Gateway Relay

Vol VI, No. 4 St Louis Sports Car Council January 2017

Council News & Notes Up & Coming 28 Jan 17—JAGSL Coffee, Coffee & Cars, at JustJags LLC, 7113 N Hanley Rd,  Recent temps notwithstanding Hazelwood, 8:30 AM. (70º in January!?), our resident weather guessers are of an opin- 28 Jan 17—St Louis Chapter BMWCCA Holiday Party, 6-10 PM, at Fast Lane ion there’s still plenty of winter to Classic Cars, 427 Little Hills Industrial Blvd, St Charles (date change due to weath- come. However, as a group of er). all-weather car clubs, there are also still plenty of activities in 3 Feb 17—Bus trip to Springfield for the Levi Tour of a private car and motorcycle planning and/or in execution. collection, with the St Louis Post Dispatch’s “Fin Man” serving as the tour guide. And yes, as we here in the Cost $60, covers transportation, the private tour and lunch at the Pizza Barn. StLSCC editorial offices say eve- Space limited, if interested contact The Fin Man ASAP at [email protected] or ry year, the event calendar is call (314)894-3575. starting to fill up. 4 Feb 17—JAGSL Memory Lane Rallye: A Step Back to a Simpler Time. Travel  If you’re looking for indoor activi- over scenic rolling hills, through small towns and with views that will make you feel ties, there are still several com- you are going back in time. The destination is Steeleville, an “old town atmos- ing. Driving events? As it stands phere,” enhanced by our destination, “The Soda Fountain” and the circa 1908 gen- now, the first one will take place eral store. Includes a $20 per person gourmet lunch, your choice of ribs/potato on Saturday, 4 February, courte- casserole and sides or vegetarian delight, both with desert. Meet at the St Louis sy of the Jaguar Association of Bread Co at Hwy 21 and Kennerly (two blocks west of I-270) at 8:30 AM with a Greater St Louis. About two 9:30 AM departure. Please RSVP to Jim Hendrix at (636)227-2565 weeks afterwards the St Louis [email protected] or Phil Taxman at (314)727-9179 [email protected]; Triumph Association does their for more info, call up www.jagstl.com or monitor the online Growl. annual Polar Bear Run, the first 10 Feb 17—Sir John Black Birthday Drive. Promoted by the Triumph Travelers driving event of the club’s 35th Club of the San Francisco Bay Area; get your Triumph out for a drive as a salute to anniversary year. Sir John Black, take a photo and send the photo to Rey Livingston ([email protected]) with a short description of the car and location.  Chances are one or both will take place under rather brisk condi- 12 Feb 17—Annual Gateway Healey Association Valentine’s Dinner/Party, at the tions, possibly with snow, but the Trailhead Brewery, 921 Riverside Dr, at 6:30 PM. Please RSVP to Marilyn Salini at two drives still look like excellent [email protected], or text to (314)227-1778…and remember to wear red! opportunities for everyone to get th out and start limbering up their 12 Feb 17—37 St Louis Metro Area Automotive Swap Meet, Belle-Clair Fair- cars for the coming spring and grounds, 200 S Belt East, Belleville, 6 AM-1:30 PM. For info call (217)491-8822 or summer. check the Facebook page at The Big Belleville Swap Meet. 19 Feb 17—SLTOA 35th Anniversary Polar Bear Run. Traditional start to the  In the meantime, we here at the driving season, all-weather (within reason…usually…), start point and time to be StLSCC CIC hope all clubs and announced, the drive will end up at the historic Big Chief Restaurant/Roadhouse in all members had a most excellent holiday season. And now, we’ll Wildwood. Open to all, monitor www.sltoa.org for details. boldly drive into 2017... (Continued on page 2)

Note: Some club events restrict participation to club members only, primarily for na- tional/chapter insurance reasons. If interested in joining in on a drive or other event, we recommend you contact the club’s event coordinator in advance for details.

