Publisher: Fern Mora Czech Republic International 8 Series Owners This Month s s Feature May 2013 Car of the Month Greetings From Czech Republic
Finding an Eight In The Czech Republic The Inside Story This month we feature an eight from the Czech Republic, a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Germany to the west, Austria to the south, Slovakia to the east and Poland to the north. Its capital and largest city, with 1.3 million inhabitants is Prague. Just 185 miles from Prague sits this very nice J-Spec 850i which was fashioned after one of the most beautiful eights in existence, the Alpina B12. Most everyone on the forums is aware that this is not an original B12 but it is special in so many ways. The original owner spent a great deal of money and time making this clone. The photographs taken by GeorgosAC of this car are spectacular, so I decided to include as many as possible. This owner s story is one that most of us have heard before. Spending countless hours searching for that special 8 Series, then finding it, only to let it get away at the last bidding moment. However persistence is a virtue that you must have in order to find that special gem. It s often a struggle but rewarding in the end. This is one of those stories that paid off. After months of searching, the final reward was locating this 850i in the United Kingdom. How a left hand drive J-Spec landed there must have been a story in itself. Without further ado, lets take a tour of this stunning 850i and learn our recipient of May s Car of the Month story and enjoy the great pictures that are within. Cheers! Fern
SoCal 8s has selected this 850i belonging to Miroslav Mikel (AKA Rudosh ) one of our 8 er and Bimmer Forum regulars for our May 2013 Car of the Month Miroslav s Rudosh Story: My name is Miroslav Mikel. I live in Zlin (Czech Republic) where I was born. I am 28 years old and single. My hobbies are motoring, BMW, mountain biking and working out. In high school I started working for our family business, which deals in international road transport mainly between the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom. In fall of 2002 I got my drivers license and because of my father's recommendation, I bought my first BMW. It was a e34 525TDS automatic transmission which needed a lot of work. I was very satisfied with this car, but in 2004 my friend gave me a lift in his e39. I really liked the e39 and I knew then that I have one, so in 2005 I bought my e39. My e39 was the 528i touring. At that time I had been communicating with my friends through the Czech internet discussions sites about BMW s and the BMW Club Civic Association of the Czech Republic. This club connects owners and fans of BMW in the Czech Republic. I have been very active in the management of this organization. His current daily driver is a e39 525i
The Story Continues: J-Spec Clone The BMW Club Civic Association of the Czech Republic operate a website for our members with technical information, discussion forums, and provide discounts from business partners (selling of parts, accessories, service stations and official BMW dealers). We also support the organizers of BMW events. Currently, we have 792 members. In 2008, our family business arranged to transport some vintage and classic cars from Great Britain to the Czech Republic for our customers. That gave me the idea to look for a nice car there. During my search I found my J-spec 850i with Alpina accessories and 86.000 km on the clock. After making the offer and nailing down the agreement on the price, I gave the funds to my brother in-law who also works with us to pick up the car and bring it to the Czech Republic. The only way he could transport it was with ramps and roll it onto our trailer. The car was visually in good order except for a few scratches, very small dents and some cracks on the leather front seats. No rust or signs of any serious accidents. A big surprise for me were the Supersprint exhausts and radio with HDD and navigation, which as it turned out didn t work 100%. Therefore it was going to be replaced by an original radio and CD player. A beautiful great base for a young first timer like me. On its way to a new home
THE COMPANY TRUCKS Very fortunate to have a transport company in the family saving a great deal of transportation money. It is over 970 miles from the United Kingdom to city of Zin in the Czech Republic.
