Cruizin’ NewzCruizin’ Newz

T h e O f f i c i a l M a g a z i n e o f t h e Z S e r i e s C a r C l u b o f A m e r i c aS U M M E R 2 0 1 9

I’m feeling a bit odd writing this column. Not because of the content, but because of the timing. As I often do, I’ll be talking about ZFEST. As I write, it’s early June and this column is for the summer issue, which will come out just after ZFEST 2019 Blacksburg, where we will announce the ZFEST 2020 Snowmass location. The odd part is I feel like I’m breaking the rules by revealing the 2020 location here, but by the time you all read this, it won’t be a se-cret anymore. Does that make sense?

ZFEST 2019 in Blacksburg is (was) a mile-stone event. It’s our second time extending it to a whole week and with almost 200 cars in attendance, it’s the biggest in many years. Part of that is the fact that ZFEST has been away from the East Coast for a couple of years. There is definitely a lot of pent-up demand, but we can’t ignore the fact that Blacksburg is a great location and the team did a great job putting together a slate of fantastic activities.

It’s been a real treat working with Ed Da-vidson and Mark Bigelow. These guys really love the ZSCCA and completely under-stand what the ZFEST experience means to the club. We have been in nearly con-stant contact for the past few months, and our anxiety level tracked with the regis-tration numbers as they rose higher and higher. I also want to recognize Reenie Marshall, who recruited and scheduled nearly 70 volunteers to keep ZFEST hum-ming like a well-oiled machine. Thanks as well to all those who volunteered part of their ZFEST week to help out.

So now we are on to Aspen, Colorado for ZFEST 2020. Our host hotel is the Snowmass Ski resort a few miles outside Aspen. The resort itself is an incredible setting, and the amenities are world class. Jon Moorhead already has a solid schedule proposed, and we have a pledge of sup-port from the local BMW dealer, as well as the local BMWCCA Chapter.

As I have in the last few years, I’ll be putting together a “Group Z Rally to ZFEST” from the East Coast. My early plan is to take a week to get to Colorado, via the Black Hills of South Dakota. It would be an amazing thing if some of our West Coast members were to meet us in the Black Hills for a final convoy to Colorado. (hint, hint).

I also wanted to offer some words about the process of putting together a ZFEST.

Members occasionally ask about having a ZFEST in one location or another, and my first response is always the same. ZFEST happens where there is a person or group ready to take on the work of planning and organizing in the local area. ZSCCA has the resources and people to help in the process, but it starts with boots on the ground.

What does the planning process look like? The process takes 18-24 months to work through.We have produced a ZFEST planning guide that is available to a would-be organizer. It is a high-level document that discusses the basics of site selection and planning. Once someone expresses interest, it starts with a conversation about the suggested area. Does it have hotels capable of hosting us? What sort of attractions are nearby? Would our members be enticed to travel there en masse? We also talk about the work involved in planning - does the orga-nizer have time to devote?

Once we have a commitment and good feel that the event is viable, we propose the site to the board of directors for ap-proval to move forward. With board con-sent, we reach out toConference Direct, who guides us through the host hotel selection and contracting process. They solicit proposals from the properties which meet our needs. With those in hand, we narrow the choices to 2 or 3 based on price and how they would fit our ZFEST event. We then schedule site visits to see the properties in person. The choice is usually obvious after the visits. We then pursue a contract with our chosen property with Conference Direct acting as our agent. We look for dates that offer the best pricing. Once we have a contract we can live with, we return to the board with that contract for their review. With their approval, the contract is signed by the President, and we are off to the races.

The next step is to assemble what I call the “bones” of the event. Some of the day

ZSCCA Board of Directors & Staff

Eric Peck • PresidentHuntersville, NCpresident@zscca.org309-214-2753

Jon Moorhead • Vice PresidentSalida, COviceprez@zscca.org719-221-1891

Robert Van Zandt • SecretaryYorktown, VAsecretary@zscca.org

Chuck Krblich • TreasurerFort Lauderdale, FLtreasurer@zscca.org954.295.0277

Nico Valentijn • Membership LiaisonBristol, INmembers@zscca.org

Chris Wootten • Strategic Relationships AmbassadorEaston, MD cjwootten@gmail.com

Reenie Paley Marshall • Special Projects ManagerMidlothian, VAspm@zscca.org

Brian Roces • Technology & Social Media DirectorNew York, NYsocial@zscca.org

Mark Bigelow • Member-at-LargePetersburg, PAatlarge@zscca.org

Jay Parnes - Area Rep ManagerRochester, NYareachair@zscca.org585.737.2784

Andy Hartwell • EditorSelden, NYeditor@zscca.org

Ric Genthe • Creative/Production DirectorMadison, WIrgenthe@charter.net608.575.9285

Ainsley Jacobs • Web MasterAlpharetta, GA267.738.2134

Wayne & Amy Lester • Founders Emeritus Nebo, NCottersview@frontier.com

ZFEST, ZSCCA and their graphic representations are registered trademarks of the Z Series Car Club of America. Reproduction of them requires written approval.

President’s Message! - Eric Peck

www.zscca.org

cover photo by Matt Hanson

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continued on page 8back photo by Kathy Lewis

As you read this, I can guess you have either spent the last week of June enjoying summer fun with fellow ZFEST 2019 attendees, or you chose other avenues to travel in search of warm weather amusements. The wonder of personal freedom allows such choic-es and we are fortunate indeed to live in a country where such freedoms exist. Of course, sometimes we also have obligations and circumstances that direct our choices. That is why our singular annual event, ZFEST, isn’t always an option for everyone. That is OK. Life doesn’t always bring us where we want to be. Alter-natives to enjoying driving our cars and being with our friends almost always exist.

I write this in early June, still unsure that our personal circumstances will find us attending ZFEST. Although our plans are not yet set, looking

through the schedule for the week, it seems Ed Davidson and Mark Bigelow and their team has set up some great drives and locations to visit in the Blacksburg/North Carolina area. The char-ity laps at VIR should be a real blast, even if there will be no chance IMSA racer wannabes (fancy yourself the next David Murry or Andy Lally?) can try for the lap record. Just being on that iconic track would be enough for me. (By the way, using the recently developed Mark Bigelow / Al Riedel scale, I would be rated a ‘Turtle’.)

In the fall issue, we expect to present several views of just how much fun ZFEST 2019 was, written by members who volunteered to record their participant experiences. We are looking forward to hearing from the people who were there, and this is especially

so for those folks who were unable to attend. And let us not for-get seeing all the pictures!

As noted by Eric Peck, it was announced at ZFEST in Blacksburg, that ZFEST 2020 will take place in Aspen, Colorado with the Wes-tin Snowmass Resort as the host hotel. Jon Moorhead is leading the team to build what promises to be a truly spectacular event, and one that opens up a region not previously host to a ZFEST. The views on drives should be spectacular with roads that caress and traverse the Aspen region of the Rocky Mountains.

Staying within the pages of this issue for a moment, we have a lot to offer in the way of information and introductions. We have interviews with three ZSCCA members; Tarlock Sagoo, Al Riedel and Kathy and Richard Desruisseau. Chris Wootten writes about a DIY day at Sterling BMW. Jay Parnes shows us how to address a brake flush. Our fearless leader, Eric Peck, tells us ‘what it was like out there’ in the new Z4 and Tim Dennison recounts the Schuh Syndikat event, one that has become a traditional ‘must-do for clown shoe drivers.

You will also find a request from our publisher, Ric Genthe, for photographs that may be selected for the cover of a future issue of Cruizin’ Newz. Now, who wouldn’t be pleased as punch to see their best shot featured on the cover of this magazine? Please see the call for photos appearing in these pages and then set about capturing your best shot. After all, who is prouder of your ride than you?

Oh, and for the record, we LIKE it when out tires get ‘dizzy’. Spin-ning wheels mean we are going places!

Keep your speed up!

from the Editor! - Andy Hartwell

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continued on page 8

“I had to stop driving my car for a while... the tires got dizzy.” - Steven Wright

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Meet Z Members

By Andrew S. Hartwell

Who is Tarlock Sagoo?

“I wanted a BMW as a weekend car and I went back to thinking about a Z3.”

Until recently, we had never

heard a first name like ‘Tarlock’. Apparently, that fact was not surprising to the area rep for the NorCal BMW Zs group.

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“People always ask about my name.” Tarlock told us. “My family roots are from North India but I’ve never actually lived in India. I was born in Uganda and our family became refugees in 1971 and landed in England. If anyone has watched the movie ‘The Last King of Scotland’ they know about what life was like in Uganda, under Idi Amin’s rule.”

His parents knew their future lay outside of India and so they moved to England which imbued Tarlock with three definitive attributes; accent, attitude and a sense of British humor.

“I was brought up in England so I do have that strong English accent but I also have sort of a comedic sarcastic nature. That is my British side coming out!”

At the end of the 20th century, when Y2K was on every computer users mind and the world was going www.com crazy, Tarlock moved to the US to propel his technical ca-reer in this field. Funny thing is, though, his early education experiences in the field of data management would never have suggested such a future awaited him

“I moved to the California in 1999, when I was just starting my career in Tech. I live in the bay area of California, in San Carlos, which is nestled half way in-between San Jose and San Francisco in Silicon Valley.

“My Dad passed away in 2006, but I credit him for being the one who taught me how to work on cars as he had

owned an auto body repair shop. My first car was a 1976 Austin Mini which was restored by me and my brother with the guidance of my dad.

“My Mom is still living in my home town of Royal Leam-ington Spa, England. I have an older brother and sister and one younger sister again all still in England.

“I have a son from my first marriage. His name is Dylan and he will be turning 18 this year and I am slowly con-verting him into a BMW enthusiast. He was never into cars like we were when young as he just uses Uber when he needs to get around. It was only when he heard about a famous rap singer he admired that had a collectible M3 BMW did he start to think about me and my BMW addic-tion being cool. Before then it was just dad being boring dad!

“I’m remarried, and Jas is my wife’s name. Many of the people we drive with here in California know of Jas and my family, and she has a bad habit of leaning on my BMW, which many of the spouses have already worked out not to do.. Those of you who know it will understand what I mean!”

We wondered what it is the Tarlock really does for a living in the tech field. We are still not quite clear, despite his ef-fort to inform us.

“When asked what I do for work I refer to myself as the

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character Chandler, from the Friends TV show, because no one really understands what it is that I do. I’m in the tech space for data, analytics. Today I’m an Executive in a start-up which focusses on real-time data and acting upon it. Previously I’ve been in similar leadership positions with several other companies in this area. Early in my career I used to do programming but today I am more focused in sales and customer relationship.”

Tarlock has no problem with anyone who thinks of people in his field as ‘nerds’. “Some people still think of Techs as nerds but there is a lot to be said for what I do and I find it very rewarding as well. I have traveled the world in my jobs and have no regrets in choosing this career path, and it also pays very well.”