In Print Hemmings Sports & Exotic Car for February offers up something for the LBC faithful: a report on 2016’s American British Reliability Run. The fundraising drive for charity covered roughly 1000 miles through Virginia, Maryland, Pennsyl- vania and West Virginia and included a few laps at Summit Point Raceway. The group – which included a Mini Moke, plus a few other vehicles not normally considered highway tourers – raised over $35,000 for Driving For Kids. Also in February, Car & Driv- er offers up a one-page commentary on “The Social History of the Volvo Wagon.” Turns out the company’s famous “brick” wag- ons incorporated a lot of the features Volvo developed for its 1972 Experimental Safety Car. Same issue, a drive of a 2017 BMW 5-Series through Portugal.

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20 Feb 17—MG Club of St Louis Tech Session No. 2, topic is rebuilding carburetors. At All British Car Repair, 2618 Wood- son Rd, Overland, 7-9 PM. 25 Feb 17—JAGSL Coffee, Coffee & Cars, at JustJags LLC, 7113 N Hanley Rd, Hazelwood, 8:30 AM. 13 Mar 17—JAGSL Coffee, Coffee & Cars, at JustJags LLC, 7113 N Hanley Rd, Hazelwood, 8:30 AM. 19 Mar 17—Annual MG Club of St Louis Pinewood Derby, 2 PM at Llywelyn’s Pub, 17 W Moody, Webster Groves. Prizes to the top three finishers in the each race, for the best looking entry and the entry which needs the most work. Cars must meet Cub Scout Pinewood Derby rules, kits available for purchase at the January MGCStL meeting. 20 Mar 17—MG Club of St Louis Tech Session No. 3, at Hi-Tech Collision Repair, 2618 Woodson Rd, Overland; topic TBD. 7 PM to 9 PM. 9 Apr 17—First BSCC Autocross of the season. Family Arena, show around 9:30 AM, six runs for $35. Contact Racer Steve at [email protected] for info or to get on the emailing list. 15 Apr 17—Cars & Coffee returns! Westport Plaza off I-270, 8-10 AM. 15 Apr 17—Gateway Healey Association Annual pre-Forest Park Wash-Up/Tune-Up, at Keith Bester’s Garage, 115 N Sap- pington Rd, Kirkwood (314)821-2372. 10 AM until ?, please bring a dish to share. 16 Apr 17—Annual Forest Park Easter Concours, hosted by the Horseless Carriage Club of Missouri in the upper Muni parking lot, Forest Park; event incorporates MG/Triumph Challenge VIII for the British Leyland participation Trophy. De- tails to follow, monitor http://hccmo.com/easter-concours/ in the meantime. 7 May 17—BSCC Autocross No. 2. Family Arena, show around 9:30 AM, six runs for $35. Contact Racer Steve at [email protected] for info or to get on the emailing list. 22-23 Apr 17—SCCA Majors racing, at Gateway Motorsports Park. 30 Apr 17— St Louis Region SCCA Autocross No. 1, Family Arena, St Charles. Info at www.stlsolo.org. 20 May 17—BMW Car Club of America “The Vintage.” In Hot Springs, NC, info at www.atthevintage.com. 21 May 17— St Louis Region SCCA Autocross No. 2, Gateway Motorsports Park. Info at www.stlsolo.org. 4 Jun 17—Champagne British Car Festival, in Bloomington. Featured marque is the Delorean, info at www.cbcf- bloomington.com. 10 Jun 17—St Louis Region SCCA nighttime Monte Carlo-style rally. Jim Heine, Rallymaster. 11 Jun 17—BSCC Autocross No. 3. Family Arena, show around 9:30 AM, six runs for $35. Contact Racer Steve at [email protected] for info or to get on the emailing list. 16-18 Jun 17—15th Kastner Cup, Blackhawk Farms Raceway, South Beloit, IL, in association with VSCDA’s Blackhawk Clas- sic, special activities including a Triumph feature race honoring racing legend/Triumph team manager “Kas” Kastner. Host hotel is the Hampton Inn-Beloit, 2700 Cranston Rd, Beloit, WI (608)362-6000. Details to follow, in the meantime monitor www.kaskastner.com/kastnercup.html/ or email [email protected]. On Facebook at https:// www.facebook.com/2017-Kastner-Cup-412465015590721. 18 Jun 17— St Louis Region SCCA Autocross No. 3, Gateway Motorsports Park. Info at www.stlsolo.org.

