BMW M3 (E30) Group N Racing Car, 1988
BMW 3 Series II (E30)
BMW 3 Series II (E30)•
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Chassis No.: WBSAK010202190474
Estimate: £60,000 - £80,000 GBP
- Delivered new in Italy
- Originally road-registered
- Converted to Group N racing specification in the mid-2000s
- Raced exclusively in Italy
- Maintained by Roberto Restelli of Alfa Delta
- New FIA HTP applied for
There had been expensive, limited edition M-Series models before the M3 but it was the latter that brought BMW's premier performance brand within the reach of less wealthy enthusiasts. The M3 resulted from BMW's need for a car suitable for Group A racing. By this time (the early 1980s) BMW's single-overhead-cam slant-four engine would have been hopelessly outclassed on the racetrack so the required power increase was achieved by bolting on a 16-valve cylinder head. Bored out to 93.4mm, the Bosch fuel-injected M3 motor displaced 2,302cc and produced a class-leading 200bhp.
Although it looked pretty much like a standard E30 3-Series from a distance, the M3 shared only the bonnet with its less-exotic sibling. Necessary chassis improvements included lowered and stiffened suspension, wider wheels, five-stud hubs, ventilated front brake discs, ABS and a limited-slip differential. The gearbox was a five-speed close-ratio Getrag. The M3 debuted at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 1985 with deliveries of this exclusively left-hand drive model commencing a little over one year later.
This BMW M3 from the model's iconic first series was delivered via the Lodi (in Northern Italy) based BMW dealer Fratelli Carteni and registered in Crema in the province of Cremona on 22nd January 1988. The accompanying original service book records five services when the car was still road registered, the last one at 88,275 kilometres.
Subsequently the BMW was transformed in a Group N competition saloon, with the first ACI/CSAI passport dating from 2008. This passport records six races in the period 2008-2010, mainly in Varano but also at Adria and Imola. The car was then sold to the current vendor, a very well respected collector and amateur racer in Northern Italy.
In 2013, an FIA HTP was issued for the car by the Italian ACI/CSAI for Period J2. The owner subsequently campaigned the car in numerous races, always in his native Italy, the last recorded race being at Mugello on 4th/5th September 2015 as part of the Campionato Italiano Autostoriche, where he finished 1st in class. While in his care the BMW has always been looked after by Roberto Restelli of Alfa Delta in Marnate near Varese in Northern Italy, who had rebuild the engine in 2015, after which the the car was only campaigned in two more races. As the previous FIA HTP has expired, a new passport has been applied for and will be forwarded to the next custodian.
This stunning M3 is offered with a copy of its old Certificato di Proprietà, the aforementioned old racing passports and the original service book and operation manual, plus two folders with related documentation pertaining.