Questions and Answers Q: Where and when did you purchase your 8? A: I bought it near Ashington, United Kingdom in March 2008. Q: Why did you pick your current 8 over some other? A: Body color, interior color, and attractive price. It is an Alpina Clone car that had all the Alpina accessories added to it. That what attracted me most. Q: What made you pick the 8 series over other BMW models? A: When I was making the search it was between 635CSi (E24), M3 (e30/e36), M5 (e34/e39) or E31. One evening I was searching through the e-bay.co.uk and found on auction this beautiful Left Hand Drive E31 with Alpina accessories and I immediately fell in love with it. I made a bid and the seller accepted my offer and that ended the auction. It was a risk, since the first time I had a chance to see the car was after it was transported to my home in the Czech Republic, but the risk paid off. Q: What is it about the 8 you enjoy most? A: Timeless and beautiful design in conjunction with a velvety V12. It is still today a very exceptionally car.
Q: What Other Cars Have You Owned? A: All my past cars were BMW s My First Car - 525TDS My 2 nd Car was a 528i Can t drive this one but it s in my collection. A 1.24 850i Sterlingsilber Metallic model 1 of 744 I also get to drive the company car which helps save my 8 from poor weather conditions and muddy wet roads in winter
Now For The J-Spec J 8
Beautiful Historic Buildings in the Czech Republic
No sense having a beautiful car like this if you can t enjoy it. Rudosh certainly does every chance he gets when the weather is good.
Looks menacing just like this lizard
The car was accessorized after the Revell 1/24 Alpina B12 model shown here.
This is a great picture! Eye Candy
It s All About The Stance An 8 Road Block! I wouldn't do this in the US I am certain some of you have seen these shots on the forums in the past year. They have been circulating and for a good reason - they are great pictures.
J-Spec Engine After many hours of work on the engine bay Must be a J-Spec! Before Shot
Interior Interior still remains the same OEM. For being 22 years old, it still looks in good condition. In fact it s better than most this age; however some changes are coming its way. Rudosh wants to restore it to pristine condition as if it just rolled out from the factory. It will be a great project for the coming months and we should keep our eyes open for updates and pictures on the Bimmer Forums.
Real Wheels
THE SPEC PAGE His Car: Year: 7/1991 Model: 850i OEM Color: Mauritius blue metallic Color Code# 287/5 Wheel Make: Alpina Tire Make: Continental Tire Size Front: 245/40 r18 Tire Size Rear: 285/35 r18 Engine Size: 4988 HP: 300 M70 Special Interior Design Features: Seats re-upholstered: OEM Headliner replaced: OEM Interior Center Trim: Wood Shift Knob: OEM Alpina Steering wheel emblem Pedals: OEM Entertainment Audio Upgrade: Head Unit Make: Pioneer Carrozzeria Speakers: OEM Quantity: OEM Sub Woofer: None Amplifiers: None Total Wattage: OEM Active Crossover: None Suspension Custom Features Springs: Eibach Shocks: Bilstein B6 Other: STRONG-STRUT (strut brace), phoenix motorsport reinforcement plates (rear), phoenix motorsport camber plates (front), Exterior Features: Front Lower Bumper: Alpina Rear Lower Bumper: Alpina Alpina pin stripping and badges Work Performed: During the time of his ownership he has changed almost everything (shock absorbers, springs, arms, pins). Also a new radiator with water pump, ignition cables, coils, and many seals, hoses and fluids. Future Additions: I'm going to repair some of the small dents and redo the interior to make it appear as if the car just came out of the production line.
Awards or Features Exposure (Magazine, Features: Which Magazine(s): http://www.famousbmw.cz (internet magazine) Date(s) Featured: 12.09.2008 http://www.famousbmw.cz/bmw-850i-rande-s-legendou/ I think that the article is on the internet in other languages, but I don't have the link. Awards Received So For: Awarded: 2 photos of month on official BMW Česká republika Facebook site In July 2011 and November 2012 http://tinyurl.com/bl344r5 http://tinyurl.com/9wsw3ob
Congratulations Rudosh! For Making SoCal Eights Car of the Month Photograph s Herein Provided by GeorgosAC Shout Out! I would like to thank all of those who share the DIY information on repairing and keeping our 8er s in good shape. I also would like to thank my friend GeorgosAC for the beautiful photos of my car.