge the battery when slowing down or going down hill so magically there always seems to be some battery on hand. The transition from electric to petrol is indiscernible unless one is watching the petrol consumption meter which suddenly springs to life. Give it the beans and the electric motor fills in the torque curve and pushes you down the road and keeps assisting the petrol engine until your licence is melting before your eyes. Turbo lag is not a thing here either.  Paddle shift gear changes are instant and the response is, well, electric!

What about all the tech?

It’s got loads of tech toys and they all work faultlessly. The laserlights are phenomenal, active cruise control (an acquired art) is brilliant, lane keep assist (keeps you in the centre of the lane which can give an annoying wriggle like action) can be turned off and stays off, lane departure control (which helps steer you back into a lane if you drift out) works brilliantly but can be turned off, and will auto turn off if you start driving spiritedly on twisty roads, but comes on each start. It defaults to Hybrid mode on start up (I think that’s good) but the selection buttons (for Xtraboost for example) are right by the stop/start button. “Hey BMW” commands worked for me but I did not try gesture control. I did not try adjusting the various camera views to get rid of the, to me, annoying warning marks which I felt only obscured my view of they very thing they were trying to stop me from hitting. But the cameras can be used as a 360 degree dash cam, which is clever. I did not try the “post crash iBrake” or the many crash avoidance features for obvious reasons.

Did you like it?

Very much. So much so, I bought one. Well, ordered it, at least. Could be here in July, computer chip shortages and other possible hold ups permitting.

So, whose car did you drive then?

Matthew Hede from Waverley BMW was kind, and trusting, enough to let me have their demo 330e M Sport model for the weekend. Waverley BMW are club sponsors and offer a 3 years new car service package at no cost to BMWDCM members. As well as lending me the car, Matthew carefully went through the options I had selected to make sure I was getting the best car and the best deal for my needs.

Lawrence Glynn | Member #3
BMW Drivers Club Melbourne

MONTH IN REVIEW 

Dear members

Summer may be over but we are enjoying some beautiful autumn weather! 

March began with our members meeting at Berwick BMW where we had almost 100 members and guests attend.  It was also great to able to get up close and personal to the new M3 and M4.  Thanks very much to Berwick BMW for inviting us, we had a great night.

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On 7 March, we had round 2 of the Traction Tyres/Yokohama Drivers Championship at Rob Roy Hill Climb for the very first time.  The sun was shining and there were many happy drivers, most improving their times each run they did.

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The following day on 8 March, we held a come and try day for Race Chix Motorsport in conjunction with Shannons International Women's Day Festival at Broadford. It was amazing to see so many women on track and so many girls participating in the off track events.  We hope to see all those who attended on track again in the future!

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On 14 March we had a family day out to the Werribee Zoo!  We were greeted with a brilliant sunny day and were taken on a safari bus tour so everyone could get up close to the animals.

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16 March was our last mid-week sunset drive until our days become longer again.  This time we departed from Waverley BMW where we were treated to a nice spread of food before our trip up Mt Dandenong.  We had over 30 cars in attendance who all enjoyed the spectacular view of the Melbourne city lights.

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Our month ended with E30 Racing Round 2 at Winton over the weekend and a twilight drive for our members in Geelong on Sunday, where members finished their evening with dinner at Grill'd Geelong. Taking the long way to dinner can be quite enjoyable when you do it with great company. 

We had quite a few members racing at Winton, especially one member, Anton Bergman, who didn't know he was racing until the day before!  You can read about his eventful weekend here. 

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MEMBERSHIP UPDATE: 567 MEMBERS

Welcome to our new members, Simon Latimer, Steve Roberts, Neil Phillips,Anthony Inguanti, Timothy Sung, Richard Altrieth, James Smith, Alisdair Reeves, Peter Sinclair, Sijy Prakasan, Claire Jackson, Tobia Zappia, Guy Nutting, Alex Oh, Neve McConalogue, Wayne Cooper, William Allan, Armon Dhingra and Barry Coates. We look forward to seeing you at an event soon!

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Don't forget to catch up with this month's update from our President, Graeme Bell here.

THE MONTH AHEAD

Friday, 2 April
Royal Children's Hospital Good Friday Appeal Display
Join us in support of the Royal Children's Hospital on 2 April at Sandown Raceway.  We will be selling raffle tickets on the day to raise money, with some great prizes on offer from some of our club sponsors.

