Group A BMW 635 CSi - a popular, solid performer

[Steve Holmes]

Originally Posted by KA

I'm not sure I want to suggest this, but if #46 was the Group N car, then does that mean there may be an additional ex-Sytner Group A car (ie the second car built in 84) we still haven't accounted for?- and could this give any clue as to the identity of the car raced by the South Africans at the 85 TT?

In other words, what did Frank sell to NZ- 2x Group A cars as we originally thought, a Group A and a Group N (since rebuilt to GpA in NZ), or two x Group A, one of which had been rebuilt from a Group N car?

I have a photo of the Sytner/Morton car at Wellington in 1985. The car has 'Johnstone BMW' sponsorship down the side. Johnstone BMW are an Auckland (NZ) based BMW dealership. I also have a magazine article on a Group N BMW 635. In the article, the writer says the car was imported in 1985 by 'Johnson BMW'. I think this was a spelling error, and I think its supposed to read 'Johnstone BMW'.

Anyway, the article goes on to say the car is number 46 of 49 built by BMW in 1984, and that it went to Sytner. It also says its thought to be the only one of the batch built to Group N specs. It was apparently raced by Barry Williams, who crashed it heavily in testing, before it was rebuilt, and shipped to NZ in 1985. The Sytner Group A car first appeared at the January Wellington Street Race, so maybe they came out together.

The Group N car was never raced here, although that was the original intention. Instead, it was sold, and the new owner used it as a road car until 1997, when it was then rebuilt for the road racing endurance event Targa New Zealand.