Classic car ownership tends to be divided into two groups. On the one hand, there are those who buy their vehicles as investments and put them away in a secured facility, never to be seen again. And that is perfectly understandable if your car is a limited edition and worth thousands, if not more. On the other hand, there are those who buy them to be driven, enjoyed, and shared with the public.

Let’s face it: for most of us, our cars don’t belong in that first group. Sure, there are the odd exceptions that would be better placed in museums. Cars such as the first CSL, the first of each model, those with previous celebrity ownership, limited colour factory runs, and some of the original race cars, to name a few. Yet this is only a small number of the total E9s produced, let alone those still in existence today.

Okay, fair enough, but what about the lack of spare parts and the infrastructure to maintain the cars if we do drive them? It’s a valid point indeed, and one that needs to be considered when taking our cars for a drive. The only problem is that why would anyone consider fabricating new parts for these cars if they’re kept from the roads for the rest of their lives? Why would anyone start a business knowing that they might sell one or two parts a year if that? Anyone could tell you that’s a bad business plan. So, if you think about it, the best way to maintain our models and provide them with a sustainable future is by driving them, by creating that business to justify individuals to invest in knowledge and tools to support our cars in the long run.

While creating a sustainable environment for our cars, we might as well enjoy them at the same time. And what better way to do that than to come together as a community and enjoy our cars together? To go on a trip together while visiting those who already support our models and build lasting friendships along the way? To share knowledge, experience, and our cars?

Let’s be honest: It’s nothing new. Just look at the USA and their support for the original Mustang models—you can even order them as complete kits nowadays. Granted that our BMW models aren’t such a popular cult icon, it doesn’t mean we can’t reproduce this community on a smaller scale and still be sustainable. We’ve already started it in a way in the online world, where forums are a popular way to support each other. But for it to have a real long-lasting impact and result, we need to replicate this “family feeling” in the physical world.

SATURDAY

The Saturday of the weekend was all about enjoying driving our cars, with a few stops along the way to visit some interesting locations closely linked to our models. As the Bicester Heritage site would be the main “hub” for the weekend, the tour was designed to take in the best country roads and British scenery the Cotswolds have to offer.

The day began with a meet-up in Bicester itself, where all participants gathered for a quick briefing and route plan. It wasn’t until cars started arriving in increasing numbers that it dawned on us what a special sight was forming around us. Clearly, we weren’t the only ones thinking that, as visitors to the local Tesco supermarket shared the feeling with us. Since we’d chosen their large carpark as a gathering point on a Saturday morning, we quickly generated a lot of interest amongst the shoppers, who excitingly made their way towards us to take photos, ask questions, and admire the cars, all while showing a big smile on their faces. We even noticed a few cars making extra laps around the carpark to view the cars again, probably using the excuse of trying to find a parking spot as their passengers wondered what was going on. Either way, we were pleased and honoured by the attention our cars received. I’m sure owners of other models may disagree, but to us, the scenery confirmed once again that these cars are the best-looking ones ever built by BMW.

What was so interesting to us was that the participants admired and adored every car equally. It didn’t matter if it was a factory original, a 2800CS converted to CSL spec, a Weber conversion, or the owner’s own view of the perfect E9; they were all there and respected in their own way. And that’s what makes this community so great: to appreciate the view we have for our cars, to understand the reasoning behind it, and to enjoy them just as much.  

We could have easily stood there all day admiring our cars, and thankfully, Tony was keeping an eye on the time and managed to get everyone back together for a quick briefing of the day’s plans. A route package was handed out to each driver, containing a map, directions, and the “OktoberFest 2025” window sticker, the latter specially designed for the event. Once the formalities were out of the way, the group was finally ready to set off. Except for one little problem: me.

As most of you will know, I’m still nowhere near finished with the restoration of Brünhilda, my ’74 CSa rally project. So, unless I was looking at taking the route by foot, I needed to find myself a seat in one of the cars participating in the event. Obviously, it had to be an E9. Thankfully, and despite most coming as a couple, there was plenty of choice still on offer with a spare front passenger seat. After a bit of negotiating, I found myself a seat in the Polaris Silver CSL of Piers. When I first met Piers only earlier that morning, I noticed that his car wasn’t completely factory standard and instead was equipped with a triple Weber setup. Without a shadow of a doubt, I needed to find myself a way into that car, not least because I’d be running the same set-up in my car. And this will come as a surprise to most of you: despite my 21 years of ownership, I’ve actually never had the chance to enjoy my car to its fullest.  Thankfully, Piers was most accommodating and extended a warm welcome as my first driver of the day.

With the sun shining, the cars full of fuel, and everyone ready to go, we departed Bicester in a procession of 24 cars and hit the open road.

