derin100

Thanks Chaps! The Pagoda was a very,very pretty thing but ultimately I was glad to see the back of it! It caused many, many sleepless and fretful nights with the cost of it all. As soon as the word "Pagoda" is mentioned the price of parts goes through the roof! Then once completed it was so 'valuable' I was actually too scared to drive it so there was little pleasure in it. Added to that they're really just not very nice to drive. There's no getting away from the fact that it was really half a century old technology. The handbook 'claimed' a top speed of 121 mph but you'd have to be an absolute lunatic with a death wish to attempt anywhere near that. Much above 70 mph and you have to start becoming VERY focused on your driving. Thus, by modern day standards, that made it a very slow car which coupled with being in a small, open-topped car, devoid of safety features made one feel very vulnerable indeed especially on fast moving modern A-Roads and Motorways surrounded by big lorries etc... Anyway, it looks like I've sold this one tonight...a shame in a sense because this IS a bloody nice thing! But you can't keep'em all huh? http://www.bmwclassics.co.uk/mercedes_w ... index.html Cheers!

Hi Guys It's been a long time since I posted on here but thought some of you may enjoy an update. I think last time I was still on the Mercedes Pagoda SL? Well, that project was finally completed about a year and a half ago. The final bodywork bill (and my place only charge reasonable rates) was £11,000. I think I then spent something like another £2.5-£3K to complete the rest (can't remember exactly anymore). Here you can see the final result and some of the work that was involved: http://www.bmwclassics.co.uk/gallery/in ... des_Pagoda Since then I've had a few other cars...basically everything on the left in the link below that is above the Pagoda. I currently drive the black 190E Sportline chassis car as my daily driver (although it's currently away having a major engine overhaul). The Metallic Beige looking one is (hopefully) being sold today as I have a chap coming to view this evening who has already put a deposit on it. I still have both my 'garage queens' i.e the 840Ci Sport (HIW 393) and the E34 540i (the third from last non-M5 E34 Saloon ever made on the very last day of production)....both lower down on the same page: http://www.bmwclassics.co.uk/gallery/index.php Best wishes to all! Derin (p.s And I still don't watch TV...... )

Cheers Stew Unfortunately, already staring down the wrong end of a £10,000 barrel in terms of body and paintwork on the SL. 'Thing is ...believe it or not...the car has already had just under £40K spent on it (with receipts) since 1985! Still....on a more 'cheery' note...watch my website circa early Jan' 09 for hopefully a proper 'stunner' of an E34 BMW....540i V8....Yes, even E34s are now 'becoming' sought after!....Remember who told you first! That last one on my website (the Calpyso Red 525i) could have sold several times over! p.s I know none of this is 350Z relevant...but sometimes it's just 'interesting' to swap thoughts etc , huh? Cheers and Merry Xmas to all here!

Thanks Stew! Will do...but "I may be some time" (as someone once said!). The Merc is a bit of a nightmare as I'm sure you can see! If you're really interested or even just seriously bored...or suffer with insomnia and just need something to help you sleep...then here are a couple of links to some "before and during" pictures of the black E28 M535i I did that you see the finished pics of on my website: Before: http://www.bmwclassics.co.uk/gallery/in ... =cc_before During: http://www.bmwclassics.co.uk/gallery/in ... =cc_during Some of it ain't pretty!

Well Chaps...long time since I visited...but just to update: Since I sold the E30 M3 is was subsequently sold (at profit ) buy the new owner 6 months later to someone in Italy. However...as you see from my website by counting the cars in the thumbnails above the M3 I've 'done' a few cars since! The Silver and Black E28s were huge projects which basically took me over a year to do. The Silver car was a 'stunner'! The white E28 was subsequently sold again for £8K by its new owner. More recently I've done a couple of very nice E34 5-Series...which have sold very well and quickly...seems to be a strong growing market for the best of those now. I could have sold both of the saloons you see on my website several times over! I think people are possibly realising these are the best built of all 5-ers and are now snapping up really good ones. A bit like W124 Mercs. I currently have possibly the best of those in the 'pipeline' now! A very late ('96 registered) 540i...with believe it or not only 39K miles on the clock!!! Probably ready soon after Xmas. And now for something completely different: Before: http://www.bmwclassics.co.uk/picsvarious/DSC_0001.jpg http://www.bmwclassics.co.uk/picsvarious/DSC_0005.jpg http://www.bmwclassics.co.uk/picsvarious/DSC_0007.jpg During: http://www.bmwclassics.co.uk/gallery/in ... l=mercedes Anyway....best wishes to all! Derin

Well, looks like it's sold (pending transfer of funds) to the first guy that came to view yesterday.