St Louis Car Shows and Cruises: http://clubs.hemmings.com/lakerscarclub

Boeing Sports Car Club A St Louis Region SCCA

Autocross Schedule 2017 Autocross Schedule 2017  Sunday 9 April  30 April, Family Arena  21 May, Gateway Motorsports Park  Sunday 7 May  18 June, Gateway Motorsports Park  Sunday 11 June  9 July, Gateway Motorsports Park  Sunday 9 July  30 July, Gateway Motorsports Park  Sunday 6 August  27 August, Family Arena  Sunday 10 September  24 September, Family Arena  Sunday 8 October  1 October, Family Arena  Sunday 12 November  29 October, Family Arena

All events at Family Arena, St Charles Info: www.stlsolo.org info: [email protected] Rally sked next month

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Roadwork: Replacing a Legend: The BMW E21 series

By the mid-1970s, BMW faced a dilemma. The company’s generated 89 bhp, the 1.8L (318), 98 bhp and the 2.0L (320), “das Neue Klasse” cars – the 1500/1800/2000 series of 110 bhp. A fourth model, the 320i, replaced the carb with coupes and sedans which saved the company following their Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection, a major change from the me- 1962 introduction – were getting a little long in tooth. New US chanical Kuegelfischer system of the 2002tii. safety, impact and smog regulations forced massive changes to the vehicles running up to 1974, including larger bumpers America received only the 320i variant; it was the first BMW and more emissions equipment which added weight and sport coupe in the country to bear the full brunt of the new, sapped power. In response, the corporation decided it was stricter US emissions and safety regulations. He car came time to come up with a completely new design. Designated with side impact beams in the doors, larger bumpers fore and the E21, the car was the first of the 3-series . aft, and an air injection system with thermal reactors to meet the emissions standards. Hence, the car was heavier – 2600 BMW lbs – and less powerful than its 2002 predecessor. Road tests looked at demonstrated a 0-60 time of about 11 seconds, with an 18.5 several second quarter mile, slower than the 2002tii. According to proposals Alexander Palevsky, writing in Bimmer magazine, “The E21 for the all- was larger, heavier and slower…and many BMW enthusiasts new vehi- were understandably disappointed.” cle, includ- ing three Britain’s Car was even more blunt: submis- BMW has gone out of their way, almost to the point sions by of introversion, to make the 320 as conservative as it Giorgetto possibly can be…gone is the rakishness to which the Giugiaro’s 2002 aspired…it is, in all ways, an efficient saloon…yet ItalDesign. there is something about the 320 that’s disappointing… However, perhaps the best way to explain it is by saying that the One of Paul Bracq’s sketches. Source: Octane according vehicle is clinically efficient, organized, planned, anoth- to current er step closer to the faultless saloon. But it’s a dull car BMW De- to dive. sign Director Adrian van Hooydonk, the company rejected all three because they weren’t “dynamic.” Instead, BMW went Conversely, some road testers with in-house stylist Paul Bracq’s proposal, which