After a few weeks of waiting and some serious umming and aaahing, I have been fortunate enough to have acquired what appears to be a reasonably well-kept 1986 635CSi.

Compared to my much-loved and practically bullet-proof 1977 Moneybags Green 6er, this car is a whole new world. The colour is 'Nerzbraun', which translates to Mink Brown. In various light the metallic paint appears to alter between brown, and grey, and a sort-of tungsten. After much discussion, and with options ranging from Eva Brown to Skidmark Brown to Bullshit Brown, in the tradition of Moneybags Green this car will be known as Filthy Rich Brown.

So far, everything on it seems to work. Wish me luck! :thumbup:

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/filthy/jpg-frb9.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/filthy/jpg-frb4.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/filthy/jpg-frb5.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/filthy/jpg-frb8.jpg

Wow - new color on me. When I get the M635 back (my records went to ATL with it) I'll have to check my color chart. You should send pix to the guy who runs this site (based in Russia) (http://www.e-24.ru/eng/theory/colors/gallery/) and have your car added to the color collection. (mine is the Cosmos pic).

Sweet car - nice pickup!!!

that is awesome! You seem to have good luck when findingsome rare colors on 6ers, good luck and have fun going between the E28 and E12 platforms.

-Jeff

Beautiful car! Did you find that down under by you?

I really like Eva Brown :-)

Eva had me cracking up, too.

Beautiful car. You DO have some great luck. :)

Looks very nice, wheels look godd on her also !

what did that beauty set u back?

Thanks very much everyone,

I'm still coming to grips with how good a condition this brown 6er seems to be in given that it is a 21 year old car. I can't believe I've bought a brown car, but this colour paint really is something else and its all in such good nick it seemed too good to pass up. Meanwhile the old faithful Moneybags Green 6er is sitting outside looking at me going, "What the hell is this brown thing?? I thought you & I were a team Ellis???"

And yes, e24mpwr, I will let dnd know - he has an excellent, well put-together and very informative site. I tried to do a bit of research on 'mink brown' as a colour before purchasing, through this and other forums, and also on dnd's site, but couldn't find any other examples. If anybody out there has more info or pics of some other BMWs in this colour I'd love to see them.

haha, i thought moneybags might get a little jealous having a newer car around! Itd be interesting to see how many cars total were sprayed that color to see just how rare it really is. Are you noticing anything really different between the 2 chasii (plural for chasis?). Moneybags is the M90 correct? Im sure there are some power delivery differences between the M30 and M90. Your lucky ellis, getting to choose between 2 awesome sixers for the day's commute! How do you like the sport seats? And when i come down to Australia, which one do i get to drive?!!

-Jeff

haha, i thought moneybags might get a little jealous having a newer car around! Itd be interesting to see how many cars total were sprayed that color to see just how rare it really is. Are you noticing anything really different between the 2 chasii (plural for chasis?). Moneybags is the M90 correct? Im sure there are some power delivery differences between the M30 and M90. Your lucky ellis, getting to choose between 2 awesome sixers for the day's commute! How do you like the sport seats? And when i come down to Australia, which one do i get to drive?!!
-Jeff

You'll have to drive both Jeff, its unfair to choose between the two!

The average person looks at the new car (new in '86!) and just assumes I've painted the green one brown, but there are slight styling differences which I'm sure we could all pick up - the 635 has indicators on the front fender guards, the front fenders are also slightly larger on the E28-based car, the rear bumpers are different styles, the side mirrors have chrome trim on the 633 but are black on the 635, there's a tow hook sticking out of the front air dam on the 635, and of course the new one has a sunroof and after-market tint.

The interior however is a whole new world. The same basic styling to the shape of the dash, but totally different gauges, heater controls and door trims. The window switches in Moneybags were changed from their original rocker style to the more attractive rounded, illuminated style before I got it. The seats in the green car seem more comfortable, but that's because I've got comfy sheepskin seat covers over the 30-year-old leather with some comfy cushions hidden underneath, whereas the new car is nice, firm, good condition leather, and electric, which is pretty cool and comfortable in a different way.

The driving experience is completely different. Moneybags seems to have raw power - its a 1977 633CSi, which I understand is an L-Jetronic M30, but without any DME. Its a lighter car so it gets up more quickly, but the motor was also worked and slightly bored out a little just before I got it so its always had plenty of go in it. The accelerator and the brake pedal are both quite spongy, the suspension is soft but in a good cruisy way, and Moneybags has a custom exhaust with a nice, aggressive growl to it, so overall you 'feel' more of the power, sort of more of a '70s muscle car feel to it. The 635 is much more refined, by comparison it seems almost silent when just motoring about, however it definitely has a more consistent feel to its acceleration, the accelerator pedal is much more firm and has more depth, the brakes are fantastic by comparison, and the steering and suspension is much more taught so overall handling is considerably better. The 635's previous owner put new suspension all 'round in the last 12 months, which is a very good thing, and gives the car a more firm and sure-footed feel when driving 'enthusiastically'. It also sees the 635 sitting noticeably lower than the 633.

Bill (ol6erguy) is right, he once said that the E28 style are more of a luxury barge when compared with the drive & feel of the E12 style.

I've only had the new car for one week, so I am still very much getting used to the feel of this car and haven't yet become familiar with just how good it can be. I've had Moneybags for nearly 15 years, so the way it drives is second-nature to me. I am looking forward to becoming more familiar with what Filthy Rich can do!

6's just seem happier in pairs if you ask me!

You dog!!! One can never own too many 6ers!! Brown is a good color (mine is Brazilbraun metallic). Tell ol' Moneybags to get a life. You are adding to his stable, Eva (I like that better) is his new queen!!

Ellis,

When i come down under (im going to come, either for school or travel), we should try and get some kind of meet together for the aussie guys. I can assist you in getting both cars to the meet too. I didnt realize moneybags has been in ur possession for 15 years, thats great! I might be getting an E28 in a couple weeks as a second car (kinda fell into the mix and i cant pass it up if things go well during the test drive/fine tooth comb inspection), so ill have 2 cars that are basically the same. It seems that there are quite a few people with 2 E24's around now, ill have to join the bandwagon soon! Any interior shots of filthy rich?

-Jeff

That looks absolutely amazing! I love the mudflaps (I mean the rest too obviously, but that got my attention), i've been waiting to see something like than on the e34. Are they from bavauto?

man, that is a really cool color, i bet it changes a lot in the light in person...would love to see a picture of Eva and Moneybags together.

Interesting color...the E24 is such an attractive car. The only thing that really keeps me from searching one out is the high fuel consumption. Well, that and the sheer difficulty of finding one in good condition.

Interesting color...the E24 is such an attractive car. The only thing that really keeps me from searching one out is the high fuel consumption. Well, that and the sheer difficulty of finding one in good condition.

the gas mileage on these cars is not that bad, really...i had '93 Ford Taurus before my 6er, and i get about the same mileage out of my 6 that i did out of that family/econo car...and it's actually more reliable, so i'm saving money in the long run!:buttrock

That looks absolutely amazing! I love the mudflaps (I mean the rest too obviously, but that got my attention), i've been waiting to see something like than on the e34. Are they from bavauto?

They were on the vehicle when I got it. Given that I'm in Australia I would imagine they were probably sourced locally rather than through Bav. They may well have been on it since new.

A couple more photos....

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/filthy/jpg-frb3.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/filthy/jpg-frbint01.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/filthy/jpg-frbint02.jpg


I'm gonna have to take more pics that aren't in such harsh sunlight!

Great looking interior there ellis! How do you like the auto on it? Ive never driven one with an autobox yet, so i dont know how the trans responds to the different modes.

-Jeff

Auto is awesome. Kickdown switch rocks.

Six Underground

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/filthy/frb_ug01.jpg


http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/filthy/frb_ug04.jpg


More underground pics here...
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=724350

A few more happy snaps taken over the past few weeks...

http://www.PhotoShare.co.nz/PhotoShareGallery1/101486/108367/jpg-dunrossil_9006173_L.jpg

http://www.PhotoShare.co.nz/PhotoShareGallery1/101486/108367/jpg-dunrossil_2006111_L.jpg

http://www.PhotoShare.co.nz/PhotoShareGallery1/101486/108367/jpg-dunrossil_4003495_L.jpg

http://www.PhotoShare.co.nz/PhotoShareGallery1/101486/108367/jpg-79sw1921_L.jpg

http://www.PhotoShare.co.nz/PhotoShareGallery1/101486/108367/ph_shot4007285_L.jpg

http://www.PhotoShare.co.nz/PhotoShareGallery1/101486/108367/ph_shot5009708_L.jpg

http://www.PhotoShare.co.nz/PhotoShareGallery1/101486/108367/bm_pl019133_L.jpg

http://www.PhotoShare.co.nz/PhotoShareGallery1/101486/108367/bm_pl051150_L.jpg

http://www.PhotoShare.co.nz/PhotoShareGallery1/101486/108367/jpg-6384w4148_L.jpg

http://www.PhotoShare.co.nz/PhotoShareGallery1/101486/108367/jpg-6395w6716_L.jpg

http://www.PhotoShare.co.nz/PhotoShareGallery1/101486/108367/jpg-641033_L.jpg

Someday, when I make it to Aussieland, hunting you and your 6ers down is on my list of things to do. Beautiful cars and beautiful scenerey.

what suspension setup are you running? i love the stance

Looks great ellis!

