New Member from Western Australia

Harold996tt

Member
Messages
14
Reaction score
15
Location
Australia
This is my first post and thought it best to introduce myself. I am a brand new (almost to be) owner of an E9.

Whilst I have been a fan of the E9s beautiful lines and heritage for many years, my dream of ownership only finally came true very recently after my garage managed to expel a couple of cars, freeing up not only space but crucially funds back into my piggy bank.

The hunt for the right E9 was a haphazard event from start to finish. The first few weeks of the hunt started with looking at the usual market places in Australia as well as the key classic car dealerships in Melbourne and Sydney.

As is always the case, I was distracted along the way by a Ferrari 355 Berlinetta, and a Porsche 964 Speedster all with wildely different price points before finally remembering my bucket list focus being the E9.

Whilst no E9s popped up for sale, I began to look on various Facebook pages and just keep typing "E9 for sale Australia" into Google everyday. Finally one car popped up in my search, and I was utterly in love. It was an Australian delivered CSa. The fact that it was an automatic transmission car was entirely lost on me as it was gorgoeus in its colour and combination. The price was also incredibly reasonable, which hinted to me that it was more than likely rust filled. But I had to have it so I called the dealership and told them I was ready to purchase the car at full price. But its funny how fate can save you. The seller was unable to commit on the car and I then found out the car was subsequently sold.

IMG_8338.jpg


So the hunt commenced again with some disappointment. Reaching out again to the Australia Facebook page I asked for leads on any cars. At the same time as this, I began to look at cars available out of the UK and began toying with the idea of a non totally original CSL that had become available. The car had a 3.5 engine and 5 speed transmission conversion but also came with the original engine block and crankshaft. This is the CSL that was available.
IMG-20210518-WA0075.jpg


Whilst working out the overall costs of importing the car into Australia, a contact of the Australia E9 FB page found a fully restored CSi with a converted 5 speed box that could potentially be for sale out of Tasmania. The thought of having a fully restored car was appealing as it would ensure little additional hidden costs for rust. But somehow I had by this time become hooked on the idea of a CSL.

Eventually my good friend from Sydney reached out to his relative in Melbourne who he knew had an E9 CSi. This in turn lead to him advising thst whilst his car was not for sale, he was aware of a CSL that may be potentially for sale. After some discussion and research it was confirmed that the car being sold was a UK CSL that had been imported by the seller in 1997. He then commenced to do a full restoration with some tasteful modifications to bring it up to a state that he felt would work for him. This included a 3.5 conversion and 5 speed. Again the original engine block was still with the seller as was the crank and available together with the car.

The key negative for me on the car was that the seller had during the restoration installed a CSI sunroof in the car early in its life in Australia. However, after further discussions with other E9 owners on the Australia E9 FB page, it was confirmed that the seller was in fact one of Australia's most respected mechanics and restorers of E9s in the country. I ultimately locked in the purchase of the car given that the price of the car I was now looking at was on par with the landed cost of the red CSL, and the fact that the seller of the car confirmed thst it was essentially rust free and his reputation within E9 circles was very high. And here she is...

IMG_20210523_130206_397.jpg


I won't be doing anything with the car for the immediate term other than to have it properly serviced and a minor power steering leak fixed. The intention will be to drive it for the next couple of years before deciding if I want to do a full restoration on it and reuniting it with its original engine case.

Meantime I really look forward to learning from you all and thank you for granting me entry to the group.

Cheers. Harold
 

Harold996tt

Member
Messages
14
Reaction score
15
Location
Australia
...welcome Harold, look forward to seeing it when it heads over here....I saw it some years ago when I met Bill at his workshop in Melbourne ...had triple Webers I think ?Cheers, Simon
Thanks so much Simon, I do look forward to catching up! Car is not running Webers on the car from what I know now.
 

Gazz

Well-Known Member
Site Donor
Messages
945
Reaction score
620
Location
Gold Coast Australia
If the engine was built by Ian it will last forever.

My E9 has a CSL roof and boot lid from one of his spares when they were IDB in Richmond. They were probably the only place in Australia I would have been able to get such things. Wonder what happened to that treasure trove?
 