featured highly approved the 320i’s handling styling cues that directly tied the new E21 to the legendary and somewhat softer ride. Road & 1600/2002 (interestingly enough, according to long-time auto Track in February 1980 comment- exec Bob Lutz, BMW serious considered dropping the twin- ed, “It packs something for every- kidney grill with the E21 in favor of “…an open grille like any body: enough panache to make American car with horizontal bars.” Lutz – who served as the novices look good and handling corporation’s Vice President of Sales from 1971 to 1974 – con- that will keep even you experts in vinced corporate to keep the classic front-end appearance of the audience entertained.” the cars). BMW addressed the power is- BMW launched the new 3-series in Europe in May 1975 but sues, starting overseas with the they didn’t reach the states until 1977, one year after the end 1978 320/6 which featured the 122 of 2002 sales. The continent received three optional models bhp six-cylinder M20 engine and designated by their engine displacement: the 316, 318 and the fuel-injected 323i. The latter 320, but only the 320 variant made it to the US. offered 143 bhp, a 0-60 time of 9 seconds and a top speed in the vicinity of 120 mph. In 1980, the United States received The cars were the 320is: 170 pounds lighter, 1.8L, fuel injection and replace- offered only as ment of the thermal reactors with a catalytic converter, which coupes, with improved drivability. The model gained a five-speed Getrag MacPherson gearbox, a limited slip differential (good thing, seeing as the struts at the 320i tended to raise its inside rear tier during serious corner- front end with a ing), a manual sunroof, Recaro seats, a larger front anti-roll fully independ- bar and a rear bar, fog lights and a cassette player. ent, semi-trailing arm suspension Finally, BMW gave its 3-series a big push towards respecta- at the back, bility in 1977 with the fielding of a racing team; its amazing front disc brakes what performance tuning (including the addition of a big turbo- and rear drums charger on some variants) and aerodynamic aids does for a car’s capabilities… and a Getrag 1977 BMW 320. Source: 4Corner four-speed BMW Motorsport GmbH debuted the 320 in European transmission, Group 5 sedan racing. The cars featured large flares over all with a ZF three- four wheels with integral air intakes at the rear, a front air dam speed automatic and a huge wing out back. The company turned out a total of as an option. 28 modified 320s, with several sold to other teams in kit form. The M10 single overhead cam The corporate team – known as the “Junior Team” for its four-cylinder young drivers – included American Cheever, Italian Bruno engine with a Giacomelli (regularly referred to by the British racing press as single Solex that noted Irishman, “Jack O’Malley”), Marc Surer from Swit- carburetor pro- zerland, Canadian Gilles Villeneuve and . vided the power; Villeneuve and Cheever recorded a victory almost right out the 1.6L version of the box, taking the Mosport 6-Hour race – part of the Mol- (BMW 316) 320i interior. Source: Hemmings son Diamond Can-Am/Trans-Am Weekend – on 20 August 3

