Group A BMW 635 CSi - a popular, solid performer

[Gerard Hodges]

john, it is an id plate on the rf inner gaurd or shock tower.
Gerry.

[vap]

Hello guys,does anyone have any info on E24 RA2-75 I just bought the car and am looking for all the info I can get like who built it bmw motorsport or schnitzer of ?or what team it went to first Thanks for any help guys

[KA]

Somewhere back in the earlier pages of the thread, there are basic details for quite a few chassis numbers- I think RA2-75 was listed as a Schnitzer car

[David Towe]

Originally Posted by KA

Somewhere back in the earlier pages of the thread, there are basic details for quite a few chassis numbers- I think RA2-75 was listed as a Schnitzer car

Essential 6 Series Enthusiasts Guide anyone???? I can't find mine, I think it went with RA 2-44 when I sold it.

[John Turner]

Unfortunately, Walton only goes up to RA2-49 (see my post #21). Alex has amended/corrected this, at post #46 and Ian Beckett (where are you, Ian?) mentions RA2-75 at post#71.

Alex, without wishing to sound a nag (I know that I am, though!) any chance of that list that you mentioned compiling, in your posts #123 & 161. It doesn't have to be definitive or 100%. Where you don't know about a particular chassis, just list it with a ? against it. That's half the fun; trying to fill in the gaps! I also think it would clarify where we are with all these cars, so far, because so much has come out so far on this great thread!

[ian beckett]

Hi John,I am still here in North Staffordshire,having recently decided to leave my career behind!! I am wondering just how I managed to get anything done regarding my hobbies when I was working full time! I can't find enough time now to do all the things I promised I would do!! I have it on good authority that chassis E24 RA-75 was the car which Schnitzer ran in '85 in M-Technic colours and was sold at the end of the season to Garage du Bac in France ,presumably to be raced by them in initially metallic blue and later with red lower bodywork addedwith sponsorship from Trio Stereo.I do not know what became of the car afterwards but a number of 635's were raced in the French Supertourisme series often driven by amateurs and many had extra wings,air dams and so on added due to the freer regulations in France(it was not a Group A series).I hope this is of some help to its new owner who will keep us posted as to his plans for the car. All for the time being...Ian.

[Adrian B]

David, I didn't get the book, only some pages copied. You must still have it.

[vap]

can anyone tell me if any of the group A 635 had slightly flared fenders ,my car chassis 075 has flared fenders in steel front and rear in steel and they are stamped in 1 piece no weldinding or hamering there are no seams to be fund anywhere

[KA]

Originally Posted by vap

can anyone tell me if any of the group A 635 had slightly flared fenders ,my car chassis 075 has flared fenders in steel front and rear in steel and they are stamped in 1 piece no weldinding or hamering there are no seams to be fund anywhere

No idea, but it would be certainly interesting to know some history of your car..... Somewhere back in the thread 075 is listed as possibly a 1985/6 Schnitzer ETC car?

[KA]

An interesting 635 currently on the market- in the classifieds in this month's Classic & Sportscar mag there's advert for a car described as ex-Stuck 84 DTM in Jagermeister colours.

Also, French dealer Florent Moulin currently have this listed on their website

http://www.florentmoulin.com/fiche.php?num=100&langue=2

From info on racingsportscars.com, it looks as if it could be 051, ex-Bavaria Automobiles
http://www.racingsportscars.com/etcc...-07-29-018.jpg

[KA]

Originally Posted by KA

No idea, but it would be certainly interesting to know some history of your car..... Somewhere back in the thread 075 is listed as possibly a 1985/6 Schnitzer ETC car?

....and, yes, I really should have read what was posted a few posts back before asking that question....