Sunday, 4 April
Flinders Motoring Heritage Day - DISPLAY ALLOCATION SOLD OUT
Unfortunately the display is already sold out but we'd love to see you if you have time to drop by and say hello!

Saturday, 10 April
April drive day leaving from Berwick BMW
We'll start our day with breakfast at Berwick BMW.  We'll then head off to Mirboo North via Poowoong for a comfort stop.  We have lunch booked for 1pm at the Grand Ridge Brewery. 

Tuesday, 13 April
April Members Meeting | Eastern Tyre Centre
Eastern Tyre Centre will be arranging for a guest speaker from Continential Tyres to come and speak to us about all things tyres.  We'll also have a brand new set of tyres up for grabs to any members who are present.

24 - 25 April
Anzac Day Weekend Away to Mansfield
On Anzac Weekend we will be heading up to Mansfield area, where we will enjoy some amazing driving roads, lunches at well known wineries and of course remember the fallen on Anzac Day at the Mansfield dawn service.

NEWS & BLOG 

MEMBER CAR OF THE MONTH

CLASSIFIEDS

idrive magazine

CLUB PARTNERS

Members are welcome to submit their business to be shared on the Club Partners page on our website and idrive magazine. 

We believe in supporting those who support us.  If you would like your business listed email us with your details.

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As always - thanks for reading, we look forward to seeing you at an event soon!

President | Graeme Bell 0407 186 296
Vice President | Jo Mawson 0412 661 900
Secretary | Lawrence Glynn 0414 563 290 
Treasurer | Shaaron Glynn

Proudly supported by:

All Commercial/All Residential Real Estate
Berwick BMW

BM Tech

Creative Custom Cars
German Auto Haus

Mornington BMW

Shannons Insurance
South Yarra BMW

Southern BM

Traction Tyres

Waverley BMW

Zagame Autobody

Dear Members,

Welcome to Autumn in Melbourne!

Summer may be over, but the beautiful Autumn weather is here, and we have been making the most of it and getting out and about as much as we can.

March started off with our members meeting at Berwick BMW with nearly 100 members and guests attending the night.  It was great to be able to get up close and personal to the new M3 and M4 and also mingle with some of Berwick BMWs customers. It was a fantastic evening and we thank Berwick BMW for inviting us along to help launch Melbourne’s newest dealership.

7 March was Round 2 of the Traction Tyres/Yokohama Drivers Championship, Round 1 of the Motorsport Australia Interclub Championship and our first Hill Climb at Rob Roy. It was a beautiful day it was with the sun shining and lots of fun was had by all who attended, with everyone improving their times with each run. This was the aim of the day and we all went home very happy.

In late February we were contacted by Race Chix Motorsport to run a womens come and try day as a part of the Shannons International Women’s Day Festival event at Broadford on 8 March.  As you can imagine with only two weeks’ notice, there was a lot of work to be done, but we pulled it off.  With 27 entrants (25 of which were women) and over 50% female officials on the day, it was a brilliant turnout and a fantastic effort from all of our members that gave of their time to help run the day.  

We were lucky to be at Broadford on the Sunday night and were invited to the event dinner to listen to Inspirational speaker Jacqui Cooper, 5-time Olympic Freestyle skier, give a truly inspiring talk about her life and just why not to ever give up on your dreams.  If she was selling ice, I think both Jo and I would have bought it on the night.  We are lucky to have Jacqui coming to our presentation dinner on 1 May, so don’t miss out on the chance to be inspired by this amazing woman. 

14 March was our family day out at Werribee Zoo. We were very lucky to have a brilliant sunny day as the day before was very wet.   Lots of families attended and we had the Chongola privately booked for us so our members could just leave their belongings behind and explore at their leisure and then come back to either cook a BBQ or enjoy a picnic lunch.  We also booked a carriage on the Safari bus for all our members to be together and this did not disappoint, with some very close encounters with a very large Rhino and some very beautiful African animals. 

16 March was our last mid-week sunset drive for this summer.  This time we departed from Waverley BMW and as usual, Waverly put on a great spread for us before we headed of on a fantastic drive up to the scenic lookout at the top of Mt Dandenong with over 30 cars in procession, in 2 groups of 16.  The drive was amazing even though we did get a bit confused at one point, but we all made it up to the look out to see the spectacular Melbourne city lights.  It was so good to have learner drivers come out again, this makes me so proud that parents feel safe to bring their children on our drives with us. 