Big Cats (Continued from page 3)

1977. The race constituted the sixth round of the World Championship for Makes and the eighth round of the SCCA Trans-Am; while Ludwig Heimrath and Paul Mil- ler placed first in a Porsche 934/5, taking the TA-II Class (following the disqualification of the similar car of Peter Gregg/Bob Wollek for illegal suspension mods), Cheever and Villeneuve came in second for the Group 5 win. David Hobbs and Ron- nie Peterson placed 8th in a McLaren North America 320i turbo (see below) while the Group 5 Porsche 935s of George Follmer/Brett Lunger, Jim Busby/Eppie Wietzes and Jackie Source: Racing Sports Ickx finished well down in the pack Cars due to engine problems. The 320s proceeded to lay waste to sedan racing on the Continental dominating the 1978 Deutsche Rennsport Meister- schaft (“DRM”) and World Touring Car Championship. Austri- an Herald Ertl – a veteran of the Schnitzer BMW 2002 Turbo Hobbs in the Citicorp 320 turbo at Mid-America Raceway, 15 May team – took first place in the DRM with 162 points, driving the 1977. Source: CarThrottle Sachs-Sporting 320, beating Toine Hezemans, Wollek and John Fitzpatrick, all driving 935s. Ertl scored wins in his for IMSA at the time, the rather eclectic field including Cor- Schnitzer and Sachs-Sporting 320s and 320 turbos at Nür- vettes, an Alfa Rome Alfetta GT, Datsun 240 and 260Zs…and burgring in April, Avus in May, Kassel-Calden in July and a single Triumph TR6, entered by Dennis Wilson). Another Hockenheim’s Grosser Preis von Deutschland, also in July. DNF occurred at the Coca-Cola 350, Lime Rock, on 30 May 1977. Hobbs and the turbocharged 320i finally broke through with a win at the Mid-Ohio Twin 200, held 5 June. He won again at the Sears Point Grand Prix, 31 July; Road Atlanta’s Labor Day Race, 5 September; and the Shasta Monterey Grand Prix at Laguna Seca, 9 October. In the Daytona Finale on 26 Novem- ber, Hobbs and the BMW again DNF’d after only four laps. took the event in a Porsche 934, followed by Kenper Miller in a BMW 3.0 CSL. Hobbs and the BMW North America-sponsored car ended the season in fourth place with 90 points behind in the Dickinson-Holbert Racing Monza (152 pts); Hurley Haywood, Bob Hagestad Racing (145 pts); and George Dyer, Hans Joachim Stuck in the Faltz-Jägermeister 320 turbo, Nür- Carrera RSR (118 pts). burgring. Source: BMWE21.net Continuing into 1978, Hobbs’ McLaren-prepared 320i took victories at Hallett Motor Racing Circuit, Oklahoma, 7 May, and In the states, BMW worked with McLar- Sears Point, 30 July, with a second place finish at Mid-Ohio on en North America to develop a turbo- 27 August. Otherwise, the car generally finished down in the charged 320i, powered by a two-liter M12 pack. The last victory for the 320i turbo with Hobbs driving which generated somewhere north of 600 occurred at Hallett in the Winston GT race on 13 May 1979. bhp. While the cars weren’t as fast as the With BMW’s decision to into Formula 1 racing with 935s in a straight line, the out handled the ( would win the 1983 F1 championship in the Porsches in the corners, as noted by driv- Brabham BT52, powered by the 1.5LM12/13 four-banger, er David Hobbs; he said they’d “…do well which developed an incredible 1300bhp), the factory shifted its in the handling portion of the track. Just sedan racing emphasis to modifications of the 5 and 6-series David Hobbs, could do well enough to make a differ- cars, in and around development of the mid-engine M1 sports wearing the appro- ence.” priate patches. car. To start the proceedings, BMW Motor- Source: McLaren– And, in 1982, BMW superseded the E21 with the six-cylinder sport entered one of its cars in the 6 Feb- BMW. E30, offered as both a coupe and a sedan. The new design ruary 1977 24 Hours of Daytona, the first proved a huge success; it also provided the foundation for the stop on the World Championship of Makes and the IMSA first M3 variant. Camel GT Challenge. Unfortunately the car, driven by Hobbs, Ronnie Peterson and Sam Posey and sponsored by Citicorp/ When all is said and done, one could sum up BMW’s E21 First National City Travelers Checks, failed to finish due to series as a success on the race track and a failure – or at the engine failure. very least, underachiever – in the vehicle market…except it wasn’t. In the end, BMW turned out nearly 1.4 million E21s, The focus then shifted to the remainder of the IMSA season. outselling the already legendary 2002; in fact, it was the first Driving the McLaren-mod’d BMW, Hobbs placed fourth at the th BMW automobile to sell over a million. As noted by Hem- WQXI Road Atlanta 100 on 17 April; 24 at the Monterey Tri- mings’ Jeff Koch, every year the 320i was on sale, BMW in- ple Crown, Laguna Seca on 1 May; and DNF’d at the Mid- creased its sales: America 100 out by Wentzville on 15 May (Al Holbert won in a Dekon Chevy Monza, followed by George Dyer in a Porsche Carrera RSR and Hurley Haywood in a 934/5. As per usual (Continued on page 5) 4

BMW E21 (Continued from page 4)