What all got fixed on him in the shop from a little ways back? Loving the rear headrests, cant wait to have mine installed! The M5 wheels look particularly sparkly clean!

-Jeff

thats a really good looking color! the color looks almost more of a gunmetal than it does brown, it looks very classy.

what suspension setup are you running? i love the stance
Unsure on the suspension specs sorry. The previous owner had replaced the suspension setup within the last twelve months, so the car sits lower than standard and has a very firm & secure ride. I haven't found any paperwork regarding the suspenson in amongst the bundle of documentation he gave me, but I do have the empty boxes with the old struts in 'em, I'll have a look on the boxes and see if there's any info on them worth sharing.

Looks great ellis!
What all got fixed on him in the shop from a little ways back? Loving the rear headrests, cant wait to have mine installed! The M5 wheels look particularly sparkly clean!
-Jeff
Thanks Jeff. A simple fix of new plugs and new leads, and now the car runs like an absolute dream - effortless power, awesome handling, marvellous brakes, the thing goes like a damn bullet train. :thumbup:

You sir have acquired a very fine E24. Congrats and I'm sure the E24 siblings will somehow get along.

Got a big box in the mail the other day from Germany containing a 'slightly used, 100% original, BMW M-Technik series 2 steering wheel'. Its the larger of the two sizes available in this style - I understand the smaller style was used in 3s and Zs whereas this version was available in 5s and 7s in the European market.

The original wheel in the car was showing signs of 20 years of use, mainly around the top from the sun and who knows whose hands. I unpacked the box and was pleasantly surprised to find this wheel is in marvellous condition. It was the fastest and easiest installation of an accessory I've ever done to a car in my entire life, you get to sit in the driver's seat while you do it, and you don't even have to lean forward.

I was a little concerned at the start when I realised my vast, 39-piece socket set doesn't contain a 22, nor a 3mm extension. The only other thing you need is a flat screwdriver, for prising off the BMW badge. Got that bit sorted, looked down the steering shaft to the bolt at the end and thought, '...wow, you really do need a 3mm extension".

Got out of the seat, looked at the clutter of tools in the corner of the garage, the wheel spanner stared me in the face and I thought, 'that'll probably do it..?', picked it up, sat back down again, put the 22 end on the bolt and wham, off she came. Pulled the wheel off, undid the leads for the horn, picked up the new wheel and put it on the shaft. Praise the lord, it fit on perfectly.

Checked all was straight, retightened the bolt with the trusty wheel spanner, stuck the new BMW badge over the hole, and thought, 'that went well.'

I like the feel of this wheel. Its slightly thicker than the original wheel and feels like the wheel I had in the green car, which is what I was used to and what I liked. But this one's all nice and smooth and clean, so all in all it was pretty quick & easy, and its worked out well.
http://www.PhotoShare.co.nz/PhotoShareGallery1/101486/108367/wd-77457936_L.jpg
http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/filthy/jpg_stw02.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/filthy/jpg_stw04.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/filthy/jpg_stw06.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/filthy/jpg_stw08.jpg

http://www.PhotoShare.co.nz/PhotoShareGallery1/101486/108367/wd-7778b4870_L.jpg

http://www.PhotoShare.co.nz/PhotoShareGallery1/101486/108367/jpg-7830wdb8962_L.jpg

http://www.PhotoShare.co.nz/PhotoShareGallery1/101486/108367/jpg-047819wda6094_L.jpg

great looking wheel. what is that component in the bottom cover to the lower right of the steering wheel? it's lit up and appears to have a knob on it. haven't noticed it on US spec cars.

great looking wheel. what is that component in the bottom cover to the lower right of the steering wheel? it's lit up and appears to have a knob on it. haven't noticed it on US spec cars.

That is the headlight adjuster. I have it on my Alpina but it was disabled when the car was imported. It is used to adjust the angle of the H/L depending on the load in the car.

That is the headlight adjuster. I have it on my Alpina but it was disabled when the car was imported. It is used to adjust the angle of the H/L depending on the load in the car.

Coool!

I wonder why it doesnt come on mine? It must have been an option. Funny he asked that question ... when I was looking at your pics of the new wheel, I was like "what is that .... " then I saw the question posed in the following post.

Great minds think alike I guess. :stickoutt

H/L adjuster? how does it work, cable or motor? interesting feature. 1st i ever heard of it.

it works off hydraulics. See this link to RealOEM diagram:http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=5381&mospid=47199&btnr=63_0076&hg=63&fg=05

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/diagrams/d/d/21.png://

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/diagrams/d/d/21.png

WOW!!
That is a beautiful car!

Yep, headlight adjuster, or as its called in the owner's handbook, 'beam throw adjuster!'

This one's been disconnected too.

The stearing wheel looks great! But you put it on the wrong side of the car:rofl:!

The stearing wheel looks great! But you put it on the wrong side of the car:rofl:!

Which is a good thing. I'm a much more accurate shot using my right hand out the window than my left. This also allows me to keep the left hand free to indicate and turn up the radio.:thumbup:

tis my hopes that in the future my 6 project will look as good as filthy rich does, i was already planning on new suspension and those m5 wheels then i saw this thread, and it just sealed the deal so to speak. Love the new car, she is gorgeous. Keep us updated.

Andrew

Which is a good thing. I'm a much more accurate shot using my right hand out the window than my left. This also allows me to keep the left hand free to indicate and turn up the radio.:thumbup:
Hmmm interesting point...I usually have to open the passenger side window to and hurl stuff (skimming the nose of my passenger) at unsuspecting victims...I do that mostly because I'm tuff.

That's right tuff, with two F's

tis my hopes that in the future my 6 project will look as good as filthy rich does, i was already planning on new suspension and those m5 wheels then i saw this thread, and it just sealed the deal so to speak. Love the new car, she is gorgeous. Keep us updated.
Andrew
Thank you Andrew. I wish you good luck and good fortune in all your 6er adventures!

Hmmm interesting point...I usually have to open the passenger side window to and hurl stuff (skimming the nose of my passenger) at unsuspecting victims...I do that mostly because I'm tuff.

I know what you mean mate, I'm damn tuff myself! However, back to reality, I've never fired a gun in my life!

But I have driven in the US, and driving on the other side of the road, sitting on the other side of the car with the rear view mirror, the handbrake and the gearstick all on the opposite side to which I am used to was quite a fun challenge. Bizarre though too, turning at intersections, changing lanes, merging with traffic, all seemed just so odd, you really had to go against your instincts and do things that just seemed wrong! A foreigner in a foreign land! San Francisco was a real challenge, and as you may understand, I didn't even try in Boston!

Have any of you guys driven here in Australia, or other right-hand-drive countries? Weird isn't it, when it goes against everything you've ever known.

After a few weeks of waiting and some serious umming and aaahing, I have been fortunate enough to have acquired what appears to be a reasonably well-kept 1986 635CSi.

This is what we call Nicey, Nicey!:buttrock

Hope to see you with it at SEFS '08

Thank you Andrew. I wish you good luck and good fortune in all your 6er adventures!



I know what you mean mate, I'm damn tuff myself! However, back to reality, I've never fired a gun in my life!

But I have driven in the US, and driving on the other side of the road, sitting on the other side of the car with the rear view mirror, the handbrake and the gearstick all on the opposite side to which I am used to was quite a fun challenge. Bizarre though too, turning at intersections, changing lanes, merging with traffic, all seemed just so odd, you really had to go against your instincts and do things that just seemed wrong! A foreigner in a foreign land! San Francisco was a real challenge, and as you may understand, I didn't

even try in Boston!

Have any of you guys driven here in Australia, or other right-hand-drive countries? Weird isn't it, when it goes against everything you've ever known.

Yeah, I driven in the UK - England and Ireland. The roads in Ireland are very narrow, but I'm use to that because the roads in my home town in Connecticut are the same...Oh yeah, I also drove in Malta...VERY narrow with huge buses passing you on a one lane road going around a corner:eyecrazy
I was able to make the switch OK...had a bit of a time trying to judge where I was on the road sometimes...sometimes getting a little too close to the curb (I wacked a guys sideview mirrow in Cork. Whoops!)
Driving in Boston is NOT at all fun, so I don't blame you for not going for it. I would rather drive in NYC than Boston.

This is what we call Nicey, Nicey!:buttrock

Hope to see you with it at SEFS '08

Thanks mate, appreciate that.
Unfortunately for me, unless '08 is held in South East Australia, I will have to politely decline!

Thanks mate, appreciate that.
Unfortunately for me, unless '08 is held in South East Australia, I will have to politely decline!

Fit her with pontoons and call her the S.S. Filthy Rich Brown and you'll be good to go!

Fit her with pontoons and call her the S.S. Filthy Rich Brown and you'll be good to go!

I'm definitely keen on the 6 series hover conversion. I'm pretty sure that would get me there!

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/clutter/bm-xdmc04815.jpg

:rofl at the names for the colors!

There was a Moneybags Green 633csi that lived across the street where I grew up and my dad and I just drooled over that car. The classic 6 is still one of my favorite cars and hope to find one that's in as good a condition as your find. Congrats!

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b184/nascarman/hooverm6.jpg


Now she's done! ARRRRRRRR

whats the difference between a stock 633 engine and a stock 635 engine, horsepower wise?

and also, between the 633 and 635, do they get the same differential w/the same final drive ratios?

