After nearly 9 years and seventeen Z4's ownerships, I'm finally bowing out and moving to a darker side.
It all started rather innocently back in 2013 when I received a project bonus from work and bought a Sterling Grey 2.5 SE with 118k on the clock. A few months later, by chance I met a few other Z4 enthusiasts and it all took off. From a couple of small meets at a Supermarket Car park with 3 or 4 cars it quickly led to me organising the annual English/Welsh meets where we had 50+ Z4's setting off from Dick Lovett's & Cotswold BMW's prestigious showrooms back in 2017 and 18.
In those few years, apart from meeting some great people, I've owned, pretty much every type of Z4 from the humble 2.0 E85's, 3.0's an M Roadster, a few E89's, a Coupe, to the new G29 and 2 Alpina Roadsters. (Only the 2.2 and an M Coupe have eluded me, although I have driven both of these on a few occasions)
My First Z4, snapped on a run in Snowdonia
Alpina #019 owned Jan 2015 - 2021
Whilst the Alpina was tucked away through winter I started buying a second Z4 as a bit of a winter project that I would use in the wet weather whilst also getting them tidied up over the dark months and ready for re-sale in the spring.
Here are a few:-
Around 2018 I ventured into E89's looking for a little more cabin technology and practicality. The Wife and I took these to France a few times and had some great trips touring through Normandy and onwards.
I then purchased a low mileage ///M Roadster, from a friend who had owned it for 9 years with the intention of selling the Alpina, but having driven the two, I decided that I preferred the drive and rarity of the Alpina and moved the ///MR onwards
I then had the opportunity to tick another box and buy a rare Stratus Coupe, with Amerone interior which was and still is absolutely immaculate. Such a gorgeous looking car.
After the wife took a shine to the E89's, I surprised her in Feb 2020 with an upgrade into a G29, which she loves, but constantly worries about where she can safely park it on day to day shopping trips etc. With Semi Retirement arriving, we had planned to tour Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Belguim and also the NC500 around Scotland using this car, but then Covid struck a month later and everything has been on hold for two years.
So the new plan is to consolidate a couple of great cars into something a little more special, as I'm currently paying 3 lots of tax & insurance, plus storage and now that the my kids also have cars, parking space at home has become a premium. So the wife is going back to a well equipped Mini and we're moving to the dark side for our weekend fun car.
This means that the G29, and Alpina are going, (possibly followed later by the Stratus Coupe too) in exchange for something a little more special (I hope!)
Therefore, if anyone has their eyes on acquiring a rare appreciating asset, in the form of an Alpina Roadster S (#307), it will be coming up for sale around mid/late February, after the replacement arrives, so now is the time to start lining up your ducks !
I will stay on here and am happy to continue helping out with the roof issues, etc, I just can't see me adding any more Zeds to the 17 tally !
It all started rather innocently back in 2013 when I received a project bonus from work and bought a Sterling Grey 2.5 SE with 118k on the clock. A few months later, by chance I met a few other Z4 enthusiasts and it all took off. From a couple of small meets at a Supermarket Car park with 3 or 4 cars it quickly led to me organising the annual English/Welsh meets where we had 50+ Z4's setting off from Dick Lovett's & Cotswold BMW's prestigious showrooms back in 2017 and 18.
In those few years, apart from meeting some great people, I've owned, pretty much every type of Z4 from the humble 2.0 E85's, 3.0's an M Roadster, a few E89's, a Coupe, to the new G29 and 2 Alpina Roadsters. (Only the 2.2 and an M Coupe have eluded me, although I have driven both of these on a few occasions)
My First Z4, snapped on a run in Snowdonia
Alpina #019 owned Jan 2015 - 2021
Whilst the Alpina was tucked away through winter I started buying a second Z4 as a bit of a winter project that I would use in the wet weather whilst also getting them tidied up over the dark months and ready for re-sale in the spring.
Here are a few:-
Around 2018 I ventured into E89's looking for a little more cabin technology and practicality. The Wife and I took these to France a few times and had some great trips touring through Normandy and onwards.
I then purchased a low mileage ///M Roadster, from a friend who had owned it for 9 years with the intention of selling the Alpina, but having driven the two, I decided that I preferred the drive and rarity of the Alpina and moved the ///MR onwards
I then had the opportunity to tick another box and buy a rare Stratus Coupe, with Amerone interior which was and still is absolutely immaculate. Such a gorgeous looking car.
After the wife took a shine to the E89's, I surprised her in Feb 2020 with an upgrade into a G29, which she loves, but constantly worries about where she can safely park it on day to day shopping trips etc. With Semi Retirement arriving, we had planned to tour Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Belguim and also the NC500 around Scotland using this car, but then Covid struck a month later and everything has been on hold for two years.
So the new plan is to consolidate a couple of great cars into something a little more special, as I'm currently paying 3 lots of tax & insurance, plus storage and now that the my kids also have cars, parking space at home has become a premium. So the wife is going back to a well equipped Mini and we're moving to the dark side for our weekend fun car.
This means that the G29, and Alpina are going, (possibly followed later by the Stratus Coupe too) in exchange for something a little more special (I hope!)
Therefore, if anyone has their eyes on acquiring a rare appreciating asset, in the form of an Alpina Roadster S (#307), it will be coming up for sale around mid/late February, after the replacement arrives, so now is the time to start lining up your ducks !
I will stay on here and am happy to continue helping out with the roof issues, etc, I just can't see me adding any more Zeds to the 17 tally !
North West Surrey
