A visit to BMW Munich
As many of our members know, Graeme and I took a few weeks off and went to Europe. Prior to leaving Graeme had met with Eva Priller from BMW Classic at the recent BMW Clubs Australia AGM and she had mentioned that if we had the time it would be nice for us to visit BMW whilst we were in Europe. This was an invitation we did not want to turn down so after a little tweaking of the itinerary and Graeme forgoing driving Nürburgring (again), we managed to squeeze four days in Munich.
We were lucky to be invited to join a “Wheels & Weisswursht” morning, which is just like our “Coffee and Cars” mornings, except they have beer and sausage instead of coffee and cakes!
They are very fortunate to have such an amazing venue to hold such events, with BMW Classic opening their doors on a Saturday to invite the clubs to join them to enjoy everything BMW and other brands as well. All classic cars are invited to these mornings and there were some exceptional examples on display.
It was so refreshing to see so many cars in all different conditions and just see like minded members who love their cars, standing around chatting and enjoying the day. Cars rolled in and out all morning and it was amazing what turned up.
If you are ever thinking of visiting Munich, make sure you let us know and we will be able to assist you with gaining access to some of the amazing facilities that are available for members to visit whilst in Munich.
We also visited BMW Welt, had a private ‘white glove tour’ at the BMW Museum and were lucky enough to also have a private tour of BMW Classic.
If you love the brand, I really encourage you to try to make the pilgrimage to Munich and visit their amazing facilities and take a tour or two with their dedicated staff and learn more about everything BMW - from their history to their plans for the future. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, they are so helpful and full of knowledge. Also, if you have been before, its worth going back again as every time we have been the museum has different cars on display and we learn more interesting things each time we go there.
Our visit was over before we knew it and we sadly had to leave, but we will be back and there might even be a BMWDCM trip in the planning for the future..
Jo Mawson | Vice President BMW Drivers Club Melbourne The Ultimate Driving Club
Dear Members,
We are now a couple of months old and WOW, what a couple of months it has been!
When we first started down the road of building a new club and all the work it took to get it off the ground, we thought it would be great if in six months or a year we had 100 members, maybe a couple of years we might even make 200. I can’t tell you how proud and grateful I am, that it only took few short weeks to welcome our 100th member and now we are well on our way to 200. I am amazed. Thank you for joining and we hope we can give you what you want from a club. If there is anything you want to do, or think might be fun for us to organise, please drop us a line and you never know, we might just run with the idea. Our door is always open, and we are always looking for ideas. It is your club after all.
I apologise if Jo and I have been a bit hard to get in touch with through most of May and into June, we were off on holiday road tripping around Europe. We covered 9,980km in 6 weeks touring around France, Spain, Portugal, Monaco (for a little race they have there), into Italy briefly (where I almost died, literally, but that’s another story), Switzerland, Germany (where we spent 4 days in Munich), Belgium and back into France. There were a few other countries we popped into as well, but the bit most here would be interested in, was our visit to Munich.
When I went to the Clubs Australia AGM, just before our launch night, I met Eva from BMW Classic in Munich. Eva works for BMW and was not only the person that was responsible for approving our new club logo, but is pretty much in charge of all the BMW Clubs in our region. When Eva heard Jo and I were going to Europe she asked if we were coming to Munich and if we were, she would be very happy to look after us and organise some special things to do whilst we were there. So, I quickly got on to Jo and said we had better change our itinerary to include Munich, because at that stage we weren’t planning on going there this time, and well, when BMW wants you to visit, you visit. After a little juggling, which meant I gave up spending another day at the Nurburgring, we were able to fit in 4 days there. I'm very glad we did! Thank you so much Eva, for your hospitality and all your help.