The man knows his cars and how they work and he has a long-standing love affair with the BMW brand.

“I originally started off with my first car being a Mini that was given to me by my brother as a joke. It was a rusty old 1976 that he gave to me after he had run it down into the ground. He gave it to me on my 17th birthday. He handed me the keys, with the car ready to go to the salvage yard, and I turned to him and said, ‘I will get that car back in shape and running again!’

“That was my first real experience working on cars and I ended up doing a full restoration on the car. From there I developed a passion about cars. My next car was a 1980 BMW 320 series E21, my first BMW. It was a dark green two tone. I regret letting it go but this was the car that started my love affair with the classic BMW’s. Since then I

have owned another E21, two E30’s, two E46’s, one 2001 Z3 2.5 and now my current two BMW’s, the 2000 M Roadster and M Coupe”

We mentioned that Tarlock is the area rep for the NorCal BMW Zs. Having demonstrated – by setting up several group events to date - that he intends to continue to be an active area rep, Tarlock aims to take his group in several more fun and interesting directions and he told us, “This year our group is hosting the ZSCCA’s event called Z’Sur, in August.”

Area leaders in the ZSCCA can be expected to lead from behind the wheel of a Z, and Tarlock does that times 2. Time and the allure of cruising around in a sports car, conspired to bring Tarlock back to the brand we all love. Of course, it was only natural that one day he would be a ZED.

“Around the time my son was in his teens I wanted to get a sports car again. I wanted a weekend car and I went back to thinking about a Z3. They were getting a bit easier to buy as used ones were readily available, so I picked one up.

“I have a Z3 M Roadster and in November 2018 I bought a Z3 M Coupe as well. I’ve had the roadster for three years now but I have been a BMW guy for many years, again, having owned several models in the past. The road-ster is silver with a black and gray interior. I bought it with 70,000 on the clock and I spent a lot of money to get it where it looks and runs like a brand new car. I did some of the work but I had most done by a body shop and local mechanics.

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“The Z3 M Coupe is a 2000, silver with red interior. The car is close to being restored. It needs a respray but I think we will have it all done by the summer. The coupe has about 77,000 miles on it and the roadster is about 87,000.”

The future looks bright for the NorCal group, with Tarlock at the helm. Once he became a Z owner, he sought out clubs to join and fortunately, he found the ZSCCA.

“I was on Facebook and looked up car clubs and came across the California group, but it really wasn’t active. I then signed up for the ZSCCA and started getting more active with the Zs in the Bay Area. I set up a first drive and people wanted to come along. I set up others and eventu-ally Eric Peck and Jay Parnes reached out to me and asked me if I wanted to be the rep for this area and I said of course. Today, theNorCal BMW Z’s group has built some solid friendships and we are going into the fourth year of our activity. Each year we drive more people to join the group and I’ve noticed other Z owners out of state joining our Facebook page to see what we are doing in the group.

“While I love being the rep for the group, at the end of the day I did this because I love driving my Z and want to share this experience with like minded people.

“In the future I still see the group growing and attracting more new members. We have begun seeing younger and farther afield Z’s join us on drives too and I would like to get more of them enrolled. Our drives are becoming longer and now starting to span across the state and being weekend trips too. And we have made a concerted effort to collaborate with our Southern California group too. I’d like to add other event like track days or driving school type events in the future.

“But at the end of the day we want to preserve these great cars and meet people who love driving them.”

THISYEARZFEST 2020

Snowmass, Co June 29- July 5,

2020

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We recently had the chance to spend

some time talking with Al Riedel, a US NAVY

veteran and accomplished designer with an

artistic flair. I bet that not all of us knew that

Al was the artist who created those beautiful

logos and graphics that have graced several

ZFEST events over the last few years. Right

now, some of you might even be wearing a

ZFEST T-shirt with Al’s art displayed boldly

on it.

Meet Z Members

Al Riedel Has Led an

Illustrated LifeBy Andrew S. Hartwell

“Visual Creativity Has

Been And Is My Passion

In Life, Along With

Loving The People,

Places, And Thingz In It.”

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We talked with Al and he told us how he came to be interested in graphic design. An interest he parlayed into a rewarding career in both the NAVY and civilian life.

“My love of cars and car design has led me in the design

and illustration for ZSCCA ZFEST events and other car organization’s art work. It has also aided me in being on the staff of my local home town cruise committee for over 8 years, in support of not only organizations but also art work for tee shirts, hats, banners, and signage. All of these have given me, since I’ve been retired in 2012, the ability to create without wanting payment in return—I’ve gotten that throughout my working career.”

Al literally wrote out (by hand) how his life in illustrations and graphic design began and – after his wife, Susan, typed them up for us - we have taken his words and woven (OK, pasted) them into this column to give you, the reader, a full view of what it is that makes Al tick.

“It all started when I was a little boy, when I saw my father, an engineer, at his huge map-making table. I couldn’t see what was on top because of my size, so my father lifted me up to see, and when he did, WOW!! That’s when it hit me--I wanted to do what my father did. From that age of 4 or 5 years old until now, I have cultivated that inner talent that has rewarded me through life.”

And a very interesting and rewarding life it has been and continues to be for the Riedel family.

“I live in Central PA in a town called Kulpmont, an old coal mining town. I’ve lived in PA all my life except for the time I spent working in Chicago. My wife and I have been together 14 years. My first wife and I were married for 32 years when she

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passed. I met my first wife through my roommate, who was dating her sister. He said I should take her out and we met and two years later got married. We moved to Pensacola, Florida to finish out my enlistment. While I was in the NAVY, I was never on a ship. I had command duty for my entire hitch. At the time of enlist-ment they saw the skills I had and they used me as a graphics illustrator, and while I was stationed in Florida I worked as a liaison in the electronic warfare and communi-cations department. I prepared illustrated training manuals and such.

“My first wife and I had three children, the oldest is my son named Brian, who was born in 1976 and is a professional photographer. Brian has three children, two boys and a stepdaughter. My middle daughter, Johanna, works in the medical field as a medical assistant and she has one son. Sarah is my youngest daughter and she is married to Rob Cervantes and she has two daughters and a step son. They live in New Orleans, where Rob is a career Marine.”

Al recounted how his life took shape in the manner it did, beginning with an interest in – and talent – for graphic illustrations. How many of us would love to work in a field in which we find so much personal reward, as has Al?

“When I graduated from high school, I attended York Academy of Art in the latter part of the 1960s, 1967 through 1969, majoring in graphic design and graduating with high honors, achiev-ing the A.I. Watts award for excellence. During that time, my roommate had an Austin Healey

3000, in which he took me on road rallies from time to time on weekends, and the joy of open-roadster driving never left my system.

“So upon graduation, the Vietnam war and the draft were still in effect. I enlisted in the Navy for 4 years, and during that time, I purchased a brand-new 1972 Triumph Spitfire Mark IV. It was that roadster that started my love affair with roadsters and with my first wife. That roadster took us to Chicago, Florida, and places in between but we never crossed the Mississippi River, which some day, I still want to do, God willing.

“Once I fulfilled my Navy enlistment as a Petty Officer

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2nd Class (E5), I started civilian life working as a graphic designer/illustrator in the Chicago area. Later, we would move back to Pennsylvania where I continued working as a graphic designer/illustrator. Up until my retirement, I continued working in the graphic design field as well as with environmental/architectural design and illustra-tion. That opened doors for an architectural firm here in Central Pennsylvania to call me, and shortly after, hire me in support as an architectural, environmental, and graphic designer/illustrator. All of my work to this point was done free-hand without the aid of a computer and/or pro-grams!”

Technology continually advances over time, often making previously arduous tasks easier to perform. While com-puter programs – once learned - have replaced much that was done by skilled hands in the past, our lives sometimes

find we are handed changes that deliver a different kind of learning process, one no machine can duplicate.

“After losing my first wife to her passing, I had the op-portunity to start out again on my own, still working but now able to do the things I wanted to do after seeing my three adult children go on their own. I also, quite happily, met Susan, the love of my life. We have been life partners for over 14 years and we love traveling the world and the open road together.”

Al never quite stopped hearing that call of the roadster, from the days of his Triumph Spitfire and his friend’s Aus-tin-Healey. That call brought him to visit a BMW dealership and it was there that his next new love awaited his caress.

“Taking the open road in a roadster again was the goal and yes, you guessed it, we bought a 2003 Z4 2.5i, in Maldives Blue, with a beige soft top and beige leather interior. We affectionately call her ‘Baby Bluz.’

“We purchased it used on March 10, 2006, when it had only 6,238 miles on her. Since then, I’ve pretty much kept her stock mechanically, but I’ve dressed her up, as you would for any fine lady. The enhancements include Bey-ern chrome wheels, a chrome luggage rack, interior Coco floor mats, and so on. She is always garage kept, never sees winter, and travels mostly on sunny day and nights topless, I mean, top down. Ah, you know what I mean!! At 45,000 plus miles on her, she is well traveled but pampered.

“Susan and I have been members of ZSCCA since 2009. Being a part of the club has given Susan and I many, many opportunities to meet new friends and rekindle old friend-ships. Of course, that includes driving our Baby Bluz on many journeys and to many destinations and we both have

a real passion for travel.”

Another benefit many ZSCCA mem-bers enjoy is learning more about their cars and how to care for them through the friendly exchange of experiences and talents. Al confirms that he has mastered some skills in the area of detailing that he readily concedes were developed through friendships made in the club.

“I have been educated in the fine art and mastery of automotive detailing by ZSCCA members Mike McDonough, Mike Sheads, Bryan Salgado, Thomas Caskey, Steve Purvis, and Chris Turpin,

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to mention a few. The skills I learned from these great teachers have resulted in winning several awards including first place in our division class at a Concourse D’elegance, as well as awards won in other judged and non-judged shows.

“Now it’s that time in life when I get to do my art for fun and at my own time and pace. At 70 years old, it’s my time to drive with the top down, with the wind blow-ing through my remaining white hair, and to enjoy exploring new places and roads not yet traveled. Being a member of ZSCCA has al-lowed that to happen. “

There is more that inter-ests Al other than driving a well-detailed car and he spelled that out for us in his self-authored paragraphs that follow.

“I guess some other things you would like to know about me is that I love sailing on my sailboat “KOOLBREEZE,” a 16-foot daysailer we use in local lakes in Pennsylvania. I have been taking Tai Chi classes for over 7 years and do it primarily for exercise, not defense, but don’t put me to the test—only kidding.

“I love traveling and have traveled internationally to places like Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, Italy, Ireland, China, Canada, Eastern and Western Caribbean plus nationwide to Alaska, Wyoming, South Dakota, Nevada, and most all of the

States east of the Mississippi River.

