macfly
June 14th 2005, 14:54
The dream to form the Z8 Club was born in 2003, and brought to reality by Jürgen Wunderlich and Reiner Löslein and some other Z8 owners. Jürgen and Reiner were both active members of the Z1 Club, as well as being Z8 owners, so they understood well all the intricacies of setting up an official, BMW sanctioned club. Together they put the plan into action, contacted all the possible members they could find online, or through friends, to see what kind of interest there’d be in coming to Munich for the inaugural weekend of activities, and they certainly succeeded!
There’s a little background you need to know about forming a club in Germany, and especially one that is officially sanctioned by BMW. It has to be formed as a legal entity, complete with court papers, President, Secretary, Treasurer and two other Officers, much in the same way that we form a corporation here in the states. It must have the books checked and audited every year to maintain it’s status, so this isn’t something undertaken lightly, or on a whim, this is a huge responsibility and commitment of the part of the founding fathers.
This is a very serious club, run by a team of not just dedicated enthusiasts, they are enthusiasts who work within the company that made our car. This means that there is incredible access to everything that any enthusiast could ever need, or need to know, as well as a wonderful welcome waiting in Europe. By US standards the club may not be cheap, but in my opinion it is an excellent investment in the car we love. As a member you will invited to all of the clubs activities, and I certainly plan on being at any of them I can get away for!
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The Z8 Club Inaugural Weekend - June 11-12th 2005
The BMW Z8 Club became a reality on Saturday 11th of June, 2005, with about 70 Z8’s and 130 people assembling to enjoy stunning weekend of inaugural activities. I was fortunate enough to have been contacted by the the club who saw this site online and invited for the weekend’s events. It was certainly a weekend to remember!
I flew in from LA arriving on Friday afternoon for what was a real 'blind date' as I don't speak German, and I didn't know anybody there. I arrived just in time for an early evening assembly for drinks in the elegant Hotel Kempinski. There I was immediatly swept up in the fun by Jürgen & Sylvi Wunderlich and made to feel completely at home.
The next day 70 Z8' and 140 people were the guests of BMW M Division. We were taken into the hallowed halls of the M Division, where everything from the F1 motors to our motors are created. This was not a run of the mill event, like getting a tour of the Spartanburg plant in SC, getting into the M Division is about as easy as getting to see the gold bars in Fort Knox, no one ever gets in there, so this was beyond a privilege.
We also met with three of the gentlemen who were involved in the creation of our car, and sent out to test drive the new M5 & M6 on a twenty mile circuit through the Bavarian countryside. To top it off the Prof. Ulrich Bruhnke, the CEO, was there to meet, greet and chitchat with us all!
This was followed by a delicious lunch at the M Division’s own restaurant, after which we set off to the main offices of BMW, which are several miles from the plant. Here all the cars were arranged for an official portrait in the large fountain concourse right on the steps of the main building.
Next we were guided round to the ‘Mobile Tradition’ building for the club’s first official AGM, which was followed by a private tour of the ‘Mobile Tradition’ collection, which is the company’s private museum. After all these extraordinary activities we all reassembled in the ballroom at the Hotel Kaminski for a glamorous dinner that was really a feast, where we were joined by many of the team who actually worked on the Z8 during it’s run, as well as several other members of the BMW team.
On Sunday all 70 Z8's, accompanied by two 507’s, drove to the Austrian Alps for a final lunch. Leaving Munich we headed south through the very chic Tegernsee area, then followed the River Isar down to the River Loisach, which led us to our final destination, the Freihaus Brenner set on a lovely knoll with a panoramic view across the lakes and mountains, for the farewell lunch. There are 60 images of the weekend in chronolgical order here. (http://bmwz8.us/htmlL/gallery_cr.php)
The Official BMW PRess Release can be downloaded here. (http://www.bmwz8.us/pdf/Press_Release_English.pdf)
The top photo below is Jürgen Wunderlich, the club's President. Below him are some of the things that Olaf had made up for the event, including both photo albums and books with the last of the original Z8 logos, leather etc. If you bought one of the 22 limited edition big books you also got every model in the cabinet, all these are the ones supplied to the owners by the dealers in Germany. The Fisker drawings are orignals that are in BMW's own Z8 Visitohttp://bmwz8.us/vbb/attachment.php?attachmentid=295&stc=1&d=1118760680r's Book, which is signed by many notables and celebrities when they came to try the car, BMW has presented this to the Club.