On 26-28 March quite a few of our club members attended E30 Racing Round 2 at Winton, either as drivers, crew or officials.  It was great to see my son Chris return to racing for the first time since he won the E30 Racing Championship in 2018 and fantastic to see Jess out racing again after rolling her car at Sandown in Round 1. I'm very proud of both of them, they both drove very well - Chris finishing second for the weekend and Jess in 8th. BMW Drivers Club Melbourne proudly sponsored the Blend Line live stream coverage of this event and it is not too late to still watch all the action on Blend Line. The E30 Racing Championship is a great next step into motorsport for those that want to go beyond Club track days and step into real racing. It is a great bunch of people to be involved with and we always enjoy the weekends away racing with them. For more information on Club Motorsport or E30 Racing give me a call or send me an email.

Also, on 28 March we had what would possibly be our last twilight drive for this part of the year, as we are running out of day light, which left from Ceres and ended at Grill’d in Geelong, were most attended the evening meal.  Another great drive was had by all and also another great charity was supported with tokens being given to The Smiths Family from the dinner funds.

April is going to be a jammed packed month with lots to do and see.

Easter starts on 2 April and we are holding our annual Good Friday Royal Children’s Hospital Coffee & Cars day.  We are hoping to raise some much-needed funds for this worthy charity.  If you cannot attend on the day, you will find the bank details for any donations you may which to give here, be sure to quote the reference number so it will go to our tally.   All cars and bikes are welcome, BMW and non-BMW, members and non-members, this is our big chance to give so they may live. This year we are holding it on the grass area of Sandown Raceway, known as Red Hill. I’d like to thank Melbourne Racing Club and Sandown for allowing us to have our event there at no cost, so the funds we raise can all go to the Royal Children’s Hospital.

On 4 April is the Flinders Heritage Car Display, and this event is now full but if you want to come down as a spectator you can still do this, and we would love to see you.  All funds raised by this event goes to local charities and the Lions Club do a brilliant job each year running this fantastic event. We will have a great display again this year and looking forward to seeing all the amazing cars that come out for this event.

10 April will be our drive day from Berwick BMW heading out to Mirboo North and lunch will be at the Grand Ridge Brewery after some very exciting driving roads, by our drive master Peter Williams.  

13 April will be our members meeting at Eastern Tyre Centre, with some fantastic raffle prizes and also a guest speaker on the night.  This event is nearly at capacity so don’t miss out.

17 April was on our calendar as a Winton Driver Training day but unfortunately due to circumstance beyond our control this day has now been cancelled.  We will be having Round 3 of our Traction Tyres/Yokohama Drivers Championship at Winton on April 18, so entries are out don’t miss out as this day books up quickly.

24/25 April is the Anzac weekend. We are doing a short weekend trip away to Mansfield and we will be attending the dawn service in Mansfield or one of the surrounding towns. We're looking forward to another weekend away with our club family, these are so much fun and to go to a dawn service somewhere different is always worth the effort, to remember those that gave so much so that we can enjoy the life we now lead.

1 May is our third birthday and presentation dinner which is going to be a great night and would love to see as many of you attending this great night to support all your fellow members who will be presented awards on the night.  This event is being held at the Park Hyatt and if you want to make it a weekend stay, be sure to quote the special discount code when booking your room at the Park Hyatt.

As you can see, we have a very busy calendar coming for you to enjoy, but if you have anything you’d think we would like to do or see or have a favourite drive you’d like to share, get in touch and let us know. We are always looking for ideas and even people to run events if you like to. Happy to help you get more involved in your club. Keep an eye on the emails and website for all the upcoming events.

As always, I am very proud to say our membership is still growing, and we are now at 567 and still growing daily.  Let’s see if we can get the club over 600 by our birthday! It truly amazes me that so many have come on board with us and share the passion for what we all do, enjoying our cars and our driving with an awesome bunch of friends. Thank you and welcome to you all.

 I look forward to seeing you somewhere at an event or on the road, until then take care and safe driving.

Graeme Bell | President
BMW Drivers Club Melbourne Inc.