“I love cruising on cruise ships; I guess it’s the Navy in me. I love swimming, going to the beach, and bicycling on Rails to Trails. I also enjoy small gardening projects and lawn care. It keeps me moving at my age. I’m a member of my local American Legion and proud veteran and American of which the oath I took never expired and is still current.

“I can go on and on and on but one thing I can say is that I want to share, in this world we call life, until my last breath with joy, happi-ness, love, and kindness each day with as many people, places, and thingZ as I can and for as long as the “honey-do list” allows.

“Hope to meet you on the open road, Z’ya then! “

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For people... who love cars.

schedules, like Saturday, are determined by tradition, but each day typically has 1 or 2 drives or activity choices. The organizer re-searches the area and selects a few activities that ZFEST attend-ees could do. This includes finding out about rates and ability to handle large groups. This is where the local organizer can really show off their hometown. Be it a special restaurant, a scenic over-look, a twisty road or a car museum, or whatever, we would love to drive our Z’s to go and see it.

Once we have the cost of activities, we can start work on a basic budget which will help us determine what our registration fees will be. The basic budget is presented to the board for approval. All ZFESTs run in the black financially. While turning a profit is not our first goal, it should be noted that ZFEST is ZSCCAs only real fundraising activity outside of membership dues.

From here on out, it’s the process of working through all the details and refining the schedule. Leaders are asked to coordinate different areas of responsibility. Drive Leaders, Volunteers, Silent auction, etc. About a month out, the focus shifts to executing the event: name badges, printing of schedules, signs and so on.

Once ZFEST begins, it takes on a life of its own. We work to man-

age each day’s activities based on the plan. It is very rewarding to see your plan put into action, and to see your fellow members enjoying themselves.

ZFEST is a major undertaking, but it is a major part of who we are as a club. The origins of ZFEST are what BMW Manufactur-ing called “Roadster Homecoming”. All the cars came back to their birthplace in Greer, SC for a reunion. ZFEST has become a “homecoming” of sorts too, but it’s more like a family reunion for people. There is no doubt that the cars play a huge role, but what keeps people coming back year after year are the people. ZFEST provides the framework for people to interact with each other. That’s our magic sauce.

If you are reading this and you think you’re up to the challenge of organizing a ZFEST AND you think we should hold it near you, please reach out to me. ZFEST 2021 is looking for a home.

Writing from my Dining Room Table (for once)

Eric Peck

President’s Message!

Kale

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Life is hard. I wish I could tell you ways to make it easier but sadly, all that parental advice hammered into me to just get me to the starting line where the hard work begins all seemed to end up with one truth “you have to work at the things you may not like to make life rewarding”. Huh? Wasn’t I supposed to follow my passion? I bet no successful person was ever passionate about cutting the grass or taking out the trash. I took that back to my parents and ended up with another tidbit “keep an open mind”. Great. What do I do with that? What’s up these two people who spawned me that are beginning to sound like Tony Robbins?

andBy Chris Wootten

AutomaticTransmissions

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Which brings me to kale and automatic transmissions.

I wish I could tell you that I’ve al-ways liked kale. I think it would make me seem effortlessly wise and very sophisticated, like one of those French schoolchildren who grow up con-tentedly eating braised rabbit and ratatouille in the cafeteria. But that is not the case. In fact, I was raised by depression/WWII vets (both of them served) who gave me the choice of processed cheese or corned beef sandwiches to brown bag it to school. It wasn’t until I got to college that I realized that real corned beef doesn’t come in a can.

Kale is a very happening thing. About five years ago it started to be the next bandwagon celebrity chefs from the around world started to jump on. It’s one of those super foods that is packed full of things that are really, really good for you. Very interesting information indeed. Another of na-ture’s wonders that I’m pretty sure I’d hit with a dose of Roundup as it was encircling the foundation of my house.

So I tried it. In a Cesar salad, braised, steamed, grilled, snack chips and in a smoothie. All of which resulted in one or two bites or sips and then into the trash bin. This stuff is horrible. By the way, this from a guy who loves Brussel sprouts.

A year into this, I finally found it. Kale sautéed in butter with bacon. Delicious and, of course, wiping out almost all of its benefits. Still, I really liked it (amazing what bacon can do) but basically it wasn’t going to make my list of go-to foods to stay healthy. Fortunately there are many alterna-tives to kale for nutrition-packed veg-etables to meet my nutritional needs. Spinach, Swiss chard and broccoli to name a few.

Hey mom, at least I kept an open mind.

This brings us to transmissions were we are running out of alternatives.

Before I dive into this dangerous sub-ject. I’m going to lay out a few painful facts:

· People understand that manual transmissions are disappearing on new cars because people aren’t buying them.

· That’s worth repeating. 1-3% take rates on manuals doesn’t cut it. They did build them and people didn’t come.

· People understand that manufacturers are in the business of selling new cars. They don’t build them to sell used.

· Enthusiasts have read countless articles and studies that today’s automatics or dual clutch transmissions in performance cars are amazing. They dominate racing, up an down shift faster than any human, predict and setup the shifts based on what you are doing and your habits. They are better suited to handle the torque of modern performance cars.

Yeah, right.

When I bought my 2005 Z4 I drove it for a short time, traded it for my 2006 Z4M and then found a sweetheart deal on a 2002 Z3 M Coupe. I never would have bought any of them with automatics. I know that the M cars could not be optioned with automat-ics, but my point remains. Since then, I picked up a 318ti and a unicorn E46 touring, both with manuals.

So that’s four cars in my household today with manuals. I rock baby. In fact I am a rocking gear rowing baby boomer right along with Tony Robbins.

But something happened. In 2013 I needed a new daily for my job and frequent horrendous 70 mile com-

mute into Washington DC. I picked up a new 2013 328i with the ZF 8 speed sport automatic option. Well, that and a red leather interior, M sport package with the sport automatic and other “I am a better commuter than you” options. I actually could have ordered a manual but spending three hours of my day in creeping traffic using a clutch has no joy in it. I tried it a couple of times. Ouch.

That transmission was amazing. Kick it into sport mode and it was doing all kinds of things that I do in a manual including one I’m not that good at. Blipping the throttle for rev matching as I was setting up the car to semi-ag-gressively pull out of a turn. Turns out this is same transmission that they put in the new and last generation of the M5 and M235i factory race car (they made 200 of them).

Did mine provide the same sense of control and engement as a manual? Other than being the terror of on and off ramps, I really have no idea be-cause the Z’s in the family are tagged for that kind of driving.

You know, “that” kind of driving. Us-ing all three pedals, one hand on the steering wheel and the other on the shifter for the highly choreographed ballet of navigating my way along a multilevel set of revolving stages with Wagner’s Walkürenritt or Ritt der Walküren (Ride of the Valkyries) booming away. Take that Robert Duvall, you weren’t even flying the he-licopter. This is the way sports cars are meant to be configured and driven.

Then something happened to me in my two year pursuit of an E39 M5 with a manual. I didn’t buy one. After making multiple “accepted” offers whereby the sellers backed out, I gave up and starting looking at E92 M3’s. Pausing here for an admission: I wanted a BMW with a banging V8.

So I test drove several of them with manuals avoiding any of them with a DCT (no way brother) until I was at an event and a friend of mine

andAutomaticTransmissions

15

tossed me the keys to his. After a few minutes of instruction he cut me loose. Dialing the DCT into full track mode, it was stunning. Shifts were fast and crisp and down shifts with rev matching were superbly timed and, as it turns out the cars was using more gears than I would have with a manual. I eventually took over the shifting al-ternating between the shifter and the flappy paddles, being a bit humbled by the experience. My now-unemployed left foot found new work bracing itself on the dead pedal securing my body firmly into the seat. My hands? Both of them on the steering wheel pointing and shooting the car. I was setting up turns better. I was not focusing on be-ing a great gear picker, I was focused on being a better driver.

So I bought one with a DCT. Blasphe-my. Gets worse

The 2013 328i now had a 120,000 miles on it, with a fully expired ex-tended warranty and the impending catastrophic timing chain guide failure. It was time to get out of dodge. New car time with my newly opened mind.

Without going into all the details,

here’s what happened. I bought a VW GTI, whose number one buyer demographic is millennials. And the take rate on manual GTI’s? Wait for it: a whopping 46%. That’s 46% here, in the U.S.

But because my car was bought for that dreadful commute, I ordered a DCT (they call it a DSG). Kick this thing into sport mode and guess what? Shifts faster than any human be-ing, up or down. What I learned about the GTI enthusiasts is they don’t begrudge anyone for their transmis-sion choice. In fact if you want the fast one, the buzz is get the DSG. I also learned, very quickly, that I may be the oldest guy on the planet to go to GTI meet ups.

In 2020 the eighth generation GTI is coming to market and, because of the lovely manual take rate on generation seven, VW has announced it will come with a manual or DSG. GTI’s come with and without bacon.

But our new Z4 won’t. Automatic is the only choice here in the US. Having thrashed the new Z4 M40i with the new ZF automatic I can report this:

It does everything the DCT does on my M3 but a bit better. DCT’s have a torque limitation (there’s clutches in there) and the ZF automatic is built to handle the greater output of our new car as well as the new M5 Competi-tion Package (fastest production sedan in the world). It is amazing.

Having convinced probably no one that the new Z4 with an automatic is a great sports car I will leave you with this:

· Have an open mind. Get in our new car and challenge it like a sports car should be. You might be delighted.

· Give up on kale. I have, but don’t give up on bacon.

· Consider this: If you are absolutely dead set on a manual there is a group of people just like you and you might be one of them. A millennial.

NOW available in PRINT!Cruizin’ NewzGo to magcloud.com/shop and search for “Cruizin’ Newz”. Select the issue you’d like to purchase, then push “Buy Print”. Confirm your selection, hit NEXT, then enter your shipping method, shipping informa-tion, and payment method (credit card or Paypal), and place your order!

The print edition will be uploaded to magcloud for ordering approximately one week after it is available on our website. We will post a message to Facebook once available.

16

We are the national car club for all past, present, and future BMW Z-Series cars and those that ad-mire them. We have a rich, 22-year history, evolving as a club with the cars we love. We are an organiza-tion of enthusiasts who feel that the road taken has less to do with arriving in the least amount of time and more to do with the appreciation of the jour-ney, the road, and the car. We share a passion for the open road and the freedom that these special automobiles embody. We are a national club with more than 40 local clubs (and growing) situated in many re-gions across North America. While we are all unique individuals, we share a common interest and we seek to foster the creation and growth of friend-ships between fellow Z owners. To that end we provide as many events and get-togethers as we can throughout the year. Each local area club schedules events for their respective club members and it is not unusual for neighboring clubs to share an event. There are literally hundreds of events per year across the local areas. Whether you prefer cruising (or cruiZing), driv-ing events, concourZ, or just getting together with friends, ZSCCA is the club for Z-lovers everywhere.