;9671737']whats the difference between a stock 633 engine and a stock 635 engine, horsepower wise?

and also, between the 633 and 635, do they get the same differential w/the same final drive ratios?

I'm no expert, but this link (and the links off it) might give you some of the information you are after regarding variations between the differing year models. http://www.e-24.ru/eng/theory/engineering/

There are plenty of experts on these boards so hopefully someone more knowledgeable than I may chime in with a succinct breakdown for you.

i love those rims on this car need a set for my 87 m6

overall the car looks sweet

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/six%20by%20two/sixbytwo2.jpg

Pics here...
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=767841

Went for a drive the other night with my arm hanging out the window...
http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/filthy/sixatnight001.jpg

Took a photo while I was parked...
http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/filthy/sixatnight000.jpg

Then drove back home...
http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/filthy/sixatnight002.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/filthy/sixatnight003.jpg

Such great looking cars...and really well done pictures too!

nice

Took the Filthy Rich Brown barge out onto the skidpan over the weekend. It was bloody awesome! :D

So much fun getting to really hammer the big car around the track, gunning it through the wet & slippery cement. Never done it before but it was marvellous stuff. I have never driven a car and ended up with such a massive grin from ear to ear as I did driving that big brown luxury sports coupe round & round on the smooth & slippery skidpan.

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/skidpan/skidpan00.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/skidpan/skidpan1.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/skidpan/skidpan2.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/skidpan/skidpan3.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/skidpan/skidpan4.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/skidpan/skidpan5.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/skidpan/skidpan6.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/skidpan/skidpan7.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/skidpan/skidpan8.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/skidpan/skidpan9.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/skidpan/skidpan10.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/skidpan/skidpan11.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/skidpan/skidpan12.jpg

THATS AWESOME!!!!

Im so jealous you were able to really test out the car and have a blast doing it! I guess now you also have a better understanding of what the car can do and how to control the beast!

Great pictures, hope you didnt get wet with your window open haha.

-Jeff

Skidpan Video...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsFafu4ToSA

Awesome footage ellis. who are you letting drive your car or did you have a wardrobe change? And do you know the owner of the E28 wagon, if it is one? Never knew they ever made a wagon/touring e28...looks awesome. Probably just my imagination though haha

-Jeff

The video actually features two E24s and a Saab 9-5 wagon. I went to the skidpan day with my friend Paul and his wife Emma. Paul owns an Agate Green 1986 635CSi and Emma drove their 9-5 wagon. The Saab really is an outstanding car for this type of activity! So while Emma and Paul swapped vehicles for a run or two, I'm the only one who drove mine. While I was on the track Paul videoed and took photos, while he was on the track I papparazied him.

Saab 9-5 wagon
http://www.photoshare.co.nz/PhotoShareGallery1/101167/108547/17907.jpg

Agate Green 1986 635CSi
http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/skidpan/ph_001_440.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/skidpan/ph_001_787.jpg

Because it was an easy background to mess around with, I photoshopped some images of the two E24s together to make it look like we were out there together... :thumbup:

BMW Precision Driving Team

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/six%20by%20two/twosix003.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/six%20by%20two/twosix004.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/six%20by%20two/twosix005.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/six%20by%20two/twosix008.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/six%20by%20two/twosix022.jpg

Ellis, those photochops are what compels me to tell you whatever business you are in, you are in the wrong business. You need to come here to US of A and get with the animation departments in hollywood and make yer self some coin!

That is some quality work. Oh and tell Paul to wipe that HUGE grin off his face when planning around .... he's making the rest of us too jealous.! :D

Looks like it was really a great time had by all. Paul looks like a rather tall person as well. doesnt look like comfort seats would work for him to fit into a 6er! Awesome work on the photoshop, are you a mac or pc guy, or do you use both?

-Jeff

Thanks fellas. It is comments such as yours that make taking the photos & putting 'em up worthwhile. My photoshop efforts are all done using a PC with Jasc PaintShop Pro software.

I assure you, Paul, Emma and Ellis were all grinning from ear to ear!

The Filthy Rich Brown beast got rather filthy following the skidpan fun - all that recycled water splashing everywhere.

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/skidpan/skdpn_aftr01.jpg

Paul & I spent the following morning giving it a good detail.
Paul did the vast majority of the work, he has a passion for detailing classic cars. Suits me fine!

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/filthy/ph_detail00.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/filthy/ph_detail01.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/filthy/ph_detail02.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/filthy/ph_detail03.jpg

Unfortunately I had to head back home to Canberra before we got to do his car! :thumbup:

looks like you had a great time. what an excellent way to learn the characteristics of your 6. better to learn on the skid pad than on the road. the 6 is a lot of car when it gets loose.

That is truly a stunning example. Maybe some H&R/Bilsteins in the future? Gorgeous car.

I love a sunburnt country, so when we get some snow around the region its quite the novelty. Certainly it is nothing by comparison with what you poor folks in the northern hemisphere have to put up with - I've seen your pictures of roundels poking through mounds of snow, the faint outline of a Hoffmeister kink indicating that there's a car underneath.

We had a light dusting of snow here the other day. Nothing problematic, just enough to be picturesque.


http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/filthy/alpine6er.jpg

Snow? Down under? Ellis, your bursting my bubble, my dream of retiring in the land of beautiful women and sixes!. Does your town get significant snowfall? I hear that in the north, there is a rainforest. Tropical, as in no snow, no cold, just HOT. Maybe a bit much for the six, too much humidity would lead to rust. Actually the wife and I are planning to retire in about 9 years in Peru, shes from there and we are looking forward to this. The only problem is that she says I should not bring the six, too much of a target for the criminals. So, there in lies the paradox ....

Sure it snows down here, but not a lot! It very rarely snows in Canberra (where I live), but it regularly gets to below freezing overnight during winter (which is now). Despite the cold its pretty much always blue skies and beautifully sunny, so daytime maximums of 12-13 degrees celsius are quite bearable. There is a mountain range surrounding Canberra (the Brindabellas) that gets a little bit of snow on it in the middle of winter, and its on the outskirts of this mountain range that I took the above photo.

Genuine snowfields are about two hours south of Canberra, in an area called.... the Snowy Mountains! Have you heard of that movie 'Jindabyne'? Jindabyne is a small town in the Snowy Mountains region.

The rainforests are in far north Queensland, which is about as far away from me as Chicago is from San Diego, and its pretty much always hot up there. All of Australia gets damn hot in summer time, but those of us in the southern states also get to experience cold winters.

So what would it take to convince you and your wife to retire down under, where women glow and men plunder...?

So what would it take to convince you and your wife to retire down under, where women glow and men plunder...?

Employment for starters. Despite "retirement" as it were, I plan I doing something to keep busy and supplement my income. The computer world doesnt pay as much as it did in the late 90's. There is a glut of programmers out there now, and more jobs going to india everyday. I tell ya its sad but, there are actually very few people fully prepared to retire and live off of saving and investments. There is NO cheap place to live here. The wife and I are actually contemplating retiring in Peru where she is from, but, the kids have to grow up and get out first.

Maybe I'll settle for a vaction to 'stralia for now. That is far more plausible.

I went for a bit of a drive this week and discovered the most impressive and scenic country road that I have ever been on.

Most of the rural areas near where I live are fairly drought-ravaged, meaning everywhere you look is dry, dusty, barren and brown. It is winter at the moment so there has been a little bit of rain, but certainly not enough to make up for the long, very hot summers we've been getting for the last 10-15 years. So I really couldn't believe my eyes when I decided to go for a bit of a drive to a little town about 2 hours from here.

The first section of the trip was like a typical Australian country road - narrow, pot-holey road, no traffic, across flat dairy country.

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/jasper/rt001.jpg

Then came some tree coverage, a few winds & twists...

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/jasper/rt002.jpg

...then I turned a corner down an embankment and was presented with the most fantastic view of the greenest, lushest, most scenic valley I have ever seen in this whole area.

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/jasper/rt00314.jpg

Friendly types around here too because as I stopped to take some pictures two separate passers-by in flatbed utes stopped, asked me, "Everything okay mate?", I said "Yep, just impressed with the view!" they said "No worries lad, see ya later," and kept going.

So I took a few pictures of the valley view, then proceeded down the winding road.

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/jasper/rt005.jpg

Before I knew it I was presented with a marvellous tall bridge in a beautiful green valley, the Murrumbidgee River flowing below.

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/jasper/rt005xx.jpg

No traffic, I stopped on the bridge and took the "BMW on a bridge" photo opportunity, the sun was glaring and I couldn't really see what I was doing, so I turned the car around to face the other way and took some more.

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/jasper/rt006.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/jasper/rt007.jpg

I continued along the road, through green valleys, through winding valleys, all 100 zone too. It just kept getting more picturesque the further I went. And the road was fantastic. The vast majority of it was wide, flat, smooth, clean road. Not pot-holed & corrugated, but a really excellent condition road, great visibility, wide & sweeping so you can really see where you're going, practically no traffic, with the odd section of twist and hills to add to the enjoyment.

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/jasper/rt008.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/jasper/rt008x.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/jasper/rt009.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/jasper/rt010.jpg

There was a short section of dirt, about 4-5kms, but all nice clean white dirt, very smooth, nothing to be worried about (ie. I've had worse)...

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/jasper/rt040.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/jasper/rt050.jpg

...then back on to the terribly tempting sealed road.

