One of the most significant racing machines in the history of motorsport has appeared on the horizon, which is about to change its owner. The auction house RM Sotheby's is putting a real treasure on wheels on the counter - the legendary BMW 635CSi from the golden era of Group A. The amount for which you can park this asphalt beast in your garage varies between a colossal 500,000 and 700,000 euros.
Designed under the chassis code name E24 RA2-79, the coupe was born from the joint efforts of the factory engineers in Munich and the absolute wizards from Schnitzer Motorsport. Only a dozen copies of this factory masterpiece were produced, which automatically makes it a "white swallow" for connoisseurs of high speeds.
The brightest triumph of this particular car is the memorable victory in the 24-hour marathon "24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps" in 1986. Then, starting from an unpretentious ninth position, the Bavarian car literally hid the hat of the competition in the face of Ford, Volvo and Rover, hammering the third and final nail in the coffin of the rivals for the 635CSi model on Belgian soil. That same season, the car climbed onto the podium three more times in the European Touring Car Championship (ETCC).
The list of pilots who turned the wheel of this icon looks like a real Hall of Fame. Greats such as Gerhard Berger, who later won 10 Formula 1 races, and Emanuele Pirro, who triumphed five times in the legendary endurance race at Le Mans, have passed through the cockpit. Along with them, Roberto Ravaglia, Dieter Koester, Otto Renzing, Thierry Tassen and Altfried Heger have left their mark on the history of the car. Owning a car driven by such titans is a real privilege.
After ending its active service for the factory team, the BMW 635CSi racing car is living a new life in prestigious private collections. Between 2017 and 2024, the Swiss experts at Graber Sportgarage subjected the car to a meticulous restoration to return it to full combat readiness for the track. As if that wasn't enough, at the end of last year, the Italian workshop Pastrolli Classic Cars carried out a complete engine overhaul and installed a completely new clutch. All this pleasure cost the previous owner over 250,000 euros, but the result is dizzying - the car shines in its original livery, original BMW parts and recently demonstrated top form during the historic Spa Classic and Monza Revival races.
The new proud owner will not just receive a pile of precious iron. The future buyer will also get his hands on the entire written heritage of the car. The package includes an official historical technical passport from the FIA, authentic archival documents directly from Schnitzer Motorsport, engineering notes with the settings from the races and a thick folder with invoices for every cent invested in the restoration.