Barty's Green Z4 Coupé - Not another one…

[Barty]

Zedebee, the finish is the same as the exterior; metallic deep green

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Jembo, thanks! I’ll keep an eye out. Whereabouts should I keep my eyes -and ears- peeled?

[RvsBmw]

the finish is the same as the exterior; metallic deep green

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Lovely with the sun on it .

[SGRG]

Amazing project Bart, looking forward to detailed pictures of your sound deadening part of the project. What’s the name of colour? Metallic green?

[Barty]

Amazing project Bart, looking forward to detailed pictures of your sound deadening part of the project. What’s the name of colour? Metallic green?

Thanks! Since the seats will come out for replacement I’ll tackle the speakers then too. And when I take on the speakers I’ll add sound deadening. One thing I’ve learned already: plenty of that under the carpets. Main areas to focus on are doors, bulkhead and roof.

The colour is Tiefgruen Metallic, A43/6. 94 LHD coupes were built, of which 30 made it to Europe. Chances of finding another are slim here haha

[Jembo]

Zedebee, the finish is the same as the exterior; metallic deep green

69607683-085E-4AF1-9129-88E1C1CB510F.jpeg

Jembo, thanks! I’ll keep an eye out. Whereabouts should I keep my eyes -and ears- peeled?

We take the Autoroutes from Eurotunnel to Germany via Antwerp & Eindhoven… more often at night to avoid the new dutch daytime 100kmh Max speed limits …

probably do the trio 4-5 times a year

[RvsBmw]

We take the Autoroutes from Eurotunnel to Germany via Antwerp & Eindhoven… more often at night to avoid the new dutch daytime 100kmh Max speed limits …

Haha, just use Flitsmeister in NL and keep your eyes out. you will be safe (mostly) .

[Barty]

Zedebee, the finish is the same as the exterior; metallic deep green

69607683-085E-4AF1-9129-88E1C1CB510F.jpeg

Jembo, thanks! I’ll keep an eye out. Whereabouts should I keep my eyes -and ears- peeled?

We take the Autoroutes from Eurotunnel to Germany via Antwerp & Eindhoven… more often at night to avoid the new dutch daytime 100kmh Max speed limits …

probably do the trio 4-5 times a year

Rightly so: 100kmh during the day is still bizarre. Probably why very few stick to it

Good to know you travel to and fro between the UK and mainland; often tempted to buy parts but can’t get them over here or at an absurd rate

[Barty]

Aero Madness and the start of Phase 2 on the Interior

It's been a while, but I've not been idle with the coupe! I've had the chance to really enjoy the new interior over the last few months, and it has become a lovely place to be. It just feels special knowing you've put it together yourself. The steering wheel is a particular favourite of mine.

Exterior progress
With all that work on the inside done, my focus shifted back to the exterior. The mantra I have for the Z4 is simple: only use that which could have been OEM or is of equal -or higher- quality. The design never gets old to me, yet I also feel it would benefit from a few tweaks. The various aero components by BMW can certainly help in that regard, so that quest (which truthfully had been underway for a while) came to the forefront. First was the addition of a carbon aero lip on the rear:

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Once I saw one on the silver coupe of a client, I knew I wanted it on the green. The combination of carbon and green really worked in my mind, and I'm happy to report it does so too in the metal! Then took it to Bimmerfest with no less than 15 E86's, which was an absolute blast.

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While still on the look-out for a set of aero skirts, I suddenly spotted the latest project by our very own Zedebee! Maldives Blue with -sure enough- a set of aeros. We soon got talking on how we'd get them from the UK back to the Netherlands. A befriended transport-planner soon turned out to be a life-saver, as we'd been stuck with either impossible options or implausible pricing. Once here, I dropped them off at our local paintshop and then proceeded to wait for what seemed like forever. A few weeks back though, it was time...

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Picture really does say a thousand words doesn't it? I'm still struck every time I walk up to the car by just how right they look on there. The profile feels more balanced, the width now matches the more aggressive wheel-setup; they just belong. A massive, massive thanks to Zedebee for making this happen. You've been an absolute gent to deal with and I couldn't have asked for someone more thoughtful and persevering, especially when faced with the logistical challenge of getting them here.