Source: Model Cars Magazine

As it turned out, the 320i was exactly the right car for and one that embodies many of the attributes that its time. The notion of a small car suddenly made a lot BMW enthusiasts have traditionally held dear: smart more sense in those post-OPEC days (anyone remem- styling, impeccable ergonomics, entertaining handling ber the ’73 and ’75 gas crunches?), and while it wasn’t and an overall “fun to drive” quality that so few cars the car that launched BMW in this county, it did become possess (particularly those engineered in the 1970s). the official machine of young, upwardly-mobile profes- sionals-or “yuppies,” as they came to be known. While 320is aren’t necessarily the first models to come to mind when looking for used BMWs, they do periodically come Sources: Patrick George, “Meet the E21, the Forgotten Mid- up for sale. A review of Hemmings turned up a couple: a one- dle Child in the BMW Family,” Jalopnik, 10 March 2013; Rich- owner 1982 320 “Luxus Package” with 80,500 miles in York- ard Bremner, “It Started With A Sketch,”” Octane, January town Heights, New York, for $15,000 and 1978 Baur converti- 2017; Patrick George, “Meet the E21, the Forgotten Middle ble conversion in Denver for $14,900. A 1978 320i offered by Child in the BMW Family,” Jalopnik, 10 March 2013; Alexan- the same Colorado dealer – described as “bulletproof and per- der Palevsky, “The Forgotten 3,” Bimmer, June 2011; Jeff fectly balanced” – was available for $10,900. In mid-2015, a Koch, “1977-1983 BMW 320i: A Now-Forgotten Witness to 1979 320i with 144,000+ miles in Los Angeles sold for $6200 the Birth of the Yuppie,” Hemmings, August 2009; Racing via Bring A Trailer. Sports Cars; Chris Cantle, “Thrashing the forbidden BMW 3 The cars are out there and, if you find a good one, you’ll Series we never got,” Road & Track, 15 June 2015; Chris have something of a bridge vehicle which connected the Perkins, “BMW Almost Killed the Kidney Grille With the First 3 1600/2000 series with today’s BMW sedans and couples. Series,” Road & Track, 6 March 2016; BMW 333i Alpina,” And, it’s pretty much guaranteed you won’t run into another Road & Track, November 1978; “The Unloved Three,” Drive 4 one at gatherings like Cars & Coffee. As summarized by Corners, 18 January 2016; Chris Cantle, “This 650-hp 1977 Palevsky, BMW 320 Turbo hunted Porsche 935s,” Road & Track, 16 May 2014; “E21 – Group 5 Racing – 1977-1978,” Classic and The 320i will never be as revered as the 2002; its Vintage BMW; “E21’s in Racing,” Jeroen’s BMW E21 Net- place in BMW’s history and the circumstances sur- work, www.bmwe21net/; Nic Foster, “BMW of North Ameri- rounding its creation will simply never allow it. But that ca’s Vintage Collection: The Group 5 E21 320 Turbo,” doesn’t mean that the 320i shouldn’t be appreciated in Stance|works, 5 April 2013. its own right. It’s a wonderful little car in many aspects,

StLSCC Calendar (Continued from page 1)

A rampant (ready to pounce?) continuation Jaguar XKSS dominates the cover of January’s Octane. Inside the issue, two test drives of the former Steve McQueen XKSS (Jay Leno provides one of the articles) plus an extended section on Jaguar’s produc- tion of the final XKSSs…some 60 years following Jaguar’s Browns Lane factory fire, which ended production of the cars at 16. No surprise, the editors also provide the full story of the original development of the road-capable mod of the D-Type. Elsewhere in the magazine, a look at BMW styling over the years, with comments by Design Director Adrian van Hooydonk. The cars illustrat- ed include the BMW 507, Neue Klasse, 1602/2002, E21, E30, E36, Z4 and the BMW i8 concept. January’s Thoroughbred & Classic Cars has an article on the restoration of BMW’s M1 press demonstrator in advance of the last year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed. A tad farther on, information on an early Jaguar XK120, recently sold at the Bonham’s- Bond Street Auction. December 2016’s Classic & Sports Car includes a buyer’s guide for the Jaguar S-Type (“The grown-up Mk2…”). As well as a comparison between a 1938 Morgan 4-4 and a 1937 MG TA. Finally, Octane for December provides an article on a group of sports car enthusiasts who won an auction. First prize? A drive in a Jaguar D-Type at Silverstone with Sir Jackie Stewart. Else- where, an 80th anniversary salute to the Morgan 4/4 with a comparison between examples from 1937, 1966 and 2016.

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Featured Events continued Gateway VCOA Eagle Watch Excursion 21 January 2017

Photos by Lezza Baker and Greg Kraner

MG Club of St Louis Holiday Party 21 January 2017

Photos by Andrew Ackerman

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Gateway VCOA Holiday Dinner 12 January 2017

Jaguar Association of Greater St Louis Deer Creek Gala 14 January 2017

Photos by Allan Ellis

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Featured Events MG Club of St Louis Christmas Lights Drive Tilles Park—15 December 2016

Photos by Glenn Owens

MGCStL RUBCO (Retired/Unemployed British Car Owners) 22 December 2016

Photos by Andrew Ackerman AA

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