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Courtesy of Autobild, a respected German car magazine.

https://www.smitve.com/ 🤤

and yet, when launched, the z8 was panned as a pig to drive. why couldn't they make it good to drive too. custom Euler 7er

I can't help but think the Z8 is the best looking BMW they've built in about 40 years... and in S62 guise it's just such an amazing proposition. It didn't live long enough IMHO and made now it would be ruined by tech, emissions, and safety. I imagine they're worth about a billion dollars now (hyperbole!). Edit: I realise the one pictured is modified with an S65 which is cool but I'd still prefer the S62 original.

Had the car into the local dealer for the two outstanding recalls on the 130i. Takata Airbag and the Heater line. Both got done and the new airbag certainly looks new 😂 Gave the car a thorough clean inside since I haven't treated the leather since last Summer. The leather cleaner/conditioner is still drying in the above pic. I've ordered a bunch of cosmetic parts for the car so got some parcels on the way to refresh worn or damaged parts both interior and exterior. Its just a few things that let the car down from looking 100% like the front kidneys and a couple others. I only ordered now because there's a 6 week lead time from Germany through the dealer for one part, and a 40 day wait from Schmiedmann for another part. Hopefully they'll turn up in time for Xmas/New Year. Only thing I'm looking out for now is the steering wheel insert/cover which you can see peeling above in the pic. And maybe a newer looking steering wheel if the price is good.

Admire the effort of a build like this one, but it's a yeah, nah from me - and not just cos its asking $120k 😊

Hyperbole Jon, hyperbole. Ease off the literal interpretations, it's the internet after all. Even in real life people don't take me that seriously! 😇

Very good timeless examples, and I agree, the Z8 has comparative, natural beauty. That certain je ne sais quoi.

As long as the N62 has had the common issues sorted and has been well maintained there’s no reason the engine can’t be enjoyed for a long time. Unfortunately this one has had nothing done to it. M62 has it’s own set of issues. But both engines are a lot of fun to drive, I prefer the M62 but there’s not a lot of choice around these days finding a good example in the E53 V8 IS range. So would be happy with either.

Staying away from the N62 would probably be the first best decision.

Someone has offered 10k and another 11k. Given the condition(in photos) and kms plus rarity of the colour/year, 11k is pretty good buying. Must admit when I saw the email about it I nearly called them but then I saw it was an auto 😔

Ahh yes, "OE" and "OEM" the two most widely mis-used terms in the automotive world. I think this is an unfortunate side effect of the "Kiwi Ingenuity" or "number 8 wire mentality" where many Kiwis are happy to have a go a fixing / improving things that are well beyond their capabilities. Personally I have seen some absolute horrors in my time, some of which have resulted in serious acciddents, and many by people who were in the trade and should have known better.

Don't know that I fixed anything.. just went in and tried it, and it worked. I try to avoid any of the serious technical stuff and leave that to the Admins that know what they are doing. Maybe I've just got "the knack" Might try and see if I can fluke this one as well.

As a motor vehicle repairer, I say this with no malice intended, but when does an Audi never need any work? haha Yeah I think it was Saturday. I was moving house so needed to rent a truck! It's so beautiful your car man. It's road presence is something else

ADAC GT Masters Lausitzring BMW E21 320 Gruppe 2 (h/t Marc Boels)

Interesting. I had the misfortune to have some dealings with LVVTA a few years ago. From this I learned that LVVTA will not accept a product in NZ even though that same product is manufactured by a reputable company, sold worldwide, and accepted without question in (for example) the USA and Australia. It seems that LVVTA in the negative fashion typical of NZ regulatory authorities, is happy to ban brand new product made with the latest materials and CNC techniques, while approving local equivalents cobbled up from 30 year old components salvaged from wrecks. I wonder why a pissant little country like NZ has to set the bar higher than than every one else ? Why do we feel the need to micro manage and regulate every tiny detail by simply saying... "its a safety matter"... as if that eliminates the need for any further justification ? We already have OSH determined to eliminate industrial accidents by levying huge fine on companies to show how much authority they have. It is as if they believe that they can eliminate risk by regulating it out of existence. They are adding crushing costs to virtually every industry... and it is no wonder that manufacturing is going offshore. Soon we will be a nation of shopkeepers selling imported goods plastic souvenirs to tourists, that is if anyone can actually get into the country through the MIQ system. It's all very depressing... I think we are rapidly approaching the point when we will actually need a Ministry for Compulsory Fun !!! Cheers...