With the sides done and the rear lifted, I feel we're close but not there yet. An M-bumper is absolutely on the shortlist, while I still have something kicking about to complete the back end. Is that it then?

Well... No. There are 2 more components in the pipeline to really complete the look. They're not even built yet, but I'm already buzzing with anticipation. More on that in a few weeks...

Interior Phase 2 is a Go!
The cabin had 3 original parts left: dashboard, seats, and headliner. Spoiler alert: none of these will survive my work... First up: headliner. Beige, stained, and damaged in a few places. It had to go. Throw it out and get a black one then? Rare as hen's teeth, so custom it was! Off to Meneer Sam in Apeldoorn, an upholsterer with a good reputation and who often works on classics and special projects. From the get go, I felt I was in good hands. Two weeks ago I dropped off the headliner, A- and B-pillars and the sun visors. Last Saturday, I built everything back into the coupe and was greeted by this:

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Apologies for the crap quality pictures, for some reason my laptop has decided to compress them into something grainy and ungainly. The result really does look epic in the flesh. Soft, well-finished and high quality; it lifts up the interior space hugely. For more pics, check out Instagram (link in bio below).

As for the seats: I've tried out a few, and really felt at home in the Recaro Pole Positions. They'll be up next, hopefully before my Eiffel/Vosges/Alps/Dolomites/Croatia trip in September. Finally I mentioned the dash. That will be a winter project, combined with a full overhaul of the audio system and the integration of an Android headunit. Not like your regular 2-Din system, or like the one mounted on top of the dash. I've got something different in mind... Currently working out the innards of the dashboard to determine feasibility, so stay tuned!

Technical Changes
While there's a lot of aesthetic work going on, the technical side hasn't been forgotten. An interim oil service is scheduled in the next few weeks, as well as the full PCV replacement, removal of the CDV and a brake upgrade. The rear suspension has recently developed a slight clunking noise, so that's under investigation as well. A full rear-end refresh is planned for this winter, taking out the subframe (off to powdercoat) and replacing all bushes. So we'll have to see what needs to be done now vs later.

[Zedebee]

Your car is looking amazing Bart ; glad I was able to help.

[Mr Tidy]

Your car is looking stunning Bart.

I love the aeros, alcantara headlining and body colour interior trim.

[fredej]

Excellent work Barty! The car looks amazing! The matching green bits in the interior combined with rest of it black turned out fantastic.
Also, great writeup. It's really fun to follow your journey with the car (both here and on Instagram).

[Barty]

Interim Update

Finally took a brave pill and decided to complete the rear end. I’d had this panel lying around since mid-May, but didn’t get round to taking off the bumper and getting the cutters out. Until now.

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The aero diffuser, which is actually a replica made by Silvano at Carbon Production in Germany and resold through Burkhart Engineering, has been fitted.

Took the rear bumper off last night, measured out the heart of the bumper, masked off the template, took a solid sip of 18 year old Macallan and then proceeded to take a cutter to the rear bumper.

About an hour later everything was ready to be refit, and I can honestly say the rear end now looks complete. The diffuser blends well into the rear lines, matches with the wing nicely and the carbon sets off against the green just enough to be noticed, but without being too “in your face” about it. Absolutely love it.

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Sometimes I forget to look back at just how far the Zed has come. The interior has had a make over, and the exterior is moving along that same trajectory. I can tell you this much: I’ve got another 3 body panels to replace, and a set of headlights to modify.

First though: I’m going to ask a friend to drive it and just ride behind it for a bit. This looks so right to my eyes

[jock156]

[Griffo46]

Beautiful car! I really think BMW should bring the coupe back, with these improvements especially!

[Calps]

took a solid sip of 18 year old Macallan and then proceeded to take a cutter to the rear bumper

I know exactly how you feel

Looks stunning Barty - I love the subtleness of each change you've made, nothing overt or in your face, and yet combined they make a real impact, as evidenced from your last photo.

Keep the updates coming (and thanks again for the steer re sourcing of template )