1982 | BMW 528i Group A

1982 BMW E28 528i 'Eggenberger' Competition

Going into the 1982 season, BMW was faced with the new Group A regulations for Touring Cars. These stipulated that in order for a model to be homologated at least 5,000 examples had to be produced in one year. Originally developed under the Group 2 regulations, the 635 CSi was BMW's Touring Car of choice in 1981. As the German manufacturer was sure, the luxury two-door coupe would never pass the Group A homologation requirements, the latest 528i was earmarked for the European Touring Car Championship instead.

Together with specialists Eggenberger, BMW developed a kit that converted a standard, road-going E28 5-Series into a Group A Touring Car. The new regulations included a sliding scale of minimum and maximum tyre width based on the engine size, to balance performance. Accordingly, the 528i was stripped from the all the unnecessary components to bring it down to the 1,035 kg weight limit for its displacement bracket. The fuel-injected straight six engine was carefully tuned to produce close to 240 bhp compared to the 180 bhp by the production engine.

While BMW's 528i complied with the letter and the spirit of the regulations, at least one of its rivals was more controversial; the Tom Walkinshaw Racing developed Jaguar XJ-S. Powered by a big V12 engine, this Coupe was similar in many ways to the 635 CSi, BMW was convinced could not be homologated. Fortunately for BMW, it was still early days in the development of the XJ-S, and while it proved quick over a single lap, it was not nearly as reliable as the 528i.

Leading the charge for BMW in 1982 European Touring Car Championship was the two-car BMW Italia effort, which had direct support from Eggenberger. The #1 car piloted by Umberto Grano and Helmut Kelleners dominated the opening rounds of the championship, winning the first five races in a row. Although they did not score another victory, they were crowned champions ahead of Walkinshaw himself. A sister BMW 528i also won the blue ribband Spa 24 Hours race, which was now part of the ETCC.

It is understood that BMW and Eggenberger produced 20 examples of the 528i Group A car. Taking a page out of TWR's book, BMW switched to the 635 CSi and once again beat the Jaguars in 1983. In an era dominated by two-door Touring Cars, the four-door formed an evocative exception.

The price for one of these cars was 100.000 DM (German Mark) in 1982.

This historic BMW 528i saloon was prepared for competition purposes in 1982 by the Swiss engineer, Rudi Eggenberger.

In 1985, painted in white with Team Hoyoux Racing and sponsored by „mini.flat performance courier“ and starting from 27th place on the grid, this BMW 528i was a participant in the Spa-Francorchamps 24-hour endurance race. In total, the car participated four times in that event it is believed, and when its racing career was over was left laid up in a garage in Stavelot.

Around 1998 the last owner bought the car in the Francorchamps region as a restoration project but remaining in good condition, complete with roll cage, running gear, etc. It is believed that the car had not run since 1987. He contacted Mr Eggenberger, who was able to confirm its origins (see above) although no documentation is available.

A complete painstaking restoration was undertaken to return the car to its former glory, during the course of which the engine was fully rebuilt and re-installed. The preparation is the same as in period we’re advised by the preparer. This no-expense-spared restoration was completed in 2020. It is estimated that over €116,000 was spent.

Prior to the 6-series E24 no chassis numbers were given to Eggenberger's 528i E28 race cars, they were identified through a body number with E28 RA pre-fix. The example offered here is known as E28 RA03 but not stamped. During the restoration it was found the car had been red/orange before, ultimately the famous Bastos livery was chosen by last owner, although the car did not race with this in period. The last owner has confirmed that the car did not need a new body and therefore was not re-shelled when bought and restored by him, though a new (welded) roll cage has been installed, because the old build in period was in aluminium at that tome and is not legal for racing anymore.

The car comes with restoration photographs and sundry invoices for work carried out.

Perfect chance to own one of the rarest BMW Group A car ever and the first of the legendary BMW Group A cars!

Big fun to drive, easy in handling and service even if it's a real Group A car!

Legal for in Peter Auto Heritage Touring Cup (HTC) and other series like DTM Classic Cup (former Tourenwagen Classics), Tourenwagen Legenden, HTTC and many more series….