Barty's Green Z4 Coupé - Not another one…

[joelvdrZ4C]

Was another great day and meet man! Thanks for your help with the.. carbon thing Will probably be revealed in a while cause have to reveal all the previous mods first hehe

[Barty]

After weeks of salt, grime, dirt and lord knows what else… finally an afternoon off to give the coupe a thorough clean

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Given how much of the car has been replaced since the full detail, I’ve still got some correction and coating work to do. The interior really feels brand new; I wouldn’t give it 17 years!

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Since we didn’t have any customer cars, we took the opportunity to do both of our cars, the Alfa cleaning up nicely for over 200.000km

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[inkey$]

Stunning

[Barty]

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Ticked another milestone tonight!

Yes, I know I’m low on petrol, so fixed that shortly after

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So happy with the return of the diffuser, although…

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That new nose still looks epic
Next up: mirrors! Should be ready shortly

[jamie_z4]

loooks sick as usual mate

[Carbonschwarz]

Amazing car Bart, love the attention to details. Really makes the difference.

Where did you get the steering wheel upholstery done?

[jock156]

Mirrors? Pray tell

[inkey$]

FFS….another Barty thread revival. I REALLY want a green coupe.

[j3nks79]

Just a lovely looking thing

[Barty]

Amazing car Bart, love the attention to details. Really makes the difference.

Where did you get the steering wheel upholstery done?

Thanks, much appreciated! The reupholstery was done by a personal friend who does this on the side. She’s absolutely awesome at it, and the results speak for themselves. Don’t know where you’re based, but I’m in the Netherlands so that could complicate things a bit

Mirrors? Pray tell

Very soon! I’ll have a slightly bigger update sometime in the next few days…

FFS….another Barty thread revival. I REALLY want a green coupe.

I’d say I was sorry but then I’d be lying Still, I truly sympathise with the desire for a green coupe; having missed out by a day the first time I know what pull the colour can have on some of us

[Carbonschwarz]

Don’t know where you’re based, but I’m in the Netherlands so that could complicate things a bit

I'm Dutch too, hence my question

CMCustoms seems to be a good store to get your steering wheel refreshed in the Netherlands, but a bit expensive at 400 Euro for just the upholstery. So I'm looking for good alternatives. Individual or M-sport steering wheel is still the preferred option over refreshing the current - standard steering wheel. Finding one, however, seems nearly impossible these days.

[Barty]

Don’t know where you’re based, but I’m in the Netherlands so that could complicate things a bit

I'm Dutch too, hence my question

CMCustoms seems to be a good store to get your steering wheel refreshed in the Netherlands, but a bit expensive at 400 Euro for just the upholstery. So I'm looking for good alternatives. Individual or M-sport steering wheel is still the preferred option over refreshing the current - standard steering wheel. Finding one, however, seems nearly impossible these days.

Ah I see! Send me a PM and I can help you out

[Barty]

Introducing: Project PDM
As promised, a slightly bigger update this time. While it hasn't been that long, a few things worth mentioning have happened, including a new project to compliment the Green Machine...

Octane Scramble at the Beach
Last year's visit to Octane Scramble was a bit improvised, so this time I planned it well in advance. Scramble is an event where all sorts of cars turn up; Italian thoroughbreds, British classics, American icons, German 90's machines, as well as two coupe's and an Alpina roadster. Despite the poorly weather it was a lovely day out with some truly stunning cars, capped off with a few tours around the track. Good to be back after my December debacle; duly flipped off the tyre stack on the exit of turn 12 at full chat and grinned the rest of the lap like a hapless kid

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The Zed was very well-received and complimented with the new look, which is always hugely appreciated. Perhaps the most surprising moment was someone coming up to me: "Hey Bart!", although I'd never met the guy. Turns out he instantly recognised the car and that he was seriously considering a coupe because of it. Here's hoping we'll have another coupe owner in the fold soon

PDM
While some people know of my plans with my Green Machine for next year, most are -hopefully- clueless about what's going to happen in about 12 months or so. If not, I've not been doing much of a job keeping it somewhat under wraps.

After Scramble, I spent the night working on an ageing Suzuki Bandit 1200S, replacing a bunch of decayed gaskets, setting valve clearances and performing some general maintenance. Which went well, apart from one of the sparkplug-shaft gaskets getting undone while refitting the cam cover. This resulted in an impressive oil spillage from cylinder 3, which really isn't as fun as it sounds at 2am... Fixed that, and went to bed at 3:30.

So when Mika, one of my close friends, and I set off at 8 in the morning the day after, we weren't exactly well-rested (he was there when the Suzuki decided not to play ball). Spirits were high though for our 4h drive to Germany: I was out-wrecking him, which was a first. He has a tendency to buy cars that often seem beyond their best (a barn-find MK II Jaguar is a great example and a testament to his skill, determination and passion), but he freely admitted my latest project looked even more hopeless.

When we rolled up at our destination, my heart did sink a bit. What have I gotten myself into, I wondered. As I looked at my most recent purchase, I couldn't help but second-guess my life choices; this was nuts. Still, it's a car -sort of- and it deserves a fighting chance, so with us it came. I still can't quite believe it, but:

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Meet Project PDM! Not the mighty Land Rover, but a Z4 coupe that wasn't given right of way by an E-class Merc. The strut tower is bent out of alignment, but the main support beam is still intact and true. I also got a new strut tower and surrounding metalwork to replace the mangled piece of metal, so with the help of another good friend we'll get that sorted out. They're coachworkers still hammering out panels the old-fashioned way, as well as building new chassis for pre-war classics, so they weren't overly intimidated by this one. I was though...

Included in my purchase were the brake lines and ABS pump plus master cylinder, as well as the fuel system and main wiring harness. Oh and a full rear axle and subframe to boot. Nice. Plans? Well, that's actually where we move back to the Green Machine...

Give or take a year from now, I'll start the physical work on what is no doubt the biggest project I've ever undertaken. It involves nearly every component of the car, and it will result in the engine, gearbox, rear axle, brakes, as well as a load of various other parts becoming obsolete. This is where PDM comes in: it will receive all those components and be built up to a track tool (ideally just about road legal too). The Green Machine will push the concept of the coupe, while PDM will be the weapon of choice when visiting Europe's tracks (and the UK's too, probably).

Have I done this before? No. Does that deter me? Not in the slightest; I know it can be done, so I'm doing it. When I bought the coupe I always said I was happy it was so sparsely equipped, as it could be an ideal canvas to create the ultimate coupe (in my book, of course, YMMV!). Project PDM is going to ensure that everything that comes off my coupe gets a second life. Waste none!

Told you I drive a "green car"...

[R17SKO]

That’s awesome!!! Can’t wait to see this coming along!!!

[Mr Tidy]

You seem to have become a real E86 fan Barty!

I wish you all the best with project PDM - I'm looking forward to reading about it too.