Jim Richards and the iconic BMW 635 CSi were among the stars of the Silverstone Classic meeting last weekend.
Richards showcased a version of the famous black and gold liveried Group C machine that took him to the 1985 Australiam Touring Car Championship title, in what was the car’s first appearance outside of Australia and New Zealand.
Competing in two races alongside Super Touring and Group A machines, Richards finished 20th and 24th in a 46 car field.
The car proved an instant hit with the British fans winning the ‘most admired car at the meeting’ award.
“The car has gone through a complete metamorphosis, you could say,” said Richards, who had only visited the circuit previously to test a Broadspeed Ford Escort in 1969.
“It started out as a Group C that I drove in 1983 and 1984, and then it was turned into a Group A car.
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“Many, many years later it was turned back into a Group C car, and we’re racing it around Australia and New Zealand.
“Now we’ve had this chance to race it at Silverstone, which is fantastic.
“It’s terrific to be able to take it overseas. Group C was only an Australian class, it wasn’t international like Group A, so to demonstrate it to the fans at Silverstone was a brilliant opportunity.
“A lot of fans have never seen these cars in action before, especially in England. It was exciting to make this weekend a ‘first’ for a lot of people.”
“I was absolutely amazed at how much the British race fans knew about Australian motorsport. Everything that’s happened in Australia, they knew about. They knew everything about what I’ve done in my career, I was really blown away.
“We had more people visit our pit than anyone. The organisers of the event gave us the ‘Best Presented’ and ‘Car of the Meeting’, which was just fantastic. That’s what it’s about.
Owned and restored to its Group C configuration by New Zealand collector Peter Sturgeon, the car has a rich history.
‘Gentleman Jim’ won seven rounds in the first year of Group A rules in the 1985 ATCC, combining with Frank Gardner Racing to take the title.
However, his hopes of winning that year’s Bathurst 1000, which the Kiwi led at the time, came to a bizarre end when both he and George Fury in the sister BMW ran off on oil and became buried together at Hell Corner.
GALLERY: Jim Richards at the Silverstone Classic
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