BMW’s pre-war competition heritage was very much on display at Rally the Globe’s inaugural Vintage El Clavel, with Frazer Nash-BMW 328s taking the top two places overall after six demanding days across northern Spain.

The event brought together 32 pre-war cars for around 1,000 miles of spectacular driving, incorporating regularity sections and speed tests through the mountains, historic towns and coastal landscapes of north-western Spain.

At the centre of the action were the BMW-powered machines. Gavin and Diana Henderson claimed overall victory in their 1939 Frazer Nash-BMW 328, finishing ahead of Peter Kite and Pete Johnson in their 1937 Frazer Nash-BMW 328.

The result was particularly fitting for the Hendersons’ car, which has an impressive competition history stretching back to victory in the 1939 RAC Rally.

BMW representation extended further down the field. Irvine Laidlaw and Annabel Jones’ 1935 BMW 319 led the rally during the event before eventually finishing fifth, while a 1939 Frazer Nash-BMW 327/80 driven by Steve and Jenny Verrall finished sixth.

The final top six therefore included four BMW or Frazer Nash-BMW cars, underlining just how competitive these machines remain almost 90 years after they were built.

Top Six

1. Gavin & Diana Henderson – 1939 Frazer Nash-BMW 328
2. Peter Kite & Pete Johnson – 1937 Frazer Nash-BMW 328
3. Andrew Boland & Mark Bramall – 1934 Talbot AV105
4. Nigel & Sally Woof – 1930 Talbot AO75/90
5. Irvine Laidlaw & Annabel Jones – 1935 BMW 319
6. Steve & Jenny Verrall – 1939 Frazer Nash-BMW 327/80

For BMW enthusiasts, the standout result was unquestionably the 328 one-two finish. Nearly nine decades after these cars were built, two examples were still capable of leading a highly competitive international vintage rally from the front — a remarkable reminder of the engineering and motorsport pedigree behind the BMW 328.

With thanks to; https://rallytheglobe.com/rallies/vintage-el-clavel-2026/

Engine fully rebuilt including lead free conversion. Four speed original gearbox rebuilt, original kugelfisher fuel injection and standard induction set up. New brake discs, servos, brake and clutch cylinders.

Suspension overhauled, powder coated, re-bushed and new springs and shocks. Minilite alloys and new tyres.

LED bulbs, alarm/immobilizer and DAB Bluetooth Classic Car Stereo fitted, interior re-trimmed with new upholstery and carpets throughout including full Coco mats set with matching boot liner.

Car featured in Top Gear magazine article (issue 353) comparing it with a modern 128ti.

Offers over £30k considered. Interested? call Mark on 07715 463 700 or mtbrooks@hotmail.co.uk Car is currently located in Hertfordshire.

Exterior & Body
•       Finished in Polaris Silver
•       Fitted with full turbo body kit and period-style decals
•       Lightweight fibreglass bonnet and boot lid
•       15″ split-rim cross-spoke alloy wheels
•       Full underside restoration, engine bay and underside painted body colour

Interior
•       Fully stripped and weight-reduced cabin
•       Carbon fibre interior door cards
•       Motorsport racing seats
•       Sparco harnesses and belts
•       Turbo boost and oil pressure gauges
•       Rear seat delete with bespoke cover
•       RAID steering wheel

Safety
•       Full Safety Devices roll cage
•       Kill switch
•       MSA-compliant rear rain light

Engine & Performance
•       2.0L BMW 2002 Turbo engine
•       Hybrid turbocharger conversion
•       Approx. 270 bhp
•       Motec M800 electronic engine management system
•       Tim Jason Performance custom billet rocker cover
•       Fuel swirl pot

Transmission
•       Getrag 265 5-speed dog-leg gearbox
•       Short-shift mechanism

Cooling & Fuel System
•       Dorking Engineering 2002 Turbo radiator
•       Twin Kenlowe cooling fans
•       Intercooler system
•       Dual fuel pumps in boot
•       Mocal hoses throughout
•       New fuel lines

Ignition & Supporting Components
•       Magnecor competition ignition leads
•       New wiring loom and harness

Chassis & Braking
•       BMW 2002 Turbo Tarox grooved vented disc brakes
•       Tarox callipers
•       Bespoke Leda coilover suspension
•       Polybushed / rose jointed setup
•       All suspension components refurbished and powder coated
•       New brake lines
•       Custom front strut brace