[johnh875]

Here are a couple of photos of an Australian Group C JPS car at the historic meeting at Sandown last November. I haven't read through all the posts in the thread to know what chassis number it has, I suppose either A, B or C (as mentioned by Ian Beckett in post #66)

[racer69]

That is the first one built by JPS Team BMW for the 1981 Better Brakes Touring Car Series at Amaroo Park, driven Allan Grice. This was the car that caused alot of controversy in the series, with the organisers (ARDC) upping the capacity limit of the series from 3 to 3.5 litres to accomodate the BMW entry. It was also driven to second place in the 1981 ATCC round at Sandown.

At Bathurst it was driven by Grice & David Hobbs

After Grice was sacked, Jim Richards was hired and drove the car at various points during the year, until a new car was built, with Stephen Brook & Denny Hulme driving it at Sandown & Bathurst in 1982. I don't beleive the car was run by the team again.

[vap]

thanks i'm trying so get a history together,from what i've learned is it was built by schnitzer and then went to france ,then spain and the last 6 tears it was in gran canaria

[KA]

Can anyone shed any more light on these?- found on a Portuguese racing sims forum- drivers/teams and years are as given there, and as far as I can see there doesn't appear to be any more detail, unless it's elsewhere in the thread....:

Manuel Fernandes 1985:
http://img278.imageshack.us/my.php?image=manel85gp3.jpg
Any idea of the black/white no 45 car behind it?

Manuel Fernandes 1986- I've seen this pic before, as it's on Frank de Jong's site, copyright Joao Abreu
http://img413.imageshack.us/my.php?image=manel86hj6.jpg
the same car as in the 85 pic?, or did Fernandes have more than one?- somewhere back in the thread, chassis RA050 is mentioned as his? The only other chassis number mentioned with Portuguese history is RA054, owned by Robert Giannone, and destroyed by fire at Estoril in 85

Sidonio Cabanelas 1985
http://img148.imageshack.us/my.php?i...banelashg4.jpg

Barbosa Barroso 1990- one of a series of stills taken from a video, there also other pics showing a Cosworth and a couple of Citroen BXs- the event looks like a hillclimb?
http://img157.imageshack.us/my.php?i...arroso4tb6.jpg

Theres also this shot of a Marlboro-liveried car- one of the Schnitzer cars at Macau 84?
http://img92.imageshack.us/my.php?image=635csiag4.jpg

[chunterer]

Originally Posted by KA

Theres also this shot of a Marlboro-liveried car- one of the Schnitzer cars at Macau 84?
http://img92.imageshack.us/my.php?image=635csiag4.jpg

Yes KA, I'm reasonably confident that is at Macau. There were 2 entered by Schnitzer, one for Ravaglia and one for Stuck and they were up against 2 XJS's in JPS livery IIRC? a couple of Ovlov 240T's, 2 Starions ('Brode' and Bartlett) and a host of rather knackered Capri's and Corollas!

[ian beckett]

The Manuel Fernandes car was bought from Schnitzer and is chassis number 50,he won the championship in 1985 and raced it in the new red colours in 1986;he ran it in 1987 and 1988;the car was hired by two Brazilians for the '88 Estoril ETCC race.No details of what became of the car. Cabanelas won the 1984 Portugese group A series and rather dramatically survived an attempted assassination,but no other information, so this photo was a joy!! The black/white car was ex Schnitzer number 54 owned initially by Carlos Rodrigues and later by Roberto Giannone who raced it in the Portugese Group A seies and in the ETCC and hillclimbs.He raced the car at the 1987 Macau Guia race.It later was black with two broad white stripes down the centre.To KA can you provide the forum where you found these photos? Thanks Ian.

[KA]

Originally Posted by ian beckett

.To KA can you provide the forum where you found these photos? Thanks Ian.

The Portuguese 635 pics came from here- there's one on the first page, the rest are around page 6 or so

http://www.simracingportugal.net/ind...showtopic=2066

[KA]

Originally Posted by ian beckett

The black/white car was ex Schnitzer number 54 owned initially by Carlos Rodrigues and later by Roberto Giannone who raced it in the Portugese Group A seies and in the ETCC and hillclimbs.He raced the car at the 1987 Macau Guia race.It later was black with two broad white stripes down the centre.