We just happened to be in Munich over the weekend of the Wheels and Weisswurscht meeting at BMW Group Classic, so Eva invited us to come along too. This is a little like our Cars and Coffee days, just a casual event where people turn up and chat and check out each other’s cars. Except it is at the home of BMW Classic, where they have brought out a few of their cars as well and as well as coffee, there is German sausage for everyone to enjoy. This was a great event, with a group driving up from Italy and club people from Munich and all over Germany just coming down for the drive. Lots of nice cars and plenty you will never see on the road in Australia. It was fantastic to be invited to the day and see some beautiful cars and meet some more people with the same passion as we have.
Eva also organised a couple of very special tours for us. We had our very own ‘white glove’ guided tour of the BMW museum, where our guide opened bonnets and boots, unlocked doors and showed us lots of things up close that you don’t normally get too close to.
We felt like celebrities being allowed to get very close to some of BMW’s prized collection and it is always great to hear the stories about each exhibit from someone that knows all about them, instead of just wandering around and seeing things on our own. If you are going to the museum, let us know and we can help organise a tour for you too. So much better than just wandering around.
Our second ‘special tour’ was at BMW Classic. We were very lucky to have Eva personally show us through the archives and then the collection itself. The archives are amazing, all the original drawings and designs going back to the earliest models, even the original patent application document for the first roundel! All sorts of original items and photos, we could have spent all day in there alone. Best thing was we were allowed to open every drawer and look at everything up close and even touch some. Just amazing. Thank you, Eva!
After spending time in there we were taken into the original workshop building where BMW began making cars. Here they house about a third of the BMW collection. So many amazing vehicles, right back to the very first road going vehicle to have a BMW engine in it, a horse drawn fire brigade pump that was powered by a BMW aircraft engine. Elvis’ freshly restored 507 is there, along with a BMW Mclaren, a couple of F1 cars, lots of different race cars and loads of classic BMWs of every type imaginable. Must say, I was in heaven, only thing better would have been if I could have driven a few of them. Eva mentioned that if she had more notice, she might have been able to arrange a drive as quite a few of the cars in the collection actually do get driven quite often - either loaned to special guests or driven in special events all over Europe. It is great that they actually do get used and not just sit there gathering dust, as Eva said, they were built to be driven, so they still are! Fantastic!
I plan to put together a slide show of our visit to Munich and all the things we saw there, as me being me, I took hundreds of photos at each of the places we visited. Might even put one together of our whole trip, as some that followed us on facebook would know, we don’t just tour around and see a few sights. We saw and experienced a whole lot in our 6 weeks, in 13 countries and almost 10,000km of driving. Jo and I are a bit crazy sometimes, we jumped off a mountain in Switzerland, hiked out on a glacier at 12,000 feet altitude at -9 deg, rode the longest rodelbahn in the world, in Andorra, and the steepest as well, in Italy. We also went to some amazing places and took in some incredibly moving moments, that will stay with me forever. Like the last post ceremony at the Menin Gate and the Australian War Memorial at Villers Bretonneux.
Anyway, that is a bit off track, so back to the club and Melbourne now and full steam ahead.
We have a busy week ahead. We will be at Phillip Is tomorrow for the Alfa Club Sprint and some pace-car laps for our members, thanks to Neil and the Alfa Club for inviting us along. Then Sunday is our first Christmas in July event. Looking forward to that with lots of you coming along. Tuesday will also be our next monthly meeting and I, for one, am looking forward to hearing from the VFT about the benefits and opportunities available in becoming a CAMS official. I have been a CAMS Official for nearly 20 years now and have enjoyed lots of events from the other side, so come along and see what you can get involved in too.
Look forward to catching up with you all one way or another over the coming months.
Graeme Bell | President BMW Drivers Club Melbourne Inc.
P.O. Box 81, TYABB, VICTORIA. 3913 Incorporated in Victoria #A0102695G BMW Drivers Club Melbourne Inc is a member of: BMW Clubs Australia and the BMW Clubs International Council CAMS Affiliated Motorsport Club
BMW PRESS CLUB
Following strong race starts, both driver-trios lost ground on the 13.626-kilometre track due to damper failures, which caused additional pit stops for repairs. The race was then ended for car #82 after an accident on Sunday at about 6:30 hrs. Shortly after that, the radiator of the sister car had to be changed after being hit by debris on the track. 12th place was the highest possible position after the extended stops. The #92 Porsche secured victory at the “Circuit de la Sarthe”.