Harold996tt

Member
Messages
14
Reaction score
15
Location
Australia
If the engine was built by Ian it will last forever.

My E9 has a CSL roof and boot lid from one of his spares when they were IDB in Richmond. They were probably the only place in Australia I would have been able to get such things. Wonder what happened to that treasure trove?
Haha mate I don't suppose you would want to swap a roof would you. Kidding. I was initially hell bent on an all original car, failing which I wanted to restore a car such as Bill's to all original, but now that I have got to know Bill and the history behind the car, I want to keep the car the way Bill modified it. Its a legacy of his taste and to me the fact that he has been a part of the E9 Australia community for so long, I would be doing the car and Bill an injustice to revert it to anything other than the way Bill liked it. So it will stay as is with all the modifications.
 

Harold996tt

Member
Messages
14
Reaction score
15
Location
Australia
Welcome from another new WA community member. Look forward to catching up when the weather improves!
Thanks so much mate and definitely look forward to catching up when the car is back in WA and I have also managed to find my way back (stuck overseas at the moment).
 

Gazz

Well-Known Member
Site Donor
Messages
945
Reaction score
620
Location
Gold Coast Australia
Haha mate I don't suppose you would want to swap a roof would you. Kidding. I was initially hell bent on an all original car, failing which I wanted to restore a car such as Bill's to all original, but now that I have got to know Bill and the history behind the car, I want to keep the car the way Bill modified it. Its a legacy of his taste and to me the fact that he has been a part of the E9 Australia community for so long, I would be doing the car and Bill an injustice to revert it to anything other than the way Bill liked it. So it will stay as is with all the modifications.
Bill offered that car to me years ago and foolishly I declined. Little did I know then how much a CSL would be worth just a few years later.
The yard beside the workshop of IDB ( Ian Danny Bill ) in Richmond was a sight to behold. Various E9s, all out in the Melbourne weather in various stares of decay.
My project E9 had just been sand blasted and the roof and boot lid were irreparable. Not the news you want to hear from the body shop. Where the hell would I get a complete E9 roof in Australia? A call to Bill and yes, he had a roof, "but it's off a CSL". I felt a jarring moment as reality and fantasy collided. So down I go for the roof and there in the shop, to one side, is a brand new complete boot lid. "Wa wa what is that?" "Oh that's just left over from a restoration" says Bill nonchalantly, "You can have it for $150". Jarring moment #2. This is after seeing the seemingly chaotic shop with its wall of discarded E9 automatic boxes, benches packed with all manner of ( now ) precious E9 bits and pieces, and Ian strolling around in a pristine grey dust jacket, white collared shirt, trousers and dress shoes. Sheer time warp. I just couldn't work out what to make of the whole scene.
$650 for the roof and boot lid plus $150 freight to the Gold Coast. Try and make that happen today.
 

Harold996tt

Member
Messages
14
Reaction score
15
Location
Australia
Bill offered that car to me years ago and foolishly I declined. Little did I know then how much a CSL would be worth just a few years later.
The yard beside the workshop of IDB ( Ian Danny Bill ) in Richmond was a sight to behold. Various E9s, all out in the Melbourne weather in various stares of decay.
My project E9 had just been sand blasted and the roof and boot lid were irreparable. Not the news you want to hear from the body shop. Where the hell would I get a complete E9 roof in Australia? A call to Bill and yes, he had a roof, "but it's off a CSL". I felt a jarring moment as reality and fantasy collided. So down I go for the roof and there in the shop, to one side, is a brand new complete boot lid. "Wa wa what is that?" "Oh that's just left over from a restoration" says Bill nonchalantly, "You can have it for $150". Jarring moment #2. This is after seeing the seemingly chaotic shop with its wall of discarded E9 automatic boxes, benches packed with all manner of ( now ) precious E9 bits and pieces, and Ian strolling around in a pristine grey dust jacket, white collared shirt, trousers and dress shoes. Sheer time warp. I just couldn't work out what to make of the whole scene.
$650 for the roof and boot lid plus $150 freight to the Gold Coast. Try and make that happen today.
What an amazing story Gazz!!! Utterly insane how much prices have marched up on these cars. I had heard from a number of other E9 owners how the workshop would have cars parked outside in various states of disrepair and one gent told me he even saw a CSL once parked outside that has been hit on the side, possibly sitting as a parts car. These days that car would no doubt never be considered for parts. Bill told me the story of how he and one of his partners decided to bring theie two CSLs into Australia in 97 and how they redid them to their own specs including changing the colour of his car from the original white to silver given the cars originality just wasn't an issue then given how low their value was, and the fact that Bill said that silver just looks so much better on an e9 in his ooinion. I am not sure which of the partners today that is but apparently he still is holding onto his CSL while Bill is letting his go. Oh gee. I'm glad you didn't pick Bill's car up with the roof and boot lid though!