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/jasper/rt055.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/jasper/rt060.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/jasper/rt072.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/jasper/rt074.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/jasper/rt076.jpg

I arrived in the small town, went to the general store and bought a meat pie and a drink, and sat out the front in the sunshine with a couple of locals. I told them how incredibly impressed I was at how beautiful the whole area was, and also how impressed I was at the marvellous condition of the road to get out there.

They said yep, the road has only been fully sealed in the last two years or so, it was all dirt before that, and not many people know about this place. They recommended I go a bit further along, another short dirt road which takes you down to the river and some picnic facilities. I went along there a little bit, found the river and picnic areas, but there was nothing much else to see. It was surprisingly dry out this way, but still picturesque.

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/jasper/rt080.jpg

Then I found about 200 cows meandering down the road. They seemed quite taken with my brown car - it's pretty much the same colour as they were and a couple of them approached with love in their eyes, but it seemed wise to keep moving.

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/jasper/rt090.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/jasper/rt100.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/jasper/rt110.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/jasper/rt120.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/jasper/rt130.jpg

I followed back along the dirt for a bit up into the mountains, as the road the cows were on wasn't where I needed to go, but then I figured this dirt could probably go on forever, it was getting a bit lumberjacky and by this stage it was also about 4pm, so I turned back.

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/jasper/rt140.jpg

The setting sun was bringing out some marvellous colours, so on the way back I stopped again for some more photos at the bridge.

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/jasper/rt190.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/jasper/rt194.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/jasper/rt200.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/jasper/rt300.jpg

Needless to say, I was damn impressed with this roadtrip, and I expect I'll be heading back there again soon. Who's with me!!?? http://xs109.xs.to/xs109/06472/thumbup.gif

IM THERE!!! I think that next year in august ill be heading to australia for my semester abroad, id love to go out there and have a look around. Im actually in the agricultural field, so going out and looking at the farm equipment they use there could be a "field trip" or something. Mark it down in your books, when im down there im taking a road trip to canberra to hang out and go look at the countryside

-Jeff

Looks great man, all it needs now is a 5-SPD

Awesome brown color.

Went for a run around some of the backroads on the outskirts of Sydney over the weekend with two 6er-driving mates. We got some fantastic pictures of our cars in some great locations - here's one pearler Paul took for me as I gunned around a corner.

http://www.photoshare.co.nz/PhotoShareGallery1/101167/108655/38295.jpg

A couple more from the weekend run.

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/picton%20route/pictrt000.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/picton%20route/pictrt012.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/picton%20route/pictrt013.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/picton%20route/pictrt016.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/picton%20route/pictrt017.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/picton%20route/pictrt023.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/picton%20route/pictrt025.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/picton%20route/pictrt028.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/picton%20route/pictrt031.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/picton%20route/pictrt032.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/picton%20route/pictrt035.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/picton%20route/pictrt036.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/picton%20route/pictrt037.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/picton%20route/pictrt038.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/picton%20route/pictrt045.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/picton%20route/pictrt048.jpg

Looks great ellis as always! where is that dam and or quarry located? Looks like its been there quite a while, good backdrop for the cars.

-Jeff

Great shots and beautiful cars! I especially like the last two pics...It too bad we yanks couldn't easily have a run with you fellas...

Thanks fellas,

The dam is Nepean Dam, about an hour or so south of Sydney. I don't think any of us had been there before but we were pretty impressed at how photogenic a spot it turned out to be. The Dam was built in 1935 and looked like a mix of sandstone & concrete, all the steps & pathways were built out of massive concrete blocks, I guess in that post-modern formal & geometric style which was the norm in those days. It was all pretty cool, back then they built things to last!

If I've done my Google Map link correctly, this should show you where it is...

Nepean Dam (http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&t=h&hl=en&msa=0&msid=102845390821396687433.000438eb3080c8b386fb8&ll=-34.334152,150.617638&spn=0.003101,0.004978&z=18&om=1)

Here a couple more photos. These first three were taken by Greg (his is the red 6er) and also show the dam surrounds more clearly. Greg climbed a concrete wall and got some impressive angles and composition with these shots.

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/picton%20route/gb001.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/picton%20route/gb002.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/picton%20route/gb003.jpg


Some more taken by me...

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/picton%20route/pictrt004.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/picton%20route/pictrt043.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/picton%20route/pictrt044.jpg


And a few more of Paul's stunners...

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/picton%20route/phe.jpg

http://www.photoshare.co.nz/PhotoShareGallery1/101167/108655/58694.jpg

http://www.photoshare.co.nz/PhotoShareGallery1/101167/108655/931565.jpg
(Actually, that's him driving - I took this one with his camera)

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/picton%20route/phnpn001.jpg
(How cool is this one!!)

That last one is very nice. I wish I had some photographer friends.

It's been a while, bumping my favourite thread with a coupla new pics taken around town, featuring.... the new number plate.

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/filthy/frb_plt002.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/filthy/frb_plt004.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/filthy/frb_plt008.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/filthy/frb_plt006.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/filthy/frb_plt010.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/filthy/frb_plt012.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/filthy/frb_plt014.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/filthy/frb_plt015.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/filthy/frb_plt016.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/filthy/frb_plt018.jpg

Man, this is one great looking thread. Some thoughts I had while scrolling through:

1) BMW 6 series cars are beautiful. I mean just devastating.

2) Australia is beautiful

3) Big rims and a lowered suspensions make 6ers look even better

4) I need to detail my car

5) I think I prefer the front dam with the rounded (versus squared off) corners

6) I only see this dam on Euro models -- will it fit a car with US bumpers?

7) How well did the red 633 keep up with the 635s?

*Bump!*

looks great as always!!!

I love those shots ellis, cant wait to see the country down there. Is there anything special about the new plates that im totally missing?? I see that they are a different color, and seem smaller than before as well. You are going to take me to these places correct???

haha, take care,

-Jeff

Man, this is one great looking thread. Some thoughts I had while scrolling through:

1) BMW 6 series cars are beautiful. I mean just devastating.Couldn't agree more. Of course, you are preaching to the converted.

2) Australia is beautifulIt has its moments. For example, women glow and men plunder.

3) Big rims and a lowered suspensions make 6ers look even betterAs good-looking as they are, the E24 can look damn tough and imposing with the right wheel & suspension combo. Wokke's cars looks pretty tough.

4) I need to detail my car Only problem I find is that whenever I do a bit, I keep seeing more bits that need doing.

5) I think I prefer the front dam with the rounded (versus squared off) corners Squared off, do you mean this style?

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e350/hoadie/Five%20Dock/5_resize.jpg

This example is the 'world bumpers' style ('88/'89 models).

6) I only see this dam on Euro models -- will it fit a car with US bumpers? I don't really know about that, I don't know enough about the US diving boards to compare. I think most of the pre '88 spoilers are pretty interchangeable, and I've read that post '88s require using the post '88 mounting brackets. Some people say its a fairly straightforward bolt-on, others say it requires a bit of fabrication and realignment to make them fit.

7) How well did the red 633 keep up with the 635s? The 633 had no problems at all, in fact its probably a little bit quicker off the mark because its a lighter car not weighed down with all the excess luxury electronics & things (eg. electric seats etc). Mind you, there's only so fast you can go on public roads so its not like we ever really drag one another. I know my '77 633 has shiteloads of power, though the '86 635 does it more effortlessly and considerably quieter, so it doesn't really feel as fast.

*Bump!*Happy with that! :thumbup:

looks great as always!!!
I love those shots ellis, cant wait to see the country down there. Is there anything special about the new plates that im totally missing?? I see that they are a different color, and seem smaller than before as well. You are going to take me to these places correct???
haha, take care,
-Jeff
Thanks Jeff. The new plates aren't really anything special, they're just different I guess.

I've always quite liked my standard metal plates, I think number plates should be pressed metal, and I've always figured the standard metal plate colour combination we have here (white plate, blue lettering) is sort of set off by the blue & white roundel.

But the current style metal plate here just wont fit in that section on the back of the car. I made up that bodgy angled bracket for the rear plate but I never really liked how the plate sat on that angle. The laws here only allow a full size plate on the back, they don't allow slimline or any smaller style on the rear. But we do have an option with these coloured, plastic plates, available in a variety of colour combinations, so I got a guy to make me up some plates that will fit - a slimline one for the front with an angle in the centre to fit neatly around the shark nose, and a slightly slimmer plate for the back so it fits in the section. So technically they're the same size as the metal plates I had on previously, but the rear one is slightly slimmer. And I'm thinking that the end result, dark plates on the dark coloured car, looks pretty tidy.

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/filthy/frnt_two_b.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/filthy/rear_old1.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/filthy/rear_new1.jpg

Of course I'll take you to these places Jeff. Might let you drive an auto too. On the right-hand side of the road! :thumbup:

I see about the plates. The darker colors do look sharp on that car. I need to get a bracket to mount my euro plate up front. Having the plate sit flush on the back looks a lot better too.

Have you thought about getting colored plates made up for moneybags?

-Jeff

Had a go at Wakefield Park raceway earlier this week with some Aussie mates. Goon, another member of bf.c with a white E36 318i, was there too.

This is Goon...

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/clutter/wk_goon01.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/clutter/wk_goon02.jpg

...taking it all in his stride.


This is me...

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/filthy/wk_frb01.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/filthy/wk_frb02.jpg

...hammering my luxury sports coupe around the circuit.