The Le Mans 24 Hours was the second round of the 2018/2019 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). The season will resume on 19th August with the 6 Hours of Silverstone (GBR).
“Our return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans turned out to be an emotional rollercoaster. First, it was great to see that were able to battle it out at the very front of the fiercely-fought GTE Pro class in terms of pace. Our drivers were involved in plenty of gripping duels with the competition and were even running in second place for some of the race. The BMW M8 GTE left a really strong impression. A podium seemed to be in reach but, unfortunately, technical issues and an accident cost us the chance to be rewarded for all the hard work in the build-up to this event. However, the positives outweigh the negatives: The fans were treated with action galore in the GTE Pro class. We were able to prove the full potential of our new car. In addition, we experienced the world premiere of the all-new BMW 8 Series Coupe on this unique stage. That’s another reason why this event will remain a good memory and give extra motivation to come back here even stronger for the Super Season finale in 2019. A big thank you and a lot of respect to everyone involved in this exciting BMW project with a lot of passion.” - Jens Marquardt | BMW Motorsport Director
Fourth generation of the BMW X family patriarch. New BMW X5 opens the next chapter in the success story of the Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV) segment’s founder, of which more than 2.2 million units have been sold so far. New edition of the BMW X5 captures the imagination with clarity of design, comfortable, sporty and authoritative driving attributes and innovative equipment features. Production at BMW Plant Spartanburg (USA). Market launch in November 2018.
When planning an event there are a lot of things to think about and to try and control.. The weather can be one of those but I haven’t found a way of controlling it yet (the Chinese Government famously controlled the raid for the Beijing Olympics but only in a very limited way in a very limited area).
So, it was more by luck than good judgement that we enjoyed glorious views from SkyHigh at Mount Dandenong at the end of our short cruise on the Queen’s birthday.
The photos I took with my phone do not do justice to the view. I should, it turns out, have taken my better camera, but who carries one of those anymore?
The service road outside Waverly BMW proved to be an ideal starting point, with the minor exception that there was no coffee on sale (surely a mandatory item in Melbourne but we seemed to survive) and no toilets (which became more of an issue for me once we actually reached SkyHigh – the transition from seated to standing seems to release something!).
Not only were we blessed with good weather but we had a good turnout too. It was great to see some families attend with younger children who seemed to be having a good time.
This event was the first time we’d used the new sign in process – designed to meet all the requirements for public liability insurance from CAMS – including approved non-members as day members on the spot. It worked well, just a signature against your name.
There was also time to showcase some of the merchandise we now have and have a chat.
Thanks to the numerous traffic lights our convoy got a little broken up and the climb up to Mount Dandenong was disrupted by other slower moving traffic. Nonetheless, the views on the way up and the little villages we passed through made a very scenic and enjoyable drive. The road was twisty and very much like being well out in the countryside in the foothills of the Victorian Alps, yet so close to Melbourne. A few brief bursts of spirited driving where the visibility and traffic permitted made it interesting and fun.
SkyHigh is clearly very popular but we managed to find enough parking spaces close together and then set off to explore the many features.
The view is obviously the main draw, and it was very pleasant to sit outside and admire the vista stretching across Port Phillip Bay to Geelong, the You Yangs, the Brisbane Ranges and beyond. Some made it into, and thankfully out of, the Maze and others just strolled around the grounds.
A coffee and a prolonged chat lead onto lunch and then people drifted off home.
A fun way to spend some of a public holiday!
Lawrence Glynn | Secretary BMW Drivers Club Melbourne The Ultimate Driving Club
For our June members meeting I put together a few fun facts from BMW’s history. I’m glad to say that those who attended found it interesting and entertaining!
I will not try and write out the entire presentation, mainly because I type too slowly!