P.O. Box 81, TYABB   VIC   3913
Incorporated in Victoria #A0102695G
BMW Drivers Club Melbourne Inc is a member of: BMW Clubs Australia and the BMW Clubs International Council
Motorsport Australia Affiliated Motorsport Club

My Friday started off normal, working away with the goal of finishing early, having a pub lunch and a POETS day. I got a call from a friend who was doing Friday practice at Winton, Alex Jory, he asked me if I was free on the weekend to race in the E30s as another friend, Rod Martin, had to work and had pulled out of the weekends racing. 

Rod was happy for me to race his car if I was free, but I turned the offer down as it was my son's birthday party on Saturday morning.  The thought of racing grew more and more on me so I rang back and said I’d have to get permission from my son to get the all clear to go racing and miss his party. He said he knows I love racing and that will all of his friends around he wouldn’t notice I wasn’t there, so late Friday night I loaded up Rod's car and headed up to the house where team Bell Motorsport were staying.

I woke Saturday to the sound of drizzle, thinking it will make qualifying interesting and it did. It was the first time I’d driven Rod's car and it wasn’t handling as well as some of the E30 race cars that I’ve been lucky enough to drive but I'm always up for a challenge. I managed to qualify fifth and was within six tenths of second (Chris Bell smashed the field by 1.1 seconds!).

It rained just before race 1 which made things tricky for the field but the track was drying each lap and was almost completely dry by the end, I finished where I started.

Race 2 was early Sunday morning, I got a great start and made a couple of positions on the opening lap and got to third, which I held on to for the rest of the race.

Race 3 I lost a couple of spots on the opening lap and then had a epic battle with Brian Bourke for the whole race with him passing me just before the last lap.

I had a great weekend racing with a great bunch of guys and girls, I hope they do the two driver enduro races again later in the year so I can get another steer.

A huge thanks to Rod Martin for the car and Bell Motorsport for helping to get me strapped  in for each race.

Thank you also the BMW Drivers Club Melbourne for sponsoring the Blend Line coverage for the weekend.

Anton Bergman | Member #66
BMW Drivers Club Melbourne

Name: Mark Topliss
What make is your vehicle? BMW
What model is your vehicle? Z4
What year is it? 2005
Does it have a nickname? Not sure, when I drive the car, Jenni always calls it 'slow down'!
What engine does it have? 3.0
What colour is it? Sapphire Black
When did you purchase it? 02/2020
Where did you buy it? Private sale
What attracted you to this particular vehicle? Spec and price
How have you modified it since purchasing it? Changed the wheels
Do you work on the car yourself?  If not, where do you get your work done?  Local independents.
Generally, what do you love about it? Compared to my Z3 it's a better all round package
If you had to pick one piece of the car that you just love to look at, hear or touch, what would it be and why? An all round nice looking Z4
Tell us about the best drive you've had in it. When I lived in Regional Victoria, the quiet side roads were a 'blast' and I possibly had the car at the legal max speed limit / limiter perhaps!
What about the worst drive? Why? Round the city, no tickets for 37 years, then caught doing 65 in a 60!
Any improvements/modifications/restorations planned? Re-upholster the seats
In two words, how would you describe it? A blast.
Is there anything else about your car that is of interest (i.e previous celebrity owner, raced, a show winner, limited number in Australia)? No

Thanks for sharing with us Mark!  If you'd like to share your car (or motorbike!) with us, click here to submit your car or bike for next month!

Event date: 28 March 2021

Many of us do not need much of an excuse to take our cars out for a drive but sometimes a little encouragement is required. Taking the long way to have something to eat and meet up with fellow members is reason a plenty.

So that’s what we did on Sunday evening, making a 10 minute drive from Ceres to Grill’d take about 1 hour.

Finding twisty roads around Geelong is something of a challenge as the terrain is largely flat and the road engineers have taken a leaf from the Roman’s civil engineering book and made the roads as straight and flat as they can. Fortunately there are rivers which roads cross and they throw up a few bends and elevation changes to make things a bit more interesting. The route had some of these elements but the views made up for the lack of g-force excitement.

What was interesting was the nice mix of cars and the great company. So we all had a good time and enjoyed the evening. As an added bonus we helped to try and boost the fund raising for The Smith Family via Geelong Evening View Club (whose secretary is my wife Shaaron!). Two birds and all that.