The big brown beamer did a fantastic job, tyres screeching the whole way as it lumbered around the track. Jeez it was hard work on the cars though, some pretty sharp corners really put the pressure on, but plenty of great sweeeping bends that you could really hammer it through at full pelt. Top marks to the blokes at the Pirelli factory, I was very very impressed with how securely the Dragons held my big, heavy, hulk of a car down all day long, over and over and over.

Goon's dad came along to take photos. This is one of his shots, I really like it!! (and that white blur in the background is Goon!)

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/filthy/wkfld9860.jpg


Aside from treating my car so harshly, I've been trying some carpark shots, making use of perspective and the lines offered by and empty, endless carpark.

First lot are daytime, the sunlight coming through the gaps in the ceiling makes for an interesting effect, second lot are later that night at a different location. Funny that I have my headlights on in the daytime shots but not at night hey!

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/filthy/frb_dark04.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/filthy/frb_dark06.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/filthy/frb_dark02.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/filthy/frb_dark08.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/filthy/frb_bgrg001.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/filthy/frb_bgrg002.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/filthy/frb_bgrg004.jpg

Looks like that was a great time!!!

the car looks awesome in those carpark photos. Any special camera tricks, photoshop, or does this car really and truly look that good?

-Jeff

Looks like that was a great time!!!
the car looks awesome in those carpark photos. Any special camera tricks, photoshop, or does this car really and truly look that good?
-Jeff

You're absolutely right Jeff, it was fun, lots of fun, but through gritted teeth the whole time due to the amount of wear & tear I was putting the car through. It was a very hot day, Filthy is a big, heavy, automatic so there was an awful lot of pressure put on the brakes, suspension & tyres doing that sort of hard driving, with the speeds you're going and the number of corners and sharp bends. Like I said, the tyres and the car did a marvellous job, it hung on wonderfully and didn't let me down all day, but it's not the sort of thing I'd want to do very often because the strain being put on the car was far too excessive for my liking.

I really really really tried to use the brakes sparingly and without too much force, I didn't want to warp the brake rotors or anything like that, and many of the curves on the track could be done at full speed, gunning it around, and the car would hang on magically, but lots of the bends required serious braking and in such a heavy automatic car that's very hard work. It'd be much better and much more fun in a manual, where you can control your speed & cornering more effectively with the gears.

Here are a couple of very short videos - they only go for 20 seconds each but you can hear tyres screeching and witness body roll big time!!

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/video/th_6erWakefield_02.jpg (http://s158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/video/?action=view&current=6erWakefield_02.flv)

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/video/th_6erWakefield_04.jpg (http://s158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/video/?action=view&current=6erWakefield_04.flv)

As for the carpark photos, yes there a few tricks, but nothing deceptive I assure you!! My camera is a basic point & shoot, a little Pentax Optio S6, no bigger than a pack of cards. It takes marvellous photos given how small, lightweight & compact it is, but it's very limited in anything other than daytime sunlight as it has no manual setting for aperture, shutter speed, focal length or anything like that. All I can play around with is the exposure control. So, when trying these carpark shots in different light, some areas were very dark, some very bright, and with neon lighting above flaring out the exposure control, I tried to compensate.

I put the camera on a tripod, take one photo on the basic auto setting, then adjust the exposure control, either way way up or way way down, whichever way it needs to go, then take another shot whilst on the tripod so it's the exact same image just considerably darker or lighter. In these examples, the brighter image is about a 2 second exposure, the darker image is around 0.6 of a second. Then using photoshop software (Jasc PaintShop Pro) I layer the the two exposures so that the car can be adequately lit and the background doesn't disappear into blackness or so that the lights aren't overblown & overexposed.

The thumbnails below click to open a much larger image where you can see the two original photos and the final result. These images are 2000x2000 pixels so I've made them clickable thumbnails.

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/filthy/th_jpg_layers_001.jpg (http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/filthy/jpg_layers_001.jpg)

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/filthy/th_jpg_layers_002.jpg (http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/filthy/jpg_layers_002.jpg)

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/filthy/th_jpg_layers_003.jpg (http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/filthy/jpg_layers_003.jpg)

With the blue poles carpark, I also cleaned up some of the white spots that were on the ground so it made the image look a bit cleaner, and took out some of the numbers on the poles in the background to remove the distraction. But other than balancing the exposure for the best overall image, there's no real photoshopping or retouching on the car itself, just the surroundings.

I liked these photos because the blue colour of the poles subtly sets off well with the blue roundel. I also took this shot (below) while I was there, which I quite liked cos of the whole number 6 thing, its just that the poles where this was are a yucky colour blue, I much like the darker blue, and pole number 6 in the darker blue section had cars parked all around it!

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/filthy/jpg_6472_bl6.jpg

Stunning, the m5 wheels are growing on me. I may have to copy you on that.

Man, what beautifully composed pictures. Pure eye candy! In my opinion (FWIW) the quality of these approaches that of the official BMW promo pics. I mean, these are really good.

Man, what beautifully composed pictures. Pure eye candy! In my opinion (FWIW) the quality of these approaches that of the official BMW promo pics. I mean, these are really good.
Thank you very much, that's very generous of you, I appreciate your kind words. The sixers are such a photogenic car, and when you get down low and accentuate their awesome lines you will more than likely end up with something easy on the eyes!!

They even look good when breaking the law. :thumbup:

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/filthy/frb_stopnostop.jpg

My mate Paul and I went for a cruise a couple of weekends ago, west of Sydney along some of the rural backroads to Bathurst NSW. The original plan for the run was to get as many 6ers as we could, but when it came to crunch time, it boiled down to just him and me! But that's okay, it means I got a stackload of amazing pictures of my car from Paul.

Here's a selection of his and my photos. At the end I've also included a link to a video of the run, mixed with a variety of our photos. Had more 6ers shown up there'd be a bit more variety - as it is its just Paul's car and my car!

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/dec2007%20bathurst%20run/dec_bfc_010.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/dec2007%20bathurst%20run/dec_bfc_020.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/dec2007%20bathurst%20run/dec_bfc_030.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/dec2007%20bathurst%20run/dec_bfc_040.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/dec2007%20bathurst%20run/dec_bfc_050.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/dec2007%20bathurst%20run/dec_bfc_060.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/dec2007%20bathurst%20run/dec_bfc_080.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/dec2007%20bathurst%20run/dec_bfc_110.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/dec2007%20bathurst%20run/dec_bfc_114.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/dec2007%20bathurst%20run/dec_bfc_120.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/dec2007%20bathurst%20run/dec_bfc_130.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/dec2007%20bathurst%20run/dec_bfc_140.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/dec2007%20bathurst%20run/dec_bfc_150.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/dec2007%20bathurst%20run/dec_bfc_160.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/dec2007%20bathurst%20run/dec_bfc_170.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/dec2007%20bathurst%20run/dec_bfc_180.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/dec2007%20bathurst%20run/dec_bfc_200.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/dec2007%20bathurst%20run/dec_bfc_206.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/dec2007%20bathurst%20run/dec_bfc_210.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/dec2007%20bathurst%20run/dec_bfc_220.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/dec2007%20bathurst%20run/dec_bfc_240.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/dec2007%20bathurst%20run/dec_bfc_250.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/dec2007%20bathurst%20run/dec_bfc_260.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/dec2007%20bathurst%20run/dec_bfc_270.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/dec2007%20bathurst%20run/dec_bfc_280.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/dec2007%20bathurst%20run/dec_bfc_290.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/dec2007%20bathurst%20run/dec_bfc_300.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/dec2007%20bathurst%20run/dec_bfc_310.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/dec2007%20bathurst%20run/dec_bfc_340.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/dec2007%20bathurst%20run/dec_bfc_350.jpg


Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AQtoPaqPiI

I really like the TRX's on Paul's car. Im usually not one to enjoy those wheels, but they do look good on a euro if they are in good shape!

Great shots ellis!!!

-Jeff

Is that the normal NSW plate, or are you allowed to put your number on a "Euro style" number plate?

I'd like to try to convince our gov't to allow us to buy the reg number, as usual, but purchase Euro-shaped plates. I saw an Audi with one here, strictly illegal, but it looked good (especially as it divided that big Audi "mouth" so it actually looked nice).

Action shots this time. Very nice!

Your friend's rims are interesting -- they look like the factory bottlecaps but the tires look wider than stock. Are those the factory rims?

I've got the original bottlecaps on my car, but they're only 7" wide (I think) and my understanding is that they'll handle a maximum tire width of only 205mm or so. I love the bottlecap look -- I think the designers got that detail right on the money -- but have been considering other rims for the sake of getting more rubber under the car. But is it possible to get the bottlecaps in wider widths, and do they make a 16" diameter version?

I would love to have about a 225 width tire on a 16" bottlecap rim.

Is that the normal NSW plate, or are you allowed to put your number on a "Euro style" number plate?
I'd like to try to convince our gov't to allow us to buy the reg number, as usual, but purchase Euro-shaped plates. I saw an Audi with one here, strictly illegal, but it looked good (especially as it divided that big Audi "mouth" so it actually looked nice).
It's not the standard NSW plate but it is one of the permitted custom plates available from the NSW RTA, you can buy these euro plates from the RTA when you register your car. They're available with either a black or a white background, I think they're about 160 bucks annually. Pic below is Greg's 6er with the black version of the euro plate.

