1964 BMW 1800 Ti (TiSa)
Ex-Dieter Quester/Rauno Aaltonen, BMW Scuderia Baveria
overview
Having started his relationship with BMW way back in 1966 aboard an 1800 TiSa, long time BMW works driver Dieter Quester was an obvious choice for the brand’s semi-official entry to the thriving FIA Historic Touring Car championship of the 1990s.
In addition to driving duties, Quester and his own Scuderia Bavaria team would be responsible for the preparation of the squad’s four BMW 1800 Ti’s, each built to full Ti/Sa racing specification.
Chassis 980348 was one of these four cars and would be shared by Quester and Finnish rallying legend, Rauno Aaltonen - a world-class driver pairing who steered the car to multiple successes, including victory at Silverstone.
A sister car to that raced contemporarily by Jackie Oliver and Richard Shaw of Laranca Engineering, it later went on to enjoy a second successful chapter of historic racing in the hands of renowned and respected historic racers, Olly and Graham Bryant who, in their most recent U2TC outing at Donington in 2017, secured two class wins and were the highest placing BMW.
Suitable for the St. Mary’s Trophy at Goodwood, this car offers one of the most affordable ways onto a Revival Meeting grid while also being eligible for U2TC, Masters Pre-66 Touring cars and many more touring car series.
Available today in race-ready condition*, accompanied by valid HTP papers, some spares, and benefiting from a recently rebuilt engine, gearbox and differential. Considerable technical development has been invested in this car, particularly with regards to the engine which is of high specification and produces approximately 190bhp.
MODEL HISTORY
BMW 1800 Ti/SA 'homologation specials' were campaigned successfully by the works team in the mid-1960s. Built to meet the then current touring car race regulations, the limited edition 1800Ti/SA (Sonderausführung – special edition) came with a 130bhp engine (20bhp more powerful than that of the stock 1800TI) incorporating a counter-weighted crankshaft, larger valves, competition camshaft and two twin-choke Weber carburettors. There was also a five-speed gearbox, the latter relatively rare on road cars at the time. The running gear was up-rated appropriately to cope with the increased performance, featuring larger front hubs and bearings, larger brake discs, stiffer anti-roll bars and quicker steering. Tested by Auto, Motor und Sport magazine in 1964, a BMW 1800 Ti/SA achieved a top speed of 192km/h (119mph) a quite exceptional figure for an under 2-litre saloon. Intended to raise BMW's international sporting profile, the 1800Ti/SA succeeded brilliantly; Hubert Hahne won the German national championship in 1964 and with co-driver Rauno Aaltonen disputed the lead of the Spa 24-Hour race with a Mercedes-Benz 300SE, eventually finishing second. BMW went one better the following year when Pascal Ickx and Gerald Langlois' 1800Ti/SA secured the first of the Munich manufacturer's string of victories in this prestigious event. The roll call of Ti/SA drivers also includes Dieter Glemser, Josef Schnitzer (Schnitzer Motorsport), Willy Mairesse, Jacky Ickx, Dieter Quester, Freddy Kottulinsky, Gijs van Lennep, Helmut Kelleners, Clemens Schickentanz and Wim Loos, among others.
Advisories*Please note that the seat belts, fire extinguisher and fuel tank certifications have expired and require renewal
Sam Says“Oliver Bryant and his father Graham are usually to be found atop one podium or another and are well known and respected in historic racing circles. Their cars are exceptionally prepared and their performances with this one show that it remains a competitive proposition, in the face of highly developed Lotus Cortinas, Alfa GTAs and such like. Unlikely to challenge the most advanced of these cars on raw pace, a well driven TiSa can certainly hold its own and one with special history such as this is likely to stand out with organisers of the most sought after grids. As with any aging warrior, this touring car wears its battle scars with pride, but underneath the skin the mechanical preparation is visibly exceptional.”
VIDEO Ride onboard with Olly Bryant, on his way to another class win.
Dieter Quester and Rauno Aaltonen take victory at Silverstone.
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EnquireImages: Tim Scott