We are glad you are here to learn more about our dynamic club, comprised of friendly BMW Z owners! As a benefit of membership, you will have access to an online edition Cruizin’ Newz, the quarterly magazine of the ZSCCA, with print copies also available for purchase. Our Web site (zscca.org) serves as a central loca-tion for information of interest to BMW Z-Series car enthusiasts on a national level. We are an informa-tion source for everything Z related. We welcome any and all Z enthusiasts as members. We love to meet those who too share our passion for the fun and simplicity offered by great sports cars such as the Z1, Z3, Z4, and Z8.

We love both the roadsters and the coupes!

Welcome to the official magazine of The Z Series Car Club of America,

ZSCCA!

17 continued on page 25

ZFEST 2020Moves West!

ZSCCA Vice President, Jon Moorhead, provided these initial details with a full activity schedule to be developed in the coming months:

The host hotel for ZFEST 2020 is The Westin Snowmass Re-sort. Snowmass is actually a ski resort area located at Snowmass Village, 6 miles from Aspen, and is at an elevation of ap-proximately 8,200 feet.

Several activities are already in the planning stage with many others to follow. A sample of what awaits attendees may in-clude any or all of the following destinations and drives:

• A drive through Independence Pass: East of Aspen, Highway 82 climbs steadily next to the Roaring Fork River towards the Sawatch Range in the middle of the Rocky Mountains, and reaches a high point of 12,095 feet at Independence Pass, then descends into the even more beautiful valley of Lake Creek, eventually joining US 24 fifteen miles south of Leadville. The scenery at the pass and all along the 44 mile route is some of the most spectacular in all Colorado and ranked in the Top 10 drives for the state. This drive is approx-imately 2 hours one way.

• Snowmass Rodeo: A variety of traditional rodeo events such as bull riding and team roping provide

Mark your calendars now for June 29 to July 5, 2020!

The Westin Snowmass Resort, near Aspen, Colorado will serve as the host hotel.

By Jon Moorhead

18

19

Kathy and Richard Desruisseau are long-time residents of Tulsa, Okla-homa, and a couple who found a whole new expansion of their com-panionship delivered courtesy of a BMW Z4. Avid photography buffs, Kathy and Richard love to ride with groups, with their car following the rest of the group so Kathy can take lots of photos of everyone’s ride at speed.

Kathy: “Both of us really enjoy taking photographs and, as big as the ZSCCA is to us, we can say we feel the same about photography. We have been involved with the Photographers of Tulsa Oklahoma Group for several years. We are both event coordinators, and I am also a board member.

“We really enjoy bringing photography and cars together. Richard drives while I sit in the passenger seat taking pictures out the wind-shield. When we take trips with the other Z club members I like to have them in front of us so I can get all the cars in the photos. In addi-tion to taking pictures of our Z and other Z cars, we also enjoy wildlife and night photography. We have been taking pictures for a long time but in the last few years have gotten more serious about it.

Meet Z Members

Kathy & Richard Desruisseau

“I used to tell people that the Z is the kind of

car you don’t really drive,

you wear it.”

The New Area Reps in Tulsa

By Andrew S. Hartwell

20

“When the first point and shoot digital cameras came out I had to get one. Our grandkids soon nicknamed me ‘Grandma Flash’. Of course, that was a long time ago!”

Kathy and Richard have called Tulsa home for decades but they came from the east coast, by way of Long Island, New York, and a job that moved them back east and then back west again.

Kathy: “We are originally from Massachusetts. We have been married for 49 years. We moved to Oklahoma in 1974 and this is home. We have two sons and five grand-children. Chris is our oldest son and Steve is the youngest.”

Richard: “I was in the military during the Vietnam conflict. We were lucky to spend our time in Germany and not Vietnam. I was an automotive mechanic, which is a trade I picked up from my father, as he was an automotive machinist. When I left the military, I wanted to get into repairing airplanes so I searched for schools to attend to learn what I needed to know. I ended up at the Spartan

College of Aeronautics in Tulsa, Oklahoma. That is what brought us across the country from our roots in Massachusetts.

“In 1977 I was hired by American Airlines and my first assignment was at New York’s Kennedy Airport. We moved to Long Island, first living in Massapequa Park

and then in Lindenhurst. Unfortunately, I got laid off the following year but I was given a choice of taking a new job with several airlines includ-ing Pan Am, Eastern, TWA, or I could transfer back to Tulsa and continue working with Ameri-can Airlines. That is what we decided to do. I know we made the right choice because none of those other airlines are still in business.

“We lived on Long Island for about 18 months along the southern shore and just a few houses from the beach. I would work a late shift at Kennedy, come home in the morning and just sit on the beach, with a cup of coffee, and watch the Concorde landing and taking off. That was quite the sight to see.

“We have been back in Tulsa since then and, as far as we are concerned, we consider ourselves to be Okies. This is our home. We still go back

to visit families in the northeast but really enjoy coming back to our home here in Tulsa.”

The pair of photographers had something positive develop early when Richard’s automotive skills led to a meeting that fate must have ordained.

Richard: “We met at a car dealership where Kathy’s father was one of the salesmen. She would bring her car in for service and I used to work on it for her. After doing a repair one day I told her to call me the next morning if she had any trouble. Well, she did call me, to tell me she didn’t have any trouble, and invited me to go Trick or Treating that night as it was Halloween. We went out for coffee and the rest is history. A few months later I ended up going into the military and we maintained a long distance rela-tionship. During that time we planned our wedding. After we were married we lived in Aberdeen, Maryland where I was stationed, before going overseas.”

Kathy: “When Richard was assigned to go to Germany I

21

returned to Massachusetts for a short time until I was eligible to join him. We lived there for three years. It was a great experience for both of us. I was the wife that followed along. Our oldest son was born there. Our last assignment was Fort Hood, Texas, where our youngest son was born. We brag to our friends that our two sons only cost us $30.25!”

Kathy has just wrapped up a distinguished career working for the Diocese of Tulsa, over a period of three decades. In fact, she just retired a few days before we had this conversation.

Kathy: “I just retired on May 31st. I was the Business Administrator for the Church of Saint Mary in Tulsa. I worked there for 25 years and also worked at two other locations in the same diocese, for a total of 34 years.”

Richard had already retired several years earlier, after a lengthy career with American Airlines. But he wasn’t quite ready to be a homebody as the call of continued employment drew him back to the aircraft industry.

Richard: “I spent 35 years working for American Airlines, retiring about 7 years ago. I took a summer off then went back to work at our local air and space museum as the Maintenance Supervisor/Project Manager. I was assigned the task of putting a donated MD80 airplane onto large concrete piers outside the museum. I had to figure out how to mount it and I can tell you that story is enough for another whole interview. This exhibit allows people to go into the plane and see the configuration, as well as

the cockpit, and for some it is the first time they have been on an airplane.

“I then took a teaching position at Spartan College, and with my background in aviation I do spe-cial projects for Spartan. When I was with American Airlines, I was in technical support and a lot of that was teaching the technical aspects of the air-planes that the airline flew.”

Kathy: “I also like to putter in the yard with gardening.”

Richard: “I hate gardening!”

In 2015, Kathy and Richard decided to swap out their daily

driver for an automobile designed to keep its occupants smiling whenever the wheels were turning. They found such a vehicle and made some interesting discoveries about how motoring can mean so much more than just covering miles between points.

Kathy: “We had a BMW 330i, which was really Richard’s car. I wasn’t all that much into it. But he had his eye on a Z4 at a local dealership. He said he was thinking of trading in the 330i for the Z so he asked me to come with him to test drive it. We went that night, drove it, and later we bought it! He already loved it but that test drive made me love it too. I used to tell people that it was the kind of car you don’t really drive, you wear it. I thought that was pretty cool.

“Our car is a 2015 Z4 that we bought new in September of that year. It is an S drive 35is, in black Sapphire Metal-lic. At the time, we had participated in events run by the BMWCCA group here in our area but we wanted to see if there were any Z groups near us. We found the Oklahoma Z group so we joined them but it seemed like nothing much was happening with that group. Scott Young from the Ozark group posted a ‘Running Thru the LeaveZ’ event in 2016 and we thought that sounded cool. We signed up and that opened the door to every-thing. We met quite a few other Z owners and realized there is a lot more to this club than we imagined. We have since made many friends through the club.

“Last year was our very first ZFEST and it was like a family reunion. It was great to see some of the people

22

we had driven with previously, and a great opportunity to meet more of the family!”

Kathy and Richard recently chose to take on the role of Area Reps for the Oklahoma Z Club. They really enjoy meeting new people and planning and participating in road trips and the like, with a clear mindset that as the reps, many such events will be in their future.

Kathy: “It didn’t take much for us to become the area reps.”

Richard: “It’s like a wedding. When you say ‘I do’, well, that’s it!”

Kathy: “We are really excited about this. If I was still work-ing I could not have made this commitment, but now being retired I will have the time and we look forward to mak-ing our group more active. Today I was going through the Facebook group trying to find the people who had a Z. There are only 50 something people in it and I would say a good number are from the Texas Rowdies and Ozark Z groups. We are hoping we can grow the Oklahoma Z group and reach a point where other states come to us for events, in addition to us joining them.

“We have just started working on the Facebook page for the Oklahoma Z Club, adding and updating some infor-mation. With ZFEST coming up, we haven’t really rolled anything out in the way of events but we are talking about a number of ideas. We would like to set up a few meet and greets, perhaps at a winery or restaurant, or maybe a trip where we would start at some point on Route 66 and drive to another point on the Mother Road. These are just some ideas that we are throwing around, but nothing is concrete yet.”

The pair of Z owners are finalizing their plans for ZFEST Blacksburg, as we write this. They intend to be away from home for a little over two weeks. That will mean some se-rious attention will need to be paid to just what and how their belongings are packed.

Kathy: “We will be on the road to ZFEST beginning June 17th with two other Z friends, and then hooking up with Eric Peck and the convoy leaving BMW Spartanburg for Blacksburg. In all, we expect to be on the road for two weeks. When we leave ZFEST, we will be heading to South Carolina to see our son and his family.

“We still haven’t figured out how to handle the luggage and clean clothes situation. But I will say this, first we pack all the camera gear and then we sort out how to pack the clothes! Right now the Z is in the shop and when we get

her back I will begin figuring out what will go where.”

The Desruisseau’s have been a team a long time, and they love having shared passions, but sometimes, you just have to accept that not everything has to be shared.

Richard: “To this day, Kathy is still my best friend. We both love taking pictures, but we don’t share camera equipment. We have doubles of everything. We each have Sony cam-era’s and lenses. When she gets something for her camera, I have to get it too! The same is true for her.”