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/picton%20route/pictrt017.jpg

There are a lot of euro cars on our roads so these plates are pretty popular out here, and you're right, they do work well on Audis and cars like that. I think most of the states here in Australia offer these euro plates, though not here where I live. They sure suit the front end of a 6er more appropriately than the standard plate, and as most of us know a standard rear plate won't even fit on our cars without either bending it or sticking it on a bracket.

Action shots this time. Very nice!
Your friend's rims are interesting -- they look like the factory bottlecaps but the tires look wider than stock. Are those the factory rims?
I've got the original bottlecaps on my car, but they're only 7" wide (I think) and my understanding is that they'll handle a maximum tire width of only 205mm or so. I love the bottlecap look -- I think the designers got that detail right on the money -- but have been considering other rims for the sake of getting more rubber under the car. But is it possible to get the bottlecaps in wider widths, and do they make a 16" diameter version?
I would love to have about a 225 width tire on a 16" bottlecap rim.

Action, that's right, action out west. :thumbup:
Paul has been collecting the odd TRX tyre here and there, buying reasonable ones when they show up on ebay, with the intention of giving the car a run on it's original wheels to see what they're like. He's had issues with his hubcentric rings lately so he thought now would be a good opportunity to try out the TRXs.

I've always liked the look of the TRXs, I ran with them on the green car for many years and probably would still do if it weren't for the obvious tyre issues. Paul's (and mine) are the standard metric style 1 TRX, 220/55 390mm, which I think is what most Australian-delivered 635s had on them when new. The bottlecap version, I think, are the style 2 TRXs, I'm not sure on the specs of those though there's a pretty good variety of 16" E34 & E39 wheels which can transfer well to our cars (most will require hubcentric rings).

Here's a link to a BMW wheel catalogue, which you can use to see all varieties of factory wheel for each model & series car.

http://felgenkatalog.auto-treff.com/

I've gotten used to the look of my car and the tyre profile with its 17" alloys, but when Paul showed up in the car with those TRX wheels in place it really did look good and reminded me how right they are for the car. The profile of the car looks so much better when there's a decent amount of tyre wall rubber. They looked meatier and more substantial on the car than I had remembered, and they looked like a comfy ride.

http://www.photoshare.co.nz/PhotoShareGallery1/101167/107312/trx18126.jpg

http://www.photoshare.co.nz/PhotoShareGallery1/101167/107312/trx27397.jpg

Despite how much everybody bags the Michelin TRXs (me included), Paul spoke very highly of them. He said ride comfort was almost perfect, the vehicle stayed straight and clean on the highway with almost zero road noise, he felt the suspension and tyre combination worked well together in soaking up the bumps and jolts on the road making for a swift, comfortable ride. He said it'd be good to try a set of new TRXs rather than these 20 year old cracked & dry ones as they also had pretty good cornering grip, but they can fishtail a bit and lose a bit of traction under power if you apply yourself! It sounds to me like the BMW engineers knew exactly what they were doing when they developed this wheel & tyre combo for these cars.

In the wet these tyres would be a different story. Modern tyres are far more capable in terms of their water dispersal and overall grip when all you should really need is just common sense, but it seems BMW's original intention for the car, as a luxury autobahn cruiser, was spot on the money.

It's summer down under, I forgot what sun looked like. You are making a lot of people jealous. We have had more rain this fall/winter than I care to remember but the sun poked out for about 4 hours on Christmas Eve, enough time for me to drive the M6 to my parents for dinner. Christmas day we got some snow. Nice job on the pics as usual.

Dwight

Dude, beautiful car!! Nice pics! I almost went to Australia this year... anyway, nice car and pics!

What impresses me is these cars can do chubby sidewalls or 17" rims -- either way -- and look fantastic. How many cars penned in 1976 can do that? It's just more evidence, I think, of the rightness of the 6er body design. It's like a model who can wear anything and make it look good.

THanks for the rim info. Slowly but surely I'm becoming a vintage BMW expert (or at least someone who is full of trivia on the subject!). I was thinking TRX's were just bottlecaps slightly resized to the nearest metric size. Now I realize that they're styled a little differently and that they're a good bit wider than the style 2s.

Vertically challenged...

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/dec2007%20bathurst%20run/jpg_filthy_vc.jpg

What a great thread! Beautiful cars, excellant photography and obviously a bunch of folk enjoying their rides the way it's meant to be! Congrats! and I look forward to more, Joe

That is a great shot ellis!!! Looks like you were moving pretty good to take that shot. Did you set the shutter speed for that? Or was it a pre-set kinda deal for highspeed shots?

You never let down in the photo department!!!!

-Jeff

That is a great shot ellis!!! Looks like you were moving pretty good to take that shot. Did you set the shutter speed for that? Or was it a pre-set kinda deal for highspeed shots?
Thanks Jeff,

I liked the shot too, but I didn't take it, my mate Paul took that one while I was busy driving and trying to look cool! I found this one in amongst the mix of shots he has taken on one of our recent cruises.

The shutter speed on these is around 1/200 or so, aperture around f8, but these settings vary big-time depending on how bright it is, whether we're in a shady area or in bright sunshine, or even if the road itself is dark bitumen or light concrete. Paul uses a DSLR which, obviously, allows for a lot of adjustment, all I have is a point & shoot so all I can really adjust is the exposure compensation, which helps to give a longer shutter speed. I borrowed a DSLR once but most of the shots came out pretty rough because I wasn't really familiar with how to operate the camera, but some of the rolling shots Paul gets look awesome. He's really good at getting shots with streaked, motion-blurred backgrounds and good clean focus on the cars.

Around about 1/50 seems to be the slowest shutter speed that works to allow for the speed blur, and that setting also requires lowering the exposure control so the image isn't blown out. We both use 'burst-mode' or 'drive-mode' or whatever they call it, so the camera takes continual shots while the shutter release is pressed, which means dozens of photographs to get the one or two money shots.

This is another of Paul's shots from that same run, you can see the reflection of his car.

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/dec2007%20bathurst%20run/frb_vert02.jpg


This is one from my camera (Paul's car).

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/dec2007%20bathurst%20run/ph_flyby02.jpg


That'd be me.

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/dec2007%20bathurst%20run/ph_flyby04.jpg

One day we'll probably drop that camera.

I've had the chance to take the car on a couple of purposeful drives over the last few weekends. The purists are gonna kill me, but I took the 6er on the dirt again, twice.

Not wanting to bugger up my car, and not wanting a repeat of the south coast run, I promised myself I'd take it slow and steady on the rough. I also thought I'd give the Simmons wheels from the green car a bit of a whirl on the brown car.

I'd always wanted to see how they'd look on the brown car, and having seen Paul's car lately looking so good running the TRXs, I thought maybe the Simmons with their greater sidewall profile might look good. I also figured it might be a plus to have a bit more soft, comfy tyre underneath me while attempting these rough dirt roads, rather than the lower profile regular wheel & tyre combo. Not much difference in their sizes, but it was worth giving it a shot.

So on went the wheels...

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/filthy/simmons_garage.jpg

They're okay, they look alright from the right angle & in the sunshine, but I definitely prefer the look & style of the 17" wheels.

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/filthy/simmons_020.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/filthy/simmons_030.jpg

If they were some sort of genuine BMW wheel rather than just 'mag' wheels they might suit better too, they don't look as impressive as the TRXs do on Paul's car, but anyway, they'd be good for where I was about to go.

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/filthy/simmons_040.jpg


The first trip was on Australia Day (Jan 26), went with some mates to Wombeyan Caves, NSW for a bbq. Its part of a national park about two & a half hours south-east of Sydney, and two & a half north of me. The central meet point was Mittagong, from where we followed Wombeyan Caves Rd to the Wombeyan Caves campground. This is a 70km journey of which about 40kms is unsealed.

Wombeyan Caves (http://maps.google.com.au/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=917613134241163892,-34.305584,149.965096%3B1081909832356491126,-34.317372,149.812973&time=&date=&ttype=&saddr=Mittagong+NSW,+Australia&daddr=-34.305584,149.965096+to:Wombeyan+Caves+Rd+%40-34.317372,+149.812973&mra=ps&mrcr=0,1&sll=-34.301897,149.966984&sspn=0.067925,0.11673&ie=UTF8&ll=-34.357608,150.13298&spn=0.271521,0.692139&z=11&om=0)

Some of these are shots of my car taken by the other drivers, most of the shots I've taken are of the other cars.

This is Hoadie's Falcon behind me.

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/wombeyan/wmbyn_run101.jpg

This is where the dirt begins...

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e350/hoadie/2008%20Wombat%20Caves/wombat01.jpg

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e350/hoadie/2008%20Wombat%20Caves/wombat02.jpg

The road was rough. The majority of this unsealed section was rough, narrow, winding, corrugated roads, with sheer drops into the valley and stacks of hairpins & blind corners.

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/wombeyan/wmbyn_run108b.jpg

It's hard to believe this is a two-way road.

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/wombeyan/wmbyn_run207.jpg

In a WRX or something like that it would have been awesome, as it was I took a 6 series BMW. Not the best choice of vehicle, but I knew having a brown car would be a big plus when driving on dirt roads.

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/wombeyan/wmbyn_run208.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/wombeyan/wmbyn_run124.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/wombeyan/wmbyn_run226.jpg

Every now and then there'd be a nice smooth flat bit to haul along, but I took it slow at the narrow hairpins and through the rougher corrugated sections. Andrew in the E36 was stuck behind me most of the time and got a lot of my dust.

Andrew's '95 E36 318is, Hoadie's '97 Ford Falcon Futura, and Filthy on Simmons.