•       All new ball joints, drop links, and bearings

Exhaust System
•       Simons Sport system BMW 2002 exhaust

Engine Details
•       Engine Number: 1257032 / 225

Registration
•       Reg: ULU 436 M
•       First Registered: 17th September 1973

Hervé Poulain came up with the idea of having a racing car designed by an artist in 1975 – but the first Art Car in automotive history was designed by the Ukrainian-French painter Sonia Delaunay-Terk as early as 1924: She painted an open Unic Tourer with abstract geometric elements, turning it into a rolling car sculpture.
Sonia Delaunay-Terk was born Sarah Ilinitchna Stern in 1885, adopted by her uncle in St. Petersburg, studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Karlsruhe and the Académie de la Palette art school in Paris, where she married Robert Delaunay in 1910 and developed simultaneism with squares and triangles with geometric abstraction. In 1964, she was the first living woman to have a solo retrospective dedicated to her at the Louvre in Paris, and shortly before her death, she became a member of the Legion of Honour in 1979.

The French Unic Type L2 with a 2.6-liter four-cylinder 9 HP, painted in 1924 in cubist style, was an open-top tourer in the brand’s taxi tradition and produced 18 hp – with a bore of 87 mm and a stroke of 110 mm. Today it stands next to a contemporary dress in the Spanish Museo del Automóvil y la Moda de Málaga (see KÜSMagazin No. 86, 01/2026).

Big Thank you to the Sponsors; Cotwolds BMW, Competition Classics, CS Coupes, Jaymic, Classic Bahnstormers

Saturday 8th August; started at the Farmers Dog, then onto Thorney Kelham one of the world’s top restoration companies. They don’t use replacement panels on their customers cars – they make everything by hand and their paint jobs are six-figures. Incredible.

Above: Jeremy Clarkson’s famous Farmers Dog pub.

Sunday 9th August;

Static show at the Fire Services College, Moreton-in-Marsh, with their own Motorway section.

It also has a Swedish „Vagnbok“ from the 70´s. The VIN of this 2002 ti race car is #1684101, so it is a proper 2002 ti.

The car has been completely restored and is ready to race. Raced in the 2022/2023/2024 Heritage Touring Cup (HTC) by Peter Auto and also in the FHR

Technical specification:

Engine

• brand new M10 1.990 ccm, built by Lindlmaier Motortechnik with 240 PS / 176 kw at 7.400 rpm and 252 Nm at 5.600 rpm. The dyno sheet is available.
• Alpina slide throttle and fully renovated Kugelfischer injection pump
• Alpina dry sump

Gearbox

• Getrag 235/8 with long 1st gear (5-speed race gearbox)

Body

• wide Group 2 fiberglas fenders front and rear
• fiberglass doors and bonnets
• FIA approved roll cage
• Öhlins shock absorbers
• different ZF limited slip differentials
• 100l – long range fuel cell

2002 ti Group 2 Race car – Car details | Springbok Sportwagen

Finished in the unmistakable Jägermeister livery a nod to one of motorsport’s most evocative sponsorship eras this 1973 example was subject to a comprehensive bare-shell rebuild between 2015 and 2018. The approach was exacting: a lightened and seam-welded shell forms the foundation, complemented by lightweight single-skin GRP panels including bonnet, boot lid, and the distinctive ‘pig cheek’ wings. The result is a car engineered not just for aesthetics, but for performance and durability in equal measure.

Above; Interesting double-Instrument pods

At its heart lies BMW’s venerable M10 engine, here developed into a mild competition specification producing circa 182bhp. Equipped with a 280/ 282 cam, uprated valvetrain, electronic ignition, and a modest overbore, it delivers strong, reliable performance with scope for further enhancement 210bhp comfortably within reach for those inclined. Supporting hardware is equally considered: an aluminium radiator, full stainless exhaust system, ARP fastenings, and a lightened M30 flywheel paired with an uprated clutch.

Power is delivered through a Getrag 260 gearbox to a 4. 10 limited-slip differential, offering the kind of immediacy and engagement that defines the very best historic competition machinery. The chassis has been set up with equal care, coilover adjustable dampers, quick rack steering, and a braking system comprising drilled discs all round with four-pot callipers—ensuring the car feels as capable as its specification suggests.

The stance is completed by custom staggered Minilite wheels 8Jx13” at the front and a purposeful 9” at the rear perfectly filling the arches and reinforcing the car’s competition intent.