Kathy: “That is true, but I have to say we do share every-thing else and, even after 49 years, we still have a good time together. One of the things I liked best about the Z was that it got us out of the house together. When you stay home there is always a task to do or you find some-thing else needing to be done. When we get in the Z and go for rides we have nice conversations and go to places we had not gone before. We lived in Oklahoma a long time, but it took owning a Z to discover the winding roads of our own state. In addition, we have also developed a love for the amaZing roads in our neighboring states of Arkansas and Missouri. We didn’t do that before the Z.”

Richard: “I will say that she is the best little navigator around!”

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So many of us are interested in how the new Z4 looks and drives and Eric recently had the opportunity to be in the seat and on the road in one. He shares his personal experience with his fellow members and, from what he has written here, you too might just want to wrangle your way behind the wheel of the newest mem-ber of the Z family!

Eric writes:

It’s time to debrief my G29 drive experience! Sorry, but I’m not an experienced automotive journalist, so you’re getting the things that really stood out to me.

I first want to thank United BMW of Roswell, and Client Advisor Anel Sahinovic, for allowing me a chance to drive a well-equipped 30i. This is actually my second time sitting in a G29, but my first drive.

I should point out that it was a fairly, short top-down drive. It only lasted for about 3-4 miles, but I did get a lap around a traffic circle and a chance to romp on it in sport mode. I tried leaving it in auto-matic shift to let it do its own thing and also shifted manually with the paddles.

PresidentDrivesaNew Z4

No... not that President, our own Eric Peck! The President of the ZSCCA!

By Eric Peck

24

The Turbo 4 is torquey and I didn’t notice much if any lag. (Christopher Wootten tells me the M40i is a beast). In comfort mode, the car is docile and smooth. It works to be as economical as possible; shifting early to keep revs low. Sport mode remaps the whole program, keeping it in gear to high RPMs to stay in the torque curve and rev matching on downshifts. The exhaust burble is nice, but not obnoxious. This car is quick, and certainly faster than my 2001 Z3 3.0 Coupe. The brakes are HUGE on this car, I didn’t try an emergency braking maneuver, but it should stop very well.

The heads-up display is easily read, even in bright sun. The dash is very modern. If you’re jumping from an older model, it will take some getting used to... (I needed tutor-ing to put the car in gear. LOL.)

Of course, the car is bigger than we are used to. The slab sides and front bumper height contribute to the size, but it’s worth noting that EU Safety regulations have an effect on the design of these cars. I’ve heard just about every comparison possible as to what the car looks like, and the only one that strikes a chord with me is the Mercedes SL Roadster, which starts at nearly $40k more than the Z4. That’s rare air as far as I’m concerned. (The car I drove MSRP was $63,895.)

As for driver comfort, I’m 6 feet tall, and heavy, yet I had plenty of room and could get the seat REALLY low, or uncomfortably high. Steering wheel tilt and telescope were manual on this car (not sure if they are powered in other option packages). The center console is typical modern

BMW, but the padded armrest opens to reveal cup hold-ers that look to be big enough.

Pictures don’t do the car justice. There are a LOT of details in this car that you can’t experience without sitting in or walking around at arm’s length. Some people like to hate the headlights, but they are very detailed (at least with the LED package). This car was white with Magma Red interior (bordering on Orange). I really like that particular seat color The trunk is BIG, and you don’t lose any space top up or down. Think: I-can-bring-home-wine-fromZFEST-this-year-and-still-have-clothes.

Top up - down happens in about 10 seconds. According to Anel- it’s restricted to 15 MPH.

I agree with what some others have said. This is more of a Grand Touring car than the Z3, but that has been the pro-gression since the E85 Z4 debuted. They’ve gotten larger and more luxurious.

If I could bridge the budget gap, I would definitely have one myself. I’m sure the M40i will be stupid fast, but for many of us, with 255 HP, the 30i will be fast enough. With a few DINAN goodies, this car should push north of 300 HP and not pay the weight penalty that the I6 will have.

It doesn’t make everyone happy, but the G29 is a worthy successor in the Z series, and I really look forward to see-ing these cars on club drives. Be prepared to pedal extra hard to keep up...

25

a colorful display of ranch life in the West. This is a Wednesday evening event with BBQ Dinner at 5:00 pm, Rodeo at 7:00 pm.

• Maroon Bells: A series of distinc-tively bell-shaped, wine-colored peaks towering over 14,000 ft. and are the most photographed mountains in North America. Following the visit, I propose driving a short distance to Ashcroft, a former silver mining com-munity but now a ghost town, where we can enjoy a gourmet lunch at the Pine Creek Cookhouse.

• Leadville Colorado & Southern Railroad: Originating in Leadville, “the highest incorporated city in North America,” the LC&S takes passengers along the old Denver, South Park & Pacific and Colorado & Southern lines to the Continental Divide. This 2 1/2 hour adventure through the untamed wilderness of the San Isabel National Forest will take passengers over Fre-mont Pass and the two tallest peaks in Colorado, Mt. Massive and Mt. Elbert.

• Historic Glenwood Hot Springs: Soak in the soothing mineral waters of the world’s largest hot springs pool. A full service spa is also available.

• Betty Ford Botanical Gardens, in Vail: A beautiful alpine botanical garden lo-cated at the foot of Vail Mountain. This drive is 2 hours 20 minutes one way.

• Rafting Day: There are numerous rafting companies operating out of Aspen making a rafting expedition a possibility.

• Track Day at Aspen Motorsport Track: Jon is working with the Rocky Mountain Chapter BMW CCA to determine if they will share expenses with renting the track.

• Aspen Fourth of July Parade: We have been invited to participate in the Saturday morning parade but this is traditionally the day and time for the panoramic picture so involvement would mean perhaps moving the picture to Saturday afternoon.

• Fireworks display: We will be able to observe a fireworks display from our Saturday evening banquet location. Banquet area is an open air covered spot occupying the top of a building adjacent to the hotel. Beautiful views of the mountains!

• Highway 24 from Minturn to Lead-ville: This ride is a typical high country ride in Colorado. Hwy 24 starts out crossing a high plain with a slow climb to Tennessee Pass. Keep an eye open for some old miner’s log cabins by the side of the road. Stop at the top of Tennessee Pass and pay a visit to the 10th Mountain Division Memo-rial to the soldiers who trained in the nearby Camp Hale and the mountains. As you descend the pass you can see the remains of Camp Hale. The road gets technical up towards Redcliff. It crosses over a high arched bridge. Ex-pect narrow curves and tight corners. This is a technical road with older pavement. Bumps are to be expected. Ridden spiritedly it’s a workout, but well worth it.

• Drive to Leadville: Situated at an elevation of 10,152 feet, it has the

highest elevation of any incorporated city in the United States. Leadville was the last place Doc Holiday was a law man. Points of interest would be the Tabor Opera House and Matchless Silver Mine.

• John Denver Sanctuary: Located in downtown Aspen along the Roaring Fork River.

• Woody Creek Tavern: This is not a designated drive event……but you’ve gotta go!!! It is, perhaps, a 15-20 min-ute drive from the hotel and a short distance from the Aspen Motorsports Track.

Jon is also looking into the pos-sibility of a catered picnic lunch at Twin Lakes/Interlaken which is located on the descending side of the pass. A two-hour long boat tour of the lakes is available also.

ZSCCA members are advised to watch for more ZFEST 2020 infor-mation as the planning stages con-tinue to roll out. Members can find more information on the ZFEST Facebook page (coming soon) or at the ZSCCA website at the link.

If you have questions, suggestions, or would like to be on the planning team, you can reach Jon Moorhead at vicepresident@zscca.org

ZFEST 2020... continued from page 17

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It was an obsession with BMW’s that caused the cre-ation of BimmerBum Co. I have been daily driving, maintaining, modifying, and racing my own BMW’s for the better part of 2 decades. It is with years of ex-perience that I carefully select the parts I sell, if I don’t think a part measures up I simply won’t carry it.

BimmerBum Co. specializes in E21, E30, E36, and E46 3 Series models, E12, E28, E34, and E39 5 Series models in addition to Z3, Z4, X3, and X5 models.

Be sure to join BimmerBum on Facebook for updates on proj-ects, new product information, and pricing specials.

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About Colorado:

Colorado joined the union as the 38th state in 1876. It is America’s eighth largest state in terms of land mass. Located in the Rocky Mountain region of the western United States, the state’s abundant and varied natural resources at-tracted the ancient Pueblo peoples and, later, the Plains Indians. First explored by Europeans in the late 1500s (the Spanish referred to the region as “Colorado” for its red-col-ored earth), the area was ceded to the United States in 1848 with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo that ended the Mexican-American War (1846-48). In 1858, the discovery of gold in Colorado attracted new settlers. During the Plains Indian Wars (1860s-80s), Colorado’s wild frontier was the scene of intense fighting between Native Ameri-cans and white settlers. In the 21st century, Colorado continues to rely on its natural resources as well as agriculture and tourism to sustain its economy.

Facts of interest:• Discovered by Lieutenant Zebu-lon Pike in 1806 during an expedi-tion to determine the southwestern boundary of the Louisiana Pur-chase, Pikes Peak became a land-mark to the thousands of fortune hunters who traveled west with the slogan “Pikes Peak or Bust” on their wagons after gold was found in the area in 1858.

• The lyrics to “America the Beauti-ful” were written by Katharine Lee Bates after an awe-inspiring trip to the top of Pikes Peak in 1893. Although it is now commonly sung to the tune “Materna,” composed by Samuel Ward in 1882, the patriotic poem was often sung to “Auld Lang Syne” in the early 20th century.

• The Colorado Rockies are part of the North American Cordillera, which sweeps the western part of the continent all the way from

Alaska into northern Mexico. With 58 named peaks over 14,000 feet and an average altitude of 6,800 feet, Colorado has the highest elevation of all the states.

Jon’s Health Tips for ZFEST 2020 in Colorado:

The following are some tips for trav-eling to high altitudes and thwart-ing altitude sickness.

• Hydrate, hydrate, and hydrate! Water is the number one way to help your body adjust to our high and dry air. Altitude accelerates de-hydration. You need to drink twice the amount of water here as you would at home.

• Monitor your alcohol intake. Alcohol actually slows down the body’s adjustment to elevation. Monitor your alcohol consumption over your first few days. You will feel its affects faster than usual, so be aware and make sure to drink water as well.

• Give your body time to adjust. Although you might think you’re ready to take on that hike you’ve been looking forward to all year, it’s important to avoid strenuous exercise during the first day of your stay.

• Prepare for the sun. The risk of sunburn is increased at high altitude. No matter what, always make sure to pack sunscreen, a hat, lip balm and sunglasses.

• When you’re tired, stop. Keep it simple and easy. If your legs are feeling shaky, it’s time to stop. Personal oxygen canisters are also available to purchase in stores and will alleviate some high altitude sickness symptoms. These are rela-tively inexpensive at around $15-$20 a canister. I plan to contact a company that will donate these.

