ULTIMATE BMW SHOW 2007 Report

It was the most action-packed BMW event of the year, and in just two years, the Ultimate BMW Show at Santa Pod Raceway has come of age. Over 5,000 BMW-owners turned up to be part of the event, and everywhere you looked there was something to catch the eye, from awesome show cars to mega-quick track cars, and everything in between, it was a feast for the BMW fan.

On the dragstrip there was a steady stream of Run What Ya Brung cars in the Performance BMW RWYB competition, and it was great to see so many complete beginners out on track- we hope you enjoyed your first dragstrip experience and look forward to the challenge again soon. The class winners were all daily-driven brutes, which goes to show how quick the famous German cars are. Running a 13-second quarter mile time is true supercar territory. Congratulations to all the winners and indeed to anyone who took part- it was great to watch, and we hope even better from the driver’s seat!

				Class A (4cyl) was won by David Pree in his E36 320i, running a 13.808 @ 108.18mph.
				Class B (6cyl) was won by Justin Woolner in his crazy-quick M3 convertible with a time of 13.149 @ 107.65mph.
				Class C (8+ cyl) was won by Dean Frost when he borrowed his dad’s M5 (really!) to run an astonishing 12.827 @ 113.65mph.
				Class E (non road legal) was topped by Paul Webster in his Mini One (new Mini) with a time head and shoulders above the other Minis of 12.365 @ 107.63mph.

Although three drift shows were scheduled, there was no stopping the eager BMW drifters and their jap car-driving comrades who filled the sky with tyre smoke and kept it sideways for our pleasure. A big thanks to everyone who helped put this together, it was a fantastic sight!

More roundy-roundy racing was to be had on the other side of the track with the handling circuit becoming a focus for some owners who weren’t afraid of driving their BMWs with a bit of gusto. The track was very tight with lots of full-lock to full-lock corners, but those that chipped away at the seconds were down to incredible times in the 40’s. The winner was Tom Stanway with a time of 47.56 in his BMW 325i. View all the fastest times on the Handling page.

There was also the more sedate Total BMW show car paddock, where we were treated to 50 great show BMWs, and the judges were given the tough job of picking the Best Custom, Best Original and Best Of Show. The winners are as follows:

				Best in Show - Neil Sutherland - BMW CSL Neil’s CSL had everyone drooling. Not only was it a rare car in as “good as new” condition, it had a fantastic time-warp quality to it with paint so retro it was back in fashion.  Neil wasn’t afraid to play with it either, taking the 3-litre engine through its paces on the track after lunchtime.
				Best Custom - Alex Jones - E36 Coupe Alex’s coupe was covered in custom touches inside and out. From an ice-white interior packed with even more ICE (excuse the pun), to a gleaming exterior with wide arches and muscular bodykit, it had a crowd all day.
				Best Original - Ben Crosby - E36 M3 Evo Ben’s hard-topped cabriolet was a real sleeper. It was easy to walk past, but those that took the time to look closer would have seen an astonishingly original and clean car. Every panel was straight and flawless, every bit of plastic un-faded and immaculate, even under the bonnet. The best E36 of its age in the UK? There couldn’t be a better one.

On the subject of show cars, we have to say a MASSIVE “well done and thanks” to all our club stands. You brought some excellent cars and really made the show. Top marks to the E30 zone for bringing so many cars, but the Best Club trophy went to BMWLand.co.uk for having a great variety of cars that were nicely laid out. They also had celebrity cars and rarities, so the trophy was well deserved. Have a look at their hilarious trophy photoshoot here.

The entertainment also went beyond the cars: the Miss Ultimate BMW competition involved attractive girls bouncing on spacehoppers and there were poledances in the bar, so if sexy bodywork was your thing, then you wouldn’t have felt left out.

All that is left to say is a huge THANK YOU to everyone who came along and made it such a great day. We hop we’ll see you back at an even bigger and better show next year. The Clubs that attended Ultimate BMW Show 2007 were BMW7 Resource, E36Coupe.com, Performance BMW Magazine Forum, BMW Car Club GB, E30 Zone.net, BMWLand, The 7 Series Register, Bimmerowner.co.uk, Mini Addiction, and BMW 5 Forum.

View the 2007 Gallery for more photos.