SEPTEMBER 2017 77Words: Elizabeth de Latour Photos: Elizabeth de Latour and Santa Pod
Without doubt the largest gathering of BMWs in the country,
the Santa Pod BMW Show never fails to impress.S A N TA P O D
BMW SHOW
W
hen it comes to sheer
scale, Santa Pod’s BMW
Show is without a
doubt the UK’s largest
gathering of BMWs
and for devoted fans of the blue and
white roundel it’s always an awesome
day out that really provides something for
everyone. With the Show Paddock hosting
the Autoglym Show & Shine competition,
club stands and general displays, there
are so many cars on show that you will
spend a happy few hours just wandering
around in awe trying to take it all in.
There is also always plenty of automotiveaction throughout the day, with the drag
strip open for run what ya brung racing
all day long, runs by professional drag
racers in full-on machines and of course
the Fireforce jet funny car, drift passenger
rides and a handling track for those who
want to show off their driving skills and
their cars’ handling prowess.
The cars taking to the strip were as
varied as the mind-boggling array of
different machinery on static display,
and there were some seriously quick
BMs running on the day. The fastest 1
Series was Karl Barber’s M140i, which ran
11.9877 at 115.8mph, while the fastest 3Series, and fastest four-wheeled BMW on
the day, was Jack O’Connor’s 335i which
scorched down the quarter mile in 11.7550
seconds at 127.74mph. Hugh Cooliran had
brought along his F01 760Li, not a car
you’d ever expect to see on a drag strip,
but the twin-turbo V12 beast ran a 12.7710
at 112.50mph, though Barry Barber’s i8
was even more impressive with a 12.7074
second pass at 113.21mph. Meanwhile,
the fastest BMW on the handling circuit
belonged to Alex Gassman, who romped
around the twisting layout in just 22.65
seconds in his E36.
The cars that had entered the AutoglymAnthony Wilson’s seriously
nice Sakhir M4 CabThe Fireforce jet car always impressesPBMW217.santa_pod_show.ed2.indd 77 07/08/2017 08:37