@M3AN Well, I’m neither a kid that’s chasing after skids nor do I have wealth to even show off so clearly I’m having an identity crisis 😂

I like the extra power of the 4.8is but would be 100% happy with a 4.6is. Not many around in good condition of either model these days.

So its just not the old ones 😁

Mine's a little less IIRC but not a lot. The electric front seats weigh approximately 600kgs each.

That explains why it has been for sale for over a year.

Mis my E34. Was a 1995 525i White Individual...

New windscreen New (painted) steering wheel cowl Eibach / Koni is the combo for sure. Should have done it years ago. Rides better than ever, perfect height IMO.

Bit of an update, bought a bunch of detailing supplies after Xmas to give the car a good going over and clean. I've wanted to give the car a good detail since buying it but fixing up the mechanical side was the first priority. Now that has all been done, or I have the parts in the garage, it was time to work on getting it shiny. I've kept it relatively clean since buying but really wanted to clay bar and cut/polish to sort out the multitude of fine scratches and get the headlamps clear. I had previously attacked the headlamps with a turtlewax headlight kit, to remove glue from the previous owners "eyebrow" install. This somewhat helped but they definitely could be better. Last week I started with mag monster on the wheels and then G3 detailers cleaning spray, rinsed off and then washed the car again. Once it was really clean I started with the claying and did most of the car before leaving it for the next day. I came back to it and found I'd managed to scratch up a few areas worse than before 😥 but mostly it felt much smoother and used a tar and bug remover to get everything else off the car. I pulled out the polish to attack the scratched up sections but hand polish wasn't enough to remove the new scratches nor some older scratches. It did take out a lot of fine scratches but not the finish I was optimistically hoping for. I'd also exposed a fair few stone chips and at this point decided to seek professional help 🤣 Booked it in with Final Touch to get a two stage machine polish, headlight polished and their stone chip paint touch up. Went in today and it came out brilliant, exactly what I was after. Car looks absolutely phenomenal even though it was very clean already before going there lol. The dent on the back corner is still there! If anyone knows a dent guy let me know. The front end is a massive improvement with the headlights being crystal clear, de-aging the car. No stone chips on the bonnet looks much better too! It had been bugging me that the car didn't look as well cared for as it was, but now it really reflects how much work/parts have been put into it over the last year. Super happy with how it all turned out, it was what I was initially after(taking it to a detailer) before deciding to have a go myself. With this I did a lot of the groundwork and was able to get the stone chips taken care of too. So a better finish than just getting a standard detail. At least I have all the gear to keep it nice and shiny now Engine mounts and sump gasket hopefully going in within the next month, dependent on time and space on the lift. Will be 100% mechanically buttoned up then 🤪

I don't think that anyone is going to argue against having modified vehicles inspected to ensure that they adhere to decent design and engineering standards. Pretty much everyone who is into cars has come across dodgy workmanship and mods that make them cringe. So yes, by all means try and keep unsafe vehicles off the road. However, the point that I am trying to make is that LVVTA simply refused to even look at approving a quality product designed by an experienced suspension engineer and made by an OEM supplier of suspension components to several major vehicle manufacturers. Rather than use their own in house resources and experience to evaluate the product for safety, they totally opted out by saying if you want to bring it into the country it is up to you or your supplier to convince us that it meets our standards. To do that samples would have to be supplied for destructive testing, manufacturers test certificates would need to be provided for the steel used, heat treatment and metallurgy etc. No other country in the world asked for this level of information, and as the sales potential for the product in NZ was low, the manufacturers simply were not interested in humoring the over zealous demands from LVVTA. And here is the kicker... it is OK to use the product in question on a race car where it would be subject to far more abuse than on a road car. The problem as I see it is that LVVTA is hiding behind a wall of petty regulations to try and protect itself from liability issues. Good for them but bad news for anyone modifying a vehicle using quality components and sound engineering practices. I believe this attitude is a rub off from big brother NZTA who is currently managing to piss off large sections of the road transport industry with their arrogant attitude, lack of clear direction, lack of consultation and general incompetence. But that, dear readers, is a story for another day