Last night I took second delivery of the Z8 I acquired in January of this year.
At the time the car had 26k miles on the clock, was mechanically well maintained by Classic BMW in Plano but needed some cosmetic attention. First order was to install the performance package and to replace the temperamental tail lights.
After a thorough interior cleaning process that included removal of the seats and everything I was able to unscrew inside the cabin it was time to call for the first annual Texas Hill Country Stampede which resulted in a great gathering of 10 couples in their silver Z8s in early March.
That is where my troubles began. I kept walking up to the wrong car at least once a day embarrassing myself. They all looked so beautifully silver and with my red Z8 on my mind I was unable to distinguish one from the other. Besides, I am rather impatient when it comes to getting behind the wheel and making a go of it.
My mission was clear. Visual differentiation is a must. Fast forward to the Techno Classica Show in Essen, Germany, in April. One of the car dealers there displayed an original BMW-Individual creation, silver with ivory accents. I took lots of pictures in order to replicate the design and color lines.
My trusted professionals at Classic BMW in Plano were easily motivated to take on this project. Patrick Arnold, Performance, Restoration and Z8 Specialist at Classic kept me up to speed on every step they made with photos, text and mails. In addition to the paint job the following work was done:
Replacement of the soft top which had been damaged by improper hard top installation. Installation of Alpina springs and shock absorbers at the rear end. Installation of the Z8 Forum edition Meisterschaft Racing exhaust.
The work was performed by Classic's body shop and Z8 specialist Tristan Owens who appears to have the time of his life maintaining, repairing and modifying Z8s from across the region. Last night there were no less than 9 Z8s in Classic's facilities, not counting Dennis' and Charles' who came to help me take delivery of mine along with Paul who picked up his.
Special thanks to John Kobell, Classic BMW's General Manager, who agreed to let his paint shop digress into custom design work, to Pat Arnold, whose Z8 knowledge and passion for all things BMW have earned him my trust over all these years, and to Tristan Owens for being a stickler for perfection.
Christian.