Last update: October 10, 2024
Schnitzer has been a racing team since 1967 and mainly raced BMW’s. The team often represented the BMW factory as official works team, but before that, they were privateers that developed a range of turbocharged cars on their own.
1976 DRM Championship, BMW 2002 Tii. We start this blog with a normally aspirated BMW 2002 Tii in the last year that the group 2 regulations applied in the DRM. Battle in division II was going on between Ford and BMW for some years now. The Zakspeed Escorts were favourite thanks to their 16 valve engines. The BMW 2002 were less powerful but had independent rear axle which gave them better traction. Albrecht Krebs was one of the fastest BMW drivers in his Schnitzer 2002.
#55 Albrecht Krebs (D) – 11th championship / 5th in division II
Schnitzer BMW 2002 Tii (E10) – 2.0 liter BMW M10 straight-4, approx. 250 hp. Dunlop tires. Weight 880 kg. Steel monocoque, chassisnr. unknown
- SPARK Raceland Special RS1410 #266 / 300 pcs (resin)
1977 DRM Championship. The new group 5 regulations gave an impulse to the DRM championship. BMW developed a kit for the new BMW 320i that was used by the factory team that was formed by young talents Winkelhock, Surer and Cheever. Also privateer teams from Faltz-Alpina, GS Tuning and Heidegger used the normally aspirated 320i. Arch rival Ford was represented by Zakspeed and Grab.
1977 DRM Championship, BMW 2002 turbo. Schnitzer followed a different way, they took the older 2002 chassis and mounted a 1.4 liter turbo engine. It was far more powerful than the normally aspirated competition, but also very hard to drive. But on the Norisring with its few corners and long straights it was competitive. Rally ace Walter Röhrl even lead the race for a while until he retired with a broken rear axle.
#6 Walter Rörhl (D) – DNF
Schnitzer BMW 2002 turbo (E10) – 1.4 liter BMW M12/12 straight-4 turbo, approx. 380 hp. Dunlop tires. Weight 800 kg. Steel monocoque, chassisnr. unknown
- SPARK SG038 #608 / 1000 pcs (resin)
1977 DRM Championship, BMW 2002 turbo. Austrian Harald Ertl drove the first two races of the season, in other events he competed in the Division I Toyota. Peter Hennige won at Kassel-Calden and Klaus Ludwig took victory in the Supersprint at the Nürburgring.
#7 Harald Ertl (A)
Schnitzer BMW 2002 turbo (E10) – 1.4 liter BMW M12/12 straight-4 turbo, approx. 380 hp. Dunlop tires. Weight 800 kg. Steel monocoque, chassisnr. unknown
- SPARK SG042 #322 / 750 pcs (resin)
1977 Kyalami 1000km, BMW 2002 turbo. Several DRM teams including Schnitzer competed in the Kyalami 1000 km race after their European season had ended. Harald Ertl and Klaus Ludwig took pole-position in the Schnitzer car but retired with an electrical failure. Victory went to Hans Heyer and Jody Scheckter in a Mampe Zakspeed Escort, also a DRM car.
#6 Harald Ertl (A) / Klaus Ludwig (D) – DNF
Schnitzer BMW 2002 turbo (E10) – 1.4 liter BMW M12/12 straight-4 turbo, approx. 380 hp. Dunlop tires. Weight 800 kg. Steel monocoque, chassisnr. unknown
- SPARK SG271 #282 / 500 pcs (resin)
1978 DRM Norisring, BMW 2002 turbo. Privateer Sepp Manhalter races BMWs, often one- or two-year-old models. This is one of the 1.4 liter turbo cars that were developed by Schnitzer for the 1977 DRM season and used by Manhalter in the 1978 Norisring race but without great success, he finished 9th.
#65 Sepp Manhalter (A) – 9th
Schnitzer BMW 2002 turbo (E10) – 1.4 liter BMW M12/12 straight-4 turbo, approx. 380 hp. Dunlop tires. Weight 800 kg. Steel monocoque, chassisnr. unknown
- SPARK Raceland Specials RS1603 #063 / 300 pcs (resin)
Switch to the 320 (E21)
1978 DRM Championship, BMW 320 turbo. For 1978 Schnitzer switched from the 2002 to a 320 chassis and maintained the turbo engine. It was a good move, as the bearded Austrian Harald Ertl won the title in division II.
#55 Harald Ertl (A) – 1st
Schnitzer BMW 320 turbo (E21) – 1.4 liter BMW M12/12 straight-4 turbo, approx. 400 hp. Dunlop tires. Weight 775 kg. Steel monocoque, chassisnr. unknown
- SPARK Raceland Specials RS1601 #? / 400 pcs (resin)
1979 DRM Championship, BMW 320 turbo. Manfred Winkelhock drove the Schnitzer prepared BMW 320 turbo that was piloted by Ertl last year. He won the race at Norisring but in general got beaten by the faster Zakspeed Capri which were much more aerodynamic. S
#4 Manfred Winkelhock (D) – 1st Norisring
Schnitzer BMW 320 turbo (E21) – 1.4 liter BMW M12/12 straight-4 turbo, approx. 400 hp. Dunlop tires. Weight 775 kg. Steel monocoque, chassisnr. unknown
- SPARK Raceland Special RS1505 #021 / 400 pcs (resin)
Schnitzer built an extremely low version of the 320 turbo which Manfred used at the end of the season at the Nürburgring.