Lawrence Glynn | Member #3
BMW Drivers Club Melbourne

It was a lovely evening for a drive around the country back roads of Geelong and a fantastic opportunity to raise money for such a worthwhile organisation Smith Family via Geelong Evening View Club.

We met at Ceres and set off together, Jenny and Mark nominated to be our “tail end Charlie” for the evening, well done top job guys.

Weather was perfect and the roads had some curve and there is just about no greater feeling behind the wheel of our beautiful BMWs of such vast array.

Company was also lovely back at Grill’d with Burgers, chit chat and laughs had by all, especially with Peter’s witty commentary.

Cate Unsworth | Member #490
BMW Drivers Club Melbourne

The MINI Electric Pacesetter inspired by JCW is the new Safety Car for the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship race series. As such, it connects the brand’s electrified future with the rich racing history of John Cooper Works. The car was created out of the new MINI Cooper SE as part of an unprecedented collaboration between MINI Design, BMW Motorsport, the FIA and the Formula E.

Electric drive meets John Cooper Works.
“We have already shown how well driving fun and electric mobility go together with the MINI Electric,” says Bernd Körber, Head of MINI. “However, the MINI Electric Pacesetter inspired by JCW goes at least a step further and blends the performance character of the John Cooper Works brand with electric mobility. This extreme version of the MINI Electric has been developed as the Safety Car for Formula E, so is clearly not intended for use on public roads. But it does reveal one of the directions we could take with the electrification of the JCW brand. For me, the message is clear: electrification and John Cooper Works are a good fit.”

Dynamism maximised  – the exterior design. 
The exterior of the MINI Electric Pacesetter inspired by JCW has been purpose-built for life on the track and represents the most dynamic interpretation yet of a MINI with all-electric power. “The design is an exciting symbiosis of technical precision and emotion,” explains Oliver Heilmer, Head of MINI Design. “Here, function dictates form, and many design elements have been shaped by technical considerations. For example, we worked closely with our colleagues at BMW Motorsport to develop the form of the wheel arches and front and rear aprons, and the optimisation programme for them included weight-saving measures. This visually striking, technically precise design language gives the car its pervasive sense of emotional engagement and excitement.”

At the front of the car, classical MINI icons such as the circular headlights and hexagonal radiator grille create the familiar, easily recognisable MINI face. At the same time, signature John Cooper Works elements, such as wheel arches adapted to the car’s track width and the deep front apron with additional front splitters to the left and right, enhance the sporting visuals of the front end. The blanked off “radiator grille” and MINI Electric logo point to the electric “heart” of the Safety Car. As virtually no drive system cooling is required through the upper area of the grille, the front end is largely enclosed to aid aerodynamics. The only exceptions are the area below the grille and the eye-catching, almost squared-off apertures for brake cooling. The Safety Car’s white flashing lights are integrated harmoniously into the bonnet. Characteristic MINI bonnet stripes extend over the roof to the rear end.

Showcasing MINI’s racing genes – the flanks.
The MINI Electric Pacesetter inspired by JCW also cuts an extremely dynamic figure from the side. The interplay of geometrically accentuated spats (with carefully placed aero edges) and sporty side skirts gives the car the appearance of powering forward even before it turns a wheel. Together with the increased-diameter wheels, which almost fill the wheel arches, these elements strengthen the time-honoured MINI “stance on the wheels”. The spats and spoilers are made – or more precisely 3D printed from recycled carbon fibre – in Oxford. Yellow accent lines and surfaces on the aero elements (e.g. the spats, skirts and rear wing) provide a nod to the airflow optimisation taking place in these areas and add a visual flourish to the air deflectors and aero edges. The lightweight 18-inch forged wheels in bi-colour black-neon/orange design bring significant visual depth and added intricacy to the four-spoke items from the MINI John Cooper Works GP.

The respective colour worlds of the MINI Electric and John Cooper Works brand merge into a single statement here. The main body colour is a matt silver which extends back beyond the centre-point of the car. A high-gloss wrap with a two-stage colour gradient – from Highspeed Orange to Curbside Red met. – then covers the rest of the body to the rear. The contrast between matt and gloss surfaces brings extra smoothness to the silhouette, while the clear, diagonal separation lines between the different colours injects further dynamism. On the flanks, a chequered flag-inspired pattern shares the stage with a large MINI Electric logo, which can also be found in the radiator grille, on the roof and at the rear end. The Safety Car brief also brings regulations-specific and sponsor-related graphics, which add further visual intensity to the car’s racing character.