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/wombeyan/wmbyn_run240.jpg

Hoadie's off.

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/wombeyan/wmbyn_run400.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/wombeyan/wmbyn_run404.jpg

Brown cars don't show the dirt.

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/wombeyan/wmbyn_run404b.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/wombeyan/wmbyn_run407.jpg

It was a pretty cool drive all things considered, blazing sunshine, great scenery and a road that's tricky and demanding the whole way through.

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/wombeyan/wmbyn_run507.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/wombeyan/wmbyn_run601.jpg

Adam had a great time out front on this road, where the Porsche became a euro rallycar.

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/wombeyan/wmbyn_run702.jpg

Hoadie's car wore it well.

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/wombeyan/wmbyn_run704.jpg

Brown cars don't show the dirt.

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/wombeyan/wmbyn_run705.jpg

We found some shade and got the bbq under way. The Wombeyan Caves campground was buzzing with people, it was the Australia Day holiday so there were quite a few people out & about. I was surprised just how many families, campers & tourists were down this way given how rough and narrow the road is, but it was a very nice picturesque place, green & lush, plenty of area to spread out and bbqs ready to go.

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/wombeyan/wmbyn_run803.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/wombeyan/wmbyn_run804.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/wombeyan/wmbyn_run805.jpg

This is a clever idea hey.

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/wombeyan/wmbyn_run805b.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/wombeyan/wmbyn_run806.jpg

Australia Day.

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/wombeyan/wmbyn_run864.jpg

After the barbie we headed out west via Taralga. I was out front this time and the opening section was through a thick forest with a stunning sealed road, so the driving was good. My car really liked this bit. So did the Porsche.

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/wombeyan/wmbyn_run900.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/wombeyan/wmbyn_run902.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/wombeyan/wmbyn_run947.jpg

As luck would have it, by the time we hit the dirt again I was still out front. This piece of road was awesome, much much better condition than the road in. My car really liked this bit too.

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/wombeyan/wmbyn_run967.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/wombeyan/wmbyn_run974b.jpg

Back on the bitumen. The car loves bitumen. This was a great run back through picturesque farm land, open plains and wide flat roads.

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/wombeyan/wmbyn_run977.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/wombeyan/wmbyn_run981.jpg

Lots of opportunities for the red car to go whooshing past me.

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/wombeyan/wmbyn_run982.jpg

Red cars go fast!

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/wombeyan/wmbyn_run983.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/wombeyan/wmbyn_run986.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/wombeyan/wmbyn_run987a.jpg

Redline!

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/wombeyan/wmbyn_run990.jpg

I knew buying a brown car would be a smart move. You can hardly even tell this thing's filthy. :thumbup:

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/wombeyan/wmbyn_run9992.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/wombeyan/wmbyn_run9998.jpg

NICE!! what an excellant road trip! What did that message say on the back of the car? Some babes looking to hook up? haha!

That looks like it was a load of fun. You are right about the wheels though, they look fantastic on money bags, but the 17s suit filthy rich much better.

The scenery was great, and pardon my lack of knowledge on international ford models, but is a falcon similar to a taurus in the states? Kinda looks like one, but im also guessing it has a better engine in it, and hopefully rear wheel drive!!!

-Jeff

NICE!! what an excellant road trip! What did that message say on the back of the car? Some babes looking to hook up? haha!
The blokes who own that car did that themselves! For some reason they figured it'd be real funny to scratch up the back of their car...?

The scenery was great, and pardon my lack of knowledge on international ford models, but is a falcon similar to a taurus in the states? Kinda looks like one, but im also guessing it has a better engine in it, and hopefully rear wheel drive!!!
-Jeff
Hoadie's Falcon is a rear-wheel drive 4-litre straight six, but Falcon's do also come with a V8. His is ten years old but they more or less look pretty similar today, just a bit more 21st century in their styling.

They're used out here as taxis and police cars (along with the Holden Commodore), so that makes them more along the lines of a Crown Vic but I think a Crown might be a little bit larger. The Australian Ford Falcon has been manufactured here since the mid 1960s - it and the Commodore are the two 'big' Australian cars, the mainstay large-size family sedans. They're the two vehicles which compete in our V8 Supercar racing series and are constantly battling for supremacy as Australia's 'favourite' car. During the 70s there were also two-door Falcons, most famously the XA, XB and XC, which were competition for the Holden Monaro. Mad Max's car was basically a 1973 XB GT Falcon coupe.

The Ford Taurus came on the market here in the mid '90s but it never sold very well. Its styling and its front-wheel drive wasn't at all popular, Aussie buyers much preferred the familiar and rear-wheeled Falcon, so after about two years Ford dropped the Taurus from its Australian lineup.

4 litre straight six? Is that a DOHC aluminum or old school cast lump? Here in the states the Ford straight six powered everything from falcoons to mavericks and a gazillion trucks in between. Varying sizes but I'm pretty sure the longest running production build was the 4.9 300cu in. It started life w/ a single choke carb and ended as a fuel injected unit. Extremely durable when given proper oil changes and not lugged too much. I know of some w/ friends doing local work horse duty that are well over 200Kmi.

Great pictures from the out back. As usual. It's amazing how well the 6 always cleans back up.

Thanks as always for sharing your little trips! The pics of the Porsche really made me wish I hadn't sold mine...still got my 6er though...so I'm all good!

Australia is one of the few places I want to go. The landscape amazes me! I have lots of roads like yours, we tend to be careful on the dirt ones. I hope to be posting outings like yours in a few months, then you can see my mountains and deserts.

this thread should just be called

"hi, my name is ellis, i have 2 of the most gorgeous 6es around kthnxbye"

haha love the cars ellis, still haha....they are truely an inspiration to most of us i believe!

keep shooting... its been a while!

Andrew

4 litre straight six? Is that a DOHC aluminum or old school cast lump? Here in the states the Ford straight six powered everything from falcoons to mavericks and a gazillion trucks in between. Varying sizes but I'm pretty sure the longest running production build was the 4.9 300cu in. It started life w/ a single choke carb and ended as a fuel injected unit. Extremely durable when given proper oil changes and not lugged too much. I know of some w/ friends doing local work horse duty that are well over 200Kmi.
That's interesting Joe. Six cylinder Falcons have a 4.0 SOHC, an alloy head on a cast iron block. Hoadie's is an EL Falcon, the E-series were manufactured from 1988 (the EA) through to 1998 (the EL). The V8s used the imported 5 litre (4.9) Windsor small-block sourced (I'm told) from the Mustang. The current V8s have a different motor, a 5.4 litre which I think is also US-sourced, but I'm not sure on what it is based. Prior to '88, the X-series Falcons had a shitload of varying sizes, including 3.3 and 4.1 litre pushrod sixes, and 302 & 351 V8s. Injected sixes were introduced around '83 when the V8s were discontinued, but V8s came back (injected) with the EB in '91.

For sure though, Falcon's and Ford motors are pretty highly regarded out here in terms if their durability, more so than the Commodores. There are significantly more Falcon taxis here than there are Commodores, which is pretty much the best argument for their durability. However the Commodores are usually the bigger sellers out here and have more of a performance cult following - Commodores are built with power and generally more aggressive styling which makes them more popular amongst modifiers. Both have had significant racing success here, but in the last few years the Falcon has fallen to third in vehicle sales behind the Commodore and the Toyota Aurion (V6 Camry).

Great pictures from the out back. As usual. It's amazing how well the 6 always cleans back up.
Thanks, and yep, they sure clean up well. The good thing for me is that the photos the start of the post, where the car's looking all clean & shiny, were taken after the Wombeyan trip and after I'd cleaned it all up.

Thanks as always for sharing your little trips! The pics of the Porsche really made me wish I hadn't sold mine...still got my 6er though...so I'm all good!
Adam's Porsche sure is a pretty cool car. Its in great condition inside & out and he cleaned it up well after the run too.

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/clutter/clean944.jpg

Australia is one of the few places I want to go. The landscape amazes me! I have lots of roads like yours, we tend to be careful on the dirt ones. I hope to be posting outings like yours in a few months, then you can see my mountains and deserts.
That would be great Bill, I'd love to see pictures from your area. I've only been as far north on the west coast as Yosemite (via Santa Fe, Alamosa, Moab, Mexican Hat, Vegas, Tonopah... that was an awesome trip), so I haven't seen first-hand the type of countryside in your area, but the thing that really stuck in my mind about the US was how much natural beauty there is, all over. A lot of it is very similar to Australia, but a lot of it is like nothing I'd ever seen before and is just breathtaking in its scale.

this thread should just be called "hi, my name is ellis, i have 2 of the most gorgeous 6es around kthnxbye"
haha love the cars ellis, still haha....they are truely an inspiration to most of us i believe!
keep shooting... its been a while!
Andrew
Mate, you're too kind! I'm just bloody lucky to have stumbled upon both of these cars. They had their good looks long before I came along, nothing to do with me, all I do is drive 'em and keep 'em clean. I guess though, that's all I'm supposed to do isn't it!

I was up early, and then it dawned on me, "...take a picture, it'll last longer..."

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/filthy/frb_snrs010.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/filthy/frb_snrs030.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/filthy/frb_snrs050.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/filthy/frb_snrs070.jpg

(get it...? dawned on me..? heh heh heh :D)

hahaha...looks great ellis! I like how you have the dome lights on too. Glad you put the 5er wheels back on!!!

