CSET

Mmmm ... lumpy. I was waiting for him to give it a rev.

I've taken Julian's advice and bought some Tech Wax - The results speak for themselves! I also removed and repainted the standard HK rear speaker covers. Got sick of the dirty brushed plastic look. I used crinkled heat paint in the standard colour to add some texture, and cleared over the top for some depth - pics to come.

*Donk* ... paws ... 'There's no way that he just did that...' Gold.

Looks simply awesome - loving the red highlights mate. Be sure to take a vid or two in the Pitts Special!!!

What the...! Thanks for translating Dubman - it made my day! Hybrid - interesting, thanks for the info. I figured the front bumper & bonnet had been resprayed, as there are so few stonechips. It's had a few p-plates before; M3 GTR, GTR M3 and more recently DRIFTX. Not sure why they'd put M3 GTR on there, as it's not one. There were only something like 8 real ones made AFAIK. Central3 - the gearknob was a gift, so I don't know how much it would cost sorry. Very interesting about Lux soap flakes - I'd give it a go and post before/after pics - Thanks! I'll keep you posted about progress with the steering wheel.

English? I thought it had an Aussie twang in there... Awesome video nonetheless. I saw on YT someone commented 'make a movie about this', and it got me thinking. John Britten would be an interesting story to work with as well, however neither are nearly as well known as Senna and could prove risky for a filmmaker.

Looking awesome mate! Who did your roof wrap please? And what was the cost (if you don't mind?) - pm me if you like?

You're probably right .. Here's the other side. It's piqued my interest now. Can anyone read it? I assume it's kanji.

Thank you Julien! I wasn't sure about that Tech 2.0 wax (having not used it before) - Can't beat testimonials, I'll pick some up now. For cleaning the wheels, I usually give them a good wash first with carwash/shampoo to remove the majority of the grime. This leaves the stuck on hard-to-remove crud & tar. I'm a bit anxious using bug/tar remover spray (as the nose-test tells me it's watered-down turps), however it works a treat. Just make sure to wash off thoroughly afterwards! Lots say kerosene is the way to go; I haven't tried it so can't comment. For the lip (and any stubborn bits), Autosol metal polish is an option - just be very careful as it's a rubbing compound. It makes light work of milky/discoloured headlights too. Let me know how you get on with your seats!

After putting 10k on over the last 8 months, it looks like I won't be using M TOY as a daily for too much longer. It's currently stored overnight and during the day in secure, covered parking; I've cleared out the garage and have everything prepped for weekly storage. The plan over the winter months is to chip away restoring/replacing the bits I can't usually get to while using it as a daily, with the long-term goal now being to bring the car back to near-mint condition. I’ll try to keep original where possible, but I still want to have my own ‘look & feel’ on the car; where I find a part that I prefer or I deem is of a better quality, I will replace the original. I'm pretty fussy around condition (and love this kind of stuff), so this is a journey rather than a destination. For the meantime, I've begun removing the spots of tar, rubber and grime under the guards and general maintenance in prep for a pre-winter wax. To-do list for 2013: - Sort out the chipped steering wheel under-cover thing. This could be restored, but I'll most likely replace it with a new one. - Clay bar & pre-winter coat. I don’t want to cut too deep into the clear, so will avoid a harsh rubbing compound. Still testing the best options for wax. - Remove wheels and clean. I do this once a year usually (more depending on usage). The wheels are only 6 months old and un-marked, but I don’t want any grime setting in that I won’t be able to remove in the future. - Fix scratches in roof panel. One scratch is through the clear and into the paint, and runs about 8cm backwards from the sunroof. It really needs a respray. I’m in two minds here. I’d really like to import a carbon roof panel, but to get one with a sunroof cutout is pretty bloody rare and I would want a new one if possible (not second-hand). - Replace left window. There is a long scratch up the glass from the inside (I suspect from a diamond ring). As far as I know there’s not much that can be done about this, so new glass may be the way to go. I’d like to tint the glass in the future, and having a scratch in there is not going to work at all. - Respray stone-chipped front lip. This has performed it’s purpose of protecting the lower-bumper from stone-chips very well. I’d like to get this colour-matched to the car body. - Restore front leather seat covers. Neither are too worn, but they are a visibly different sheen to the rear seats. I have good leather conditioner & cleaner that will have a chance to set in now that I’m not using the car as much – so will try this first. I don’t hold much hope for this, so new seat covers may be the best option. - Restore steering wheel leather & 'M' coloured stitching (it's dirty and dull at the moment) - Tips on this? Is it possible, or is replacement the only option? I sat in the M3 'Pure' at the Chinese festival on Sat; the steering wheel buttons look to be similar, and the leather is much nicer. I might replace mine with one of these instead. Things I’ve done over the weekend: Replaced worn leather gearknob with one from an M5. It takes a bit of trickery to get off, and some patching to get the plugs to match so the light works - let me know if you'd like a separate write up on this one. Some interesting stuff to be found under the gear boot ... especially for a NZ new car...! Bimmersport decals arrived - One for each side.

Great read - and I am jealous, you lucky b*stard getting to take this for a drive!

Blimey, could be a lucrative business.

e92 335i coupe rear is much more attractive IMO.

Another great vid!

ACS equipped cars have different pedals?!

This wouldn't be forum user Zara from NZH by chance, would it? If so, Christian here mate. Two very different cars. If you're after the cornering experience of the ITR, you'd be closer with the 3 IMO. My best advice is to take one of each for a test drive and see which you prefer.

Out of interest, about how much do they rent out the M3 for?

... or an M62, by the looks of your race car info!

Agree. What an inspiration.

I'll bet those formula 5000's made a racket!

I thought the same - seemed to be more having fun than trying for a lap record. I can't blame him - I'd be doing the same.

Thank you for the link Allan - those look good, but no e46 M3 coupe Wow really Greg? I've been searching all over the place for one! Even had 2 model shops on the hunt for me (with no results thus far). Will PM you shortly. Thank you guys!

Bugger, I thought you meant models as in model cars. I can't for the life of me find an e46 M3 model available. Very interesting, nonetheless. I've spent the last 15mins perusing this site reading the build numbers & stats!

Those marks look a bit thin for your tyres... honest

If anyone's interested, there is some info on the new one here: Alpina B7 USA And a review: Alpina B7 Review