[NickyC]

     Featured on BIMMERPOST.com

This is one of my favorite shows on TV. It's a nice alternative to the plethora of loudmouthed, whitetrash, tatoo'd up freaks mechanic shows on TV (though I must admit I like watching Richard Rawlings haha). In the latest episode this week, they worked on a Z1. Pretty neat show for BMW fans, especially for those of us who love the Z series! I was quite surprised to see how the body panels on the car work.

[Ricfutures]

Our friends across the pond know how to do car shows. This was a very good episode!

[e92ben]

Great episode. Very interesting body panels

[escobar929]

Love that show, good episode

[DUI Elite]

Loved that episode! Didn't realize BMW made the body that way.

They seem to get REALLY lucky with their fixes lol. It's always something minor

[Kwando]

Very cool. It seems like the tall guy is doing 90% of the work though lol.

[Ray knight]

That's a good show! I've never seen a Z1 before.

[AtlantaDude]

Originally Posted by Kwando

Very cool. It seems like the tall guy is doing 90% of the work though lol.

Correct, he's the mechanic. He does all the labor. The other is the dealer, buys & sells the cars and helps with the decisions. They work well with each other. It's a great show.

[NickyC]

Originally Posted by Kwando

Very cool. It seems like the tall guy is doing 90% of the work though lol.

Google Edd China and check out what he's done. He's in the Guinness Book of World Records for a number of things, including the world's fastest toilet.

Also, if you're new to the show, I would urge you to check out their vast history. They've been around for years and years, and the cars they work on are pretty darned awesome at times!

[ChrisMT79]

What an interesting door idea. The European Fiero (without the required fire extinguisher)
Would certainly prefer one of those over a Miata any day.

[mickyboy1]

Best show was the ford escort mk1 😄 they did an old 5 series years ago. Back in the day the price limit for buying and fixing up for sale was £1000

[Bosozoku]

Driving around with no body panels: fun.
Driving around with no body panels and no seats: insanely cool.

I actually saw a Z1 on the road once. In Monaco during the 1992 GP weekend.

[Diver]

Good video.

[Kreed]

Great show, Edd has also worked on some of the Top Gear project cars like the double decker racing cars.

[Bigiggs]

Originally Posted by Bosozoku

Driving around with no body panels: fun.
Driving around with no body panels and no seats: insanely cool.

I actually saw a Z1 on the road once. In Monaco during the 1992 GP weekend.

Thats one trip thats on my bucket list. And you went during the Senna era! Omg im def jealous.

[EzequielR]

Originally Posted by Kwando

Very cool. It seems like the tall guy is doing 90% of the work though lol.

Haha, very true!

[ChrisMT79]

Originally Posted by Bosozoku

Driving around with no body panels: fun.
Driving around with no body panels and no seats: insanely cool.

I actually saw a Z1 on the road once. In Monaco during the 1992 GP weekend.

I would love to hear what else you saw on your Monaco trip.

[e92proper]

What's wrong with tattoo's OP damn?

[SCOTT26]

Ah yes the Z1 it was just finished when I joined the company in 1987.

[Dackelone]

Originally Posted by ChrisMT79

What an interesting door idea. The European Fiero (without the required fire extinguisher)
Would certainly prefer one of those over a Miata any day.

Here is how the doors work. I filmed this at the Techno Classica in Essen a few years back. The various different Z1 colors can be seen on the door...

[JerezblackM3]

What's the value of one of these cars nowadays?

[MalibuBimmer]

I love the show, too, even thought it unrealistically pretends that Edd is doing what could have been done by a backyard hobby mechanic, so his long hours on the project aren’t “counted” in determining whether there’s been a profit. And based on what I know of “reality television” (a lot) here’s what I think really happens.

What you see on TV:

Mike Brewer searches high and low for a car to restore. When he finds a likely candidate he drives it, listens to it, walks around it and then buys it.

What really happens:

The producers scout out a car and send expert mechanics for that car out to check it over high and low and determine exactly what is wrong with it and what needs to be fixed. And whether it can be done within a reasonable budget by Edd China and his staff. (Oh, yes, Edd’s “staff.”)

What you see on TV:

Mike negotiates a deal with the seller or seller’s representative, usually driving a hard bargain, but sometimes caving in.

What really happens:

The producers and the “seller” work out a deal ahead of time and the “negotiations” are scripted. When Mike “buys” a car the TV show already owns it.

What you see on TV:

Edd then works on the car, sometimes asking his buddy Paul to help, sometimes getting parts through Mike. And it’s just effortless. The work is done in no time.

What really happens:

The experts on the car tell Edd what has to be done. Paul does most of the work but Edd is there to take his cameos. True, Edd is a real and knowledgeable mechanic – and a world record holder of motorized furniture – but he’s far too big these days to do anything off camera. He piddles and fusses but others do the real work. And it often takes a long time to do, not the short period of time it seems from the one hour TV show.

What you see on TV:

Mike then advertises and eventually sells the car. He goes through negotiations in reverse with a prospective buyer, sometimes first with a lowball looky-loo and then a buyer.

What really happens:

A buyer is lined up and agrees on a purchase price with the producers ahead of time. The “negotiations” (such as they are) are entirely scripted. And often take many many takes.

What else you don’t see: A small army of cameramen, producers, script consultants, art directors, sound and boom operators, gaffers, lighting people and their assistants, are hidden behind the cameras.

Nevertheless, I do love the show.