There’s a little background you need to know about forming a club in Germany, and especially one that is officially sanctioned by BMW. It has to be formed as a legal entity, complete with court papers, President, Secretary, Treasurer and two other Officers, much in the same way that we form a corporation here in the states. It must have the books checked and audited every year to maintain it’s status, so this isn’t something undertaken lightly, or on a whim, this is a huge responsibility and commitment of the part of the founding fathers.
This is a very serious club, run by a team of not just dedicated enthusiasts, they are enthusiasts who work within the company that made our car. This means that there is incredible access to everything that any enthusiast could ever need, or need to know, as well as a wonderful welcome waiting in Europe. By US standards the club may not be cheap, but in my opinion it is an excellent investment in the car we love. As a member you will invited to all of the clubs activities, and I certainly plan on being at any of them I can get away for!
-----------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------
The Z8 Club Inaugural Weekend - June 11-12th 2005
The BMW Z8 Club became a reality on Saturday 11th of June, 2005, with about 70 Z8’s and 130 people assembling to enjoy stunning weekend of inaugural activities. I was fortunate enough to have been contacted by the the club who saw this site online and invited for the weekend’s events. It was certainly a weekend to remember!
I flew in from LA arriving on Friday afternoon for what was a real 'blind date' as I don't speak German, and I didn't know anybody there. I arrived just in time for an early evening assembly for drinks in the elegant Hotel Kempinski. There I was immediatly swept up in the fun by Jürgen & Sylvi Wunderlich and made to feel completely at home.
The next day 70 Z8' and 140 people were the guests of BMW M Division. We were taken into the hallowed halls of the M Division, where everything from the F1 motors to our motors are created. This was not a run of the mill event, like getting a tour of the Spartanburg plant in SC, getting into the M Division is about as easy as getting to see the gold bars in Fort Knox, no one ever gets in there, so this was beyond a privilege.
We also met with three of the gentlemen who were involved in the creation of our car, and sent out to test drive the new M5 & M6 on a twenty mile circuit through the Bavarian countryside. To top it off the Prof. Ulrich Bruhnke, the CEO, was there to meet, greet and chitchat with us all!
This was followed by a delicious lunch at the M Division’s own restaurant, after which we set off to the main offices of BMW, which are several miles from the plant. Here all the cars were arranged for an official portrait in the large fountain concourse right on the steps of the main building.
Next we were guided round to the ‘Mobile Tradition’ building for the club’s first official AGM, which was followed by a private tour of the ‘Mobile Tradition’ collection, which is the company’s private museum. After all these extraordinary activities we all reassembled in the ballroom at the Hotel Kaminski for a glamorous dinner that was really a feast, where we were joined by many of the team who actually worked on the Z8 during it’s run, as well as several other members of the BMW team.
On Sunday all 70 Z8's, accompanied by two 507’s, drove to the Austrian Alps for a final lunch. Leaving Munich we headed south through the very chic Tegernsee area, then followed the River Isar down to the River Loisach, which led us to our final destination, the Freihaus Brenner set on a lovely knoll with a panoramic view across the lakes and mountains, for the farewell lunch. There are 60 images of the weekend in chronolgical order here. (http://bmwz8.us/htmlL/gallery_cr.php)
The Official BMW PRess Release can be downloaded here. (http://www.bmwz8.us/pdf/Press_Release_English.pdf)
The top photo below is Jürgen Wunderlich, the club's President. Below him are some of the things that Olaf had made up for the event, including both photo albums and books with the last of the original Z8 logos, leather etc. If you bought one of the 22 limited edition big books you also got every model in the cabinet, all these are the ones supplied to the owners by the dealers in Germany. The Fisker drawings are orignals that are in BMW's own Z8 Visitohttp://bmwz8.us/vbb/attachment.php?attachmentid=295&stc=1&d=1118760680r's Book, which is signed by many notables and celebrities when they came to try the car, BMW has presented this to the Club.