Inside, the attention to detail continues. A full Safety Devices roll cage is integrated into a thoughtfully executed cockpit, centred around a custom flocked dashboard housing VDO instrumentation, twin Brantz rally trip meters, OMP intercom, and an array of period-correct timing devices including twin Omega stopwatches and a MIG fighter clock.

Crucially, beneath the surface, the car benefits from a completely new, full electrical loom, ensuring reliability and consistency, something so often overlooked in historic competition builds, yet absolutely essential for long-distance events.

A plumbed-in fire system and FIA-compliant foam-filled aluminium fuel tank—mounted low and forward for optimal weight distribution, underscore the car’s readiness for serious use.

Importantly, this is a car built with events such as the Tour Auto and Modena Cento Ore firmly in mind. As such, it strikes a rare balance, focused and capable, yet not so highly strung as to detract from enjoyment on the road. It remains eligible for FIA papers and a variety of historic racing series, offering versatility that is increasingly difficult to find.

With just circa 1, 764 miles covered since completion, including light use in European tarmac events, it presents as a well-developed and lightly exercised example. Naturally, following a period of dormancy, a prudent recommissioning and inspection would be advised prior to competitive use. Minor cosmetic and mechanical notes, such as a small manifold crack and an imperfection to the rear wing paint, are entirely in keeping with a car of this nature.

In essence, this is not a project, nor a half-finished idea. It is a thoughtfully executed, highly usable historic competition BMW equally suited to rally stages, endurance events, or fast road enjoyment.

And perhaps most importantly, it is a car that delivers exactly what the best of its kind always should: character, capability, and the unmistakable sense that it has been built to be driven.

1973 BMW 02 Series Blue Manual, 5 speed Right Hand Drive in United Kingdom – For Sale | Car & Classic

For NGK spark plugs:

• BP6ES
  • B = 14 mm thread
  • P = Projected insulator nose
  • 6 = Heat range
  • E = 19 mm thread reach
  • S = Standard copper centre electrode
• BPR6ES
  • Exactly the same plug except:
  • R = 5 kΩ internal resistor

The resistor is there to suppress electrical interference (radio noise) and also reduces electrical spikes that can upset electronic ignition systems and modern electronic devices.

Resistor plug vs resistor cap

You only need one source of resistance in the ignition circuit.

Typical combinations are:

Many people think using both resistor plugs and resistor caps is wrong, but BMW, Bosch and NGK have all used systems with approximately 10kΩ total suppression. The only downside is a very slightly reduced spark energy, although on a healthy ignition system it’s usually insignificant.

Electronic ignition

If your BMW 2002 has been converted to:

• 123 Ignition
• Pertronix
• Lumenition
• Electronic Bosch distributor

then BPR6ES is generally the better choice because it helps protect the electronics from ignition noise and reduces RF interference.

BMW 2002 Tii

For the mechanical fuel-injected Tii, NGK generally recommends: BPR6ES

This is the heat range that suits the higher compression and performance of the M10 Tii engine.

Carburettor 2002s

A standard carburettor BMW 2002 (1602, 1802, 2002) normally also uses: BPR6ES

The heat range isn’t determined by whether the engine has carburettors or fuel injection—it depends on combustion chamber temperature, compression ratio and intended use.

A BPR5ES is actually a hotter plug than a BPR6ES.

You might choose a BPR5ES if:

• the engine is mainly used for short journeys,
• it tends to foul plugs,
• it’s an older engine burning a little oil.

Many owners of low-compression 2002s find a BPR5ES works well, but it isn’t the standard recommendation for every carburettor car.

Heat range

NGK numbering works opposite to some manufacturers:

• BPR5ES = Hotter
• BPR6ES = Standard
• BPR7ES = Colder (competition, sustained high-speed use)

For your BMW 2002 Tii

If your car has:

• Electronic ignition
• Mechanical Kugelfischer fuel injection
• Normal UK road use

I’d stay with NGK BPR6ES gapped to around 0.7–0.8 mm (0.028–0.032″), depending on your ignition system manufacturer’s recommendation.

The old BP6ES plugs will still work if you have non-resistor caps, but unless you’re aiming for complete factory originality, I’d continue using the BPR6ES.

One additional point that often surprises classic BMW owners: if you’re experiencing misfires after fitting resistor plugs, it’s usually a sign that the ignition system (coil, leads, cap or rotor arm) needs attention rather than a problem with the plugs themselves. A healthy M10 ignition system should fire BPR6ES plugs without any difficulty.