Request for Pics From Monterey Car Week/Legends

I planned on taking a lot of pictures this year since I was actually in the display, but apparently the E9 gods had other plans.

The morning started out fantastic. My Good Vibes cooler was stocked with beer, my Happy cold-brewed coffee was ready to go, and the sun was coming up as I began my pilgrimage to Legends. What could possibly go wrong?

As I merged onto Highway 17, I noticed my tach was dropping to zero every time I let off the gas. Hmm… probably nothing.

I turned the stereo down and started paying a little more attention. A few minutes later, the car cut out completely. I turned the ignition off and back on, and, like magic, it started right back up. At this point, I decided the E9 was just being a little dramatic.

A few miles later, it stopped being dramatic and completely died.

Luckily, I managed to find a decent shoulder on one of the scariest roads imaginable to have a 55-year-old BMW decide it had had enough.

So instead of taking pictures of my car at Legends, I got to take pictures of it on a tow truck.

After a ride to my local mechanic, I got the official diagnosis: the fuel pump had gone out.

Apparently, the E9 gods decided I had taken enough pictures of the car in previous years and wanted me to experience Legends from the passenger seat of a tow truck.

Funny side note: I love my local mechanic, Tony. He has a heavy Eastern European accent, which makes our conversations even better. Here’s how this one went:
Tony: “You need new fuel pump. You want me fix?”
Mike: “No, Tony. I brought it here because I don’t want you to fix it. I just want you to display the car in your shop.”
Tony: “You know fuel pump cost $250?”
Mike: “Yes, Tony. Please fix it.”

And that’s pretty much how every conversation with Tony goes. It’s the same dance every time. He tells me what’s wrong, then tells me the cost like he’s giving me some figure I could never afford—even though he’s actually giving me a really good price.
 

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I was there with my E9 today, sadly didn’t take more photos. I have a twin of @Wobdog photo, my e9 had a distributor failure yesterday during a spirited BMWCCA morning rally. Distributor rotor failure diagnosed and fixed by Don in his hotel parking lot so I was able to make it to Legends. About 8 E9s there, Don had the only contestant in the E9 category for judging since the other two couldn’t make it. His Batmobile looked great as well. @E9Wayne had his beautiful Nachtblau E9 for clean category judging and in the row with mine was a Granada, a fjord, Norm’s Chamonix and a Neuklasse 2000. All in all a good showing, sorry that the other two couldn’t be there to make it an even 10
My trip down from Seattle to Monterey with my son in the E9 went well aside from the slight pain of driving through the Central Valley in a car without AC. Memories. I may have also made a purchase while down here but for various reasons will keep it quiet for the next 24 hours…
 

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I planned on taking a lot of pictures this year since I was actually in the display, but apparently the E9 gods had other plans.

The morning started out fantastic. My Good Vibes cooler was stocked with beer, my Happy cold-brewed coffee was ready to go, and the sun was coming up as I began my pilgrimage to Legends. What could possibly go wrong?

As I merged onto Highway 17, I noticed my tach was dropping to zero every time I let off the gas. Hmm… probably nothing.

I turned the stereo down and started paying a little more attention. A few minutes later, the car cut out completely. I turned the ignition off and back on, and, like magic, it started right back up. At this point, I decided the E9 was just being a little dramatic.

A few miles later, it stopped being dramatic and completely died.

Luckily, I managed to find a decent shoulder on one of the scariest roads imaginable to have a 55-year-old BMW decide it had had enough.

So instead of taking pictures of my car at Legends, I got to take pictures of it on a tow truck.

After a ride to my local mechanic, I got the official diagnosis: the fuel pump had gone out.

Apparently, the E9 gods decided I had taken enough pictures of the car in previous years and wanted me to experience Legends from the passenger seat of a tow truck.

Funny side note: I love my local mechanic, Tony. He has a heavy Eastern European accent, which makes our conversations even better. Here’s how this one went:
Tony: “You need new fuel pump. You want me fix?”
Mike: “No, Tony. I brought it here because I don’t want you to fix it. I just want you to display the car in your shop.”
Tony: “You know fuel pump cost $250?”
Mike: “Yes, Tony. Please fix it.”