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To clear up any confusion: ZSCCA is not a part of BMW Car Club of America. We have a relationship with them as a Special Interest Group, but we are a separate non-profit incor-porated club. But we love to do stuff with them, and they do too.

NCC is not your usual car club chapter, they have 5,000 mem-bers in the DC area and are extremely active staging 120 events per year. Interestingly, ZSCCA is fraction of that size but stages over 200 cruises per year. If there’s a message from this it’s that we love the open road.

Our N. VA Area Rep, Eddie Henry, approached BMW of Ster-ling and NCC to do this event for the third year in a row. Not coincidently, I’m the NCC DIY program co-chair so he had some “inside” support for the event but the credit goes to Ed-die. He had an idea and he asked.

We had about a dozen ZSCCA members attend tackling all kinds of different jobs. Brake system flushes, pads, cooling sys-tem work and oil changes dominated the event.

BMW of Sterling is an interesting dealership. They are largest volume dealer in North America and are independently owned.

Collaboration in the CommunityZ Focused DIY at BMW of Sterling

On March 9th the BMW CCA

NCC (National Capital Chapter

-Washington, DC) and ZSCCA

held a joint DIY day at BMW

of Sterling in Norther Virginia.

Actually, it was more than

a DIY. NCC held a Cars and

Coffee event as well as a new

member orientation.

By Chris Wootten

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Their service operation is phenomenal with 40 service bays, a café and 24 hour valet service for those who want to drop their cars off on their way to or back form Dulles International Airport. Unfortunately, their service center was booked for the day so they let use their other service operation across the street. Sterling Lamborghini/Ster-ling Rolls Royce. Wow.

A totally amazing day all because Eddie had an idea and he asked. Lessons for all of us:

· Collaborate with other enthusiast organi-zations. BMW CCA is just one of them. All of them understand that we are stronger when we work together.

· Don’t be afraid to ask a BMW dealer to work with you. We are their target market to sell cars. They want us in their dealerships.

· Be a promoter of your local dealer. I scratch my head sometimes when people go on a rant about “stealerships”. I’m a wise shopper and I use a dealer for certain things, independent shops for others and buy most of my parts from Ed at BimmerBum for all the work I do myself. Are all dealers good? Of course not. But most of them are pretty good, be wise when you shop. Find a winner, partner with them, and talk it up.

ZSCCA and National Capital Chapter members congregate around Phil Cummings Z3 Coupe.

Potomac Z’s Area Rep Eddie Henry and National Capital Chapter VP James Laws discuss cooling systems and Wegman’s maple bacon donuts that they just finished.

Reseating a loose heatshield solved the odd noise from the rear of this Z4.

The Day wouldn’t be complete without checking out a new G39 Z4.

New McLaren in the showroom. Who says a brown car can’t look great.

CPO Lambo’s and McLarens.

Photo sponsor: Our Sponsor BMW of Sterling Virginia.

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PHOTO 1The tools required are shown above from the left: breaker bar, torque wrench, 17mm deep socket, needle nose pliers, 11mm open end wrench, 1 quart low viscosity brake fluid (BMW or Pentosin LV are good brands. 1 quart is plenty, but it’s better to have more than less), a catch bottle, a suction device, and in this case, a pressure bleeder. There are two other ways to flush the fluid: a vacuum bleeder or the old school brake pedal pump method which requires two people. Pressure bleeders push new fluid through the brake lines from above, vacuum bleeders pull the fluid through from below, and the old school method needs someone to create pressure by pressing and holding the brake pedal while another opens the bleed screw at the caliper. The only advantage of the old school technique is that no special tools are needed. It is more likely to result in trapped air in the lines though. Also, you need a car-friendly participant and you haven’t met my wife :-)

It was at ZFEST in State College, PA, either 2014 or 2015. One of the participants just bought a Z3 and came to ZFEST because, well, that’s what you do! Back in the mid 2010’s, the car was anywhere from 12 to 18 years old. While he was out driving, he tried to come to a stop at a traffic light but had no brakes! Luckily, an accident was avoided and he was able to make it back to the hotel without incident, leading to a classic ZFEST parking lot car service episode (thanks to Chris Woot-ten’s jack and jack stands, Todd Bruno’s tech skills, and others). What was the cause for this catastrophic failure?

The easiest thing to check was the brake fluid. Was the reservoir low? No, but the fluid was the color of coffee. Fresh brake fluid is a pale yel-low color. It was apparent that the previous owner(s) neglected to flush the fluid for a very, very long time. Brake fluid is hygroscopic, meaning that it absorbs water. Water has a lower boiling point than brake fluid. If the brake fluid/water mixture is boiled, air would be introduced into the system and the brake pedal would feel soft. In this case, the fluid was not changed for so long it was completely tapped out. BMW rec-ommends flushing the brake fluid every 2 years; it is not mileage based. Doing this service also gives you the opportunity to look at the brake pads, rotors and brake hoses to make sure they are in good repair. And guess what? It’s an easy DIY that anyone can do. It takes me about an hour. Brake fluid is inexpensive, selling for about $12 per quart. So after an initial investment in some tools, you will avoid a typical $100 service charge. This DIY is done on my 2012 E89, but the method is applicable to any car. Let’s get started!

DIY Brake Fluid FlushBy Jay Parnes

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Photo 3You will see a filter in the neck of the reservoir. Remove it carefully with a needle nose plier.

Photo 2Step 1 - open the hood and find the brake fluid reservoir (arrow). It’s always at the far right corner of the engine bay, as you’re looking at it from the front. Clean the cap and the top of the reservoir with a rag to avoid dirt get-ting into the brake lines when the cap is removed.

Photo 4This is why I like to remove the filter. It allows for remov-ing as much old fluid from the reservoir as possible before flushing, which is a much quicker way of getting new fluid in there. Some kind of suction tool is needed. Here I’m using a large syringe (Amazon). Just be mindful not to stick the tube in either of the two holes at the bottom of the reservoir. This would put you inside the master cylinder, possibly introducing air into it.

Photo 5Screw the cap of your pressure bleeder onto the reser-voir. It needs to be tight so it doesn’t leak, but don’t over tighten as the threads are plastic. If you buy a pressure bleeder, you need one with a cap that fits European cars. I use the MityVac MV6400. You can also rent a generic bleeder from your local auto supply store.

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Photo 6Attach the empty bleeder bottle, pump it up to about 10 psi and wait a few minutes to see if the pressure holds. If it does, you know that you’re secure at the reservoir. If it doesn’t hold, then either the reservoir cap and/or the pres-sure bleeder top aren’t tight enough. Check it again before moving on. The last thing you want is brake fluid leaking all over the place. Brake fluid is pretty nasty and can damage your car paint. If you have a tight seal, release the pressure and fill the bottle with 1 quart of fluid. Close the top and pump it up to 15 - 20 psi. Now let’s get to calipers.

Photo 7Time to get the car in the air. If you do it carefully, it’s totally safe. This is a diagram of the jacking points for BMWs. Since we’ll be starting in the back, place wheel chocks at the front wheels. Position your floor jack at #4, which represents the subframe or at #3 on the dif-ferential, but be careful to avoid the cover on the rear of the diff. With the jack high enough, place jack stands at both rear #2 positions and lower the car. When you do the front calipers, do the same procedure by placing the floor jack at #1, the central jacking point, then place jack stands at both front #2 positions. Loosen the lug bolts and remove the rear wheels. You’ll end up like this:

Photo 8

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Photo 9There is a sequence to follow when bleeding brake fluid, going from the longest brake line to the shortest: right rear (passenger rear), left rear, right front, left front. Each caliper has a bleeder screw with a rubber cap (arrow). Special note - for those of us who have upgraded to 2 piston calipers, you have 2 bleed screws. Use the same procedure as follows, bleeding the inboard bleed screw first, then the outboard. Go back and forth a few times to make sure you get a good bleed.

Photo 10Pop off the cap, place your 11mm open end wrench on the hex and press the rubber end of the catch bottle tube over the bleed screw nipple. Turn the bleed screw until fluid starts to flow. If it’s been a while since your fluid was changed and the bleed screw is stuck, try some penetrat-ing oil like PB Blaster or Kroil. Apply, let sit a few minutes and try again. A flare wrench, which encircles more of the hex, is also helpful when dealing with stubborn hydraulic lines. How long do you let the fluid drain? Watch it run through the clear tube and when the color changes from darker to lighter, you’re good to go. It shouldn’t be more than a minute or two. You should see clean, bubble free fluid coming through. If you see bubbles, wait until they clear. Any air in the lines will make your brakes nonfunc-tional. Close the bleed screw, replace the cap and flush the left rear.

I’ve had the experience of loosening the bleed screw and having no fluid come out. This could be loss of pressure in the pressure bleeder or a clogged bleeder screw. If you have good pressure, then it’s likely the screw. Relieve the pressure from the bleeder and remove the bleeder screw completely. You should have a small amount of fluid coming out of the hole in the caliper (at which point say “thank you” because a clogged brake line is not a happy thing). It’s very hard to clear the small channel in the bleed screw and they’re cheap. So run to the auto parts store or flush the fluid through the caliper hole and put the clogged screw back, remembering to replace it next time.

Before moving to the front, we will check the brake pedal to see if we trapped any air. It’s best to do this now so we know the problem is isolated to the rear. If the pedals feel normal (they may need a pump or two to build up pressure), you’re all set. If they feel soft or just push to the floor, you have air in the lines and have to bleed again. This is why it’s handy to have a quart of brake fluid. Frankly, I’ve never trapped air with this pressure bleeder, but it can hap-pen. When the rears are all set replace the wheels (torque the lug bolts to 88 ft.lbs), lower the car, swap the wheel chocks from front to rear, raise the front, and flush those lines in the same fashion.

Photo 11 While the front end is still in the air, go under the car and remove the underbody panel that is below the transmis-sion. You’ll need an 8mm socket for all those screws BMW loves to use. When the panel is removed, this is what you’ll see (the arrow shows the clutch line).

Photo 12Looking at the left (driver’s) side of the transmission you will find the same kind of bleed screw as we saw on the calipers. It lives on the clutch slave cylinder. On the E89, it’s tucked up on the side of the transmission, but if you fol-low the twisty hard line it will lead you right to it.

If you bring your car to your BMW dealer, they will use a computer to activate the ABS module so that fresh fluid can get in there and then bleed the brake lines again to get the old fluid from the ABS out. This can be done at home as well. Some code scanners like Carly for BMW or Foxwell, or laptop-based diagnostic software like INPA can activate the ABS too. Otherwise, take your car for a drive and activate the ABS a few times in a safe area. Then go back and bleed the lines again. Activating the ABS is the ideal way to go, however most repair shops and DIYers do not do this step and there doesn’t seem to be any prob-lems. Then you’re finished!