For those who could not make it I’ll briefly cover the first of the questions - Have you ever wondered why some think the BMW logo is a spinning propeller?
From this very question you can deduce that the “roundel” is not based on a spinning propeller, but BMW used a picture indicating that it was in some of their advertising in the 1920’s. To make the advertising seem credible they even invented a back story to go with it.
The story goes that a BMW engineer was watching a plane landing after a test flight (of the engine – BMW originally made aero engines) and saw the pattern made by the propeller and thought what a great logo that would make. Just add the letters BMW in the area around the edge of the propeller and its done.
Sadly, there are two major issues with that story.
The first, and most obvious, is that a spinning propeller is nigh on invisible to the naked eye. The “four quadrant” effect is a device used by artists to convey motion, you can not actually see it. Spinning propellers on film sometimes give this effect due to the synchronisation of the camera shutter and the propeller rotation.
The band around the end of the propeller, onto which the BMW letters are imposed, is actually there because the end of the blades are painted white to help you see the prop spin!
So, the engineer would not have seen the 4 quadrants at all.
The second issue is that by the time any plane took off equipped with a BMW engine, the engine would already have the roundel logo cast into the side of the block. All BMW engines did (and do).
The roundel logo for BMW was adapted from the roundel logo used by Rapp Motor Works, a company which was renamed by Austrian military supervisor, Franz Joseph Popp, who was sent to Rapp to supervise the manufacture of 224 Type IIIa engines to the Daimler design.
German military engines were built to an interchangeable design, so any Type IIIa engine could be used in a Type IIIa plane. The actual design of the engine was determined by the manufacturer.
Rapp’s engines were of variable quality and performance, varying from bad to dreadful. So much so that they were not even trusted to make engines to a proven good design without outside supervision.
Ex Daimler engineer Max Friz, now at Rapp, had developed a carburettor and engine design which would fly higher (a key military advantage to this day) and use less fuel. Tests proved this to be so, and, ignoring orders from High Command, Popp had engines to the Friz design built instead of the Daimler design.
Popp recognised the need to distance the company from the reputation of the Rapp era so he took on the imprimatur of the regional government calling the new company Bavarian Motor Works and adopting the white and blue state colours. It was illegal to use a national or state logo as a company logo, so the quartered white and blue fields were reversed. This idea was applied to the existing Rapp Motor Works roundel logo to make the BMW roundel we know today.
The name BMW and the roundel design were registered in March 1917 (not 1916 as you may have thought – have you ever wondered why that is?)
The BMW engine went on to be the aero engine of choice for German WW1 pilots and Opel were commissioned to build engines of the BMW design.
Popp realised that pilots not only liked the performance of this engine but the way it delivered that performance, the feeling of pleasure and confidence it gave.
This became the company mandate, known today by the tag line from an American advertising agency as “sheer driving pleasure”.
MONTH IN REVIEW
May was a fantastic month for BMW Drivers Club Melbourne! We had a very successful launch night, which was held at the Naked Racer Bar at Antique Motorcycles in Cheltenham. We had over 70 members attend to celebrate our launch.
Read more about our launch night here.
Following our launch night, we held a display event at the Shannons Nationals at Sandown where we also sent one lucky member, Sam O’Neil, for the ride of his life with Steve Richards in his GT4 M4. “Half way round the track Steven did the thumbs up just to check if I was still with him, and boy was I ever!” - It’s safe to say Sam enjoyed himself. It pays to register for events! You never know what can happen.
Read more about the Shannons Nationals and see photos here.
Our friends at AROCA then invited us to attend their sprint dat at Sandown Raceway. While we're still getting our Drivers' Championship sorted this was a great opportunity to get out on trach and we had a number of members attend. the day started out quite wet but turned into the perfect day! Keep an eye on our calendar for more chances to get on track.
THE MONTH AHEAD
June is set to be a busy month with a number of events coming up:
EVENTS NOT TO MISS!
