We had our Sierra Buttes Tour and Poker Run on July 29^th.  There were about 17 cars that made the trip into the Sierra foothills and ended up at the Longboard Bar & Grill for lunch.  John English came out with the winning poker hand to bring home the coveted gift basket.  Thank you once again to Sharon and Andy Goodrich for organizing this exciting driving event.

The other event was the Fourth Annual Family Picnic. This year we decided to add a Show and Shine with radio controlled car races. This was hosted by Pat and Joann McGoff and Mart Jama. The event was well attended by thirty-six family members at the ArrowCreek Clubhouse. Besides a fabulous bar-be-que, first Show and Shine had eighteen entries. This was a great success with many trophies and awards given out. (see event article) We had mostly BMW, s in the lineup plus two MB SL’s and one lonely Subaru. I’m looking forward to a bigger and better event next year. Come out and enjoy the fun.

– Ron Nicasio, President

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Highlights
My first flight into South Vietnam we overflew a little civilian French airport on the coast that had a short little runway with asphalt potholes and a low power radio station.  10 years later I made an emergency landing there and it was called DaNang!
I delivered the first RF-4 into Continental Europe direct from St Louis, MO.  What great fun!

I always loved BMWs.
In Europe had an 1800 TI.  We could take a week end drive to the Nurburgring for a day of fun driving for just few coins.  Not like today!!!)
When we lived in Honolulu, I had the first 2002 (what) in the state.  We would put all the surfboards on top rack and spend weekends on beach in the surf with kids and wife.   Wonderful!
Today I have collection of classic BMWs.  I call them “Cars with History!!
E-24 M6: early Dinan mod car and is in final step of restoration.
E-34 M5: Personal import from Germany final production of hand built M5 Europe version.
E-39 M5: daily driver.
Alpina B12 6.0: this is the only one in US, a personal import from Spain.

E-31 850CSi: another personal import from Germany. BMW Individual Shop with customizing by Alpina factory.

Aston Martin DB7: this was first year of production for the V12 convertible.
E-36/8 Z3/M Roadster: this has been customized into auto cross special.
E-34 M5: Barn Find, for sale, this was the first E-34 M5 factory demonstrator on West Coast.

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In the mid-1980s BMW built a one-off car using parts from their sports/racing cars, their mid-sized sedans and their luxury 6 series coupe.  They showed it at the European car show and it was an immediate success.  They made it into the E-28 M5 hand built production Uber super sports sedan and it was an instant classic success!

When BMW continued into the E-34 production they continued the M5 hand built model Uber super sports sedan.  They sent the first West Coast car to their San Francisco office where it was used as the demonstrator for the West Coast.  When the model was continued the next year they sold the first car to a doctor in Marin County, Cal.

The Doctor eventually sold it to Jim Goodfellow and he later sold it to a friend in Carson City.  During a routine service a mechanic forgot to refill transmission with fluid and subsequent driving ruined the transmission.  A replacement was fitted but Jim’s friend became ill and which caused him to finally store it.  When he died the M5 became part of the estate and it has been parked for several years.

Jim is now the current owner again, the car is running; Reno Rennsports has inspected it and can tell anyone about the car.

If you are interested in owning an “M” classic with history you can contact Jim at 775-750-7098 or Reno Rennsports at 775-997-8164.

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He was born in Kalamazoo, MI. His family migrated to California when he was 10, and he spent much of his time in Southern California before coming to Reno over 35 yrs ago. Fred spent 4 years in the Air Force. Soon after marriage, came the kids and all the responsibilities that come with fatherhood. While working full time for Douglas Aircraft Company he started collage at 29 years old and earned a BA degree in psychology from Cal State Long Beach. He went to work as the Assistant Director of the Orange County Employee Assistance Network, OCEAN. In this position he worked with several large companies, counseling their troubled employees who were about to be terminated.  During this time he was able to earn a MA in Management and Business Administration from the University of Redlands. And after a few more years, he received a PhD in Management and Human Behavior from University of California, Irvine.

The year was 1979 and this became a new chapter in his family lives. They moved to Reno and found that despite his education and experience, he was blackballed from any position in Reno. Back then Reno was still a small good old boy town. He had done picture framing as a hobby for years, and his wife Cherie was an art consultant. They now turned their skills into a successful business selling art and doing custom picture framing at Vision Quest Arts. Even though he has now officially “retired”, he still operates Vision Quest Arts from his home on a part-time basis. His work adorns the walls at several businesses and homes in Reno and board room across the U.S. and even the White House under President Reagan.

He and his present wife Karen have been married close to 13 years. Between them have 7 children, 14 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren. Karen is an avid doll collector and has over 2500 dolls on display in their home. Fred has built several doll houses for her and they have been featured in national magazines.

He is a man of much education and many talents. Now he spends several hours working on his and his wife’s BMW’s. They both have 1999 BMW’s. Her favorite is a 323i convertible which was purchased to match his convertible. Well that lasted for a while, but his as totaled by the insurance company. Not to be discouraged he bought another, but this one is a 1999 328ci M-Sport Convertible. Another hobby that he loves and like all older BMW’s is a money pit. BMW’s are fun to drive and a challenge to work on. They both love the companionship and the friends that they have made with members of the Sierra Chapter of the BMW CCA. We hope to meet you at the next event.

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The Sierra Chapters 4th annual summer picnic was held on August 12th at the ArrowCreek Residence Club. The day turned out to be a perfect day for a picnic. Mart Jaama held a “Show & Shine” in the Club parking lot. A big thank you to Mart for making some great trophies to pass out to three lucky winners. I and new member Mark Hannon did the grilling duties. We had awesome hamburgers, hot dogs and sausage provided by the club. Members brought side dishes to compliment the main meal. There was plenty of food to go around for everyone. We were able to use the indoor residence club to dine although picnic tables were also provided outside with umbrellas.

We had 18 member cars show up for the event, 15 BMWs, two classic MB SL’s and a Subaru. De Sharp brought his beautiful M4, which did win one of the Show and Shine trophies, the People’s Choice award. Sharon Goodrich had her blue M228 on hand and it also won a trophy, the brightest award. Pat & Joann’s 2018 440i convertible won the Cutest Car award. There was a BMW hubcap award given to the Subaru owners. Plus there were another gifts and gag items given out. It was a great idea to have a show and shine with the picnic. Mart also invited members to bring remote control cars to the picnic. Ron Nicasio brought his to challenge Marts remote car. Maybe next year we can get more cars to show up and race. This event is a lot of fun and we hope that members will put it on their calendars for next year!!

Pat and Mart

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