For Sale: Ex-Alpina Works 1969 BMW 2800CS
Image via William I’Anson
This Alpina 3.0 CSL Group 2-upgraded ex-Alpina Works 1969 BMW 2800CS recently enjoyed a sympathetic restoration to stunning original condition. Featuring an impressive history, it’s in race-ready condition and is up for sale at William I’Anson.
The car, chassis 2201659, began its life as a Tundra Metallic Green BMW 2800CS in May of 1969.
It immediately got its feet wet in motorsport when BMW loaned it to Alpina for the 1969 Spa 24 Hours. Alpina removed the bumpers and added a side exit exhaust and spot lights, but otherwise left it largely as it came from the factory. It was driven by Helmet Kelleners and Nicolas Koob, who finished an impressive ninth overall.
Alpina then bought the car from BMW, developing it more significantly for racing. The motor was bored out to just shy of three litres, triple Weber DCOE side draught carburettors were fitted and racing fuel tanks, roll cage and Scheel bucket seats were installed. It also received Alpina’s satin black and Colorado orange livery, as well as bubble arches to fit wide split rim wheels.
In 1970 2201659 raced in the European Touring Car Championship and Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft, in which Alpina featured as BMW’s lead representatives. The car took its first win at the Salzburgring, driven by Soler-Roig, who also claimed pole position and fastest lap in the car. It was the first time that a BMW CS would win a European Championship race.
Half-way through 1970 the car was sold to Manfred Weissman Racing Team Speyer, for Reinhard Stenzel to race in DRM. He would win the ADAC Rheinhessen Bergrennen hillclimb not long after taking over the seat. Stenzel would win again a few weeks later, claiming the 2000cc victory in the Südwestpokal at Hockenheim.
Swiss racer Rene Herzog hired the car for the last round of the Swiss Championship late in 1970 at Hockenheim, which saw him have an off that left it a little battle scarred. Following this the car was sold to BMW Denmark, who planned for for Jens Winther to race it the following year in the Danish Touring Car Championship.
His debut in the car unfortunately saw him retire from the Jyllands Ringen after issues with an oil filter. Winther improved in the first round of the Danish Championship, held at Djursland in June, finishing second. He followed that up at the DARM Flugplatzrennen Diepholz round, taking another second behind Jochen Mass in the under 3000cc class. Another second at the Ring Djursland Grand Prix put Winther and 2201659 first in the championship standings.
Two class wins would follow, at the Hella Grand Prix at the Jyllands Ringen and the Rind Djursland for the Bilstein Cup. Second in the final round of the Danish Championship saw Winther clinch the title.
Winther was on board 2201659 again in 1972, when, although unsuccessful in his title defense, he still claimed an impressive second place.
In 1973 the car was sold to Tuisku Urpiala in Sweden for racing in the 1974 season. At this point it was taken to a bare shell and fitted with wider Alpina Group 2 arches and bumped up to Group 2 3.0 CSL spec with a 3.5-litre Alpina engine. The pair would eventually finish second in the 1974 Finnish Championship.
Following the season, Urpiala sent the motor to Alpina, who rebuilt it and upgraded it to then-current specification. Urpiala continued racing 2201659 in 1975, this time going one better to claim victory in the championship.
Urpiala sold the car in 1976 to ‘Kumi’ Kalle Mäkelä, who gave it a works BMW Motorsport livery and raced it through to 1978, developing it further to Group 5 specification along the way. Mäkelä would sell it back to Urpiala not long after, although at this point its period career had come to a close and it spent a quarter-century tucked away in his garage.
In 2002 it was sold to Casey Almström in Sweden. Almström invested significant effort into researching the car to produce a comprehensive history of the car, which he would sell to Alex Elliot in 2006. Elliot sent it to England before selling it on to Roger Wills, who in turn sold it to the current owner.
The car then received an impressive and sympathetic restoration to its 1974-1976 Group 2 3.0 CSL specification. Parts were left original and rebuilt or restored wherever possible in order to preserve the car’s originality. As part of the restoration the original 3.5-litre Alpina motor was sent to a BMW racing expert, who set aside the head and block to preserve them and built out the rest of the engine with new parts. The car received an FIA HTP late last year, making it ready to race.
This magic little BMW has enjoyed a truly mighty motorsport career, and is in stunningly original, race-ready condition. It’ll get you into all manner of historic racing, and should be a lot of fun in doing so.
For the full details head to William I’Anson’s website here.
Image via William I’Anson
