
Werks BMW Motorsport GmbH team entry into the 1994 British Touring Car Championships, operated by the Schnitzer Motorsport Team on behalf of Motorsport GmbH
Campaigned with success in the 1994 BTCC by the legendary ’Smokin’ Joachim Winkelhock and teammate Steve Soper, Winner of the 1994 Asia Pacific Touring Car Championship (APTCC), winning both Macau Grand Prix races
BMW has a historic and highly successful legacy woven into the fabric of touring car racing and throughout the decades its machines have dominated on race tracks the world over; from its inception the legendary E9 CSL ‘Batmobile’ in 1972 that took over the mantle from the dominant Ford Capri to win six European Touring Car Championships between 1973 and 1979 and the E24 635 CSi (successor to the CSL) that called the shots in the first half of the 1980s with ETCC Championship wins in 1981, 1983 and 1986
Never one to rest on their laurels, the latter part of the 1980s saw the meteoric impact of the BMW E30 M3, widely considered the most successful touring car in history, with over 1500 race victories and 50 international titles between 1987 and 1993. In the 1990’s, the category of touring car racing underwent a period of greatly increased interest from the public, culminating in the golden age of the FIA Class 2 ’Super Tourers’
Closely resembling their road going counterparts, the regulations dictated that cars be of four doors, no more than 4.2 meters in length and powered by motors of six cylinders or less. Enter the E36 BMW 318i. Conforming to the new FIA ’Super Tourer’ framework of rules and vaunting the now legendary S14 2-litre engine
This four cylinder DOHC design was based on the M10 block utilised in the M1 and had showed itself to be bullet proof in the E30, with what was essentially a shortened S38 cylinder head. Featuring dual injection per cylinder, individual throttle bodies, dry-sump lubrication and a carbon fibre airbox. The rear axle featured a unique design engineered by McLaren which utilized inboard bell crank suspension in order to supply maximum wheel angle and grip
Reigning champions BMW retained Joachim Winkelhock and Steve Soper for 1994 and would again be managed by Schnitzer Motorsport. Having ruled the roost throughout 1993, BMW were faced with tough new competition in the shape of Gabriele Tarquini in the new Alfa Romeo 155 and fans can’t forget Tom Walkinshaw making a comeback with the Volvo 850 Estate, driven by 1988 Le Mans winner Jan Lammers and Swedish Formula Three racer Rick Rydell
Ford were looking to build on their late 1993 success with Paul Radisich and Andy Rouse, while Toyota added Tim Sugden to their 1993 drivers Will Hoy and Julian Bailey. Ray Mallock ran Jeff Allam and John Cleland in the Vauxhall and Renault retained drivers Alain Menu and Tim Harvey
Chassis CL2-098, although initially conceived as a spare car and culminated in being the machine in which ’Smokin’ Jo Winkelhock drove to multiple victories in the 1994 BTCC as well as an occasional appearance from team-mate Steve Soper. Success for the 1994 season was hard fought with Tarquini in the Alfa winning the first 5 races on the trot, it was tougher for Winkelhock; a third at the first round, a win at his eighth outing and then a string of memorable victories in rounds 15/16/17, with Winkelhock finishing 6th overall in the championship and Soper 7th
CL2-098 that same year participated and won in the 1994 Asia Pacific Touring Car Championships (APTCC), winning both Macau Grand Prix rounds, one of the Wellington rounds and finishing on the podium in both races at Fuji. In 1995 the car returned to BMW and was then sold to AM Holzer where it was driven by Alex Gaggi in the 1995 SuperTourenWagen Cup (STW) participating in 20 races that season. In 2008 and 2009 the car was raced in the Campeonato de Canarias de Turismo de Velocidad in the Canary Islands by Roberto Lopez, winning the title and would remain there for the 2011 season where it was raced by Juan Francisco Alonso
Later repatriated to the UK following its acquisition by the leading authority in BMW Motorsport cars who treated the car to a sympathetic restoration in 2018, returning it to the original FINA livery in which it presents today
The current owner has continued to maintain and improve the E36 with replacment fuel system and fuel lines as well as the wiring looms, for safety and reliability’s sake. The 2 Litre S14 engine was rebuilt and runs beautifully, limited to 8500 rpm for longevity’s sake and the 6-speed sequential Holinger Z gearbox and magnesium cased ‘reverse running’ 3.91 differential operate perfectly with fresh ’shift cut’ switches in place as part of the wiring refresh as well as brand new SCS ECU, new fire system, Recaro seat and Sabelt belts
The focus of all the restoration works undertaken in recent years has been to retain as much originality as possible and it should be noted that the chassis is still as it was when raced and although tidied up, is still in excellent and original condition and has not undergone a full restoration
Chassis CL2-098 is now ready to race or demonstrate and would be an ideal candidate for the British CTCRC Supertourer Series or the German ‘old-timer’ reunions among other popular meetings showcasing these epic machines. The early to mid 1990’s will forever remain a golden era in the epoch of touring car racing and the E36 is now emerging from the shadows of its older sibling the E30 in stamping its own mark as a successful and collectable race car from that era.
Dylan Miles Ltd is delighted to announce that CL2- 098 has been invited to participate in the 2026 Goodwood Members Meeting with a demonstration run as part of their Supertourer celebrations. A unique opportunity to acquire one of the most historically significant and iconic touring cars from the glory days of the Supertourer era, driven by two of the greatest drivers of our time