Well, finally all done: http://www.bmwclassics.co.uk/e30_m3/index.html Cheers all!

Thanks Guys! Sinbad...the car WILL be for sale within the next week or so! I just need to collect a third set of refurbished wheels that are coming with the car on Friday and then do the full write-up of the details of the car and then upload it as a webpage on my site! Derin

Hi Guys Ok...I know it's not a 350Z but thought you might like to see my latest project finally finished (it was actually started way before the white E28 that started this stem...I've owned the cat for over 6 years): http://www.bmwclassics.co.uk:80/gallery ... mFilters=s Kind regards to all! Derin P.S this one is seriously anal!

Although, the car was sold a couple of weeks ago for £8000 I've now had permission from the photographer who did the photos for the Total BMW Magazine article to put together a few of the photographs from that day into a slideshow: I thought some forum members might like to see some proper photographs of the car rather than my poor 'snaps' previously seen on my website. Also, please check out the photographer's website by clicking on the link at the bottom of each photo...he does some superb work with cars and more! http://www.bmwclassics.co.uk:80/gallery ... mFilters=s I'm just about completing work on my E30 M3 (work started ages ago bit got somewhat interrupted by the white car!) So hopefully I should have that up with an updated page on my website in a week or two if anyone is interested in seeing that finished. Best wishes to all! Derin P.S "Dan....now about that job...what sort of terms did you have in mind?"

Cheers Zedrush! I've actually only ever driven a 350Z once. A colleague of mine bought a brand new one (coupe in blue) when they first arrived in the UK. However, I think he'd bitten off more than he could chew having never owned a performance car before. Anyway, next day when I came into work he'd told everyone how I'd scared him shitless by driving down a country B-road at 120 mph....Personally, I couldn't see what the problem was? I mean, this was someone else's brand new car so I wasn't going to really 'push it'? I didn't feel the car felt 'stressed' doing that speed at anytime and neither did I! I mean, before I got into the car I'd clocked the big brakes up front with 'Brembo' written on them and the car was brand new...so I felt 'comfortable'! I think what he didn't appreciate was I was coming from a completely different perspective. Despite over 25 years of unbroken BMW ownership...and having owned many, many models...I've never owned an actual 'out-and-out' perforamance sportscar. Sure, the E30 M3...but it's almost too good...and can forgive even a crap driver like me. Drive one of these (below) and despite what all that's ever been written about them...believe if you're at the helm of one of these things at speed ( remember it weighs 100Kg more than the equivalent 7-Series!)...because of it's very foibles...you'll be very 'focused'! One significant mistake will end in the most calamitous disaster!!! Hence, a "...most involving drive!" http://www.bmwclassics.co.uk/gallery/in ... lters=#pic As far as I went with the 350Z...it felt like it could certainly out-drive me!

No, please rest assured I don't take any offence...one has to be able to laugh at oneself? And I won't be taking on a project this big again for a very long time...it's been too much hardwork, pain, expense, frustration and stress...and that was never what this was supposed to be all about. But at the end of the day (well, actually we haven't quite got there yet!)...I feel like I've 'achieved something' that people have 'taken notice of'...Whether they think it's good or bad is fair enough and we're all entitled to our own thoughts? But I've also learned and taught myself quite a lot along the way. And believe me...this isn't one of your moderators winding you all up! I have a whole set of photos that the magazine photographer gave me after the photo shoot (far better than my "snaps") but I was sworn not to release them on to the 'net until after the magazine article had been published...which it now has. I'll have to get his permission but with clearance I'll post a link to a slideshow of some of them that my wife has put together for the website...she does all that sort of stuff because my girlfriend and I haven't got much of a clue about computers! Cheers to all!

Hi I'm actually the person that owns that car amongst other BMWs (...currently own six...was seven until a few weeks ago). Here's a link to a couple of my other cars. The E30 M3 page is about three years old but will be updated in the next couple of weeks once it comes back from a full respray etc and prior to it going up for sale: http://www.bmwclassics.co.uk/features/index.html I hope this thread on another 350Z forum goes some way to explaining things (eg. How, why, girlfriends, pubs, getting out more, bleach hand cleaners etc ): http://forums.DELETED.com/inde ... id=118960& The car's also featured in a six page spread in the current issue of Total BMW Magazine. Also, I've since been doing a bit more to the car mechanically and have now been offered £8K by two people waiting for it to be ready. So Dan...if they're true to their word and come up with the £8K does that job offer still stand? I'm looking for a change of career anyway! Cheers!