Keep an eye on our calendar for events coming up, we’re always adding something new. Click on any of the following events for more information.
Jindivick Cruise
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1 Minute Review: Bowden's Own Snow Blow Cannon
Covers the car in a snow like foam blanket to soften and lift dirt – hose it off and possibly avoid the need to hand wash. Helps reduce swirl marks and cleaning effort.
But the car looked very clean after just a rinse which got most of the baked on bugs off – the rest were much easier to get off than normal.
The kit costs $99.99 and the Snow Job solution is $54.99 for 20 or more washes.
Online or through most auto accessory retailers. Autobarn carry most of the Bowden’s range.
They’re an Australian company with a real interest in cars. The family has a fantastic collection of important historic touring race cars two beautiful JPS 635.
Lawrence Glynn | BMW Drivers Club Melbourne The Ultimate Driving Club
2018 Shannons Nationals at Sandown
We had a cracking day's racing at the second round of the Shannons Nationals at Sandown on 13 May 2018.
There was plenty of overtaking and enough for a BMW fan to cheer at, even if the Roundel was not first over the line in the headline Australian GT race.
To make the weekend even more special, one of our attendees, Sam O’Neil scored a hot lap with Steve Richards in the GT4 M4, courtesy of BMW Australia.
Sam collected his pass from BMW Australia’s headquarters in Mulgrave on the Friday in his E30 convertible, which attracted the attention of several staff members. “Cool E30” was the remark. Despite the inclement weather they had him line the car up in front of the corporate signage for a photo or two!
He described his hot lap as awesome. “WOW, that thing flies, the sheer force when Steven braked, I thought I would hit the screen. And the way it was gripping around the bends and hitting the apex, the car just does not slide at all. Half way around the track Steven did the thumbs up just to check if I was still with him, and boy was I ever!”
Needless to say he was very happy.
The great thing about racing at this level is you can go into the pits and chat with the drivers and the crew, as long as they are not too busy or just getting ready to send the car out.
The Steve Richards Motorsport (SRM) pit was not only welcoming, but professionally kitted out with nice white wall with a count down timer and TV screen, floor matting and all the gear you could need neatly stowed - almost F1 level.
Sadly the results on the track do not match the dedication of the team, stuck as they are with the rigid “balance of performance” settings, which are applied worldwide in GT3 racing.
Basically all the GT3 cars from all the manufacturers are adjusted to give identical lap times on a FIA designated circuit with a FIA designated driver. Those settings result in quite a variation in performance at any given track.
The BMW M6 does well at Bathurst, especially over the top of the mountain, at Phillip Island and The Bend, where SRM finished third in Round 1.
Sandown does not suit the M6 as well, but it is fearsome under brakes.
Starting race 1 on Sunday in seventh spot, Steve had made up one place before the compulsory pit stops.
Here is another form of handicapping unique to Australia - all drivers are graded. Grade 1 drivers have to have a driver swap and a longer pit stop.
Steve is a Grade 1 driver so the car resumed with Ricky Capo in the drivers seat in tenth. Unfortunately he had a spin and finished the race in 13th.
This meant a starting position of 13th for race 2. Steve managed to work his way up to tenth before the pit stop. Ricky then finished in tenth, not far behind ninth, being the fastest car on track in clear air.
For the M6 overtaking at Sandown is tricky with the best spots being under brakes at the end of the back straight, or through the S bend to the start of the front straight.
To make easier for spectators each car carries a digital display, just above the race number in the windscreen, which shows their race position in class or how long the car has been stopped in the pits (minimum pit stop times apply).
The other race featuring BMWs was the Production Car race which was won by BMW in all four starts over the weekend. BMWs 1st and 2nd in the final race and 3 or 4 in the top 10 in each race.
Sadly, due to the weekend being on Mother's Day, the crowds were low. However we proudly showed our BMWs to the few who were there.
The next round of the Shannons Nationals is at Phillip Island June 1 – 3.
The Committee | BMW Drivers Club Melbourne The Ultimate Driving Club
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