The first leg consisted of a mixture of A and B roads, providing participants the best of both worlds. The wider A roads presented the perfect opportunity for the cars to really stretch their legs and for their occupants to enjoy the beautiful M30 straight-six sound that comes from under the bonnet. Despite being over 50 years old, they hold true to their origins of being one of the fastest cars on the Autobahn in their day and still offer a good challenge to any modern car wishing to challenge them. It goes without saying that everyone was more than happy to accept the challenge and show them that the E9 is not just a stunningly beautiful car; she also carries a punch when needed. 

With minimal traffic, we had the opportunity to photograph the cars and their owners in action. As Piers happily accommodated plenty of overtaking moments, we felt transported back in time, surrounded by these beauties from the ‘70s. I took out my camera and started taking photos as if they were going out of fashion. Little did we know we would soon become part of the celebrity status ourselves.

Once the (mostly) smooth road surface of the dual carriageway had run out, we found ourselves driving on the winding B-roads the Cotswolds are known for. These roads took us through forests and over rolling hills before leading us into the picturesque village of Bibury. To our surprise, busloads of tourists had been dropped off only minutes before us, causing complete chaos in the village. As we were all stuck in traffic trying to find a way past all this, we quickly felt like true celebrities. In what took probably no less than 10 minutes, we must have been photographed well over 1000 times! People were knocking on the windows, asking the drivers about their cars, clapping to share their approval, giving the convoy their “thumbs up”, and generally smiling as they watched the 24 cars trying to make their way through the village. Whether it was the car or the driver that attracted their interest didn’t matter. Thankfully, we had nearly arrived at our first stop: Classic Bahnstormers.

Over the last few years, Steve Curtis of Classic Bahnstormers has really established himself in the world of classic BMWs, firmly placing his business on the map in the heart of the Cotswolds. Based right next to Kemble Airfield, the facilities now span multiple buildings with dedicated purposes for each. Once the initial parking difficulties were sorted, participants could finally stretch their own legs and explore the feast presented to them. At the time, Steve and his team were working on an impressive array of classic BMWs, which included a super rare South African-built E23 745i with the M1’s M88 engine. Yet more interesting to us were the E9 and the collection of E3s they had on display. Of these E3s, two barn-find 3.0Si saloons really caught our attention. Having resided in a shed for nearly 40 years, both cars were owned by the same family (one of them from new) and had achieved a sort of mythical status during this period; Tony had heard occasional stories and rumours about them over the years, and to finally see them in the flesh was a fantastic experience.

It was clear to us that Steve and his team had put a huge effort into our visit. Not only had they arranged for a video presentation of their work while enjoying coffee and homemade cakes, but they were also most generous when it came to answering our questions and discussing the various projects they had going on. Without realising it, Steve had proven to us that a strong community and the open sharing of knowledge are key to keeping our cars alive. Not just to keep himself in business but to keep all of us on the road and able to enjoy our cars as they were meant to be enjoyed. And what better way to demonstrate that than by having his Chief Technician rescue one of the German E3s, which had started to run on 5 cylinders only shortly before arriving at the first stop? What had puzzled the owners and a few others trying to help for the two hours we were there was soon solved in a matter of minutes.

All in all, Steve and his team provide a vital service to the E9 community, and we are already looking at providing you with a behind-the-scenes opportunity in a future edition of CS COUPE. 

In the end, it didn’t really matter how people found their way to the Classic Motor Hub, as they enjoyed themselves along the way. And somehow, we all did get there at roughly the same time. Talk about precision planning by the organisers…

Set in a quiet little spot surrounded by wonderful scenery, this former RAF station is something of a hidden gem. Perhaps not purely dedicated to classic BMWs, it caters to the classic car scene as a whole. Offering a Club Room café, gift shop, and coffee shop along with their main focus of providing storage and car sale facilities, this venue is a Mekka for anyone who has in interest in cars from the bygone era. Combine this with their generous hospitality, and you’ve got yourself the recipe for a perfect lunch break.

To everyone’s surprise, it wasn’t just the staff that extended their warmest welcomes to us; it was actually John Castle who marshalled us to our allotted parking display area with the greatest of precision. Most of you will know John as the guest writer of the previous issue, and he used to run the E9 Register at the club for many years. When you think of it, he is probably responsible for setting up the original E9 community in the UK.

Participants enjoyed their lunch in the sun while overlooking our display before touring the various cars on display in the showroom. Although there were no E9s on offer, we were greeted by an array of rare and stunning classics, including an Aston Martin DB4 GT, a Rolls Royce Silver Ghost from 1920, various Ferraris, and the last of the true Maseratis: an A6GCS “Monofaro.” If anything, this venue showed us that the vibrant classic car community is still very much alive.

Before we got back into our cars for the final part of the driving enjoyment, we had to all get together for the mandatory group photo. Surrounded by our cars and shined upon by the beautiful sunshine, the resulting photo shows nothing but smiles from ear to ear on everyone’s faces.

