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This MonthThis Month’’s Features FeatureMay 2013 May 2013

““Car of the MonthCar of the Month””Greetings From Czech Republic

Czech RepublicPublisher: Fern Mora

Finding an Eight In The Czech Republic

The Inside StoryThis month we feature an eight from the Czech Republic, a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Germany to the west, Austria to the south, Slovakia to the east and Poland to the north. Its capital and largest city, with 1.3 million inhabitants is Prague. Just 185 miles from Prague sits this very nice J-Spec 850i which was fashioned after one of the most beautiful eights in existence, the Alpina B12.

Most everyone on the forums is aware that this is not an original B12 but it is special in so many ways. The original owner spent a great deal of money and time making this clone.

The photographs taken by GeorgosAC of this car are spectacular, so I decided to include as many as possible.

This owner’s story is one that most of us have heard before. Spending countless hours searching for that special 8 Series, then finding it, only to let it get away at the last bidding moment. However persistence is a virtue that you must have in order to find that special gem.

It’s often a struggle but rewarding in the end. This is one of those stories that paid off. After months of searching, the final reward was locating this 850i in the United Kingdom. How a left hand drive J-Spec landed there must have been a story in itself.

Without further ado, lets take a tour of this stunning 850i and learn our recipient of

“May’s Car of the Month”story and enjoy the great pictures that are within.

Cheers! Fern

1991 BMW 850i J-Spec Owner: Miroslav Mikel - Zlin, Czech Republic

SoCal 8s has selected this 850i belonging to Miroslav Mikel (AKA

”Rudosh”) one of our 8’er and Bimmer Forum regulars for our

May 2013May 2013““Car of the MonthCar of the Month””

My name is Miroslav Mikel. I live in Zlin (Czech Republic) where I was born. I am 28 years old and single. My hobbies are motoring, BMW, mountain biking and working out. In high school I started working for our family business, which deals in international road transport mainly between the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom.

In fall of 2002 I got my drivers license and because of my father's recommendation, I bought my first BMW. It was a e34 525TDS automatic transmission which needed a lot of work . I was very satisfied with this car, but in 2004 my friend gave me a lift in his e39. I really liked the e39 and I knew then that I have one, so in 2005 I bought my e39.

Miroslav’s “Rudosh”

Story:

My e39 was the 528i touring. At that time I had been communicating with my friends through the Czech internet discussions sites about BMW’s and the BMW Club Civic Association of the Czech Republic. This club connects owners and fans of BMW in the Czech Republic. I have been very active in the management of this organization .

His current daily driver is a e39 525i

1991 BMW 850i J-Spec Owner: Miroslav Mikel - Zlin, Czech Republic

The Story The Story Continues:Continues: J-Spec“Clone”

The BMW Club Civic Association of the Czech Republic operate a website for our members with technical information, discussion forums, and provide discounts from business partners (selling of parts, accessories, service stations and official BMW dealers). We also support the organizers of BMW events. Currently, we have 792 members.

In 2008, our family business arranged to transport some vintage and classic cars from Great Britain to the Czech Republic for our customers. That gave me the idea to look for a nice car there. During my search I found my J-spec 850i with Alpina accessories and 86.000 km on the clock. After making the offer and nailing down the agreement on the price, I gave the funds to my brother in-law who also works with us to pick up the car and bring it to the Czech Republic.

The only way he could transport it was with ramps and roll it onto our trailer.

The car was visually in good order except for a few scratches, very small dents and some cracks on the leather front seats. No rust or signs of any serious accidents. A big surprise for me were the Supersprint exhausts and radio with HDD and navigation, which as it turned out didn’t work 100%. Therefore it was going to be replaced by an original radio and CD player. A beautiful great base for a young first timer like me.

On its way to a new home

1991 BMW 850i J-Spec Owner: Miroslav Mikel - Zlin, Czech Republic

THE COMPANY TRUCKS

Very fortunate to have a transport company in the family saving a great deal of transportation money. It is over 970 miles from the United Kingdom to city of Zin in the Czech Republic.

1991 BMW 850i J-Spec Owner: Miroslav Mikel - Zlin, Czech Republic

QuestionsQuestions

and Answersand Answers

Q: Where and when did you purchase your 8?

A: I bought it near Ashington, United Kingdom in March 2008.

Q: Why did you pick your current 8 over some other?

A: Body color, interior color, and attractive price. It is an Alpina Clone car that had all the Alpina accessories added to it. That what attracted me most.

Q: What made you pick the 8 series over other BMW models?

A: When I was making the search it was between 635CSi (E24), M3 (e30/e36), M5 (e34/e39) or E31. One evening I was searching through the e-bay.co.uk and found on auction this beautiful Left Hand Drive E31 with Alpina accessories and I immediately fell in love with it.

I made a bid and the seller accepted my offer and that ended the auction. It was a risk, since the first time I had a chance to see the car was after it was transported to my home in the Czech Republic, but the risk paid off.

Q: What is it about the 8 you enjoy most?

A: Timeless and beautiful design in conjunction with a velvety V12. It is still today a very exceptionally car.