I've definitely decided I won't be changing anything on Bill's car as I feel it's really a part of Australian E9 history now, and at most will just do a sympathetic restoration of it (am asking Bill to rectify a number of small thing in the car now before it gets sent to me though). I've also asked Bill to sign the boot of the car and the ownership oeriod under his care so that it will always in some way remain a part of him. I'm definitely strange that way but I love the memorabilia side of cars as much as I do driving them. The history and the story behind them. If interesting is always a huge bonus to me.

Here are a couple of shots that Bill just shared with me.

1621980522414_BMWDrive-23.jpg


1621980529627_BMWDrive-26.jpg
 

Gazz

Well-Known Member
Site Donor
Messages
945
Reaction score
620
Location
Gold Coast Australia
Bill and I were discussing colours over the phone, this was before I had met him in person, and he said he couldn't drive a golf yellow car. "Oh, why not?" I asked. "I'm Indian and it's just not a good look".
 

Harold996tt

Member
Messages
14
Reaction score
15
Location
Australia
Bill and I were discussing colours over the phone, this was before I had met him in person, and he said he couldn't drive a golf yellow car. "Oh, why not?" I asked. "I'm Indian and it's just not a good look".
Hahahaha so funny. He really is one of the nicest guys I have had the pleasure of buying a car from. He's told me all the smallest of idiosyncrasies related to the car and the smallest of nicks in it so that I won't have any surprises.... The one thing I can't decide is whether to put the roof spoiler back on the car or leave it off at the moment given that the last iteration that Bill has been running of his car is without the roof spoiler.
 

Gazz

Well-Known Member
Site Donor
Messages
945
Reaction score
620
Location
Gold Coast Australia
In case you are interested I have an original E9 / E3 4 speed. It's currently advertised on Gumtree if you want to view some pics. Plus a bunch of sundry parts left over from my restoration. Many of them new over ordered from W&N.
 

Harold996tt

Member
Messages
14
Reaction score
15
Location
Australia
In case you are interested I have an original E9 / E3 4 speed. It's currently advertised on Gumtree if you want to view some pics. Plus a bunch of sundry parts left over from my restoration. Many of them new over ordered from W&N.
Cheers mate. Have decided that I will leave the M90 and the 5 speed in the car as it was how Bill had thd car for most of its life. The CSL engine block and crank will become display pieces in the house. Just need to find the space....
 

daicos35

Well-Known Member
Site Donor $
Messages
277
Reaction score
135
Location
Sydney, Australia
Fantastic to see an Aussie flavored discussion on this forum.

I was melbourne based (now sydney), and have owned my E9, since I was 18 yo, (now 51, gulp), it was my first car! (like buying a dinged up, 16 year old 6 series today).

It was extensively mechanically restored by Ian at IDB in Richmond 15 years ago, all while Bill looked on, and offered valuable advice.

Engine is late m30b35, bored / stroked / ported / polished / cammed / high compression custom pistons, headers, mechanical advance distributor, triple matching number original italian webers (all tuned / jetted by powerplay in melbourne), itg custom air filter, oil cooler, brake booster delete (small bore master cylinder), manual steering, with mount reinforced 3.64 lsd, and 5 speed od box.

Bill R is an absolute legend, I know his car well, and it is a cracker.

Enjoy it,

Regards,

Mike
 
Top