Broad and eye-catching – the rear.
The rear end in black and Curbside Red met. uses yellow accent surfaces to extend the eye-catching design language from the front end and flanks, and makes an extremely modern and dynamic statement. The prominent roof-mounted rear wing with air through-flow and yellow accent lines also integrates the signal light unit and was 3D printed at Plant Oxford. The flared wheel arches accentuate the car’s wide track and transition seamlessly into the pronounced rear apron. The rear apron has cut-outs around the wheels, clearing the view to the higher-grip racing tyres. Between the wheels sits an unadorned diffuser. When the car is viewed from this angle, the accents in Energetic Yellow and lack of exhaust tailpipes identify this as a car powered by an electric drive system.

Maximum reduction – the interior.
The interior is stripped back to the absolute essentials; only the front seats remain. The driver’s area consists of a certified seat with six-point belt approved for both racing and road use, a steering wheel with minimalist-design carbon fibre impact absorber and a digital instrument cluster. The central information display makes way for a carbon fibre cover here to further reduce weight. The centre console houses the gearshift lever, handbrake and controls for the necessary signal lights – all in exposed carbon fibre. The likewise pared-back carbon-fibre door panels with window and door openers contain cloth straps to make closing the doors easier. Another central feature of the interior is the welded-in roll cage, which maximises safety. And the remainder of the stripped-out interior structure is also painted in typical racing white (for functional reasons).

Bespoke 3D-printed parts for the interior.
The steering wheel’s minimalist impact absorber and the boost panel on the right-hand side of the wheel are high-quality, custom-made components, likewise the centre console cowling and door panelling on the driver’s side. Another highlight are the removable pads on the sport seat, which are likewise 3D-printed and whose innovative structure combines comfort, robustness and modularity. The thickness, hardness and colour of the pads can be adapted as required according to the physiognomy, weight and personal taste of the driver at hand.

Ready for the racetrack, helped by knowhow from BMW Motorsport.
Behind the visually powerful design of the MINI Electric Pacesetter inspired by JCW lies the expertise of BMW Motorsport. Rigorous adherence to lightweight design principles gives the Safety Car a kerb weight of approx. 1,230 kg – which makes it approx. 130 kg lighter than the standard MINI Cooper SE. The drive system – also based on that found in the MINI Cooper SE – produces 135 kW and 280 Nm (206 lb-ft), which enables the MINI Electric Pacesetter inspired by JCW to sprint from 0-100 km/h (62 mph) in 6.7 seconds (standard model: 7.3 s) and from 0-60 km/h (37 mph) in 3.6 seconds (standard model: 3.9 s). Even more important for a Safety Car, though, are the mid-range figures. Here, the MINI Electric Pacesetter inspired by JCW showcases all the talents of its torque-rich electric drive system with single-speed transmission, enabling a 80-120 km/h (75 mph) time of 4.3 seconds (standard model: 4.6 s).

The drive system teams up with racing coilover suspension (three-way adjustable for rebound, compression, height and camber) to deliver maximum go-kart feeling. Race-spec suspension control arm mountings, a 10 mm increase in track width, plus the four-piston brakes and wheels from the MINI John Cooper Works GP with Michelin Pilot Sport tyres (size 245/40 R18) round off the overall package. These are the same tyres fitted to the front wheels of Formula E racing cars.

Premiere at the Rome E-Prix on 10.04.2021
The MINI Electric Pacesetter inspired by JCW will see action for the first time in Rome on 10 April 2021 at the second event (Race 3) of Formula E’s 2021 season. At the wheel will be official FIA Formula E Safety Car driver Bruno Correia, as BMW i Andretti Motorsport drivers Maximilian Guenther (GER) and Jake Dennis (GBR) battle it out for victory in their BMW iFE.21 racers.

“Agility, performance, a cool looking car: the MINI Electric Pacesetter Safety Car for the FIA Formula E World Championship has got it all,” said Correia. “It’s very fun to drive, it feels like karting.”

BMW PRESS