calling all southern / SE coupes

[rsporsche]

Steve Armstrong + I are going to be getting together at BMWCCA oktoberfest this week ... we were talking about trying to get together in the spring and meet up w/ fellow coupers from the south (texas to the carolinas and everywhere in between. spend a little time together, drive some cool roads and get to know others in the region. if you live in the region, drop one of us a line and lets get the concept of a southern coupefest started.

cheers
scott

 

[Stevehose]

We know you all are out there - life is short - drive your coupe - let's here from you!

 

[x_atlas0]

It would be nice to meet some of the other coupsters here in the SE. It was very great to meet a few of you at this years V@V, though.

 

[craterface]

The Sebring 12 hour is a great event down here in March. BMW has a fantastic car corral with a big hospitality tent right next to the track. It's the dry season too, so your car won't get wet. Might be a good place for a meet up.
Scott

 

[rsporsche]

the best thing to do, IMHO, is to be a great place to go that's as centrally located to the majority of coupes that would like to attend. atlanta is 7 hours from Orlando / Tampa ... its 4.5 hours from Charleston SC, 4 hours from Charlotte NC, 5 hours from Nashville TN, 7 hours from New Orleans LA, 12 hours from Houston TX, 11 hours from Dallas TX. so what does this tell us, it might not be atlanta ... it might be somewhere else, or it might float around the region and find new experiences for us together.

there's the walter mitty at road atlanta, celebrating vintage racing cars. we might even be able to get some parade laps for just e9 coupes. there are also great roads in north georgia. we could even ride the 2009 oktoberfest rally route up to the BMW factory in SC. (its a great drive on country roads.) the mitty usually takes place around the beginning of May.

north alabama also has fantastic roads, there's the barber motorsports track with several events ... and perhaps a little more centrally located between texas, the carolinas + florida.

there is a car show every year at Kiawah Island, SC in April each year.

my point is, lets find a reason to do this and get to know each other and our coupes

scott

 

[craterface]

Charleston sounds good. I have a friend there with a beautiful coupe, but he is not an internet person. Also, the Amelia island concours in March is nice. It is in the Georgia Florida border.
Scott

 

[RJRuiz]

How 'bout Deal's Gap?

Dragon's Tail & lots of great roads.

I'm at the tip of the Florida penninsula, so a long drive either way.

Ray

 

[61porsche]

Doesn't the NO BMW club rent the track in Talledega? Might be nice to go for a spin.

 

[craterface]

Let's keep this thread going. Would be nice to meet some other coupers, or even see another coupe (I have never seen one in the Ft Myers/Naples area; Ferraris are much more common).
Scott

 

[x_atlas0]

If Texas is included, I suppose someplace in Alabama or Mississippi would be "central". The thing is, even if we do that, it is still at least an 8 hour drive one way for people in central Texas, like Bill Marden. If we make it the same drive for everyone, it will please no one.

 

[rsporsche]

I would like to include as many people as are interested. it was great to meet Steve Armstrong, his wife + his wonderful '72 3.0cs at o'fest this week. i'm glad he made the drive up. also met another couper from Athens, GA ... i think his name was Don Boyer (didn't have his coupe with him either). one of the options that was discussed was going to the Vintage next year.

BTW, Steve took 2nd place in the BMWCCA Oktoberfest concours. he finished behind the Peoples choice car - a 1939 cabrio ... and beat two other fully restored late 30's / 40's cars. Congrats to Steve for holding up the honor of e9coupe!

 

[61porsche]

Congrats to Steve!

Way to go... first time out.. 2nd place! Pics? Any tips/ gripes on judging?

 

[HB Chris]

Way to go Steve! Wish I could take the coupe out your way sometime.

Chris

 

[Stevehose]

Way to go... first time out.. 2nd place! Pics? Any tips/ gripes on judging?

I didn't expect to win anything as I was there for the driving adventure and comraderie and did only mild preparation. It was nice to meet Scott (RSPorsche) who's very enthusiastic about our cars also and also kept me well lubed with Spaten during the event (which is why I was late to the awards dinner and didn't know I won anything). Unfortunately his coupe had electrical gremlins at the last minute so he couldn't drive it over from Atlanta.

I met 4 or 5 other coupsters in addition to Don B as mentioned by Scott below - all appreciated seeing a coupe there as I was the only one in attendance. Encouraging comments from the others as to keeping the car looking pretty good but still a driver.

The judges q-tipped in places I never imagined but overall no gripes. I took pics of the other cars but forgot to of mine except this one:

A drizzly day. I spent 6 months prepping the car mechanically and it ran beautifully for 750 miles at 4k rpm / 80 mph. I am going to treat it to new Carl Nelson lowering springs and front Bilsteins as it's reward.

 

[rsporsche]

i will post a couple of pix of Steve's car when i get home today. i'll also post one of the car that took the honors. Steve keeps his car clean though ... he got a reasonable amount of people's choice votes.

Chris, plan a trip east + come to where ever we have the southern coupefest.

my coupe is on the mend ... the electrical gremlins are mostly fixed - just got to fix a leak in my coolant reservoir (the metal one), and am going to look for new turn signal + high beam controls. i bought a new turn signal control, but its for a 74 (left side) and the connector is different.

 

[Stevehose]

A humorous anecdote, the car next to me, a 1980 535 had a crew of cleaners busily tending to all parts of the car - polishing, vacuuming etc. except they somehow overlooked a large dead fly on the rear parcel deck, pointed out by the judges with 5 or so q-tips arranged in an arrow pointing to the flagrant violation!

 

[HB Chris]

Scott

I would have to get my A/C fixed! Sounds interesting, maybe if it isn't literally on the east coast I would give it a go. We (wife and son) traveled 8750 miles this summer around the country, especially enjoyed Charleston and got to visit with Stan in Portsmouth NH. Lots of country out there to see.

Chris

 

[Stevehose]

You're welcome anytime - hearing the coupe exhaust reverberating while touring through the French Quarter streets is a fun experience. The food here is pretty good too! But yes, you'll need the a/c fixed.

Way to go Steve! Wish I could take the coupe out your way sometime.

Chris

 

[rsporsche]

ofest 2011 concours

here are a couple of snapshots of Steve's car, and the car that won. you can see the team working on the black e12 next to Steve's ... and still missed the fly. the judges had a sense of humor about it ... hat's off to Mike Washington for his judging humor.

 

[blumax]

Congratulations on 2nd

Your following statement:

('I spent 6 months prepping the car mechanically--it ran beautifully for 750 miles at 4k rpm / 80 mph.")

I toured at the same RPM and speed or greater for years in BLUMAX with a 4 speed while covering over 300,000 miles all around North America. Your statement tells me it's time to seriously consider a 5 speed OD for your car--it will absolutely alter the pleasure of touring longer distances at speed by calming the beast. So equipped you will find travel at 3K will then border on the upper edge of "legal" speed at about 80 mph depending on your diff ratio. Carl installed a 5 speed in BLUMAX in June 1996.

Now over 100,00 miles later it has proven to be the best single improvement to the BLUMAX among the numerous mechanical, suspension, brakes, etc. that have been made over the years.