#4 Manfred Winkelhock (D) – Nürburgring
Schnitzer BMW 320 turbo (E21) – 1.4 liter BMW M12/12 straight-4 turbo, approx. 400 hp. Dunlop tires. Weight 775 kg. Aluminum space frame, chassisnr. unknown
- SPARK Raceland Special RS1506 #339 / 400 pcs (resin)
1980 DRM Championship, BMW 320 turbo. During the 1979 DRM season, Schnitzer built a very extreme 320 turbo with much improved aerodynamics and low point of gravity. They changed it slightly when Hans Joachim Stuck piloted the car in 1980. His aim was to beat the Zakspeed Capri’s and he did. But he finished second in the championship behind Hans Heyer, the man that had developed the Capri and now drove an ex-works Lancia Beta Montecarlo. This BMW model is from the Norisring where Stuck finished second.
#55 Hans Joachim Stuck (D) – 2nd
Schnitzer BMW 320 turbo (E21) – 1.4 liter BMW M12/12 straight-4 turbo, approx. 400 hp. Dunlop tires. Weight 775 kg. Aluminum space frame, chassisnr. unknown
- SPARK Raceland Specials RS1502 #010 / 400 pcs (resin)
The second car was for Swiss driver Walter Brun who finished 3rd in that same race.
#56 Walter Brun (CH) – 3rd
Schnitzer BMW 320 turbo (E21) – 1.4 liter BMW M12/12 straight-4 turbo, approx. 400 hp. Aluminum space frame, chassisnr. unknown
- SPARK Raceland Specials RS1608 #141 / 300 pcs (resin)
1981 DRM Championship, BMW M1 turbo & 320 turbo. Hans J. Stuck drove in the mighty BMW M1 turbo in division I this year. He won the races at the Norisring and Salzburgring with it but also retired a lot.
#51 Hans Joachim Stuck (D) – 1st Norisring
BMW M1 turbo (E26) – 3.5 liter BMW M88/2 straight-6 turbo, approx. 800 hp. Dunlop tires. Weight 1020 kg. Steel space frame, chassisnr. unknown
At Hockenheim, the M1 gave troubles again. In order to score points for the championship, last year’s division II 320 turbo was put in the game. In the end it didn’t bring anything, because Stuck retired.
#7 Hans Joachim Stuck (D) – DNF
Schnitzer BMW 320 turbo (E21) – 1.4 liter BMW M12/12 straight-4 turbo, approx. 400 hp. Dunlop tires. Weight 775 kg. Aluminum space frame, chassisnr. unknown
- SPARK SG014 #093 / 750 pcs (resin)
- SPARK Raceland Specials RS1738 #094 / 300 pcs (resin)
1981 Guia race Macau, BMW 320. For the Guia race in Macau, Manfred Winkelhock returned to the Schnitzer team and drove the BMW 320 which now had a normally aspirated engine to match local regulations. He had not much competition and won with a margin of almost 2 minutes.
#1 Manfred Winkelhock (D) – 1st
Schnitzer BMW 320 (E21) – 2.0 liter BMW M10 straight-4, approx. 305 hp. Dunlop tires. Weight 775 kg. Aluminum space frame, chassisnr. unknown
- SPARK SA103 #268 / 500 pcs (resin)
Schnitzer Toyota
1977 DRM Championship, Toyota Celica turbo. In 1977 Schnitzer not only raced their turbo BMWs in division II of the DRM. They also tried to compete with the almighty Porsche 935s in division I. Not with a BMW – which would have been the easiest choice I guess – but with Toyota. In 1977 Harald Ertl tried his luck with the turbo-charged flame spitting Celica GT.
#56 Harald Ertl (A)
Schnitzer Toyota Celica GT Liftback (RA28) turbo – 2.1 liter Toyota 18R-G straight-4 turbo, approx. 560 hp. Dunlop tires. Weight 860 kg. Steel monocoque, chassisnr. unknown
1978 DRM Championship, Toyota Celica turbo. In 1978, which should have been a better season, reigning DRM champion Rolf Stommelen didn’t score a single point …
#1 Rolf Stommelen (D) – 0 points
Schnitzer Toyota Celica GT Liftback (RA28) turbo – 2.1 liter Toyota 18R-G straight-4 turbo, approx. 560 hp. Dunlop tires. Weight 860 kg. Steel monocoque, chassisnr. unknown
- EBBRO 43259 & 43260 (diecast)
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