1991 BMW 850i J-Spec Owner: Miroslav Mikel - Zlin, Czech Republic

Q: What Other Cars Have You Owned?Q: What Other Cars Have You Owned?

My First Car - 525TDS My 2nd Car was a 528i

I also get to drive the company car which helps

save my 8 from poor weather conditions and

muddy wet roads in winter

Can’t drive this one but it’s in my collection. A 1.24 850i Sterlingsilber Metallic model

1 of 744

A: All my past cars were BMW’s

1991 BMW 850i J-Spec Owner: Miroslav Mikel - Zlin, Czech Republic

Now For The JNow For The J--Spec 8Spec 8

1991 BMW 850i J-Spec Owner: Miroslav Mikel - Zlin, Czech Republic

Beautiful Historic Buildings in the Czech Republic

1991 BMW 850i J-Spec Owner: Miroslav Mikel - Zlin, Czech Republic

No sense having a beautiful car like this if you can’t enjoy it. Rudosh certainly does every chance he gets when the weather is good.

1991 BMW 850i J-Spec Owner: Miroslav Mikel - Zlin, Czech Republic

Looks menacing just like this lizard

1991 BMW 850i J-Spec Owner: Miroslav Mikel - Zlin, Czech Republic

The car was accessorized after the Revell 1/24 Alpina B12 model shown here.

1991 BMW 850i J-Spec Owner: Miroslav Mikel - Zlin, Czech Republic

1991 BMW 850i J-Spec Owner: Miroslav Mikel - Zlin, Czech Republic

This is a great picture!

Eye Candy

1991 BMW 850i J-Spec Owner: Miroslav Mikel - Zlin, Czech Republic

It’s All About The Stance

An 8 Road Block! I wouldn't do this in the US

I am certain some of you have seen these shots on the forums in the past year. They have been circulating and for a good reason - they are great pictures.

JJ--SpecSpec

EEnnggiinnee1991 BMW 850i J-Spec Owner: Miroslav Mikel - Zlin, Czech Republic

Must be a J-Spec!

Before Shot

After many hours of work on the engine bay

InteriorInterior1991 BMW 850i J-Spec Owner: Miroslav Mikel - Zlin, Czech Republic

Interior still remains the same OEM. For being 22 years old, it still looks in good condition. In fact it’s better than most this age; however some changes are coming its way.

Rudosh wants to restore it to pristine condition as if it just rolled out from the factory. It will be a great project for the coming months and we should keep our eyes open for updates and pictures on the Bimmer Forums.

RealReal

WheelsWheels

1991 BMW 850i J-Spec Owner: Miroslav Mikel - Zlin, Czech Republic

1991 BMW 850i J-Spec Owner: Miroslav Mikel - Zlin, Czech Republic

His Car:Year: 7/1991Model: 850iOEM Color: Mauritius blue metallic

Color Code# 287/5Wheel Make: AlpinaTire Make: Continental Tire Size Front: 245/40 r18 Tire Size Rear: 285/35 r18 Engine Size: 4988 HP: 300 M70

Special Interior Design Features:Seats re-upholstered: OEM Headliner replaced: OEM Interior Center Trim: Wood Shift Knob: OEM Alpina Steering wheel emblem Pedals: OEM

Entertainment Audio Upgrade:Head Unit Make: Pioneer CarrozzeriaSpeakers: OEM Quantity: OEM Sub Woofer: None Amplifiers: None Total Wattage: OEM Active Crossover: None

Suspension Custom FeaturesSprings: Eibach Shocks: Bilstein B6 Other: STRONG-STRUT (strut

brace), phoenix motorsportreinforcement plates (rear),phoenix motorsport camber plates (front),

Exterior Features:Front Lower Bumper: AlpinaRear Lower Bumper: Alpina Alpina pin stripping and badges

Work Performed:During the time of his ownership he has changed almost everything (shock absorbers, springs, arms, pins). Also a new radiator with water pump, ignition cables, coils, and many seals, hoses and fluids.Future Additions:I'm going to repair some of the small dents and redo the interior to make it appear as if the car just came out of the production line.

THE SPEC THE SPEC PAGEPAGE

Awards or FeaturesAwards or Features1991 BMW 850i J-Spec Owner: Miroslav Mikel - Zlin, Czech Republic

Exposure (Magazine, Features:

Which Magazine(s): http://www.famousbmw.cz (internet magazine) Date(s) Featured: 12.09.2008 http://www.famousbmw.cz/bmw-850i-rande-s-legendou/I think that the article is on the internet in other languages, but I don't have the link.

Awards Received So For:

Awarded: 2 photos of month on official BMW Česká republika Facebook site In July 2011 and November 2012 http://tinyurl.com/bl344r5http://tinyurl.com/9wsw3ob

Congratulations Rudosh!Congratulations Rudosh!1991 BMW 850i J-Spec Owner: Miroslav Mikel - Zlin, Czech Republic

I would like to thank all of those who share the DIY information on repairing and keeping our 8er´s in good shape.

I also would like to thank my friend GeorgosAC for the beautiful photos of my car.

Shout Out! Shout Out!

For Making SoCal Eights “Car of the Month”

Photograph’s Herein Provided by GeorgosAC