1973 BMW 3.0 CSi "Alpina" Renn- /Rallyefahrzeug at Theisen

Keshav

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Hi Michael,
In a nutshell, Alpina is to BMW what AMG is to MB. Top class tuners whose cars cost more than the the originals. And some of them cost many times that of an original, from Alpina to BMW. Alpina’s speciality till today is the drivetrain Upgrades which make their cars way more powerful than the original BMW cars.
Here are a couple of well known pics of a world class Alpina E9. The differences to the drivetrain are significant.

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Michael Kaye

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Hi Michael,
In a nutshell, Alpina is to BMW what AMG is to MB. Top class tuners whose cars cost more than the the originals. And some of them cost many times that of an original, from Alpina to BMW. Alpina’s speciality till today is the drivetrain Upgrades which make their cars way more powerful than the original BMW cars.
Here are a couple of well known pics of a world class Alpina E9. The differences to the drivetrain are significant.

View attachment 82711View attachment 82712View attachment 82713View attachment 82714

thanks Keshav.

Are there any official numbers of how many Alpina E9’s there are?

Were the changes always the same or are they all unique?
 

tferrer

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It's an Alpina clone. Nothing necessarily wrong with that as the asking price isnt crazy for a fully restored, race prepped car. Devils most definitely in the details as there aren't many of them on what's been done with the drivetrain.

Couple decisions I find interesting. The fuel cell is mounted awfully high, increasing the cg. The boot has pins but also a full lock and the hold mechanism? Required for regulations? What's that steering column?

I can see a lot of money spent though. This dealer is likely doing one of their customers a favor here. Their inventory is another class all together. Gorgeous selection.

That inka Alpina is amazing!
 

shanon

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Interesting build. Neat

Likely built to more of a rally/touring spec than a full track racer. The whole front section/A pillars are removable and has no dash/cross member/knee basher.. assemble cage for whatever the event spec needed.. hhmmm

its a CSi ...so was originally an injected motor.. if it's a historic rally/touring event car, injection eliminates the need to adjust carbs for altitude...big time saver for a historic multi day rally/fast tour (Historic Monaco, etc..)...you'd also appreciate the heater&defroster as you blow through the snow....

high mounted fuel saves butchering the trunk, keeps spare and some cargo room. if car still has the original gas tank, this would give it a fairly long range having dual tanks..

this build ticks a few boxes for me... multi purpose (rally, road/track), multi day, long distance event car
 

Markos

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I guess I am an exception, because I am
completely unimpressed. Does Group 1 allow for bolt-together roll cages? Looks like the bar is fully welded but the whole front cage secured to the bar via bolts. I don’t particularly care for the repro scheels either. It looks to me like a stripped down CSI with a bolt in cage, cheap seats, a poorly placed fuel cell, and little more.

I haven’t spent much time on it but I wouldn’t advertise it as an Alpina car.
 

mbmw

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There is nothing wrong with a properly designed roll cage which is bolt in. Even the M1 Procar came from the factory with a bolt in cage. It is important that it is attached properly, not just thru the sheet metal.
 

Markos

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There is nothing wrong with a properly designed roll cage which is bolt in. Even the M1 Procar came from the factory with a bolt in cage. It is important that it is attached properly, not just thru the sheet metal.

I think that the Procar statement could be misconstrued. The bulk of the upper M1 is a tube frame, and the procar had bolt-in crossbars, such as the door bars and the X brace above the motor. The stock M1 was still essentially a welded cage. Also, the bolt in pieces are connected to welded tabs. The bolt in cage above is a slip fit cage, like a bolt-together trampoline (but hopefully stronger). I admittedly don’t know how strong they are, and what the rules are on bolt-in cages. Personal bias, I generally view it as an after thought on a car that is purpose built for racing. I’m only an internet racer however.

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mbmw

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The above picture shows just the steel frame which is supporting the fiberglass panels. In addition to this there is a complete roll cage. Originally the cage was made out of aluminum but IMSA made us change the cage to a steel version in 1983 as the aluminum was not deemed strong enough.
 

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Markos

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The above picture shows just the steel frame which is supporting the fiberglass panels. In addition to this there is a complete roll cage. Originally the cage was made out of aluminum but IMSA made us change the cage to a steel version in 1983 as the aluminum was not deemed strong enough.

Very cool. Thanks for clarifying Markus! I’m guessing they tried aluminum first since the M1 was considered a little heavy. I’m at the peak of my M1 knowledge, which is almost nothing.
 
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