And that’s pretty much how every conversation with Tony goes. It’s the same dance every time. He tells me what’s wrong, then tells me the cost like he’s giving me some figure I could never afford—even though he’s actually giving me a really good price.
Mike, - that has to be the widest, most forgiving, recently repaved shoulder on Hiway 17. Thank the gods it wasn’t a blind curve with 9 inches of shoulder up the hill a bit further! The car looks great and you lived to tell the tale.
 
We ended up winning best Coupe, best BMW, best car of the show and people’s choice a very good year and very lucky for our team.
We were also able to bring a Batmobile for exhibition thanks to a great client’s generosity.
 

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Erik, so many passers by had Flatbed Envy. Driver, follow me to my house.

So sorry you did not make it.
 
More pictures from Legends, what a day.
 

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because they can ... we went to a car event a long time ago and a guy driving a 930 parked diagonally in 2 parking spaces so we parked our 2002's diagonally very close to him (he actually could not open the doors). and we stayed away from the cars for several hours - then had 2 other guys replace our cars with theirs. i heard the guy was NOT amused.
 
It was a good event, but not what like I experienced in 2016 and 2017 -- my last time there with Bluebelle. The mojo was different and perhaps the location had something to do with it and/or nearly constant mist from the morning fog. First, congrats to Don and Keith's exceptional CSL taking several awards.

When I signed up back in February or so, there was only clean, super clean and concours. When I showed up there was an E9 class that I would have preferred being in and even preservation class. I was the only E9 in super clean and lost out to a 2024 BMW I4 electric - wow, times have really changed. The 3 judges were pleasant, asked me several questions and spent about 10 minutes circling my car with their clipboards by their side...

But it was great to see many of my E9 friends there, and especially Don and Wendy. And I'm even more grateful that I had no mechanicals to and from and the car ran flawlessly throughout the week - so sorry for Wobdog: been there an done that -- on more than several occasions!

Historic races were very different two - two days of pretty much the same cars, so no extra day next year. And I need to try out Carmel Concours next time, Italiano Concorso which evidently wants some German cars there for eye candy next year...and saving up for Pebble and the Monterey Jet Center event which Chris Macha got several of us into in 2016.

Standing downtown in the early evening with my family on the main drag near RM Auctions was simply incredible - what you see and hear driving by!
 

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Wayne, The Jet Center event has a new name and a huge price tag, the track is now Friday and Saturday and different classes run each day, Legends has always had an e9 class you could have joined, open concours does not include e9/2002/M cars, Concorso Italiano can have a huge entrance/parking problem I have been told. I may join you next year!
 
I am not going to make it next year but plan to return in 2028. I agree about the legends issues, but it was my first time so all was good. I did enjoy the BMW CCA rally on Wednesday morning and also the Saturday morning Breakfast Club Rally - sitting in the passenger seat on Saturday while my son was taking the Carmel Valley turns at high speed with Porsche in front and Porsche behind was quite an experience.
 
Wayne, The Jet Center event has a new name and a huge price tag, the track is now Friday and Saturday and different classes run each day, Legends has always had an e9 class you could have joined, open concours does not include e9/2002/M cars, Concorso Italiano can have a huge entrance/parking problem I have been told. I may join you next year!
Thanks, Chris, noted on Historics but the classes this year were identical both days and were simply differentiated by race 1 and 2 (the later for Saturday). I should have paid closer attention to the program but didn't bother in advance as I thought the formula would be the same. And Legends did not promote the E9 class to me, or at least I did not see that when first signing up...
 
From Bimmerlife.com


“Seemingly almost every model old and new was represented on the lawn. A row of E9 coupes that sure looked “judged-class-worthy” stared back at the row of 2002s. One specific E9 did enter the judged classes and certainly made its presence felt. It won so many awards, it seemed like it would start claiming trophies from Mercedes and Audi, too. Indeed, it did take home Best of Show along with Best BMW Coupe, Best BMW, and People’s Choice. Congratulations, Keith Zaky!”
 

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