Seemed only fitting that we were placed in front of London Jewelers.

Soon after we arrived our friend arrived in his faboulous 2002 Turbo and seems he just picked up a White US Spec CSi.

As usual there were quite the selection of new exotics.

as well as old classics

Large

Small

Super Small

And Lil Blue looked rather big next to the Fiat 500.

Angus didn’t make it but Maggie was back and she wasn’t the only one admiring lil blue.

It was another fine event and the weather was just perfect yet again.

All the days pictures

I initially called Ferrari of LI and they seemed more then happy to take my information until they realized I wanted to enter a BMW and then after the silence on the phone I was referred to the folks at Americana Manhasset who would need to take my application for entry.   Upon calling them they initially told me that BMWs could not enter and that others have tried in years past and were denied.   I don’t know what they were trying to enter but I was confident that the 850CSi outside of the M1 and a few others is one of most exotic BMWs made.  Heather at Americana was quite pleasant and after several calls I was asked to document the uniqueness of the 850CSi and following the main judge reviewing her application I received confirmation that she was accepted and became the first BMW entered into the show. 

She didn’t win and not sure that she was even judged as the judges walked by without even a glance but that didn’t bother me.  I was just glad that she was there amongst some of the most exotic cars in the world.   There was no BMW class and figured if she was judged she would have been in the 1990-2008 Category which was won by one of my favorites cars the Maserati MC12 the rightful winner in the category.

Upon arrival we went through registration and I felt some anxiety as after providing my information I was expecting the ‘I’m sorry there has been a mistake and your car can’t be presented’ but the girl came back with my registration packet and I was off to the front to find a spot to park.  All the key marquees had banners but being the only BMW there was none and I was directed to park adjacent to the Owners Lounge which I was quite happy about as that guaranteed one side of the car was protected by ropes.

BlueGirl looked incredible.  Matt and Eddie of Detailing Dynamics did an incredible job preparing her for the show.

After I got setup a Smart car and Ariel pulled up and parked next to me. Initially it wasn’t bad but during the day loads of people gathered between my car and the Smart car swinging bags and watches completely oblivious to how close they were getting to blue girl.  Dan who owns this fabulous Porsche was about to write me a prescription.

I was parked across from the Spkyers.

One of my favorites cars the Maserati MC12 was present as was the Birdcage prototype.

there was no shortage of supercars… The Bugatti Veryon

The Mclaren F1 which is powered a BMW 6.1-litre BMW S70 V12 engine which is a derivative of the same S70 5.6 litre engine powering my M850CSi and used to power several supercars of the 90’s.

Another favorite present was the ultra rare Lambo Jalpa which was designed and built by Bertone.

A Fiat 500, which I think is even smaller then my Classic.

Another highlight of the day were the pets. Angus (Matt’s British Bulldog) was present to offer security for the big girl and there were probably as many pictures of Angus taken as there were of the cars.

Near the end of the day Rohan a 15 yr old future BMW owner came by and I was amazed by his level of excitement in seeing his first 850CSi in person.  For his young age he was quite knowledgeable about the 8 and BMWs in general.   His excitement was such that I let him sit in the drivers seat which I think made his day.  Since my ownership, he is perhaps one of a handful of people who have sat in that seat besides myself.  (not even my mechanics sit in the car).  And Yes, BlueBear was there as well.

There were a lot of other great cars present and for all the pictures click here to head to the gallery

Summary,  it was a great event with great cars and provided an opportunity to run into some old acquaintances and meet new ones.  Next year I’ll try to get in as well and will try to get the Classic in as well.

The article features taking a regular 850 (or in my case special. as mine is one of 847 6-speed cars imported in the US) and performing various updates to transform the car into a Sport Super Coupe.   The rest of the markets typically have a sport version made near the tail end of the production run that has many of the features of the M or in the 8’s case the 850CSi but the US was not that fortunate.

My Conversion to the 850i Sport covered the following upgrades to get it closer to my 850CSi.

• Sport Seats
• Suspension upgrades (Bilstein, H&R, K-bar anti-roll bars)
• Brake upgrades - cross drilled rotors, stainless steel brake hoses, Ate Blue fuild
• Performance - Turner Motorsport Chip and K&N Filters
• Accoustics - Exhaust upgrade to Supersprint.

 Also in attendance where some fantastic cars.  For more Pictures

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So what is one to do?  Well I could have sold my 850i and lived happily ever after with my 850CSi but my 850i was my first 8, is in incredible condition and looks marvelous in Silver so I decided to try to create my own Sport Seats and then perform various upgrades to bridge the performance gap.  

The seat conversion was not an easy task but was made easier with the help of Dave at Gault BMW, the use of the ETK and having a a sport seat from the CSi to take apart and compare parts.  After tedious research I was able to identify and order all the necessary parts to convert my existing US standard seat to a fully functioning Euro Sport Seat. 

Here is a picture after replacing the passenger seat with the Sport Seat and comparing it to the Stock driver seat.  I find the sport seats far more attractive.

For more pictures

Here silver girl gets a photo op in front of the Zentrum Museum after enjoying a factory tour.

Gorgeous 3.0 and Klaus Schnitzer prepping for a group shot

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