As with Steve at our previous stop, John showed us what the true meaning of family is and how every E9 owner and enthusiast belongs in this group. His dedication to the community, despite his health precluding him from joining us for the full trip, is a prime example of what we should collectively aim for if we are to provide a sustainable future for our cars. And if we all collectively contribute, it doesn’t take a lot to achieve a great result.

The last leg of the tour would take us back to the starting point in Bicester before getting ready for the evening’s activity. At this point, though, some of the group split off to check in at their hotels and get ready for dinner. As we’d all been mostly separated for the majority of the day, each having a fantastic time in their own way, we wanted to focus on the second aim of the weekend: a tight-knit community that welcomes everyone E9 and supports each other in every way.

The best and easiest way to do this is to enjoy each other’s company while eating great food and drinking plenty of drinks amongst a healthy amount of laughter. Stories were shared, friendships were made, and for many of us, faces could finally be added to names and cars. The German delegation made use of the opportunity to thank their hosts, although it should be us who thanked them for making the effort to travel to the UK.

All in all, the day was a great success, and it proved to all of us that these cars can be driven for a great distance in great comfort and completely problem-free. Surely that’s a much better way to enjoy our cars than staring at them in a storage facility?

SUNDAY
The second day of the event took place at Bicester Heritage itself and focussed on the second element of our aim: to create that family feeling where old and new members come together to share knowledge, experiences, and a great time. Thank to Tony’s great negotiation skills, we managed to secure a prominent position for our cars during the Bicester Oktoberfest Assembly. Parked along the road leading from the main gate to the café, every visitor would have to pass us in order to get their daily cup of coffee and tea.

It wasn’t long before cars started arriving, and under the guidance of our volunteer marshals, the lineup began to take shape. Soon, we had a brightly coloured display of E3s and E9s ready to celebrate the best of German car-making history. To top it off, two of the members had kindly offered to bring their CSL race cars to be part of the display. After all, what’s an E9 display without the cars the model is most famous for? Those who have read the previous editions of CS COUPE will instantly recognise both cars. To everyone’s surprise, both owners were more than happy to drive the cars into their final positions instead of pushing them as we all anticipated. What better music can one enjoy on a Sunday morning than that of a revving M49 straight-six with side exhausts? As we had extended the invitation to all Sharknose cars known to the Club, we were joined by an E21, an E23, and even a few E28s and E30s. All in all, the perfect setting for a great get-together.

Without any doubt, the collection definitely became the highlight of the event and attracted a lot of attention from all the visitors. Yet perhaps that wasn’t the best part of the day. Wat was even more impressive was the atmosphere, one of a true community that had come together to share a common passion. As if part of an extended family, new members were welcomed by those who have enjoyed these cars for many years. Laughs were shared, knowledge was exchanged, and long-term bonds were formed. What made it so impressive is that it was all natural; no matter their age or background, people just started talking with each other about their cars, asking questions, helping each other with little niggles, and exchanging names and contacts from within the E9 world that could provide with whatever they needed. Surely, if it’s this easy on a smaller scale, we can reproduce this on a global scale.

To make the day fun as well, and in line with our community feeling, we held a small competition for the participants in which three prizes were up for grabs. Chris Greenwood of Competition Classics (see issue 01) kindly offered to join us as a judge, and we soon began walking up and down the line to find a winner. The categories were a judged national and international trophy, as well as the people’s choice award. Based loosely on a general concours score list, points were awarded for overall appearance, originality, and upkeep. We didn’t expect it to be such a close finish, with all participants having put in a lot of effort to make their cars look their best. 

In the end, we managed to select our favourites. The well-deserved winners were Andre Kraemer and his Anthracite E3 3.0L (Judges’ Choice – International) and Ian Booth with his Verona red E9 3.0 CSL (Judges’ Choice – National). The People’s Choice award was a fierce competition, but as votes started to come in, a clear winner soon became apparent. By the time we finished counting, our newest family member, Tim Dakin, had won nearly half of all the votes with his Polaris Silver 3.0CSL. It turns out that having the kids polish the car for an entire weekend pays dividends. A big congratulations to you all, and well done!

CONCLUSION
From the onset, the aim of our event was to increase the “family” feeling amongst our enthusiastic community and show that these cars can still be driven over long distances without problems. Coming together nationally and internationally, welcoming old and new, and enjoying a shared passion is what made this event such a success. And from all the feedback we’ve had, there’s an appetite for more, much more. And even if the weather isn’t absolutely perfect to take the car for a drive, just think of the enjoyment our cars bring to the public as we go by. That in itself should be enough motivation and put a smile on our faces. After all, what’s the point of buying these cars if you’re not going to enjoy them?

From us to all of you, a very big ‘Thank You’: to everyone who attended and supported: Dave Evans & Neil MacDonald (BMW Car Club GB), Reinhard Queckenberg (German E3 Club), Steve Curtis (Classic Bahnstormers), Traci Childs (Classic Motor Hub), Martin Chesse (Bicester Scramblers), and Chris Greenwood (Competition Classics).