Prince Leopold of Bavaria in Australia 30 years ago
Prince Leopold of Bavaria remembers the good old days in the BMW 635 CSi Coupé all too fondly. His most vivid memory is of his stint with Denny Hulme in Bathurst (Australia) in 1984. When asked about the craziest race track of all those still driven today, the Nordschleife and Bathurst should actually be mentioned in the same breath - for "Poldi" a combination of circuit and hill climb in one.
Poldi had barely arrived in Australia 30 years ago when he sat in the car and drove the first practice session. Completely exhausted from the flight and the time difference, he soon crashed into the wall in the "Ascension curve" and caused the mechanics a long night.
Thank goodness the on-board camera, which was installed in one of the headlights, remained intact, as it was one of the first ever at the time and the whole thing was a pioneering pilot project.
A helicopter accompanied the BMW along the entire route and was able to operate the windshield wiper in front of the headlight lens by radio to give the camera a clear view again. It was also possible to contact the driver from the helicopter. Poldi: "Back then, this was completely new territory for you as a driver, when a helicopter suddenly appears while you are concentrating fully on the extreme labyrinth of bends and asks you the question: "How is it to drive in Bathurst?"
The 635 touring car meant hard work for the driver. Due to the large steering forces, we sat close to the steering wheel, otherwise your arms would have fallen off after just a few laps. In return, the 6-cylinder in-line engine rewarded you with a great intonated sound that only in-line six-cylinder engines can offer.
The brakes also demanded juice in the legs, as around 70 kg were required to decelerate the car to the maximum during late braking. This meant you had to really get stuck in, but decelerate with enough control so as not to end up with a flat tire.
Poldi also started the first DTM season in 1984, exactly 30 years ago, with the 1150 kg 635 CSI entered by Walter Brun.
Since the Schnitzer car was made really fast again by Stuck and Quester from the mobile tradition, it can now be used as a "race cab" in the DTM races.
