Description
Some racing anecdotes about the #33 Zakspeed BMW M3 E30 2. 5L DTM (Soper-Quester-Dufter) at the 1989 Nürburgring 24 Hours: "Going from turbo to natural" Steve Soper described the radical change between his turbocharged Sierra Cosworth (~550 bhp) and this M3 (~300 bhp): "The difference was huge... You had to keep the momentum and be nice and gentle with it. If you got nervous... she wasn't quick."  This gentle handling was crucial on the Nordschleife, in order to preserve grip, brakes and reliability. Local Zakspeed team advantage Engineer Steve added: "We won... because Zakspeed was based at the Nürburgring, literally on the other side of the road. All our development work was done there.
Having a workshop nearby meant that the car could be tuned specifically for the northern loop, a major advantage for the race. Solidity of the S14 unit and thermal chugging On the M3 E30 race car, the S14 engine was renowned for being high in revs (up to 8, 500 rpm). There were frequent episodes of leakage from the exhaust welds: "the exhaust pipes were deforming by 25 mm at full load; a simple change of silent-blocks stabilised them" This problem was corrected in time for the race, proof of BMW's reactive engineering.
Old-school cockpit intact: Despite the extreme preparation, the cockpit remained spartan: analogue dashboard, mechanical gear lever, little ergonomics, just the essentials in a streamlined cockpit around the roll bar. Soper emphasised that it was a pure formula: driver, speed and reliability above all else. With this M3 Zakspeed, they set the fastest lap in class with a time of 9:29. 380 The BMW M3 E30 is still one of the most revered models in the history of the DTM. Its 1988 Zakspeed version, with Oestreich at the wheel, embodies the pinnacle of German racing engineering in the 1980s, with a car that is balanced, responsive and built for the most demanding circuits.
