Super Touring (Class 2), the class in which 2.0-liter 4-door sedans compete, replaced Group A and became the most popular regulations around the world in the 1990s. It was first introduced in the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) in 1990, followed by championships in Italy and France in 1993, Germany and Japan in 1994. BMW also entered Super Touring with the third-generation 3 Series E36. At the time, many rivals were front-wheel drive, but the BMW 3 Series, equipped with a 2.0-liter inline 4-cylinder engine that was race-trained and drove the rear wheels, was highly regarded in the national championship for its high cornering performance. Although BMW later withdrew from the factory team, the successor to the 4th-generation 3 Series E46 inherited its good qualities, and many private drivers succeeded in many races. Carly Motorsport, based in Leiden, the Netherlands, was one of the successful private drivers who participated in the Dutch Touring Car Championship with a BMW 320i E36 in 1997.
Carly Motorsport began competing in the "Super Production class" of the European Super Touring Championship from 2001 with a BMW 320i E46. The Super Production class is based on Group N regulations, which have a narrower range of modifications than Super Touring cars. In 2001, Duncan Huisman of the Netherlands took three victories at Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours in France, Circuit Zolder in the Netherlands and Hungaroring in Hungary, finishing second in the series. With this momentum, the team entered three 320i E46s in the Guia Race of Macau, co-organized by the F3 World Championship Macau GP, putting Huisman, Tom Coronel and Franz Engstler in charge. The 6.2-mile Guia Circuit, where the Guia Race is held, is a very difficult track where accidents often occur due to the narrow width of Macau's roads.
Huisman won pole position in qualifying, followed by Coronel in 2nd place and Engstler in 3rd. In Race 1, Engstler withdrew from trouble, and Huisman and Coronel engaged in a tail-to-tail battle. Huisman led steadily, but Coronel drove into his stride on the main straight at the end of the race and managed to overtake him. Coronel followed Huisman to a 1-2 finish. In the next race 2, Coronel, who was riding in the lead, also crashed. This gave Huisman the lead and his first Guia Race victory. In 2002 and 2003, Huisman also competed in the Guia Race of Macau with a Carly Motorsport 320i E46 and took three wins in a row.
Plastic model to be glued together by NUNU. The kit does not include paint and glue.
Specifications:
- Scale: 1/24
- Product code: 24041
- Manufacturer: Nunu - Bemax
For more information and photos, please visit the manufacturer's website (link in the tab above).