jeffbebe

The auto/manual debate. It seems to rear it's ugly head in 95% of threads. Just give it a rest already. Other people's opinions. Organised religion. Cults. People that abuse/hurt children... Actually, people that hurt and abuse anyone really (see cults and organised religion) Skype... We have 85mbps and you still never f*cking work properly. The speed at which I can burn fuel in the V12. Scary.

Yep, seeding above 110kph is dangerous in anyone's books.

What's your seed limit, Graham?

Awesome work, Ben.

^ Ha! Me either... What a knucklehead. Wonder if TM picked up on the fraudulent claims and forced him to remove, or if some other poor sot bought it expecting a rocket under the bonnet.

E35s are rare as Hen's teeth.

Great insight, Josh

Man, you haven't had much luck with this one, eh, Russell? Glad it's sorted and I guess the silver lining is that you have completely rebuilt trans - albeit an unnecessary rebuild.

Saw that... Excellent cricket banter.

Agreed. None of us would last long in our own jobs if we chinned a colleague so why should someone get special dispensation because they're on a popular TV show. Also agree with those that have said Top Gear is past it's prime. Perhaps this is for the best and the show (or its equivalent) will get a real shake up with a new format and new presenters... It's about time.

Spotted my old 540i on Ponsonby Rd. I shouldn't care but pretty gutted to see it in a sorry state with the splitters trashed and front bumper cracked.

$1500 for all four? Sounds to good to be true. Usually around $1500 for a pair of 18s.

I will reveal only when it happens, or the opportunity is lost.

Ha! I haven't seen it. I did that ages ago, thought it had long been and gone.

I know... Best bang for buck mod those little badges. Damnit. Thanks Kelvin

Yes, my pride and joy is up for sale. $18.5K ono Not in a hurry to sell and will only sell for the right price to the right buyer. The only reason for sale is that an opportunity has presented itself that I am considering... But it would require the sale of this first. If that opportunity disappears... this car will be off the market faster than you can say "off the market". All details on TM. http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=863930678&ed=true Y'all have seen the car in my project log, so you know she's a goodun.

There is a csi down in Wellington. Belongs to a guy called Alan Devine. Recently emigrated from Ireland I believe and brought the car with him. Haven't seen it in person but he's pretty active on US Bimmerforums. Has fitted aftermarket cams and a bunch of other stuff.

Brilliant game... In hindsight, I think the rain was a boon. SA could have amassed an unassailable total with 7 more overs and wickets in hand.

SJ (EUROHO) fitted the cross pipe for me on Saturday. There was a bit of a hiccup so, unfortunately, it'll need to come off and be straightened (those with sharp eyes will notice the driver's side tips are a bit low) but it has done the business sound-wise and performance doesn't seem hampered in any way. iPhone vid doesn't do it justice but you can hear a touch of exotic now the banks are mixing!

You're not alone, Karl.

Yeah, it didn't sell at that price though and I saw it drop to around the $20K mark. Not sure if it sold at $20K either. I think a low kms 4.4L manual would be worth a bit here but no idea how much, certainly not as much as a csi - a good one of those will be $75K+ now. I got offered a manual 4L 840i with 120K miles ex-UK for $3K - they're cheap as chips there now but likely to be impossible to comply without major work (just ask Brad who brought in the technoviolet csi).

csi is the pick of the bunch (or better yet, one of the Alpinas if you've got $100K+ to spare) but the M62 in manual would be epic... Though my 850i seemed to be faster on the track than the 840s (I think they were all 4L autos though).

The 8 series is definitely misunderstood... Usually by people who haven't driven one or have only driven an old one with 100K+ kms on it. It's a fantastic car in both V8 and V12 form. The M73 with 5 speed tiptronic I think would be the perfect balance but sadly they only built around 1500 units all in LHD. Mine doesn't handle as well as my previous E39 but it's a work in progress - with a fair bit of work yet to do! - but I've been lucky enough to drive an absolute minter and it was amazing. A lot of people think the 8er wasn't a big success because of the power train but actually it was the price that was the problem. Priced around the quarter of mill mark in 1990 meant that they were right up there with exotics like Lambos and Ferraris but did not have the same high revving wow factor - although the I think the styling was right up there. It's not a slow car by any stretch of the imagination, however, especially with a tune and a shorter final drive ratio but nor is it an excitement machine. It was built, as Martin said, for mile-munching cross continents, not for short bursts of quick acceleration. That said, a standard 850i will push close to 300kph with the limiter removed. I've fitted a 3.64 LSD compared to the standard 3.15 open diff in euro spec 850s (or a dull 2.83 in US 4 speeds, I believe) which has made a big difference along with improved throttle response from an EML chip and around 30-35 extra horses from a couple of DME chips. It's definitely the fastest 4 speed auto I've ever driven. Yes, they would have benefitted from their own power train - the S70 (from the csi version) as standard would have been a good start and the ITB S70/1 version in the M8 prototype (pumping out 550 naturally aspirated bhp) would have been the perfect M car - only the latest M5 and M6 have achieved that kind of power with a couple of turbos! The S70/2 and /3 are the engine used in the McLaren F1, I believe). BMW spent so much on R&D on the 8er - it launched a host of new electronic wizardry - that the on road costs in the early 90s, just as the stock exchange crashed, were astronomical. The V8 versions were an attempt to mitigate the running costs for potential owners but in reality they're not much cheaper to run. I think the 8er marque stands for BMW's exploration into new tech. The 8er was packed full of it and the i8 is the next big tech leap for them. If you're wanting a track hack or to race WRXs at the lights it's not the car for you but if you want a very comfortable (as long as your sub 6'2" and your children have no legs), classic GT car that oozes style - and will get a lot of second looks! - then you can't go wrong with an 8!