Well after about 18 months of owning the M5, after I sold the Sapphire to Bud-Weis, who then sold it to Staffi, who then sold it to Max, who has now sold it back to Staffi.......LOL. I've been spending the last year trying to get the M5 into the same condition as the Cosworth,........Maybe even a little better. So after a years hard work I decided to enter it into the Southern Region Concourse being held at Athlehampton House near Dorchester today. Arrived in good time this morning having basically done the final prepping of the car over the last week, and fully intended to just enter it into the Show n Shine (Working Class)............... but when I arrived I found out there was no Show n Shine class, just full regional concourse. So I thought I may as well enter it just to see just how far off full blown concourse I was. Having been used to the Cosworth Scene put me in good stead, as to be honest the RS Owners Club Concourse is one of the highest in the country, which helped me have pretty high standards even though I'd only intended to do the Show n Shine catagory.

To cut a long story short, I wasn't expecting anything, as the BMW Scene also has quite high standards, I watched the judges checking the car over and pointing out bits and pieces that could have been cleaner, so wasn't expecting to do too well against all the regular entrants and their garage queens. But at the end of the day when it came round to the results, I got the shock of my life......winning 1st place for being the highest placed Novice Entrant, and getting second in class.......!!!!!! Not bad for a car that I only rated as good enough for Show n Shine. Just goes to show that all the practice on the Cosworth over the years, put me in at the right level with the BMW's....... It seems that "Originality" is the key to the BMW Concourse Standards. So got to limit what I do to the car if I want to keep doing the concourse.

The good thing is that now I know the bits that need doing that would have given me a 1st place in class, and I only lost that by 8 points.......dust in the material on the rear parcel shelf, rear calipers dirty, and the wrong tyres..........(Not Original Brand as fitted when new) plus a few lost marks for little bits I'd missed in the engine bay and carpets. If I'd had those three of four bits right, I'd have got first place in class, in my first concourse and an automatic entry into the National Concourse later in the year. Now I either have to do a few more to get enough points to qualify for the Nationals, or a first place in any of the next three regional events.

Here's a few pics from today.



































Forgot to take one of the Engine Bay during concourse, but this is it.



Still got plenty of other bits I can improve on, it's damned addictive once you know where you lost points and knowing you were so close to pulling away with the 1st place.

 

Sexy as!!!!

That's one stunning car. This has got to be one of the best M cars money can buy at the moment

 

Jim - always impressed with that motor. I have a real soft spot for an E39 m5 Good work and well done!

RW

 

Well done matey

 

Cheers Steve.......If i hadn't been in the Cosworth Scene for so long, I wouldn't have had a clue. RS Concourse is just so high compared to most clubs, so I'd set myself the same standard as the Sapphire was, and it paid off. Basically a year of taking it apart, cleaning bits, and putting them back together again.

I must be crazy to get into this again...........LOL

 

Nice one Jim, you do know how to keep a car clean, a real credit to you and all the hard effort, top job

Steve

 

Lovely car Jim

 

Congratulations mate beautiful car really tempted by one of these just worried about the maintenence have you had any trouble with the old girl?

 

Like that alot, a credit to you mate.

I want one

 

Moonstone Steve : Naaaaa..............I just pick a good one to start with.

Neil : One of the most reliable performance saloons you can buy. No problems at all. One year of total reliability, and I do drive it hard, but carefully. Engines good for 200k......and if you look at the physical size of all the running gear (Transmission/Drive Shafts, Suspension) they're way "over" engineered.

 

well done Jim.

 

Fantastic news Jim, nearly as clean as the Saff.......

 

It's very close Pete............Just needs a few more BHP.

 

What are they Jim, around 400 ish?? bet it's not shy mate, mind you, the saff weighs what 1280 kg or something, what's the M5??

 

400 bhp

 

car looks cracking. Love these also!

 

Yep.......400bhp and 1790kg & very close to 50/50 weight distribution (Due to the use of lots of alloy suspension/engine components on the M5), hence the unbelievable handling from these heavy cars and why they can pull 1.2g of cornering force, which was the best of any saloon car when they were produced.

 

Bufty!!!

Well done though Jim

 

Life of a single man Paul.........Left you a message on one of the BM Web Sites....Can't remember which one though...........LOL.

 

Sorry Jim, I've missed that. I use MTorque and occasionally the CSL register. Was it a PM?

I'm still on this shonky old ford site more than any other (no offence Stu)

Ta

 

LOL...........Same here, still browse this site more than any of the BM sites.........It would have been on www.mtorque.co.uk ......the topic where you'd put up pics of your old Escos and the CSL.

 

Stunning example of a great car.

 

you'll make someone a lovely wife with your cleaning abilities Jim

 

Looks great Jim! Wish I knew this was one as i'd of came down, Athelhampton House is about 15 minutes from my house! LOL

Congratulations on the prizes!

 

LOL..........i'll get my marigolds on.

DAN : Gorgeous place, even had time to have a wander around once I'd cleaned up............Shame you missed it, some intersting cars there .... E30 M3's, CSL's etc. The guy who parked up next to me with another M5, was Tristran Glass...........believe he does concourse in the RSOC with his Mk1 RS Turbo........Maybe you know him.

 

Ah, it may have been the official BMW owners website. That was the one and only time I was on there I think. Too many people getting excited about their 318i's

 

Tristan is our ex chairman mate, he certainly don't do concourse with his current Series 1 so don't let him give you that crap!!

Nice guy though, heart is in the right place, not seen him for ages!

I bet it was lovely wandering round those grounds yesterday, lots of stunning places like that round here!

Bet it was a good drive down there in the M5 too!

 

Wow!! Amazing... well done Jim.

 

Took alot of late nights in the garage, and lots of bruises..........LOL. Worth it in the end, and damned addictive.......Just spent the last couple of hours doing the bits I missed.