Eggenberger's Rainbow Warrior
This magnificent BMW CSI Group A was produced by BMW between 1983 and 1986. Adorned in its famous rainbow livery, it competed in the European Touring Car Championship (ETCC) under the banner of the Eggenberger team. However, in the 1985 season, Eggenberger switched to the new Volvo 245 and BMW Italia set up its own team to keep on competing in the ETCC. Back then, Italy was BMW's second most important market after Germany, and the BMW Italia team (which later became 'Cibiemme) proved itself to be a strong contender on the touring stage in the 1980s and 1990s.
The BMW Italia racer, sporting the same livery, continued to take centre stage in the ETCC in 1985 and 1986. It was eventually sold to an Italian amateur racing driver, Guido Davieri, where it got to compete again as part of the ‘Jolly Club’ team. He competed in the Monza ETCC and in the Italy Touring Car Championship behind the wheel of this and he took home three trophies.
It is one of the two cars prepared and used by the Eggenberger team for BMW Italia. With its 330bhp and evo specs, it was constantly in the lead in the 1984 ETCC Gianfranco Brancatelli and Helmut Kelleners's Italian-German team finished in fourth place behind Walkinshaw and Heyer's Jaguar and Rinaldo Drovandi's Alfa Romeo, winner of the division 2. The team's greatest achievements were their overall wins at Silverstone and Nürburgring, and second place finish in Monza.
Artcurial will be offering this 1984 BMW 635 CSI Group A at their upcoming Rétromobile Sale in Paris on the 8th February. For more information on this and other vehicles at the sale, click on the link below. Photos: © Artcurial.