UNLESS you have a manual transmission. If you do, here’s a bonus DIY for flushing your clutch line, which is connected to the brake fluid reservoir as well.

While the front end is still in the air, go under the car and remove the underbody panel that is below the transmis-sion. You’ll need an 8mm socket for all those screws BMW loves to use. When the panel is removed, this is what you’ll see (the arrow shows the clutch line).

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Photo 13Pop the cap, place your 11mm wrench and the catch bottle (a ratcheting wrench works really well here as there isn’t a lot of room to maneuver) and flush as before. Now, if you’re so inclined and want to maximize the functioning of your clutch, you can easily remove the clutch delay valve while you’re here. I don’t want to get involved with that now, but contact me if you’re interested.

Once you’re done flushing all the lines, we are going to test the front brake and clutch lines. If the pedals feel good, replace the underbody panel and front wheels (torque to 88 ft. /lbs.) and lower the car.

Relieve the pressure from the pressure bleeder. Unscrew the pres-sure bleeder cap from the reservoir, replace the filter and top off the brake fluid to near the maximum line on the reservoir. Put the reservoir cap back on. Take the car for a slow test drive. All good? Well done! You’re set for two more years.

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Photos Wanted for Cruizin Newz!The Cruizin’ Newz team would love to see your BMW!

We would like to feature photogra-phy of your BMW in the pages of our magazine. Why not share your car with your fellow members? Everyone enjoys seeing a BMW in various settings. Be creative and show us your vehicle at its best!

This isn’t a contest and no prizes will be awarded. We just want to highlight the many talented people out there in the ZSCCA by providing a venue to show your work and sports car.

Requirements:

1.You must be a current, paid member of the ZSCCA to participate.

2.Submissions must be of high resolution. 3.You can send your photographs via email to ricgenthe@gmail.com

4.Please include your name and any comments you wish to include about your car. Especially, the year, mileage and location of your photography.

5.Please be sure to include additional contact information in case we might need to follow up with you.

6.Vertical format is encouraged if you wish to see your car on the cover of Cruizin’ Newz! But horizontal photos are also welcomed.

Remember too that we have limited space available in the maga-zine so there may be some works that we cannot include in print. We also reserve the right to choose not to publish works that may be deemed offensive or otherwise inappropri-ate for presentation in these pages. But, we encourage you to think inclusion rather than

exclusion and show us your work!

QUESTIONS: Please contact Ric Genthe, Creative Director, Cruizin’ Newz.ricgenthe@gmail.com

VERTICAL

FORMAT

HORIZONTALFORMAT

AccommodationPlease book your hotels as we have a block of rooms already reserved and must be locked in nolater than July 30th.

Details are below: Hilton Garden Inn,6070 Monterey Rd,Gilroy, CA 95020Phone (408) 840-7000Check in - Aug 1Check out -Aug 4Rate - $179 per nightEvent Code - ZSCCA 2019 West Coast Event

RegistrationRegistration Fee Includes;• Welcome bag of goodies• A souvenir hat and registration wristband• Lunch on the drives on Friday August 2 and Saturday August 3• Evening dinner and dance at the hotel on Saturday August 3• Hotel provided carwash area• Driving with a fun set of Z drivers and their cars Dinner on Thursday August 1 and Friday August 2 is not included. There are many local restaurants in the area which offer great eating spots in Gilroy and around in the local towns. Registration can be made at:https://www.zscca.org/zscca/zsur-registration/

Z’Sur 2019, Gilroy CAFriday August 2 – Sunday August 4This is a ZSCCA National Event- Join us in Gilroy to experience the backroads of California. The event is two and a half days long which will consist of a back roads drive to Pinnacles National Park, a drive down Hwy 1 along the famous Big Sur coastline, and a half day of other activities.

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ScheduleThursday August 1• Arrive Hotel• Registration Desk open from 7pm to 9pm

Friday August 2• Registration Desk Open from 8am to 10am• Backroads to Pinnacles, with Lunch

Saturday August 3• Registration Desk Open from 8-10am• Backroads to Highway 1 and then Big Sur, with Lunch• Evening Dinner and Dance

Sunday August 4• Car Clinic – 9am to 11am• Hotel Checkout• Explore Local Places. Some examples are: • San Juan Bautista Mission (https://goo.gl/ maps/74dTsDhAvPgBA4W69)• Monterey Bay Aquarium (https://goo.gl/ maps/NH3B6ofhfChNriD89)• Monterey Town• Carmel Valley Backroads Drive • Carmel Missions (https://goo.gl/maps/ qmY1RqikxLe7Tcnp7)

Items to bring with you:• Your BMW Z…• Yourself and if possible a navigator• A two way FRS-type radio to talk to other drivers• Sunscreen, a hat and your shades

And a desire to meet fellow Z drivers and make some great friends!

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2020

My Z3 Coupe has been special to me since day one. The sale alone was epic. I bought the car sight unseen online. Flying into Los Angeles and a three-day drive home created an inseparable bond between us. That was back in late 2015.

Soon after, I happened upon some Schuh Syndikat propaganda. It may have been internet photos. Perhaps an email announcement? Maybe a Facebook post or mental telepathy. I honestly can’t recall. Whatever brainwashing technique Eric used to reel me in and indoctrinate me must have worked. I haven’t missed an event since. In fact, I may be accused of using those same techniques to covertly lure other unsuspecting Clownshoe owners into the fold.

Schuh Syndikat is a three-day event. Unfortunately, my work schedule only allowed me to attend on Saturday. The first two days are spent on the reason the Clownshoe was concocted Photos By Ben Fenner

and Hayes Potter

Schuh Syndikat 2019

People say owning a Z3 Coupe or Z3 M Coupe is like belonging to

a cult. If that’s true, then Eric Peck is our Jim Jones, and every year,

we come together in Charlotte to drink the Kool-Aid. Sans cyanide

of course. For the eighth year running, Eric Peck, with the help of

his wife Nancy (though I’m not yet convinced it isn’t the other way

around), organize Schuh Syndikat. It’s the east coast gathering of

Z3 Coupes and Z3 M Coupes. The BMWs affectionately known

as “Clownshoes”.

By Tim Dennison

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from the roadster in a secret Munich basement... driving! An apology to roadster owners, but the Coupe is two hundred and seventy percent stiffer than the drop-top. The law of physics says it handles better, so please don’t shoot the messenger. I happen to have both a Z3 Coupe and a Z3 Roadster. The difference is quite noticeable.

Some of what’s behind the uniqueness of these cars is in the numbers. In fact, most anyone you ask will know their “one of ” number. Mine for instance is eleven. It’s the num-ber of cars configured with the same colors and options. If you consider one other option on my coupe: “Special Inspection Press Vehicle”, mine might be considered a “one of one”. Okay, maybe not... but I can always dream! The car was likely chosen as a press vehicle because of a strong final dyno test at the factory. The reality is, it was probably

flogged within inches of its life by devil-may-care journalists. Considering how the M54 pulls today, I’d say it survived the harrowing experience intact.

Piloting a coupe without attracting attention is a rare occurrence. When there’s a caravan of coupes meander-ing down the highway end to end, it’s impossible to go unnoticed. Reactions of drivers and passengers as they

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drive past is a reminder of why we own these special machines. Cell phone cameras are out, fingers are pointing, and looks of bewilder-ment abound. Being a part of the convoy is absolutely electrifying and could never possibly get old.

Twenty of us rolled into Cars and Coffee of Charlotte and made our way to a reserved row. Winding our way through the parking lot to our designated area attracted a wee bit of attention. It was like that overused movie scene where an unlikely patron walks into a bar and everyone turns to look. You know the one… even the band stops playing for a few seconds before picking up where they left off. Hearing some of the comments was priceless. “What are those things?”... “So cool!”... “I’ve never seen one of those before”... “They just keep on coming!”. Once settled into our park-ing spaces, the crowd made their way over to see the spectacle.

Twenty cars may not sound like a significant number, but it equates to about four tenths of one percent of the 2,071 Z3 Coupes & 2,858 M Coupes built for North America. Let me put that number into perspective. A gather-ing of air-cooled Porsche 911s would require 1,800 examples to equal the same percent-age of their total production. A VW Beetle get-together? 93,000 would be in attendance. Ford F150s? 162,000. It would take almost 500 football fields to park them all!

Leaving Cars & Cof-fee, we headed towards uptown Charlotte to assemble for the iconic group photo. This year, we gathered at the Morehead Street parking deck. The year before I attended my first Schuh Syndikat, this same location was used. I always thought it was the best background I’d seen of any of the group pho-tos and was excited we were going back. Perfect skies, perfect background and perfect cars resulted

in what I would consider the best group photo yet.

EuroMpire and CES Motorworks hosted us for lunch and dyno pulls. There were a few takers on the dyno. Martin Kramar took the top pull in his supercharged S52. Forced induc-tion won the day with 327 horsepower and nearly 400 lb-ft of torque at the wheels. Cus-tomer’s cars were on display with correspond-ing dyno graphs. The dyno results highlight their capacity to extract big horsepower from BMW engines. A big thanks to EuroMpire and CES Motorworks for their hospitality!

Saturday night dinner is a highlight event on the agenda. This year, we gathered in a private room at Brooklyn South Pizza in Moores-ville. Based on what I tasted, the food here is worth taking the hour-long drive from home for a great meal. Stories from the weekend fly around the room. Friendships initiated in past events continue without missing a beat.

Nancy officiates the fasted-paced raffle I’ve ever seen! You’d better form a strategy after previewing the door prizes arranged on the front table. Nancy calls ticket numbers off at a consistent, rapid-fire cadence. When your number comes up, you best get up and grab what you had your eye on, lest it disappear! Organized chaos might describe the scene, but it’s a blast, and everyone walks away with at least one prize. Many with two.

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The culminating moment of the weekend is the announce-ment of the awards. A consistent winner of the longest drive award went to Scott Wells. He makes the thousand-plus mile journey every year from Fort Worth in his beau-tiful Imola M Coupe. Finally, the moment we’ve waited for all weekend. The award represented physically by a very large and very colorful clown’s shoe, lovingly mounted to a board by Eric. The coveted “Favorite Shoe” trophy, voted on by peers, was won bythe “Strongest Schuh” winner from the dyno runs, Martin Kramar, with his black super-charged M Coupe.

Though the event brings us together through the com-monality of our cars, it’s about the people. There are perennials that you can count on to come back every year. I assume some coupe owners have never missed a Schuh

Syndikat. There are others that come and may not be seen again for a few years. Whether first-timer or veteran, you’re welcomed by all, and every car is appreciated equal-ly for its uniqueness. It doesn’t matter if yours is a perfect one-of-one M Coupe, or a work in progress Z3 Coupe.

