Brian Chatfield's BMW's.

[driftwood]

i did call Jorg O when i thought the car MIGHT be his car but the problem with these older german guys is they never call or email you back !

i am hoping that now we have a young enthusiastic german following the gp 5 bmw cars he can dig deep and become my hero

[kurtiejjj]

Let me suggest another old german guy; Rainer Braun has been a motorsport journalist for years and has been doing a lot of articles for Dunlop Germany about many 70s german racing drivers, also the more obscure. Perhaps he can help you getting into contact with Fischer. Look here for an address: http://www.hallo-fahrerlager.de/v2/h...php?inhalt=imp

[driftwood]

Danke! but no email contact data on this link

[kurtiejjj]

Schauen Sie mal: info@hallo-fahrerlager.de

[driftwood]

Danke merci molte grazie!!

[bigears]

Is there any way to contact Brian Chatfield?

I would like to ask him some questions about his 1987 ModSaloon race at the Birmingham Superprix.

[KA]

Originally Posted by KA

Pretty sure I've got pics of at least one Chatfield BMW at an early '90's Brands Thundersaloon round- I'll scan and post as soon as I can find them

Finally tracked this down- early 90's Thundersaloon race at Brands (sorry, don't have the precise date as I've lost the programme for this one- a pity as I've posted pics from this meeting in other threads...). I'm assuming this is one of Brian Chatfield's cars- I don't recall any other 320s in Thundersaloons around this time...

[driftwood]

the car might be Andreas car as he is Silkolene Greece agent
He came over did some UK races in a bmw with Brian and he may have used his own car

[Alex E]

I am sure that is not one of Chatfields 320`s as both of the car he had were using the other type os rear spoiler. As Driftwood said also the Silkolene decals suggest it is not also. Although it is a long way to bring a car (from Greece..) to do a few races when Chatfield owned 2 320`s ?
Alex

[KA]

Thanks Alex- Thinking about it, I have a vague feeling Chatfield may have been driving something else at that meeting anyway, but unfortunately I don't have the programme (or even the date- all I recall is that it's early 90's...) to confirm it.

[driftwood]

it would not surprise me if Andreas dragged his car here it is not that difficult for him to ship a car here as he was sending Silkolene stuff back
or he had bought the car here and then sent it to Greece after he raced in uk Thundersaloon events
His car was for sale i do not know if he sold it not spoken to him for a long time

[ian beckett]

I think this is the Greek owned car,it certainly matches the pictures I have of the car in terms of bodywork and rear wing plus the black painted panel under the front grille.He had the car for sale a few years ago claiming it to be ex '76 Faltz(the car was not homolgated until '77) and to have been driven by Jody Scheckter(he never drove a 320!) for the ridiculous price of £200,000!The car was pictured in white with BMW stripes as the factory cars were and with Silkolene sponsorship(never happened in real life!) but that is now explained if the Greek guy was the importer of Silkolene products to his country.He was also the greek BMW importer at the time he acquired the car!The photos all showed the car outside a London garage! I do know that he shared a 320 with Chatfield at a few races here in England. Ian.

[KA]

Originally Posted by ian beckett

I think this is the Greek owned car,it certainly matches the pictures I have of the car in terms of bodywork and rear wing plus the black painted panel under the front grille.He had the car for sale a few years ago claiming it to be ex '76 Faltz(the car was not homolgated until '77) and to have been driven by Jody Scheckter(he never drove a 320!) for the ridiculous price of £200,000!The car was pictured in white with BMW stripes as the factory cars were and with Silkolene sponsorship(never happened in real life!) but that is now explained if the Greek guy was the importer of Silkolene products to his country.He was also the greek BMW importer at the time he acquired the car!The photos all showed the car outside a London garage! I do know that he shared a 320 with Chatfield at a few races here in England. Ian.

Thanks Ian- I vaguely remember him sharing a car with Chatfield in Thundersaloons from time to time, but it hadn't occurred to me that he also ran his own car in the series. Thinking about it, I reckon both cars might have turned up at the occasional race as well?

I was looking through some old Thundersaloon pics last night, but don't seem to have any more of either car.

[driftwood]

the car in fotos for sale is outside his garage in rhodes ive been there car was in cellar with f1 tyrrell

[ian beckett]

You are quite right,a lapse of memory there! The car does appear to be in Greece,far too sunny for London! The advert can be found by typing BMW 320 Group 5 into google and at present it is the second item down.In the only photo of the car racing if you enlarge it you can see Greek lettering at the top of the door. I wonder where the car is now because I cannot imagine him selling it at £200,000 and with a dodgy history in the advert? Ian.

[ian beckett]

Hello everyone,I am bouncing this one one back in the hope of stirring memories! Anything more out there?? Ian.

[driftwood]

what do u wanna know?
he had the car off Tyack that Tom w had

i will mail u now a foto o have of the car he had the ex cheever car now rebuilt in corrcet livery and off to teh owner have pics of that as well

[G.Walker]

Big Ears - You can contact him but you will need to make an appointment

http://www.palestineherald.com/local...293153546.html

[carrera]

AFAIK Brian ran 2 of his own 320s in Thundersaloons (modsaloon and a Group 5) usually with Dave (Lawrence or Streather).

In 1989 Andreas brought over his ex Junior Team car which was run and co-driven by Brian. It was sponsored by C.A.I.R and Silkolene. It even appeared on the front cover of Rolling Thunder magazine. (The complete set of Rolling Thunder is available on disc).

[driftwood]

andreas never had junior car if you believe what AH has to say then I am a monkies uncle
he told me his car was jody sheckters car and Jody NEVER drove 320!

[Alex E]

I am sure the 320 in Greece had no European history. I have a letter from Rudiger Faltz (sadly no longer with us...) stating that at the end of the `77 season he advertised the 3 x 320`s he ran during that season and sold them all. Then had someone from Greece interested in a 320, he told me that he built a car from all of the spares with a new body & sent the car to Greece. So when it arrived it was basically a new, unused car.
Alex.

[KA]

From a recent Thundersaloon thread on the Autosport Nostalgia forum, a couple of Chatfield BMWs have turned up:

According to the original TNF posts by 'La Sarthe': Castle Combe 1985- an early Thundersaloon race. The BMW was apparently to be shared with Bill Griffin, but broke during qualifying- Chatfield substituting one of his Capris for the race
http://i495.photobucket.com/albums/r...saloons002.jpg

Castle Combe 1989- Chatfield shared 2 BMWs in the race- #65 with Andras Halkiopoulos and #67 with D. Lawrence

presumably #65 (2nd row behind the Carlton & RX7)
http://i495.photobucket.com/albums/r...saloons012.jpg

#67
http://i495.photobucket.com/albums/r...saloons014.jpg

plus aparently a third BMW present- possibly entered in the Combe GT race?
http://i495.photobucket.com/albums/r...saloons011.jpg

[stuart thompson]

Pretty sure the white silkoline car was owned by Andreas Halkiopolous