One to Buy: ex-JMS Racing 1979 BMW E12 530i Gr.1B
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Although France was among the last major European nations to organise a national Touring Car championship, the Gallic series saw an explosion of interest during the mid-to-late 1970s when it adopted Group 1B regulations.
Effectively Group 1 on steroids, the French Group 1B rules enabled teams to run machinery with a little extra je ne sais quoi. To qualify, at least 5000 examples of a base car had to have been completed within a twelve months timeframe as per the FIA’s normal Group 1 category.
Thanks to its excellent handling dynamics, lusty straight six engine and almost perfect weight distribution, one of the most popular choices for the French Touring Car Championship’s premier over 2.5-litre class was BMW’s E12 530i.
On January 27th, among the most of famous of these ex-FTCC E12s will be going under the hammer at Artcurial’s sale in Paris: the JMS Racing example campaigned by Claude Ballot-Lena, Jean-Claude Andruet, Rene Metge and Jean-Louis Schlesser.
Established by Jean-Marc Smadja, JMS Racing quickly became one of Europe’s top preparation outfits, running cars for the likes of French Ferrari distributor Charles Pozzi (512 BB LM) and Henri Cachina (Porsche 935).
As for this scratch built 530i, it was campaigned in the French Touring Car Championship between 1979 and ‘82 with its best campaign having been the 1980 season when Claude Ballot-Lena bagged second in the FTCC standings. That year, Ballot-Lena and Andruet also drove the BMW to a third place finish in the Spa 24 Hours, a race the 530i contested on three occasions between 1979 and ‘81.
Following its successful Touring Car career, the BMW was hillclimbed by Didier Claudon.
More recently, in 2016 the car’s previous owner carried out a ground up restoration with the assistance of Jose Rocher who was involved in its original construction during 1979. The decision was made to put BMW back into its sensational red, white and black livery from 1980 when it was backed by French bearing supplier, ISO Roulements.
The BMW is currently fitted with a rebuilt 2.8-litre engine prepared by famed BMW tuner, Luigi Racing. A 3-litre engine prepared by Danielson is also included in the sale along with a substantial history file that details the car’s period competition record and its restoration.
