BMW Group Classic is doing more to help out loyal fans of the both the BMW and Mini marques. How? They've just set up a Motorsport division with the intent of helping racers of vintage Bavarian greatness (and Minis,too).
Assistance will come in the form of "advice on servicing and repair,...parts procurement, [and] complete restoration", all backed by BMW know-how.
Friedrich Nohl, head of BMW Classic's Motorsport division, justifies the creation of Classic M by saying, "Anyone who owns a high-performance car like [racers from the 1960s, 70s and 80s] will also want to drive it." Agreed. But how good is their work going to be?
See for yourself. As automotive representatives, Classic M is going to have both a 1964 Mini Cooper S Mk 1 and BMW 1602 Touring on display. Nohl says, "Both will be rebuilt from the ground up."
While the Mini is going to be converted for circuit duty, the 1602 Touring has an established racing background.
Here's an excerpt from the press release, just to get you drooling over some vintage BMW racers:
"In the summer of 1961, BMW launched the 700 Sport as the first postwar car intended for motor racing. With its 40 hp this 640 kg flyweight outstripped the competition in its sports class right from the start. In the very first year the German Circuit Championship and the Rally and Touring Car Championship went to the "Little Fury", as the public christened it. In the same era, the Mini made an indelible mark on the history of rallying: its overall victory in the 1964 Monte Carlo Rally is the stuff of legend.
The 1970s were dominated by the 3.0 CSL dream coupé, which became the most successful tourer of its era. Between 1973 and 1979 it won the European Championship six times and dominated the international touring car racing scene for the best part of a decade. At the end of its career, as a turbo coupé, it had an impressive power output of up to 800 hp and, on account of its extravagant set of spoilers, went down in history as the "Batmobile".
The 1980s are symbolised by the BMW M3, born in 1986. Right from the start the racer made a clean sweep of victories, trophies and titles: in 1987 it won the World Touring Car Championship – the first and only world title ever awarded in this vehicle category. In the following five years the M3 was undisputed leader of the touring car racing scene. With several European touring car championships, a second win in the German Touring Car Championship (DTM) as well as a fistful of other victories and championships at international level, it became the most successful tourer of all. "
By Phil Alex
