Competition car Unregsitered

Body n° 35863173 FFSA n° 15470

- 1986 BMW France team official car

- Won at Nogaro with Olivier Grouillard

- Superbly unspoilt, never competed since 1986

- Mechanically restored

 

This authentic racing machine comes from the BMW M5, model derived from the M535i and the one that BMW had fitted with the fantastic M1’s six-cylinder 3.5L engine.

In 1986, BMW France decided to take part in the Production French Championship and, with this objective in mind, had three cars prepared at Oreca. With a reinforced bodywork provided by BMW Motorsport, the car is fitted with polyester openings (except for the front left door, mandatorily in steel) and a minimalist interior layout. To tackle the amount of excessive weight towards the front, several components are installed at the rear (fuel and oil tanks, oil pumps…). The engine was prepared by Pipo; it features a dry sump system and is equipped with a Kugelfischer mechanical fuel injection system. It produces approximately 430 horsepower.

All three cars are entrusted to Bernard Beguin, Marc Sourd and Olivier Grouillard. It is the one driven by the latter that we are offering here. The racing driver from Toulouse starts the season well with a victory at Nogaro, but persisting issues with the car (lack of drivability) disrupt its success. Grouillard still manages to come third in Pau and to finally finish seventh in the championship, ahead of his two teammates.

 

In 1987, the current owner and reputable collector of BMW racing automobiles managed to buy this car from BMW France which stopped participating in the championship that same year. Since then, he has carried out a complete mechanical restoration but carefully maintained the bodywork’s original condition, just like the way it looked at the time with its stickers and aerodynamic appendices. All in all, this car equipped with a fabulous engine, only competed in the thirteen races of the championship and has never been severely damaged. It has never taken part in a racing event after that. It has only been driven a few laps on the Croix-en-Ternois circuit a few years ago. Sold with a technical inspection report and in need of servicing, it represents a rare opportunity to acquire an authentic BMW race car, perfectly preserved, as if it had just come off the track.

 

 

 Photos © Nino Hamet