-Jeff

I was up early, and then it dawned on me, "...take a picture, it'll last longer..."

(get it...? dawned on me..? heh heh heh :D)

:rofl:

Nice pics. as always.

Here's a quick video of Paul and I getting the cars dirty a few weeks back...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqIb0qCJBus

That is one beautiful 6er. Great pictures, too.

Some special guest stars in this week's episode of Filthy Rich Brown CSi, I had a bit of a road trip a few weeks back with Paul in his Agate Green '86 6er and Serco in a mint Topaz Brown '76 6er. The 633 is in stunning condition, its the 14th RHD out of the factory and has a lot of interesting quirks in its build due to its early production. It even has a Karmann build plate inside the door jam.

Looks good too!

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/Picton_Wollongong/ptw_006.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/Picton_Wollongong/ptw_010.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/Picton_Wollongong/ptw_017.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/Picton_Wollongong/ptw_024.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/Picton_Wollongong/ptw_030.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/Picton_Wollongong/ptw_036.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/Picton_Wollongong/ptw_040.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/Picton_Wollongong/ptw_046.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/Picton_Wollongong/ptw_054.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/Picton_Wollongong/ptw_064.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/Picton_Wollongong/ptw_084.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/Picton_Wollongong/ptw_086.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/Picton_Wollongong/ptw_088.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/Picton_Wollongong/ptw_090.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/Picton_Wollongong/ptw_094.jpg

How much do 6ers go for down there anyway? Same as over here?

How much do 6ers go for down there anyway? Same as over here?

I think they're more expensive over here, based on the prices I've heard the US contingent talk about. E24s aren't really all that common here, at least nothing likes the volumes that were sold in the States, so they're somewhat rare down here. BMWs are everywhere, but E24s are few and far between.

Mine cost me A$16,000 one year ago. '85-'86 models onwards cost sort-of between A$10,000 - A$25,000 down here depending on their condition, remembering that this is Australian dollars so the US conversion works out slightly higher. Generally, they're all in pretty good nick down here as previous owners tend to have looked after them, given how expensive and special they were/are. Mind you, one going for A$25K would have to be one very very good condition car! Early 80s and 1970s models go for less, but still around the A$8,000 mark depending on how tired they are - it certainly is a lot for 30 year old car.

I think BMW Australia only imported them in very small numbers throughout their production as they were quite expensive here in their day, and BMW decided they probably wouldn't sell. In the 80s Australia had a vehicle import tariff of 57% on top of retail price, designed to protect the viability of the Australian automotive industry, so imported cars were incredibly expensive.

The tariff has decreased incrementally over the years, its now something like 5% or 10% (depending on 4WDs, commercial vehicles, luxury cars, yadda yadda yadda, its all a very contentious issue), so there are significantly more European and US cars available here now, but back when E24s were king they were mighty pricey. The M6 was never officially sold here as it was deemed too expensive for the Australian market and BMW Australia would not import them. Those that are here now have been imported privately, primarily through New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore and the UK, and an M6 down here can range from A$25,000 - $40,000, probably more if its mint.

And that's why its damn hard to get parts down here too!

This thread started one year ago today, so while its not really his birthday, I say, "Well done Filthy!!"

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/capn_flat/pre_cpnflt012.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/capn_flat/pre_cpnflt011.jpg

:thumbup:

Yet again, an awesome shot of the car and scenery Ellis! Is that a volcano?

What's going on with moneybags as of late? he seems to have been missing from the meets and all that ever since you've picked up filthy...

-Jeff

Yet again, an awesome shot of the car and scenery Ellis! Is that a volcano?
Not sure what's going on there actually, but it was bloody big! I'm pretty sure it was just some sort of controlled burn-off, I was way out in the sticks at the time so it could have been anything but there was nothing on the news about any planes going down or any atomic bomb testing taking place...

What's going on with moneybags as of late? he seems to have been missing from the meets and all that ever since you've picked up filthy...
-Jeff

These two don't get along, they're constantly trying to outdo one another. Its hard to pick who's winning.

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/six%20by%20two/sixbytwo2.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/six%20by%20two/sixbytwo4.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/six%20by%20two/sixbytwo11.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/six%20by%20two/sixbytwo9.jpg


Moneybags is still around, but maybe not for much longer. I've got a buyer, he seems very keen, he's given me a cash down payment and is paying the rest off in instalments. So the car is still with me at the moment, but I've not really been driving it seeing as its sort-of mid sale and all that.

I recently found a stack of old photos of Moneybags, taken in the late 20th century with one of those old fashioned film cameras. These are from when I first got the car, back in '93. Looks good with TRXs I reckon!

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/moneybags/mbg93_010.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/moneybags/mbg93_080.jpg


These are from a trip to Melbourne in '98, after the Simmons wheels went on.

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/moneybags/mbg98_010.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/moneybags/mbg98_012.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/moneybags/mbg98_060.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/moneybags/mbg98_030.jpg


Here's what he would have looked like from the factory (left-hand drive and missing a mirror).

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/moneybags/bm_Coupe_ad1978.jpg


And this is how he looks today, in 21st century digital colour.

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/canb%20run/jpgcotter_003.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/moneybags/jpg-4413.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/moneybags/stdm014_1200.jpg

_______________________________________
they call this Moneybags Green (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mre24/sets/72157604017706394/)
http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/moneybags/jpg_frontend_shdw_sig.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mre24/sets/72157604017706394/)

Ellis, the paint work on moneybags looks flawless! Is it the original paint?
-Ray

congratulations you have a nice car. Like me zobelbraun metalic

A few more happy snaps taken over the past few weeks...

http://www.PhotoShare.co.nz/PhotoShareGallery1/101486/108367/jpg-dunrossil_9006173_L.jpg

http://www.PhotoShare.co.nz/PhotoShareGallery1/101486/108367/jpg-dunrossil_2006111_L.jpg

http://www.PhotoShare.co.nz/PhotoShareGallery1/101486/108367/jpg-dunrossil_4003495_L.jpg

http://www.PhotoShare.co.nz/PhotoShareGallery1/101486/108367/jpg-79sw1921_L.jpg

http://www.PhotoShare.co.nz/PhotoShareGallery1/101486/108367/ph_shot4007285_L.jpg

http://www.PhotoShare.co.nz/PhotoShareGallery1/101486/108367/ph_shot5009708_L.jpg

http://www.PhotoShare.co.nz/PhotoShareGallery1/101486/108367/bm_pl019133_L.jpg

http://www.PhotoShare.co.nz/PhotoShareGallery1/101486/108367/bm_pl051150_L.jpg

http://www.PhotoShare.co.nz/PhotoShareGallery1/101486/108367/jpg-6384w4148_L.jpg

http://www.PhotoShare.co.nz/PhotoShareGallery1/101486/108367/jpg-6395w6716_L.jpg

http://www.PhotoShare.co.nz/PhotoShareGallery1/101486/108367/jpg-641033_L.jpg
Nice car .Like me .. www.oldtimer.5mp.eu (http://www.oldtimer.5mp.eu)

Ellis, the paint work on moneybags looks flawless! Is it the original paint?
-Ray
Thanks Ray,

Moneybags is in pretty good nick for a 30 year old daily driver, but it was well looked after by its previous owners and its always been garaged while I've had it so the Green has held up pretty well all things considered. The bonnet and fenders were resprayed in '95 following a small collision (my fault, I wasn't paying attention and ran up the back of a Honda sitting stationary at a red light), but that was somewhat fortunate as it did have a large & deep scratch mark running down the bonnet so that got taken care of with the respray. The Green is peeling a bit at the right C-pillar, but other than that its all pretty good really!


congratulations you have a nice car. Like me zobelbraun metalic

Its great to hear from you Hungarian Man! I've been looking long and hard to find another BMW this colour, let alone an E24. Yours certainly looks just like mine, though my colour is identified as Nerzbraun (mink brown, colour code #212).

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/filthy/jpg-nerzbraun.jpg

Zobelbraun looks very very similar doesn't it, it looks almost impossible to tell them apart really, though I've only ever seen it in pictures. I think I've seen your car, or one just like it, within the bigcoupe gallery.

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/other%206ers/e24_sable_brown.jpg

How long have you had your car, what colour is the interior? I see you have a green sixer also, small world hey!!

Welcome to the forum, hope to hear more from you.

Regards,
Ellis.

Hello Ellis,
I bought my green first in last year. There is a original paint was pacific blau, and has a dark blau leathe interior. I want restore. Is will be a great work I start the work maybe in winter. The brown is my favorite I bought last summer in Germany. The interior is brown cloth recaro. The car was born in 1986 and te owner not use that since 10 years. from 1998.
I love the six.
Regards,
Tibor

Hello Ellis,
I bought my green first in last year. There is a original paint was pacific blau, and has a dark blau leathe interior. I want restore. Is will be a great work I start the work maybe in winter. The brown is my favorite I bought last summer in Germany. The interior is brown cloth recaro. The car was born in 1968 and te owner not use that since 10 years. from 1998.
I love the six.
Regards,
Tibor

That's excellent Tibor! You are our man in Hungary!! :thumbup:

It is great that you are keeping these Sixers going and have the desire to restore them. The brown one sounds like a good find if it has been kept garaged for 10 years. It must have low miles so it should serve you well for many years to come.

Regards,
Ellis.

Nice shot taken by Paul...

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t120/mre635/filthy/jpg_brnd002.jpg