Description:

BMW 635CSi Group A Works-Built in 1983

Chassis RA1-08, privately run in the ETCC in 1983 & 1984. With Eggenberger support.

Fully restored and race ready for Peter Auto, Masters, Motor Racing Legends, Belcar Historic and more.

Entered into 7 races over the last few years at Silverstone, Donington, Assen and Zandvoort. Car is fully in date and ready to race after very comprehensive professional development over the last few years.

I have just had a very successful 2025 Silverstoen Festival, finishing 13th in the well-supported MRL HTCC race lined up against numerous Sierra Cosworths and E30 M3 2.5s amongst others. There are also brand new slicks fitted.   

Works in my ownership include: New ECU with new engine loom, reconditioned gearbox, new clutch, reconditioned LSD, reconditioned Bilstein dampers, new WOSP alternator, new oil cooler, properly set up rear suspension, new cell fuel tank, new fuel pumps, new seat and harness, new cooling fan, new brake master cylinders plus numerous debugging and improvements which now make the car reliable, competitive, ready to go and always an event- and crowd-favourite.

Dyno sheet from the rolling road after fitting the new ECU shows a peak power of 310hp at the flywheel with 99 octane fuel. We know that the engine’s compression ratio is such that this could be significantly improved if you choose to run high octane race fuel.

Current FIA HTP Passport.

Cosmetically in excellent condition as the car has only raced 7 times, all with no accidents, since its full restoration. It is the livery it carried at the 1983 ETCC Donington 500km.

History: This chassis was bought and prepared by Giuseppe Briozzo for use in Group A ETCC in 1983 and 1984. There was a pool of drivers (friends?) who raced with Briozzo with this car. The car was entered under both Italian and Swiss ‘flags’, many of the drivers were Swiss.

20.03.83 Monza 500km. #10 Quali 12th Placed 9th

10.04.83 Vallelunga 500km Quali 13th Placed 9th

01.05.83 Donington 500km #22 in the livery it now carries. Quali 12th DNF

15.05.83 Pergusa Quali 9th Placed 8th

22.05.83 Mugello Quali 9th DNF

12.06.83 Brno #21Quali 10th Placed 10th

26.06.83 Zeltweg Quali 9th DNF

11.09.83 Silverstone TT #12 Quali 27th Placed 21st

25.09.83 Zolder #12 entered but probably did not turn up!

In 1984 the ‘Briozzo team’ had more support from the Swiss Eggenberger team who also ran their own, very successful 635CSi race cars.

01.04.84 Monza #34 Quali 19th DNS/DNF?

08.04.84 Vallelunga Quali 20th Placed 14th

29.04.84 Donington #21 Entered but did not qualify

13.05.84 Pergusa Quali 13th DNF

10.06.84 Brno #9 Quali 18th Placed 15th

17.06.84 Zeltweg Quali 18th Placed 12th

01.07.84 Salzburgring Placed 15th

The team raced at the next event, the Silverstone TT, but I believe this may have been with a newer 635CSi from ‘Bavaria Automobiles’. The privateer Swiss/Italian team continued to race at many ETCC races through 1984, 1985 and 1986.

The car was subsequently occasionally used on Swiss hillclimbing events until it was bought and stored by an Italian businessman. It was then sold at the RM Sotheby’s Duemila Ruote auction in 2016. It was bought back to the UK and the buyer asked experienced BMW preparer Geoff Steele Racing to restore this important race car back to its Group A specification. The invoices in the history show that this restoration cost around £100,000 and was one of three 635CSi’s that Geoff Steele restored in this period.

I have had the privilege of owning and racing this wonderful 635 these last four years and it has been simply fabulous. It looks stunning, sounds superb and handles beautifully. The car is always very welcome at all historic events and generates interest wherever it enters. Racing at Silverstone Festival 2022 generated an article in Classic Car magazine, it has appeared in Top Gear, and there is always a wonderful reaction when we attend the major Historic GP weekends at Assen TT, Zandvoort and Donington. I have been brilliantly supported by Matt at Performance Assessments Ltd who has maintained and developed this car using his race experience, diligent engineering and research. His detailed invoices since the car has been in my care clearly show this.

Happy to chat further about the car and my experiences with it.

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