Ian- I've been trying to put together a list based on the info in this thread, and putting in the details of the Portuguese cars I've hit on a query- earlier in the thread, you listed 054 as
#54,1984 built for Portugese customer Robert Giannone and destroyed in fire at Estoril'85

Going on what you posted above, did Giannone have more than one car, the first destroyed by fire at Estoril and then replaced by an ex-Carlos Rodrigues car, or was there just one car- 054- which he bought from Rodrigues?

Thanks

[KA]

Some more pics on here, including the Cabanelas and Rodrigues cars...
http://www.automodelista.org/topic3299.html

[ian beckett]

Many thanks KA,two brilliant forums which have yielded some excellent photos which will help me enormously,any more gems? I will spend a little time overnight to try to unravel the Portugese cars a little more.Thanks once again,Ian.

[Gerard Hodges]

I can confirm that the Marlboro car #1 was Hans Stuck in Macau 1984.Car # 2 was Dieter Quester. We also ran the ex Schnitzer 635 for Kent Baigent at the same event. We were running 3rd behind the 2 JPS Jaguars (Tom Walkinshaw & Hans Heyer) & in front of the 2 Marlboro cars, unfortunately, Kent clipped a kerb & broke the right front strut. The Jags finished 1st & 2nd followed by the 2 Marlboro Schnitzer cars.

[chunterer]

Cheers for that Gerard, hadn't realised Kent Baigent was in that race, or that he did so well by sounds of it?

Thanks also to KA and ian for adding further impetus to the thread, it really would be nice to have some kind idea as to how the chassis history chronology is looking as things stand.

[David Towe]

It would, can I suggest that it takes the form of,

Chassis no.
driver name,
sponsor name,
year.

Anyone elses thoughts??

[ian beckett]

Here is the first installment on the 635 in Portugal.I didn't know what I was letting myself in for!! Using the new info' I gained from the pictures on the forums suggested by KA,the situation is more complicated than I thought. There are certainly more cars involved than I had believed but as ever with changing colours/sponsors and owners it is difficult to be certain of the full backgrounds.Having checked my notes and race reports from the time they were active,this is what I believe.The first car is relatively easy and this is that belonging to Manuel Fernandes who kindly wrote to me back in '85.He bought chassis #50 via Baviera,the Portugese BMW importer,perhaps through Vilauto,a Toyota dealer which I think he must have been a director of ?The car was brand new and was Schnitzer built.He used the car in the '85 Portugese Touring car series and was champion.As a reward he co-drove Dieter Quester in the second Schnitzer car in the Estoril ETCC race,they retired.I originally had believed that his car was hired for this race by Jose Peres/Joaquim Moutinho#19 who came 7th but there is a glimpse of a white Baviera car in Autosports race report which throws doubt on this because throughout the year the car was dark green with silver and yellow stripes and was backed by Brut 33.Surely it would not have been resprayed for just one event? In '86,the car was now red with white striping and backed by Traffic clothing.At the '86 Estoril ETCC race,Fernandes/Joaquim Moutinho#20 retired.Fernandes retained the car for 1987/8/9 .At the Estoril ETCC race in 1987 he and Ni Amorim were 12th.At the Estoril 1988 race it was leased to Brazilians Sergio and Ricardo Burger plus Silva who crashed in the race and retired.Fernandes himself used the car mainly in hillclimbs.For its1988 events it was now bright red and backed by Mustang clothing.I have no idea what became of the car after 1989 but I suspect it would have passed to other local racers for Portugese club events? End of chapter 1!! More to follow after a lie down!!Being a sucker for punishment does anyone else have any useful sites where more info' can be found? The ones suggested by KA a couple of days ago have really rejuvenated my efforts!Ian.