Originally Posted by
MasssiveLee
Nice to see an e24 going back to the track. I just see to few of them at track days. Except for Erik Brannfors' in Washington, I don't who else tracks/races one. I've been tempted for so many years to build one, but I am more a lightweight type of driver. 1969 2002 racecar and 1989 e30 M3.
Good work.
Lee
I like the fact that the car has a racing history, next car I build will be a batmobile, I am already looking for a 3.0cs sitting in a barn somewhere.
It is just fun to build a piece of history. Right now I am as competitive as a done up E30 325is (race prep).
I am still working on the suspension, removing the arms for rod eyes. The engine will be bumped to 350 -400 HP with a 15lb turbocharger.
Dave Read has a red M6 with a M30 turbocharged engine running around 400HP... and he can move that beast!!!
Driving a big car is different, but the E28 is well balanced, and people get a kick out of it when you show up at the track where they get used to the E30 M3... too many of them.
The 6er needs around 300+ HP to be competitive, else you might as well get a E30.
Some history:
The 635 CSi touring car was BMWs entrant in Group A touring car racing from 1983 until the introduction of the BMW M3 in 1986. Group A regulations replaced Group 2 as the main category for "modified touring cars" in 1982. Group A rules between 1982 and 1991 demanded that 5000 roadgoing versions of the car proposed for racing had to be built and sold to the public as part of the homologation process. Manufacturers were free to use any gearboxes and brakes from other cars in their range regardless of how many had been made and suspension systems could be modified as long as the mounting points to the body were unchanged. Engine modifications were limited and major parts such as the exhaust manifold and the engine block could not be modified.
In Group A touring car racing there were three main categories, Division 3 for cars over 2500cc, Division 2 for cars between 1600-2500 and Division 1 for cars under 1600cc. Turbo or supercharging was allowed, but there was a handicap on engine size for forced aspiration cars. A ratio of 1 litre to 1.4 litres was in force between 1982 and 1988, and 1 litre to 1.7 litres after 1988. Hence famous Group A cars such as Fords Sierra Cosworth had a 2 litre turbocharged engine whereas their main rival the BMW M3 had an un-turbocharged 2.3 and later a 2.5 litre unit.
This car was entered into the 1984 European Touring Car Championship by Team Schnitzer who ran BMWs factory effort that year. This is reflected by the "Original Teile" sponsorship scheme which advertises BMWs "Original Parts" operation. The front and rear ends of the car also have the BMW M-Sport colours (red, navy and light blue stripes) on them, further identifying it as a works machine.
In racing trim, the 3.5 litre straight six in this car produced around 360bhp and drove the rear wheels through a 5 speed gearbox.
Austrian driver and 1983 ETCC Champion Dieter Quester drove this car with German driver Hans Stuck Jr. for most of the 1984 ETCC season. The car to beat in 1984 was the TWR prepared Jaguar XJ-S which was considerably more powerful than the 635 CSi, but the BMWs managed to win a few races as they were lighter, more economical and more reliable than the Jaguars.
BMWs won 4 out of the 12 rounds of the 1984 ETCC, with Jaguar winning 7 rounds and Volvo winning once. Team Schnitzer won only once in 1984 at the final round at Mugello in Italy. Hans Stuck won the last race of the season driving with Italian driver Roberto Ravaglia and not Dieter Quester who drove another Team Schnitzer 635 CSi in the same race but did not finish due to a damaged oil sump.
'85 Euro 635csi Race Turbo, megasquirt, Group A
'92 525i Touring 5 speed, 3.46 diff, UUC 8.5lb flywheel, soon to be turbo.
'02 Subaru WRX Wagon with STI springs, bigger sway bars
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