A big thanks to Eric and Nancy for the ability to keep this event fresh every year. It certainly keeps people coming back.

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Scenes from ZFEST 2019

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Here are some of the comments that appeared on the ZFEST 2019 page on Facebook, right after the week in Blacksburg wrapped up. Cruizin’ Newz will have more comments, in-person reports and photos on the pages of the Fall issue. For now, here is a taste of what ZFEST 2019 was like for the people who made the trip.

“I just wanted to say thank you to all who worked so hard to pull off the 2019 ZFest. This was my first but not my last! The cars, drives, tours, and comradery were fantastic. This is something I will never forget. The Z community is something special. I only wished I could have stayed to the end (water main break at home). Safe travels until we all meet again.” – Bob Hollander

“It was great to reconnect with old friends and to make new friends.” - Kelvin Hao

photo Kevin Webb

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“Special thanks to all those that spent countless hours making this event a complete success. We deeply appreci-ate your dedication and hard work. To the many new friends we made here over the last few days. Thanks for the great conversations and all the laughs. You are an amazing group of people.” – Randy Mason

“Once again a great ZFEST huge high fives to all the organizers, participants and volunteers. As always meeting new friends and catching up with past friends along with the great drives makes ZSCCA a very, very special club.” – Alan James

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USAAlabamaJason Smith • Birmingham, ALozarkzclub@zscca.org www.facebook.com/groups/bmwzclubofalabama/

Arkansas (Central/Western)Scott Young • Fayetteville, ARozarkzclub@zscca.org www.facebook.com/groups/OzarkZClub/

Arizona (Phoenix)Martin Ercoline • Gilbert, AZaz@zscca.orgfacebook.com/groups/SouthwestBMWZClub/480.519.4989

Arizona (Tucson)zazsoftucson@zscca.orgwww.facebook.com/groups/zazsoftucson

California (Northern)Tarlock Sagoo • San Carlos, CA norcalbmwzs@zscca.org

California (Southern)casouth@zscca.orgwww.facebook.com/groups/ZSCCACalifornia/

ColoradoJon Moorhead • Salida, COjonm27703@gmail.comhirockeez@zscca.orgwww.facebook.com/groups/hirockeez/hirockeez@groups.facebook.com719.221.1891

Connecticutct@zscca.orgwww.facebook.com/groups/ConnecticutBMWZCruiZers

Florida (NE Coast)flcoast@zscca.orgwww.facebook.com/groups/FirstCoastZs/3

Florida (North)Greg Cevelin • Gainesville, FLflnorth@zscca.orgwww.facebook.com/groups/gatorzs352.331.7955

Florida (Panhandle)Steve Ranner • Tallahassee, FLbigbendzs@zscca.org

Florida (South) flsouth@zscca.org www.facebook.com/groups/palmbeachzs/

Florida (SW Coast)Dale Kopko • Fort Myers, FLftmyers@zscca.orgwww.facebook.com/groups/suncoastzs239-224-9299

Florida (Tampa Bay)Michael Scheuer • Clearwater, FLtampabay@zscca.orghttps://www.facebook.com/groups/TampaBayZclub/

Georgia (Atlanta)Russ Collins • Lawrenceville, GAatlanta@zscca.orgwww.atlantaz3.com/ www.facebook.com/groups/AtlantaZ3Z4/770.656.9405

Georgia (Southern)gasouth@zscca.orgwww.facebook.com/groups/Roadtwisters/

Hawaii (Big Island) Elizabeth Johnson • Kamuela, HI hawaii@zscca.org www.facebook.com/groups/lavasharkz

IllinoisRobin Blair • Batavia, ILil@zscca.orgwww.facebook.com/groups/ZSCCAILLINOIS/630.389.0606

IndianaWill Anthony • Michigan City, INhoosierzcarclub@zscca.orgwww.facebook.com/groups/HoosierZCarClub/574.848.9322

LouisianaRoss Goldman • Metairie, LA www.facebook.com/groups/thebigeaszcarclubrgoldm2@gmail.com

Louisiana (Southern)Eric Lumpkin - Lafayette, LAcajun@zscca.orgfacebook.com/groups/RajunCajunZs/337.303.2890

MaineBob Staples Jay, MEbmwzmaineiacs@zscca.orgwww.facebook.com/groups/BMWZMaineiacs

MarylandGene & Robin Warren • Eldersburg, MDmd@zscca.orgwww.facebook.com/groups/FreeStateBimmerZs/443.929.0032

MassachusettsJim Werner • Boston, MAwww.facebook.com/groups/NewEnglandZs/

MichiganDaniel Warsh - W.Bloomfield, MImizs@zscca.orgwww.facebook.com/groups/MIZSCCA/248.987.8605

MissouriJohn Gatesstlouis@zscca.orgwww.facebook.com/groups/ShowMeZs/

Missouri (St. Louis)Kevin Booker • Robertsville, MOwww.facebook.com/groups/ShowMeZsstlouis@zscca.org

Missouri (Southwest)Jim Stewart - Ozark, MOsomobimmerzs@zscca.orghttps://www.facebook.com/groups/somobimmerzs/

New Hampshire Lou Beaudette • Hudson, NH nhzeacoastzclub@zscca.org www.facebook.com/groups/NHZeacoastZClub

New JerseyAl Mancuso • Burlington, NJnj@zscca.orghttp://gszscca.org/www.facebook.com/groups/GardenStateZSCCA/609.614.0288

New MexicoDenise Inight • Albuquerque, NMwww.facebook.com/groups/2286279228314069

New York CityDori Komarin • New York, NYnyc@zscca.orgwww.facebook.com/groups/BigAppleZs/917.602.5566

New York (Southern Tier)Greg Finch • Waverly, NYnysouth@zscca.orgwww.facebook.com/groups/ZonyZsofNewYork/607.738.2267

ZSCCA Area Representatives

New York (Western)Jay Parnes • Rochester, NYnywest@zscca.orgwww.facebook.com/groups/FlowerCityRoadsterZ/585.737.2784

North CarolinaHayes Potter • Chapel Hill, NCwww.facebook.com/groups/triangleareazscca

North CarolinaMathew Hanson • Ramseur, NCwww.facebook.com/groups/TriadAreaZSCCA/

North Carolina (Charlotte Metro)Eric Peck • Huntersville, NCcharlotte@zscca.orgwww.facebook.com/groups/queencitycrazs/309.214.2753

North Carolina (Eastern)Thom Hoagland • Wilmington, NCcoastalcarolinazs@zscca.orgwww.facebook.com/groups/coastalcarolinazs

North Carolina (Western)Bill Price • Waynesville, NCncwest@zscca.orghttp://www.facebook.com/groups/WesternNCMountainZs/

Ohio (Cleveland)Brian Bednar • Cleveland, OH www.facebook.com/groups/greatlakesbmwzsgreatlakesbmwzs@zscca.org

Ohio (Columbus)Mark Kraft • Columbus, OHbuckeyeZs@zscca.orgwww.facebook.com/groups/buckeyeZs

Oklahoma (Tulsa)Dan David - Porter, OKok@zscca.orgwww.facebook.com/groups/OklahomaZclub/918.577.7760

Oregon (Corvallis Valley)Alexander Fieldhouse Dundee, OR zsofcorvallisvalley@zscca.org www.facebook.com/groups/PortlandZedHeads

Oregon (Portland East)Bill Kupchin Mt. Hood/Parkdale, OR portlandzedheads@zscca.org www.facebook.com/groups/ZsofCorvallisValley

Pennsylvania (Central)Mark Bigelow • Petersburg, PApacentral@zscca.orgwww.facebook.com/groups/Nittany.Z.s/814.667.2414

Pennsylvania (Eastern)Yardly PApaeast@zscca.org

Pennsylvania (Northwest)Richard Lipchik • Erie, PApanwest@zscca.orgwww.facebook.com/groups/nwpazbimmers/814.449.8892

Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh)Shawn Najowicz • Washington, PApittsburgh@zscca.orghttp://www.facebook.com/groups/WesternNCMountainZs/

Rhode Island Eugene Clark • Cumberland, RI ri@zscca.org www.facebook.com/groups/oceanstatezees

South Carolina (Lower)sclower@zscca.orgwww.facebook.com/groups/lowcountryroadsterz/

South Carolina (Upstate)David Weeks • Cleveland, SCscupstate@zscca.orgwww.facebook.com/groups/upstatescbmwzclub/

Tennessee (Eastern) Cindy Callaway • Knoxville, TN tneast@zscca.org www.facebook.com/groups/EastTenneZeeClub/

Tennessee (Middle) Jody Ruffner • Lascassas, TNwww.facebook.com/groups/middletennezeemiddletennezee@zscca.org

TexasMike Wood • Fort Worth, TXtx@zscca.orgwww.facebook.com/groups/TexasBimmerZRoadster-Rowdies/817.914.3897

Texas • San AntonioKaye and Tony Jajou • San Antonio, TXsanantonio@zscca.orgwww.facebook.com/groups/alamocityzedheads/

Utah Greatsaltlakezs@zscca.orgwww.facebook.com/groups/greatsaltlakezs

VirginiaStephen Kline • North Chesterfield VA va@zscca.org www.facebook.com/groups/zeecentralvirginiaclub

Virginia (Potomac/Capital Region)Eddie Henry, Ashburn, VA potomaczs@zscca.orgwww.facebook.com/groups/potomaczs/

Virginia (Southwest) Edward Davidson • Draper, VA vasouthwest@zscca.org www.facebook.com/groups/NRVZs

Washington (Seattle Metro)Jim Dunn • Des Moines, WAseattle@zscca.orgwww.facebook.com/groups/washingtonstatezs/206.372.6022

West VirginiaAdam Moore • Scott Depot, WVwva@zscca.orgwww.facebook.com/groups/mountainstateroadsterZ/304.545.5261

WisconsinScott HeddingWaukesha, WI badgerstatezscca@zscca.orgwww.facebook.com/groups/BadgerStateZSCCA

CANADANova Scotia Bob Angus • Timberlea, CAN-NSwww.facebook.com/groups/bluenosezclubbluenosezclub@zscca.org

Saskatchewan sask@zscca.org www.facebook.com/groups/PrairieCruZers/

Victoria, BC Ken McLean • Victoria, CAN-BCvictoriabmwz@zscca.orgwww.facebook.com/groups/VictoriaBMWZEnthusiasts

w w w . z s c c a . o r g

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Doesn’t everyone go to the Nurburgring for their honeymoon?

“When one explores above the clouds, with only mountain peaks as a land reference, it presents to you an understanding of a higher law!” British Captain, Duncan William Russell - Royal Africa Corps (1855)

Prepared by MagCloud for Ainsley Jacobs. Get more at cruizinnewz.magcloud.com.